The Doors didn't have a bass player. Most people forget that. Because they lacked a dedicated bassist for their live shows, Robby Krieger had to play "big." He had to fill up the sonic space that a four-string usually occupies while still shredding like a psychedelic bluesman. When you look up a love me two times tab, you aren't just looking at a series of numbers on a line. You’re looking at a masterclass in hybrid picking and E-dominant blues phrasing that helped define the 1967 masterpiece Strange Days.
It’s easy to get the notes right. It's incredibly hard to get the "swing" right.
The Anatomy of the Main Riff
Most beginners see the opening of the love me two times tab and think, "Oh, it's just a blues shuffle in E." Well, kinda. But Krieger isn't just banging out power chords. He’s using a very specific syncopation. The riff centers around that low E string, but it’s the movement on the D and G strings that gives it that "walking" feel. If you’re looking at a standard tab, you’ll see the open E followed by a quick hammer-on or slide. Specifically, you’re moving from the 2nd to the 4th fret on the D string while keeping that rhythmic pulse.
Robby Krieger actually wrote this on a Spanish guitar. That’s a huge detail people miss. Because he came from a flamenco and folk background, he didn't use a pick for a lot of his early career. If you try to play the love me two times tab using only a heavy plectrum, it sounds too "clunky." It loses that fingerstyle grease. To make it sound like the record, you’ve got to use your thumb for the bass notes and your index/middle fingers to snap the higher strings.
Why the Chorus Breaks Your Brain
Then comes the chorus. It shifts. Suddenly, you aren't in that comfortable E blues box anymore. The song moves to A, then B, and eventually hits that iconic harpsichord-backed descent. Ray Manzarek’s harpsichord is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here, but the guitar has to stay out of the way while still providing the backbone.
The chords are:
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- A7
- D7
- G
- B7
But look closely at a high-quality love me two times tab. You’ll notice the voicings aren't your standard campfire chords. Krieger uses "shell voicings" frequently. He’s often leaving out the 5th of the chord to keep the sound from getting muddy. It's a jazz trick. Honestly, if you play a full barre chord B7 in the chorus, you’re going to clash with the keyboards. Keep it light. Keep it staccato.
The Solo: More Than Just Pentatonics
The solo in "Love Me Two Times" is short. It’s concise. It doesn't overstay its welcome. But it’s a perfect example of Krieger’s "outside" playing. While most 1960s guitarists were stuck in the minor pentatonic scale, Robby was mixing in Dorian and Mixolydian modes.
When you get to the solo section of your love me two times tab, pay attention to the bends. They aren't always full-step bends. Sometimes he’s doing these "quarter-tone" blues curls that sit right between the flat third and the major third. It’s that tension that makes it sound like The Doors. If you play it "perfectly" in tune, it sounds wrong. It needs that slight, almost-out-of-tune tension that defines 1960s Sunset Strip rock.
Ray Manzarek once mentioned in an interview that this song was Robby's "big blues contribution" to the album. But it isn't Chicago blues. It isn't Delta blues. It’s Baroque-blues.
Common Mistakes in Most Tabs
Let's be real: most free tabs on the internet are garbage. They’re transcribed by ear by people who might not understand that Krieger used a Gibson SG through a Twin Reverb with the gain pushed just enough to hair up.
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One huge mistake in many love me two times tab versions is the fingerings for the turnaround. Some tabs suggest playing the descent on the lower strings. If you watch live footage of The Doors at the Hollywood Bowl in 1968, you can clearly see Robby staying in the middle of the neck. This allows him to grab those ringing open strings which act as a "drone." That drone is essential. Without it, the song sounds thin.
Another thing? The rhythm. The song is in 4/4, but it has a "push" on the two and the four. If you play it "straight," you sound like a MIDI file. You have to lay back on the beat. Jim Morrison’s vocals are lazy and soulful; the guitar has to match that vibe.
Equipment and Tone
You don't need a vintage SG to make this work, but you do need the right EQ.
- Treble: 7 or 8 (You need that "bite")
- Mids: 5
- Bass: 4 (Don't compete with the organ's bass pedals)
- Reverb: A healthy amount of spring reverb.
If you’re using a digital modeler, look for a "Blackface" amp setting. Turn the gain up until it just starts to break up when you hit the strings hard, but stays clean when you play softly. That dynamic range is what allows the love me two times tab to come to life.
The Cultural Weight of the Song
"Love Me Two Times" was written about a soldier going off to Vietnam. Or a breakup. Or just the general transience of life in the late sixties. It’s a "going away" song. That’s why it feels urgent. When you’re playing through the love me two times tab, keep that urgency in mind. It’s not a ballad. It’s a demand.
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The song reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, which is impressive considering it was the follow-up to "Light My Fire." It proved the band wasn't a one-hit-wonder and that Krieger was a songwriter to be reckoned with. He wrote the band's biggest hits, often while Jim was busy being a poet.
Actionable Steps for Mastering the Song
Don't just stare at the screen. To actually learn this, you need a plan.
First, isolate the "shuffle." Forget the lead fills for a second. Just work on the E to G to A movement in the main riff. Use your thumb for the E string. This is non-negotiable if you want the authentic sound.
Second, listen to the 40th Anniversary Mix of Strange Days. The guitar is panned differently and you can hear the nuances of the picking much clearer than on the original vinyl presses. You'll hear ghost notes that aren't in any love me two times tab you'll find online.
Third, record yourself. Play along with the track. If your guitar sounds "ahead" of the beat, you're rushing. The Doors were all about the "groove."
Finally, learn the harpsichord part on guitar. If you can play Ray's part and Robby's part, you'll understand the harmonic structure of the song better than 99% of other players. It’s all about the interplay.
Stop searching for the "perfect" version of the tab and start using your ears to fill in the gaps that the numbers on the page leave out. The soul of the song is in the space between the notes.