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Bass Lessons — Begging Tap For Bass Vol.4 bass tabs




Virtually all the notes that we've been playing so far have been
related harmonically as either fifths or octaves. This is largely
because at bass frequencies, smaller intervals do not give a
sufficient gap (in terms of Hertz) to allow your ear to tell them
apart. This can be most clearly seen on a piano where the left
hand
(the bass) often plays octaves while the right plays a much closer
harmony (usually thirds or less). If you were to play thirds
at bass
frequencies they would sound a muddy mess.

If we look a little more closely at the idea of left hand fifths,
there are two ways they can be played in the context of the tapping
we've done so far. We can either place the root on the E or the A
string. We'll consider each of these in turn.

We'll use the A Major Chord (as it's the one we're most familiar
with), so placing the root on the E string, and tapping the fifth and
octave on the top strings we get:

|————————14———————|
|————————14———————|
|—————————————————|
|————5————————————|

The fifth of the A chord is E. This is easiest played on the seventh

fret of the A string, so we may alternate between this and the
root.
|———————14—————14—|
|———————14—————14—|
|———————————7—————|
|————5————————————|

Looping this round should give you a pretty good idea of where
we're
heading this week.

The alternative to placing the root on the E string is to play
the root
on the A string. We can't play this using open strings, as you
can't
hammer on an open string, so we'll play this at the twelfth fret

|———————14————————|
|———————14————————|
|————12———————————|
|—————————————————|


We've played that plenty of times, so we can quickly add the fifth
on
the E string. Moving up a fifth is harmonically the same is moving
down a fourth, so this note is again found at the twelfth fret.

|———————14—————14—|
|———————14—————14—|
|————12———————————|
|——————————12—————|


This is the same E as we previously played on the A string, 7th
fret, but now the A is above it, and we've reached it by moving
down. This is particularly obvious when we move between the two
patterns:

|————————————————14—————14——————14————14—————————|
|————————————————14—————14——————14————14—————————|
|————————————12————————————————————7—————————————|
|———————————————————12———————5———————————————————|

When we move between chords we can choose which INVERSION we use to
minimize hand movement, and to keep the bass line moving in a
melodic fashion. In the following example we move from a C major
chord with the C on the A string, playing a G on the string below
(this is known as 2nd inverson), to an A minor root position (A at
the bottom on the E string, with a fifth on the A string).

|————————————————17—————17———|——————14—————14——————|
|————————————————17—————17———|——————14—————14——————|
|————————————3———————————————|——————————7——————————|
|————————————————————3———————|———5—————————————————|


This vamp forms the basis of the Stu Hamm track "Country Music (A
Night in Hell)". Repeat it round until you've got a really
comfortable rhythm going.

Before considering the whole tab we need one more trick — a major
third for the right hand. I'll cover these in more detail next
time,
but for now place your right hand in a position to play a fourth
(as
we have done so far), and just stretch your middle finger a little
further so it plays one fret further down:

|———14—————13—————|
|———14—————14—————|
|—————————————————|
|—————————————————|


You should now have few problems with the full rhythm part to
"Country
music". It's mostly based on the stuff we've covered this week.
Watch out for the slapped parts (marked with a T). You should be
able to slap these without moving your hand too far away from the
tapping position (see lesson 3).


|—————————|———17———17———17———17—————|———17———17———17———17—————|
|—————————|———17———17———17———17—————|———17———17———17———17—————|
|———————2—|—3—————————3—————————————|—3—————————3—————————————|
|—3——5————|——————3—————————3————————|——————3—————————3————————|
T T T

|———14———14———14———14—————|———17———17———17—17———17—————|
|———14———14———14———14—————|———17———17———17—17———17—————|
|——————7—————————7————————|—3—————————3————————————————|
|—5—————————5—————————————|——————3————————————3————————|


|———14———14———14———14—————|———17———17———17———17—————|
|———14———14———14———14—————|———17———17———17———17—————|
|——————7—————————7————————|—3—————————3————5————————|
|—5—————————5—————————————|——————3——————————————————|


|———16———16———16———16—————|—————————————————————————|———||
|———17———17———17———17—————|—————————————————————————|———||
|——————5—————————5————————|———————————2——3————————2—|—3—||
|—3—————————3—————————————|——3——3——5————————3——5————|———||

T T T T T T T T T
Tablature player for this song:
Bass Lessons - Begging Tap For Bass Vol.4 Bass Tab

How to Read Bass Tabs

Bass tablature (tabs) is an easy way to learn songs without needing to read traditional sheet music. Here’s a quick guide to understanding the symbols and techniques commonly found in tabs:

1. The Basics

  • Strings and Frets:

    Each line in a tab represents a string on your bass:

    • The top line is the highest-pitched string (G on a 4-string bass).
    • The bottom line is the lowest-pitched string (E on a 4-string bass).

    Numbers on the lines indicate which fret to press. For example:

    G|-------------------|
    D|-------------------|
    A|---3---------------|
    E|-------------------|
                

    This means you play the 3rd fret on the A string.

2. Common Techniques

  • Hammer-On (h):

    Play the first note by picking it, then press down on a higher fret with another finger without picking again.

    G|-------------------|
    D|-------5h7---------|
                
  • Pull-Off (p):

    Pluck a note and then "pull off" your finger to let a lower fret ring.

    G|-------------------|
    D|-------7p5---------|
                
  • Slide (/ or \):

    Move your finger up (/) or down (\) the fretboard while maintaining pressure.

    G|-------------------|
    D|-------5/7---------|
                

3. Advanced Techniques

  • Bend (b): Push the string up or down to raise the pitch. Example: G|-------7b9---------|
  • Vibrato (~): Shake the string slightly after playing a note to create a vibrating sound. Example: G|-------7~----------|
  • Muted Notes (x): Rest your finger lightly on the string without pressing a fret and pluck for a percussive "click" sound.

4. Rhythm and Timing

Tabs don’t always indicate timing, so listen to the song while reading the tab. Wider spaces between numbers mean longer pauses, while closer numbers indicate quicker notes.

5. Slap and Pop

  • Slap (s): Strike the string with the side of your thumb for a percussive sound.
  • Pop (p): Pull the string away from the fretboard and let it snap back.

Practice Makes Perfect

Tabs are a great tool to learn songs, but mastering the techniques takes practice. Listen carefully to the original track and play along to lock in the rhythm. Don’t rush — smooth, accurate playing is more important than speed. Happy jamming! 🎸

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