Tristessa Chords
Tristessa by Smashing Pumpkins is a beginner-friendly guitar song played in the key of G. It uses the chords G and G2. Use the transpose and diagram tools on this page to change the key, see each shape, or simplify the chords.
*1
G distortion
|--------------------------------------------------------X-X-X-X------
|--------------------------------------------------------X-X-X-X------
|----------13-13-------------11-11-------------13-13-----X-X-X-X--11-11
|----------X--X--------------X--X--------------X--X------X-X-X-X--X--X
|----------11-11-------------9--9--------------11-11-----X-X-X-X--9--9
|-0---0-0-----------0---0-0-----------0---0-0------------X-X-X-X------
G2 Distortion
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|----------11p7--------------9p5---------------11p7---------------9p5-
|-0---0-0-----------0---0-0-----------0---0-0-------------------------
Repeat *1 through lyrics until:
*2
G
pm----------------------------| repeat... Slide last time only before *3
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|-7-7-7-7-7-5-7-7--5-7-5-7-5-7-5--------------------------------------
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-------------(X)---------------------
G2
pm---------------------------| repeat...
|-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X--X-X-X-X-X-X-X--------------------------------------
|-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X--X-X-X-X-X-X-X--------------------------------------
|-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X--X-X-X-X-X-X-X--------------------------------------
|-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X--X-X-X-X-X-X-X--------------------------------------
|-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X--X-X-X-X-X-X-X--------------------------------------
|-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X--X-X-X-X-X-X-X--------------------------------------
^this is close to providing the rhythmic guitar noise in this part.
palm mute while fret-muting with your other hand near the nut.
Repeat *1 then *2
*3
Both Guitars:
|-0--0----3--3----5--5-----------6--5-3-0--0----3--3-----8----8--8--8--
|-0--0----3--3----5--5-----------6--5-3-0--0----3--3-----8----8--8--8--
|-1--1----4--4----6--6--X-X-X-X--7--6-4-1--1----4--4-----9----9--9--9--
|-2--2--X-5--5--X-7--7--X-X-X-X--8--7-5-2--2----5--5-----10---10-10-10-
|-2--2--X-5--5--X-7--7--X-X-X-X--8--7-5-2--2----5--5--5--10---10-10-10-
|-0--0--X-3--3--X-5--5--X-X-X-X--6--5-3-0--0--0-3--3--3--8----8--8--8--
Repeat *3 then:
*4
Both guitars
Surely I knew...Surely I knew...Surely I knew................
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------------------------------2------------
|--------------------------------------------------------2------------
|-----------------------------------------4--------------2------------
|---------2---------------0---------------2--------------0------------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
*Solo
|-------------------------------------------17-17-16-----14hbr--------
|-17-17-17-15-17-17-17-15-17-17-17-15-17-15---------------------14p12-
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|-13---11-13-119--11-11-13-13-14-14-16-16--16-16-16-14-16-14-16-----
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|------------------9--9--11-11-12-12-14-14----------------------------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
...sorry, that's all I know. Other guitar plays *1 behind this.
repeat *1 and *2 then:
*end
G {repeat *2 half as long (listen to the CD) then this}
pm-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------
|------------------------------------------------------------------------
|------------------------------------------------------------------------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------X-
|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-X-
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-X-
G2
|------------------------------------------------------------------------
|------------------------------------------------------------------------
|------------------------------------13131313141414141616161619191919----
|------------------------------------X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X--X-
|------------------------------------11111111121212121414141417171717-X-
|---------------------------------------------------------------------X-
Both guitars:
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|---------------------------------------------------------------------
|---------13-13-------------------------------------------------------
|---------X--X--------------------------------------------------------
|---------11-11-------------------------------------------------------
|-0---0-0-------------------------------------------------------------
Note: An alternate way of playing this (It's the way I play it, but
I've not seen them play this live so I don't know how Billy plays
it) is with one guitar as follows:
|--------------------------------------------------------X-X-X-X------
|--------------------------------------------------------X-X-X-X------
|----------13-13-------------11-11-------------13-13-----X-X-X-X--11-11
|----------X--X--------------X--X--------------X--X------X-X-X-X--X--X
|----------11-11-------------9--9--------------11-11-----X-X-X-X--9--9
|-0---0-0--X-h12----0---0-0--X-h10----0---0-0--X-h12-----X-X-X-X--X-h10
Lyrics:
Plant (pledged?) your faith
my heart embraced
struggle to renew
Blurry mind
so hypnotized
fast enough who..
Wonder...where you are.
Tristessa
Soul take soul
as I take eye
I will wait for you
What you believe
you'll wish to recieve.
Who to believe in who?
You.
Hang on...to your life.
Tristessa
I love you true
Surely I knew (do?)
I love you true
Surely I knew
Surely I knew
Surely I knew
Do you ever wake up and find yourself alone?
Do you ever wake up far from home?
What you believe
you'll wish to recieve.
Who to believe in who?
Tristessa
Tristessa
Tristessa