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Buddy Holly — Blue Days Black Nights bass tabs



I love this song!  I put two versions here;  A more simple one and one a little more
fancy. You pick which you like better, or mix and match!

(/) Slide Up (\) Slide Down (h) Hammer On (p) Pull Off (b) Bend (r) Release
(v) Vibrato





Intro
G|——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|——————————————————————————————————7———————————————————————————
A|————————————————7———————————7——5———5—————7———————————7—————7——
E|——0h1——2——3——5—————0——7——5————————————5—————0——7——5—————5—————


Fancy Intro
G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|————————————————————————————6——9——6—————————————————4——7——4—————————————————6——9——6
A|————————————————4——7——4——7——————————————4——7——4——5——————————————4——7——4——7—————————
E|——0h1——2——3——5———————————————————————5———————————————————————5—————————————————————

G|—————————————————————————————
D|—————————————————————————————
A|—————4——7——4—————4——7——4—————
E|——5———————————5——————————————

Verse
G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|———————————————————————7———————————————————————————
A|—————7———————————7——5———5—————7———————————7—————7——
E|——5—————0——7——5————————————5—————0——7——5—————5—————

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|———————————————————————7———————————————————————————
A|—————7———————————7——5———5—————7———————————7—————7——
E|——5—————0——7——5————————————5—————0——7——5—————5—————

Fancy Verse
G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|—————————————————6——9——6—————————————————4——7——4—————————————————6——9———
A|—————4——7——4——7——————————————4——7——4——5——————————————4——7——4——7—————————
E|——5———————————————————————5———————————————————————5—————————————————————

G|—————————————————————————————
D|—————————————————————————————
A|—————4——7——4—————4——7——4—————
E|——5———————————5——————————————

G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|—————————————————6——9——6—————————————————4——7——4—————————————————6——9———
A|—————4——7——4——7——————————————4——7——4——5——————————————4——7——4——7—————————
E|——5———————————————————————5———————————————————————5—————————————————————

G|—————————————————————————————
D|—————————————————————————————
A|—————4——7——4—————4——7——4—————
E|——5———————————5——————————————

Chorus
G|——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|————————7————————7——————————————————————————7————————7————————————————————
A|——5——5—————5——5———————————7————————7——5——5—————5——5———————————————————————
E|————————————————————5——5—————5——5———————————————————————5——5h7——9——12—————

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|———————————————————————7———————————————————————————
A|—————7———————————7——5———5—————7———————————7—————7——
E|——5—————0——7——5————————————5—————0——7——5—————5—————

Fancy Chorus
G|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|————4——7——4—————4——7——4—————————————————————————————4——7——4—————4——7——4——
A|—5———————————5——————————————4——7——4—————4——7——4——5———————————5———————————
E|—————————————————————————5———————————5———————————————————————————————————

G|—————————————————
D|—————————————————
A|—————4——7——4——7——
E|——5——————————————

G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|—————————————————6——9——6—————————————————4——7——4—————————————————6——9———
A|—————4——7——4——7——————————————4——7——4——5——————————————4——7——4——7—————————
E|——5———————————————————————5———————————————————————5—————————————————————

G|—————————————————————————————
D|—————————————————————————————
A|—————4——7——4—————4——7——4—————
E|——5———————————5——————————————


For the solo just play the verse and chorus again

The last note of the last chorus should end on
G|—————
D|—————
A|—————
E|——5——

or

G|—————
D|—————
A|——0—— and let it ring
E|—————



bigbasstabs.
Tablature player for this song:
Buddy Holly - Blue Days Black Nights Bass Tab

About Buddy Holly

Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959) known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll. Although his success lasted only a year and a half before his death in an airplane crash, Holly is described by critic Bruce Elder as "the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll." His works and innovations inspired and influenced both his contemporaries and later musicians, notably The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Don McLean, and Bob Dylan, and exerted a profound influence on popular music.

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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