Notice
This single from one of of Seattle's finest, is one of the many tunes on Badmotorfinger that features an alternate tuning. Kim Thayil replaced his low E string with a .056 and tuned it down to low B, enabling him to execute the main lick (which enters at :18), used for the intro and verse sections, with greater facility; it also puts many of the other riffs that are doubled by the bass in the same register as the bass, creating one big, fat, heavy sound. His tone is extremely overdriven, accentuating the upper partials (the overtone series) inherent in each note. The main lick makes reference to B Pentatonic minor (B,D,E,F#,A), with the use of roots (B's) and b7's (A's), with the inclusion of the major 2nd, C#. The chorus lick at 1:14 is based on the B Blues scale (B,D,E,F,F#,A), as is the lick that enters at 2:06. The position of "one" through this section is a little ambiguous and can be interpreted a few different ways. At 2:51, the groove changes entirely moving into a slow, very Zep feel for the remainder of the tune. This riff is also based on B Pentatonic minor, and moves through a series of time signature changes. The song ends with two guitars playing single fed-back notes, seconds apart (the root, B, and the b7, A). Kim achieves his monstrous tone with the use of a '74 thin-line "diet" Les Paul, played through a Peavey VTM-120 tube amp and two 4x10 cabinets. He also uses a DOD preamp pedal to fatten up the tone.