Killing In The Name | TAB
There’s a lot of TAB to get through here, so any long explanation will only slow things down—let’s dive straight in.
Intro
We begin with a huge D5 in drop D tuning. Let it ring, pause, then swell into one of the strangest Eb “chords” you’ll ever play—voiced as single notes. From there, pivot between D and Eb before moving into an unmuted version of the upcoming verse riff.
This TAB takes you right up to that point.
Verse
Here’s the verse, which also appears in the intro without palm muting. If you group the notes, you end up with a D7#9.
In verse two, a chromatic variation is added:
Chorus
There are two chorus sections—A and B. Here’s Chorus A. The chord names may look unusual, but they simply reflect the intervals in the descending line: 6 – b6 – 5.
Chorus B (which follows the bridge) is much more straightforward, built entirely from power chords. This is also the progression used for the solo.
Bridge
This section genuinely feels like a bridge. We begin with D5, then introduce muted strums to build intensity.
Solo
The solo is practically impossible to replicate without a Whammy pedal—it took a long time to get this one right.
Outro
After the solo, there’s a breakdown leading into a rising build using the D Aeolian scale on a single string.
This leads back into the Chorus B riff before the final section, which features a proper D7#9 chord.
Once you’ve worked through all this TAB, return to the backing track with a chord chart—you’ll find that D13, D7(b13), and all the other unusual chord names suddenly make perfect sense.
Killing In The Name Backing Tracks + TAB | Related Pages
Killing In The Name | Chords + Lyrics
Learn how to play Killing In The Name by Rage Against The Machine using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, and the original recording.
||: Muted Verse riff :||
Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses…
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