How to Play Bad Fish Chords by Sublime on Guitar

SobiSeptember 8, 2023Last Updated: June 23, 2024

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Bad Fish is a song by the American ska punk band Sublime, released in 1992 as part of their debut album 40oz. to Freedom. The song is a tribute to the band’s love of surfing and the ocean, as well as a reflection of their struggles with addiction and depression. The song features a catchy melody, a reggae-inspired rhythm, and some simple but effective chords that are easy to learn and play on guitar.

In this article, we will show you how to play Bad Fish by Sublime on guitar, using the chords, tabs, and lyrics from the web search results. We will also explain some of the techniques and tips that will help you sound more like the original recording.

Intro and Verse Chords

The intro and verse chords of Bad Fish are the same, and they consist of four basic chords: A, Bm, G, and D. The chord progression is A-Bm-G-A for the first half of each verse, and A-D-G-A for the second half. The chords are played with a ska-style strumming pattern, which means that you only strum the upbeats (the “and” of each beat) and mute the downbeats (the numbers) with your left hand. This creates a bouncy and rhythmic sound that matches the genre of the song.

When you grab a hold of me Tell me that I’ll never be set free But I’m a parasite Creep and crawl I step into the night Two pints of booze Tell me are you a bad fish too? (are you a bad fish too?)

Chorus Chords

The chorus chords of Bad Fish are slightly different from the intro and verse chords, and they add one more chord: E. The chord progression is D-A-D-A-D-A-D-E for each chorus. The chords are played with the same ska-style strumming pattern as before, but you can also add some accents on certain beats to make it more dynamic and expressive.

[Intro]
A Bm G A
A Bm G A
 
 
[Verse 1]
 A                  Bm
When you grab a hold of me
G                            A
Tell me that I'll never be set free
A                  Bm
Well, I'm a parasite
G                              A
Creep and crawl, I step into the night
A            D
Two pints of booze
G                         A
Tell me are you a bad fish too (are you a bad fish too)
 
 
[Chorus]
D                      A
Ain't got no money to spend
D                   A
I hope the night will never end
D              A
Lord knows I'm weak
            D                   E
Won't somebody get me off of this reef
 
 
[Verse 2]
A                       Bm
Baby, you're a big blue whale
G                               A
Grab the reef when all duck diving fails
A                           Bm
I'd swim but I wish I never learned
G                      A
Water's too polluted with germs
A                                  D
I dive deep when it's ten feet overhead
G                       A
Grab the reef underneath my bed (underneath my bed)
 
 
[Bridge]
D                 A
Ain't got no quarrels with God
D                       A
Ain't got no time to grow old
D              A
Lord knows I'm weak
               D                E
Won't somebody get me off of this reef 
 
 
[Solo]
A Bm G A
A Bm G A
 
 
[Chorus]
D                A
Ain't got no quarrels with God
D                       A
Ain't got no time to get old
D              A
Lord knows I'm weak
                 D                E
Won't somebody get me off of this reef

Solo Chords

The solo chords of Bad Fish are the same as the intro and verse chords, except that they are played twice as fast. The chord progression is A-Bm-G-A-A-Bm-G-A for each solo section. The chords are played with a fast ska-style strumming pattern, which means that you strum both the upbeats and downbeats (the numbers and the “and”s) and mute them with your left hand. This creates a frantic and energetic sound that contrasts with the rest of the song.

The solo is played by the lead guitar over the solo chords, and it consists of some melodic phrases and licks that are based on the A minor pentatonic scale. The solo is not very difficult to play, but it requires some practice and accuracy to match the speed and timing of the song. You can use the tabs from the web search results to learn the solo, or you can improvise your own solo using the same scale and chords.

Conclusion

Bad Fish by Sublime is a fun and easy song to play on guitar, and it is a great way to practice your ska-style strumming and soloing skills. The song uses only five basic chords: A, Bm, G, D, and E, and it follows a simple structure of intro, verse, chorus, solo, verse, chorus, solo, chorus, and outro. The song also features a catchy melody, a reggae-inspired rhythm, and some simple but effective lyrics that express the band’s love of surfing and the ocean, as well as their struggles with addiction and depression.

If you want to learn how to play Bad Fish by Sublime on guitar, you can use the chords, tabs, and lyrics from the web search results, or you can watch some video lessons online. You can also listen to the original recording or some live performances of the song to get a better feel for the style and mood of the song. We hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new. Happy playing!