You know that feeling. You're sitting with a guitar, maybe an acoustic or a hollow-body electric, and you want something that sounds... off. Not bad-off. But 1967-Venice-Beach-on-acid off. The people are strange tab is usually the first place guitarists go when they want to move past basic campfire strumming into something actually atmospheric. It's spooky. It’s cabaret. It’s Robby Krieger being an absolute genius with fingerstyle playing.
But here is the thing. Most tabs you find online for this song are actually kind of wrong. They simplify the thumb movement or they get the bass notes upside down. If you want to play it like the record, you have to realize Krieger wasn't just a rock guy; he was a flamenco-trained musician playing a blues-rock song with a jazz mentality. That’s a lot of layers for a two-minute track.
The Secret Sauce of the People Are Strange Tab
Let's talk about the E minor chord. Most people just strum it. Don't do that. The "People Are Strange" vibe is entirely dependent on the alternating bass line. Your thumb is the heartbeat. It hits the low E string, then moves to the D or A string, bouncing back and forth while your fingers pluck the higher strings. It’s a "walking" feel.
If you look at a standard people are strange tab, it starts with that iconic descending lick. It’s a chromatic walk-down. It sounds like someone stumbling down a dark alleyway. You’re playing on the low strings, hitting the seventh fret, then the sixth, then the fifth. It’s uneasy. It’s meant to be. Jim Morrison’s lyrics about being an outsider wouldn't work if the music sounded "happy."
The song is in E minor, but it uses these "outside" notes that make it feel theatrical. Most beginners struggle because their timing is too stiff. This song needs to swing. It needs a little bit of a "drunk" lean to it. If you play it like a metronome, you’ve already lost.
Why the Chorus Always Trips People Up
The verse is easy enough once you get the thumb moving. But then the chorus hits. "People are strange... when you're a stranger." Suddenly, the chord progression jumps. You're moving from B7 to E minor and throwing in G and B7 again. The transition has to be crisp.
A lot of tabs simplify the B7. They tell you to just play a standard open B7. Honestly? It sounds okay, but if you want that professional "thump," you should try the barre chord version or at least make sure you’re emphasizing the F# in the bass. That’s what gives it that driving, circus-like momentum.
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Robby Krieger used his fingers, not a pick. This is the biggest hurdle for people looking up a people are strange tab. If you use a heavy plectrum, it’s going to sound too sharp, too "country." You want the flesh of your fingers to hit the strings for a warmer, more intimate tone. This is especially true for the solo.
Breaking Down the Solo (The Ragtime Feel)
The solo in "People Are Strange" is short. It’s tiny. But it’s perfect. It’s basically a ragtime piano solo played on a guitar. Krieger is doubling the vocal melody but adding these little "stabs" of harmony.
When you look at the people are strange tab for the solo section, pay attention to the double stops. You aren't just playing single notes. You're playing two notes at once, usually on the B and G strings. It gives it a thicker, more "honky-tonk" flavor.
- The Slide: There’s a specific slide from the 3rd to the 4th fret on the G string that happens constantly.
- The Pull-offs: Use them. Don't pick every note. It makes the melody fluid.
- The Tone: If you're on an electric, flip to your neck pickup. Roll the tone knob down a bit. You want it "tubby."
Most people mess up the ending of the solo. They rush back into the verse. Take a breath. The silence between the notes is just as important as the notes themselves. That's the Doors' whole philosophy. Ray Manzarek's keyboard is doing the heavy lifting on the low end, so your guitar parts need to be "staccato"—short and plucked.
Gear and Sound: How to Match the Tab
You can have the best people are strange tab in the world, but if your guitar sounds like a heavy metal chainsaw, it won't work. On the original recording from the Strange Days album, the guitar has this very specific "plunky" sound.
Legend has it they used a bit of "tack piano" and some specific studio compression to get that sound. To mimic this at home, try a bit of light overdrive—just enough to give it some hair—and maybe a touch of spring reverb. If you have a hollow-body like a Gibson ES-335 or a Gretsch, you're in luck. That's the holy grail for this specific track.
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If you're on an acoustic, use older strings. New, bright strings are too zingy. You want that "found this in an attic" vibe.
Common Mistakes in Most Tabs
Let's get real about the stuff you see on Ultimate Guitar or Songsterr. A lot of those tabs are crowdsourced. Sometimes, the person transcribing it is 14 years old and doing it by ear on a bad pair of headphones.
- Missing the F#: In the E minor sections, there is often a quick transition to a G or an F# note in the bass. If your tab just shows "Em" for four bars, it’s wrong.
- The Intro Lick: Some tabs show the intro starting on the A string. It doesn't. It's the low E. If you start on the A, the whole octave of the song is shifted and it loses that "heavy" feeling.
- The B7 Shape: Most tabs show the standard 021202 shape. Try playing it with the pinky on the 4th fret of the D string instead of the open B string. It changes the resonance.
Basically, use the tab as a map, not a law. Listen to the track. Notice how the drums and the guitar lock together. John Densmore was a jazz drummer, and Krieger followed his lead. The "swing" is what makes it.
The beauty of this song is that it's accessible for intermediates but has enough nuance to keep pros busy. You can learn the basic chords in ten minutes. You can spend ten years trying to get the "feel" exactly right.
How to Practice the People Are Strange Tab Effectively
Don't just play it top to bottom. That’s how you bake in mistakes. Break it into three chunks.
First, master the "walk-down" intro. Do it until you can do it without looking at your left hand. It should be muscle memory.
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Second, work on the verse's thumb-finger independence. This is the hardest part for people who usually play with a pick. Your thumb has to be a robot. It just goes thump-thump-thump-thump on the beat. Your fingers are the "singers" that play off-beat. If your thumb stops when your fingers move, go back to the start.
Third, tackle the "strange" chords in the bridge. "Women seem wicked... when you're unwanted." That's a quick shift. The chords move fast there. Practice the transition from Am to B7 to Em over and over.
Actionable Steps to Mastering the Song
- Ditch the pick. If you really can't play without one, use a very thin, flexible pick or a thumb-pick, but try the bare fingers first. It changes the "attack" of the note.
- Record yourself. Play along to the track and record it on your phone. When you listen back, you’ll hear where your timing "drags" or "rushes." Usually, people rush the chorus because they're nervous about the chord changes.
- Slow it down. Use a tool like YouTube's playback speed or a dedicated app to slow the original track to 75%. Listen to how Robby Krieger hits the strings. It’s more delicate than you think.
- Learn the "B" Section Bassline. If you have a looper pedal, lay down the rhythm guitar part and then try to play the vocal melody on top. It helps you understand how the harmony works.
The people are strange tab is a gateway. Once you learn how to do this kind of "dark folk" playing, songs by bands like The Velvet Underground or even Radiohead start to make a lot more sense. It’s all about the mood. Stop trying to play it "perfectly" and start trying to play it "weirdly." After all, that's the whole point of the song.
Find a version of the tab that includes the "T" (thumb) markings for the bass notes. If the tab doesn't distinguish between the bass and the melody, find a better one. Your thumb should stay on the E, A, and D strings, while your index and middle fingers handle the G, B, and high E. This separation is what creates the "two players at once" illusion that makes the Doors' sound so full despite not having a traditional bass player in the studio for every track.
Go pick up your guitar. Start with that low E string. Walk it down. Feel the weirdness. That's the only way to really get it right.