If you are looking for accurate bass tabs and sheet music for “Given Up” by Linkin Park, you are stepping into one of the heaviest and most aggressive tracks the band has ever recorded. This high-octane anthem from their 2007 album Minutes to Midnight brings furious punk energy and crushing metal riffs, cementing its place as a Platinum-certified standout. Below, you will find the officially licensed sheet music, my Session Notes on how to capture that relentless, overdriven pick attack, and a timestamped breakdown to help you practice along.
Get the Accurate What I’ve Done Bass Transcription (PDF & Sheet Music)
Feel free to just jump straight in to the tab and sheet music at the links below, but make sure you come back to check out my session notes on tone, technique, and the song’s breakdown!
👉 Download from Sheet Music Direct
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👉 Download from MuseScore
👉 Download from Musicnotes
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Listen To The Original Track
Before you dive into the sheet music, press play below and listen closely to the blistering pick attack and that overdriven tone that drives the entire song.
Song Structure:
- 0:00 – Intro: The song kicks off with jingling keys and clapping before erupting into the blistering main riff. When the bass drops, it locks in with the guitars immediately, using fast, alternating picking on the Dropped D string.
- 0:24 – Verse 1: The intensity pulls back slightly for the vocals, but the bass maintains a tight, driving, and slightly muted groove. You need to lock in perfectly with Rob Bourdon’s kick drum here.
- 0:43 – Pre-Chorus 1: The tension ramps up quickly. Keep your right hand rigid and prepare to launch into the massive chorus.
- 0:48 – Chorus 1: A huge wall of sound. You are driving the root notes hard and fast. Absolute stamina and an aggressive pick attack are required.
- 1:09 – Verse 2: The verse groove returns. Pay close attention to the syncopation and keep your muting tight so the fast notes don’t bleed together into mud.
- 1:28 – Pre-Chorus 2: Build the energy back up ready for the second chorus.
- 1:33 – Chorus 2: The heavy chorus returns. Keep the low-end anchored, punchy, and relentless.
- 1:55 – Break: Rest momentarily and prepare yourself for one of Linkin Park’s best ever breakdowns!
- 2:00 – Bridge: A sudden shift into a chaotic, heavier, half-time feel. Let the notes ring with pure menace and really attack those notes. Half way through, get ready for the legendary 17-second Chester Bennington scream. Underneath this vocal marathon, the bass and guitars are churning out the punishing, relentless main riff again. Do not let your picking hand cramp up!
- 2:45 – Chorus 3: Give it everything you have left. Dig in as hard as you can for the final explosive hook of the track, driving it all the way to the abrupt finish.
Song Information
Title: Given Up
Artist: Linkin Park
Album: Minutes To Midnight
Bassist: Dave “Phoenix” Farrell
Difficulty: Beginner
Tuning: Drop D
Key: E Minor
Tempo: 100
Bass Diary Entry: That Scream Says It All
When I first heard this track, nothing could have prepared me for that scream in the breakdown.
Seriously — it just comes out of nowhere and completely takes over the song. One of those moments where everything stops and you just think what did I just hear? Even now, it still hits just as hard.
This is easily one of the heaviest tracks on Minutes To Midnight, but it’s a different kind of heavy compared to Hybrid Theory or Meteora. It’s less about layered production and more about raw energy. Gritty, aggressive, and a bit unhinged in the best possible way.
There’s a looseness to it that makes it feel more live, more immediate — like the band just let everything off the leash and hit record.
You can really feel that intensity throughout the whole track. It doesn’t just rely on that one standout moment either — the entire song is built on tension, release, and pure attitude.
And seeing it live was unreal. Catching them on the Minutes To Midnight tour in London and getting this mid-set? That’s the kind of moment that sticks. I have another story from this gig tied to A Place For My Head when I eventually get round to transcribing that one!
From a bass perspective, this is all about aggression and locking in tight. The tone, the attack, the consistency — everything works together to keep that driving force underneath the chaos. It’s not flashy, but it absolutely hits.
Given Up is one of those tracks that proves heaviness isn’t just about distortion or speed — sometimes it’s about raw emotion, pushed right to the edge.
Session Notes: Tone & Technique
The Groove & Harmony
Sitting at 100 BPM (with a frantic 200 BPM double-time feel) in the key of D Minor, “Given Up” is an absolute endurance test for your picking hand. This track leans heavily into punk rock speed mixed with massive nu-metal weight. The main riff relies on rapid-fire strumming on the dropped D string, requiring tight string-crossing and excellent muting from your fretting hand to keep the fast lines articulate and clean.
Stamina and Pick Attack
Dave “Phoenix” Farrell plays this track with absolute ferocity. To get through the bridge section—underneath that iconic 17-second scream—without your forearm completely locking up, you need to rely on the economy of motion. Keep your pick strokes tight and close to the strings. Trying to exclusively down-pick the whole song will exhaust you; you must be comfortable with fast, even alternate picking to maintain the frenetic energy from start to finish.
Emulating the Alt-Rock Tone
To nail this aggressive tone, you actually need to pull back on the distortion. The “heavy” sound in the mix is almost entirely driven by technique and how it locks with the guitars:
- The Power of the Pick: You absolutely need a thick, stiff pick to attack the strings hard. The defining characteristic of this tone is the aggressive, metallic “clank” of the strings snapping against the frets.
- Amp on the Edge: Instead of using a heavy saturation pedal, push a classic tube amp model just to the edge of breakup. You want a warm, gritty overdrive that preserves the low-end fundamental rather than compressing it into mud.
- Pickup Selection: Favor the bridge pickup slightly to slice through the dense mix, and keep your tone knob rolled up to retain all those aggressive, clanking treble frequencies.
Get the Official Sheet Music
You’ve made it this far, so don’t settle for “close enough” tabs that often miss the nuances that make a bass line groove.
This Given Up bass transcription is the result of hours of deep listening and research, ensuring you’re playing exactly what’s on the record.
Whether you’re prepping for a session or mastering your favourite tracks at home, get the professional edge with our officially licensed sheet music that ensures songwriters and performers are respected.from the below retailers!
👉 Download from Sheet Music Direct
👉 Download from Sheet Music Plus
👉 Download from MuseScore
👉 Download from Musicnotes
Affiliate Note: This page may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. For full details on affiliate links, please see the Affiliate Link Policy.
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