'Machines (or 'Back To Humans')' tab guide

Words and music by Brian May and Roger Taylor

Intro:

Keyboard arr. for guitar (bell sound)
E|-3---3---3---3-|-3---3---3---3-|
B|-3---3---3---3-|-3---3---3---3-|
G|---------------|---------------|
D|---------------|---------------|
A|---------------|---------------|
E|---------------|---------------|

Guitar - (00:04)
(let ring)
E|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
B|---3-------------3-------------|-3---------------3-------------|
G|-0-0-0---0-5-5---0-0-0---0-5-5-|-0-0-0---0-5-5---0-0-0---0-5-5-|
D|---0-0---0-5-5-----0-0---0-5-5-|---0-0---0-5-5-----0-0---0-5-5-|
A|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|

                w/bar     (00:21)
E|-----------------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|
B|-----------------------|-6---x6-x6-x6-|-x6---x6-x6-x6-|-x6---x6-x6-x6-|
G|-0-5---------0\\\!///5-|--------------|---------------|---------------|
D|---5---------0\\\!///5-|--------------|---------------|---------------|
A|---3---------0\\\!///--|--------------|---------------|---------------|
E|---3-------------------|--------------|---------------|---------------|

E|---------------------|-----------------|
B|-6---6-6--6-5-3------|-----------------|
G|----------------5-b3-|-----------------|
D|---------------------|-x3-x2-x0--------|
A|---------------------|----------x3--b1-|
E|---------------------|-----------------|

  (00:37)
E|---------------------|------------------------------------------------|
B|-6---6-6--6-5-3------|------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------5-b3-|------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------|-x3-x2-x0-x0------3-x3---3-x3---3-x3---x3-x2----|
A|---------------------|------------x3----1-x1---1-x1---1-x1---x1-x0-x5-|
E|---------------------|---------------------------------------------x3-|

E|-3--3-|
B|-3--3-|
G|-4--4-|
D|-5--5-|
A|-5--5-|
E|-3--3-|

Verse 1:

 (00:54)                  (01:09)          (01:18)
E|-------------------3--3-|----------------|-1---------|
B|-------------------3--3-|----------------|-1---------|
G|-2--2--------------4--4-|-2--2-----------|-2-----5---|
D|-3--3----5--3------5--5-|-3--3----5--3---|-3-----5---|
A|-3--3----3--1------5--5-|-3--3----3--1---|-3-----3---|
E|-1--1--------------3--3-|-1--1-----------|-1---------|

 (01:26)
 (let ring)
E|-------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
B|---8-8-----8-8-----8-8-----8-8-|---10-10-----10-10-----10-10-----10-10-|
G|---7-7-----8-8-----7-7-----5-5-|----9--9------7--7------9--9------7--7-|
D|-5-5-5---5-5-5---5-5-5---5-5-5-|-7--7--7---7--7--7---7--7--7---7--7--7-|
A|-------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

 (01:35)                                               (01:43)
E|-----------------------------------------------------|---------3--3--|
B|----13-13------13-13------13-13------13-13-----12-10-|---------3--3--|
G|----10-10------10-10------12-12------12-12-----12-10-|---------4--4--|
D|-10-10-10---10-10-10---10-10-10---10-10-10--10-10--8-|---------5--5--|
A|-----------------------------------------------------|-5-5-----5--5--|
E|-----------------------------------------------------|-3-3-----3--3--|

 (02:00)
E|-3--3-|
B|-3--3-|
G|-4--4-|
D|-5--5-|
A|-5--5-|
E|-3--3-|

Verse 2:

 (02:07)            (02:11)
E|------------------|--------------------------------3--3-|
B|------15b17\\\\\!-|-----------18b20-20-20\\\\\\!---3--3-|
G|------------------|-5--3---------------------------4--4-|
D|-3----------------|-5--3---------------------------5--5-|
A|-3----------------|-3--1---------------------------3--3-|
E|-1----------------|--------------------------------3--3-|

 (02:24)   (02:28)
E|---------|------------------------------------------------|
B|---------|------------------------------------------------|
G|-5--3----|------------2--2----2--2----2--2----2--2--\\\5--|
D|-5--3----|------------3--3----3--3----3--3----3--3--\\\5--|
A|-3--1----|------------3--3----3--3----3--3----3--3--\\\3--|
E|---------|-1///!\\\1--1--1----1--1----1--1----1--1--------|

 (02:37)(more distorted)
E|-------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
B|---8-8-----8-8-----8-8-----8-8-|---10-10-----10-10-----10-10-----10-10-|
G|---7-7-----8-8-----7-7-----5-5-|----9--9------7--7------9--9------7--7-|
D|-5-5-5---5-5-5---5-5-5---5-5-5-|-7--7--7---7--7--7---7--7--7---7--7--7-|
A|-------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------|---------------------------------------|

 (02:46)                                               (02:57)   (03:01)
E|-----------------------------------------------------|---------|------|
B|----13-13------13-13------13-13------13-13-----12-10-|---------|------|
G|----10-10------10-10------12-12------12-12-----12-10-|---------|------|
D|-10-10-10---10-10-10---10-10-10---10-10-10--10-10--8-|---------|-3----|
A|-----------------------------------------------------|-5-----5-|-3----|
E|-----------------------------------------------------|-3-----3-|-1----|
Outro:

G F G F

 (03:16)
E|-------------|
B|-16b18\\\\\!-|
G|-------------|
D|-------------|
A|-------------|
E|-------------|

Riffs as above

 (04:01)
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-8b10-8b10-8b10---8b10-10-8b10-10-8-7-5-----------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------7-5-------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------7-5---------------------|
A|------------------------------------------------7-5-3-0-3-0-5h7-3-0-|
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------|

                              (04:12)
E|----------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------|-5---5-5-----10b12-12-12-12-10b12-12-12-12...-|
D|-5h77777-5h77777-5h77777...-|----------------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------|----------------------------------------------|

 (04:31)
E|-------------------------|----|--------------------------------|
B|-18b20-18b20-18b20-18b20-|----|-18b20--15----------------------|
G|-------------------------|-0/-|-----------16-17-17b19-17b19\\\-|
D|-------------------------|-/0-|--------------------------------|
A|-------------------------|----|--------------------------------|
E|-------------------------|----|--------------------------------|

E|-17b19-17b19-17b19-17b19---------------------------|-17b19-17-15----------|
B|---------------------------18b20-18b20-18b20-18b20-|-------------18b20-18-|
G|---------------------------------------------------|----------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------|----------------------| G
A|---------------------------------------------------|----------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------|----------------------|

This makes up the basics of the song. Most of what I haven't transcribed is listed elsewhere in the tab, and you just have to adapt what is already there. If you're really stuck, just try playing various inversions of G or F chords, since these are the main chords used throughout the song.

This is, in my opinion, the best Queen song EVER.

Please e-mail me with any comments at all about this transcription. Tell me what you like or don't like about it, tell me anything. Just e-mail to say that it helped you! I want to know if I should write any more Queen/Brian May transcriptions!
Author: Matt Notley, 10/99 - darkjedi47@yahoo.com, Up
Last update: 03/21/2007