Reading Latures Bass Tabs - Bass Lessons @ BigBassTabs.com


Reading bass tablatures.

Tabbed by Marcos Prieto ([email protected])

First of all say that i'm not English speaker, so sorry for my 
English.


Well, let's start learning. Take your bass and take a look to 
the neck.
You can see the four stings. If you write this four chords with 
characters
you can see this:

 ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
 ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
 ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
 ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Each chord from your bass represents a note (if you let the chord 
ring sounds 
this note): 

The string 1, first string from below (the thinnest) is G.
The string 2, second string from below is D.
The string 3, third string from below is A.
The string 4, first string from below (the thickest) is E.

If you write the name of the chords in the tablature use this order 
(from 1 
to 4, from G to E, from up to down) you can see this:

 G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
 D|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
 A|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
 E|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

It's written in this order because is the easiest way to read 
the tab, since 
the string from down of the tab is E, that is the most nearby in 
the view of 
the bassist.

The neck of your bass is divided by frets (thin metallic bars). 
Too is called
frets the space between this bars, were you put your finger to 
play a note. The 
easiest way of search a fret is to use the white points over the 
neck of 
the bass. Now you can see a scheme, were all the '|' represents 
the frets (bars)
of your bass, down the scheme you can see the number of fret, and 
'' represents
the white points of the bass:

 G|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|
 D|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|——|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|
 A|———|———|——|———|——|———|——|———|——|———|———|——|———|———|——|———|——|———|———|
 E|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|———|...
 0  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19

If you play the fret 3 from the E chord (4), it's represented 
on the tab like this:

G|———————————|
D|———————————|
A|———————————|
E|—3—————————|

If you play the fret 2 from the A chord (3), it's represented 
on the tab like this:

G|———————————|
D|———————————|
A|—2—————————|
E|———————————|

If you play the D chord (2) without put a finger on the fret, it's 
represented on the 
tab like this:

G|———————————|
D|—0—————————|
A|———————————|
E|———————————|

If the tab is a good tab, the tab is separated by '|' (generally 
in 4 bits). 
Each bit represents each beat from the song. Generally each 
beat fits with 
the guitar chord. Let's see an example:

  G                E                D                Bb
G|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
D|————5—5—————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
A|————————————————|——2—2—2—————————|5———————————————|1—1—1—1—1—1—1—1—|
E|3—3—————————————|0———————0———————|————————————————|————————————————|

Now you can see and play a very easy bass line, "With Or Without 
You", from U2:

G|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
D|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
A|5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—|0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—|2—2—2—2—2—2—2—2—|————————————————|
E|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—|

Sometimes you can see the rhythm over the tab. Well, you are a 
beginner, 
ignore the rhythm if you like (also i think that follow correctly 
the 
rhythm is a very inportant part for playing bass). There are 
a lot of 
types and variations:

  1   2   3   4    1   2   3   4    1   2   3   4    1   2   3   4
G|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
D|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
A|2—2—2—2—2—2—2—2—|————————————————|5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—|————————————————|
E|————————————————|2—2—2—2—2—2—2—2—|————————————————|3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—|

  +   +   +   +    +   +   +   +    +   +   +   +    +   +   +   +
G|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
D|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
A|2—2—2—2—2—2—2—2—|————————————————|5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—|————————————————|
E|————————————————|2—2—2—2—2—2—2—2—|————————————————|3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—|

If you reach to be a good bassist you will learn to follow the rhythm 
of the song.

In the tabs the time between two notes is represented by the space 
between two
numbers in the tab; more space, more time:


G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|5———5——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|


G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|5————————————————————————————————5—————————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

                                   ***

Now let's see the symbols of the tab.

*** HAMMER ON ***

To make a hammer on let's see an example. Put your index finger 
on this position:

  
G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|
A|————————————————|
E|7———————————————|

Now play this note, let it ring a second and inmmediately slam 
your ring finger
down onto the 9 fret. The symbol of the hammer on is 'h':

G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|
A|————————————————|
E|7h9—————————————|


*** PULL OFF ***

Now let's make a pull off. Put your index finger on this position:

G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|
A|————————————————|
E|7———————————————|

and your ring finger on that:

G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|
A|————————————————|
E|9———————————————|

Well, now let ring the chord (9) 1 second with your ring finger 
on the chord and
raise quickly this ring finger, so there's only the index finger 
on the chord (7).
The symbol of the pull off is 'p'.

G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|
A|————————————————|
E|9p7—————————————|

You can fade in a lot of hammer on and pull offs:

G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|
A|————————————————|
E|7h9p7h9p7h9p7———|


*** SLIDE ***

Put your index finger on this position:

G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|
A|————————————————|
E|2———————————————|

Let ring the chord and now without raising the finger of the string 
move it quickly
to another fret, for example from 2 to 7:

G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|
A|————————————————|
E|2/7—————————————|

If you make a slide up the symbol is '/', if you make a slide down 
the symbol is '\':

G|————————————————|       G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|       D|————————————————|
A|————————————————|       A|5\3—————————————|
E|2/7—————————————|       E|————————————————|

The slides also are represented with 's', no matter if it's up 
or down:

G|————————————————|       G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|       D|————————————————|
A|————————————————|       A|5s3—————————————|
E|2s7—————————————|       E|————————————————|

*** Bend *** 

To make a bend put one or two fingers on the fret, let ring the note 
and bend
the string a bit up or a bit down. The bend is more usual in the guitar, 
but it's 
also used in the bass. The bend symbol is 'b'.

G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|
A|——————12b———————|
E|————————————————|

If your finger is on fret 12, you bend the chord and sounds like 
fret 13 (or higher)
is represented by:

G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|
A|——————12b13—————|
E|————————————————|

If you bend the chord and release the chord is represented by 'r':

G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|
A|————12b13r12————|
E|————————————————|

*** MUTE ***

Now put your finger softly on the string but don't press the chord 
on the neck. 
If now you play the chord sounds a deaf and low sound. It's 'x':

G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|
A|————————x—x—x—x—|
E|x—x—x—x—————————|

*** REST ***

The music is composed by sounds and silences. Generally in the 
tabs a 
note sounds until the following one is played:

G|————————————————|————————————————|
D|————————————————|————————————————|
A|2———————————————|————————————————|
E|————————————————|————————2———————|

but other times this sound is cut, and a silence is produced:

G|————————————————|————————————————|
D|————————————————|————————————————|
A|2—r—————————————|————————————————|
E|————————————————|————————2———————|

The rest has a lot of symbols, generally is 'r' or 'rest':

G|————————————————|——r———r—————————|
D|————————————————|——e———e—————————|
A|2—r—2—r—————————|——s———s—————————|
E|————————————————|2—t—2—t—2———————|

                              ***

Well, the Palm Mute ('PM'), the Slap ('S') and the Pop ('S') are 
other
symbols in the tabs. If you are a beginner you don't need to know 
it now,
if you are an average player there's a lot of Slap and Pop lessons 
on this web.

Is there's any question email me or send me a message. Hope it 
will be useful.

     __   _      __      __      _____   _____   _____
    /  | / |    /  |    /  `\   / ___/  / __ /  (  __/
   /   |/  |   / /||   / /) /  //      / / //   \ \
  / /|   /||  / /^||  / /||   //___   / / //  ___) )
 / / |  / || / /  || / / ||  /    /  /  ^^/  /    / 
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

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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Bass Lessons — Reading latures bass tabs