Knowing how to read music really helps if you want to play bass guitar. It's a broad subject for sure, but you can start with the basics, and build quickly from there even if you struggle reading standard sheet music. We’re currently updating all of the content on the site, and we’ll try to cover 5 string TAB in more detail in a future article. The best part is that it’s simple and easy to understand, even for beginners. No abusive ads Tablature, or tab, is music notation used most frequently by stringed instrument players, in particular guitar, bass and banjo players. The best way to learn how to read bass tab is to play tunes that you already know and see how they have been written in tab. An X is used to represent the effect of muffling a string to produce a rhythmic sound. The second note is the open A string. A hammer-on is when the next note is higher than the original note, a pull-off when it is lower. The example below shows the open strings of the guitar played from lowest to highest. A forward slash ( / ) indicates a slide moving up in pitch. This lesson will teach you how to read bass tab. Some common bass tab markings you may encounter: Another thing you will come across in bass tabs is alternate tunings. Arrows are used to show string bends. A. Tabs are written in with each line representing one string on the guitar or bass, usually 6 or 4, respectively. The second note is the open A string. In addition you can find it in books published, in magazines and on the Internet, later we will leave references of where to find the best tabs for bass. Bass tablature, or bass tab, is a pretty simple system of music notation for bass.You will find it in music books, bass magazines, and all over the internet. You will find it in music books, bass magazines, and all over the internet. Learning how to play bass using tabs is a great option for beginners, but it’s no substitute for learning how to read music notation or chord charts. Reading tab is like looking down at the strings on your bass. You'll learn everything you need about your instrument before you start playing. Below is tab showing the open strings of a bass guitar: The diagram below shoes how a G major scale is notated in tab. What the above tabs tells you to do is start on the E on the 1st fret. Bass Lessons - Reading Bass Tab First you need to be able to read tab and understand it. For this post, we’ll show you two guitar tabs as examples, but keep in mind that the same principles apply to reading bass tabs (you just have fewer strings to worry about!). The numbers on the tab show the fret at which the string should be held down in order to play the desired note. Even having a basic idea of note rhythms will be a big help reading bass lines. So you want to learn how to play the bass guitar and specifically how to read bass tabs. In tablature, the highest line represents the highest (pitch) string. Guitar tablature, or just tab for short, is a notation system that graphically represents the frets and strings of the guitar. There are a few basic components to tabs, which we’ll cover here. They have a ton of lessons from some legendary bass guitar players and the focus of the site is mostly around learning songs. A tab staff will always have the same number of lines as your instrument has strings. Bass Guitar Tabs (Tablature) Although reading music used to be one of the first things taught when you took Bass lessons, it has now taken a back seat to reading Tablature (Tabs). These are not standardized. If the string has a 1, then that means you must play using the first fret. Tabs provide an easy way for even novices (who might not have much training in note reading or music theory) to get an idea of how to play something on the guitar. Strings. This way you will stay inspired, not get bored, and you’ll build a massive library of riffs that you can pull from at any time. In text tab, bends are shown between two fret numbers as ‘b’ for bend, and ‘r’ for release. The four lines going across horizontally represent the four strings of the bass. Symbols can differ from publisher to publisher and from website to website, but the following symbols are in common use. Music notation is a great system, but it isn’t the most modern, or best system for learn modern bass guitar songs. There are a few basic components to tabs, which we’ll cover here. Tablature notation: Showing strings, frets, and sequence. The following figures present your main rhythms (with rest symbols included free of charge) and the note names on the fingerboard of your bass. In this case, there are three parts of the bass drum kit being used, the bass drum tabs, the snare, and the HH. E :—–1–3——–5–5–5—. Today, I want to give you an intro into learning to read guitar tabs. So what’s a guitar tab? How to Read Guitar Tablature. Most basses have between 20 and 24 frets. Learn bass tab to play the bass lines from your favorite songs. [As] mentioned before, the numbers correspond to the fret that you play. If the bent note is to be released and the original note sounded, a downwards pointing arrow is used. I hope this helps. Tab is short for tablature, a system used to show how music should be played on fretted instruments. When a tab displays a series of numbers, stacked vertically, it is indicating to play all these notes at the same time. Thankfully, guitar TABs are also the easiest method of notating music for guitar. The fret number is written on the string on which it is played. Although easy to produce, text tab can be harder to understand. Strings. Down here we have the tablature; four lines, each one representing a bass string. Tab can also be written on its own, without the standard notation. There’s not too much to reading bass tab. Bassists can learn to read music notation, chord lyrics charts, or bass tablature. Use the tab if you’re … When learning how to read bass tab it is a good idea to see how it relates to the notation. The number of strings (horizontal lines) will depend on whether more strings are required to play the song. In text tab, an alternative way to show hammer-ons and pull-offs is by using a ‘^’ between two notes. How To Read TABs – Open Strings. Tablature (or tab) shows you which strings to press and on which frets for the correct notes. The extent of the bend is shown with a small number. IMPORTANT: Learning to play bass tabs and songs is only a small fraction of what learning to be a bass player is all about. The numbers on the TAB represent the fret at which a finger of your left hand should hold down the string in order to play the desired note. This is why tab is generally best used when you already have an idea of how the music goes, or when the rhythm is simple. ‘1/2’ means that the string is to be bent upwards a half-step, a ‘1’ means a whole step. I'm going to talk about how to read it. Bass guitarists have their own special system of music notation called bass guitar tablature, or "bass guitar tabs" for short.Using bass guitar tabs, a guitarist can play a wide variety of music without ever having to learn how to read standard sheet music. In this example you are to play the 3rd fret on the E-string followed by the 2nd fret on the A-string, then the 5th fret on the A-string, and finally the 5th fret on the D-string, then back down the same notes. So, a six-string guitar will have six lines, and a four-string bass will have four lines. In tab, an open string is shown as ‘0’. Know Your Bass Guitar & How To Read Bass Tabs. It was very helpful.but doesit also apply to a five string guitar? What evolved from the need to learn single notes without having to read notes on a staff was bass tablature (commonly called bass tabs). The bass tabs, in the form of numbers, are extremely helpful for those who have just started taking bass lessons. Bass tab can be a real aid to beginners before they have learned to read standard music notation or have learned the note names on the fretboard. Strings in Bass Tab Bass tab shows the strings of the bass drawn horizontally. However, this code (which is the "figured bass") didn't tell the player exactly how to play the chords - for example, they could choose to play them as solid chords, broken chords or could weave them into heavily decorated individual voice lines. Be able to look at a piece of sheet music and understand what the notes and symbols mean. The lines in a tab represent the strings on a guitar. Take the time to ask around or look up teachers. You can find bass scale tabs in music books, bass magazines, and around the internet. How To Read Bass Tab Bass tablature (or short Bass Tab) it is the best way learn favourite songs for those people who don't know special musical notation. © 2003 - 2020 Leading Tone Media, LLC - all rights reserved, This website requires the use of cookies. Though the basics of tab notation are the same regardless of the instrument, converting a bass tab to music notation for guitar requires some knowledge of both instruments and basic music notation skills. IMPORTANT: Learning to play bass tabs and songs is only a small fraction of what learning to be a bass player is all about. Bass tablature, or bass tab, is a pretty simple system of music notation for bass.You will find it in music books, bass magazines, and all over the internet. From the Body to the strings this section covers all the parts of the bass guitar. IMPORTANT: Learning to play bass tabs and songs is only a small fraction of what learning to be a bass player is all about. At the top of the tab it might specify to change the tuning of your bass for something non-standard (EADG). You may see fret numbers from 0 (the open string) up to 24. The third is the second fret of the A string, and so on. We’ll cover everything you need to know in order to efficiently read tabs and be able to learn from songbooks and instructional materials featuring tabs with ease. Let’s get into it! Tabs 101: The Basics of Reading Tabs. No abusive ads Many times rhythm is not indicated in bass tab. How To Get A Jazz Guitar Sound: The Guitar, Strings, Pick and Amplifier You Need For A Jazz Tone, What is a Chorus Pedal, What Does A Chorus Pedal Do, And How / When to Use Chorus in Your Playing, Lydian Scale Guitar: Learn How To Play The Lydian Modal Scale On Your Guitar, What is a Compressor Pedal, What Does A Compressor Pedal Do, And How / When to Use Compression in Your Playing. In this case you are left on your own to listen to the recording and piece it together yourself. It’s just fret numbers on string lines. Contemporary Jazz Guitarists: A List Of Exciting Young Jazz Guitarists. That’s sustain, so leave it ring instead of muting the string. Here you will find scores of … Since most guitars are six-string guitars, we’ll look at tabs applicable to six-strings. G -------------------|----------------- D -------------------|----------------- A -------------------|----------------- E -------------------|-----------------. Occasionally, rhythmic lines are shown on the tab part, but these are not always accurate, and can often be more confusing than helpful. That will depend on whether more strings are required to play the song. Often which hand is used is marked with an L or R and assumes you are right-handed. If you look closely, each component’s rhythm line has 16 marks on each line, which means 16 beats. By Mark Phillips, Jon Chappell . Tab is usually included under standard notation. So the "top" string is actually on the bottom when you hold a guitar. Bass tablature for Reading by Bass Lessons. So right here I have a piece of tablature with me now. The first note is played at the third fret of the E (lowest) string. Demonstration is also included. i still have no idea what the numbers mean on the tabs. If the part is written for a standard four string bass then there will be four horizontal lines, one for each string. Bass tablature, or bass tab, is a pretty simple system of music notation for bass. And, it can be helpful to show complicated fingerings alongside standard notation. The top line is the first string (the highest, thinnest string - aka the "G string") and the bottom line is the fourth string (the lowest, thickest string - the "E string"). In printed tab, hammer-ons and pull-offs are represented by curved lines over two or more notes. The numbers indicate the fret number. Bassists can learn to read music notation, chord lyrics charts, or bass tablature. Welcome to BIG BASS TABS, the fast growing website with free and accurate bass tablature of all your favorite artists of every genre and era and new bass tabs every day!. Once I learned guitar tabs, learning to play got a lot easier, and I began to enjoy the process. The composer added small numbers underneath the bass line, like a kind of code, which told the player which chords to play. Good question. The numbers on the lines represent what fret to play. Tablature is just a way to write music that is specially formulated for the guitar or your bass. E -------------------------------------. When learning how to read guitar tabs, it’s important to understand that 1 represents the first fret, 2 the second fret, 3 the third fret, and so on. It is always written from low-string to high-string. The Layout of a Fretboard Diagram . TAB or tablature is a method of writing down music played on guitar or bass. i apologise) Home Mail There are lines meant to represent each open string (so a bass tab has only 4 strings). How do I read the tabs? A lower line means a lower note. Guitar Buying Advice For Beginners. Rated 5.0 out of 5 by 27 users. Learn to Read Bass Guitar Tab: The Fundamentals. We’re currently in the process or re-writing much of our old content, this page included. Reading chords within a guitar tab is a relatively simple process. 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