Iowan Gal Bass Tabs - Claypool, Les @ BigBassTabs.com


Les plays this song on his bass banjo, but I will tab it for a four—string 
fretted electric bass.
s: slap
p: pop
x: muted note
h: hammer on
p: pull
/: slide up
\: slide down

Riff 1:
    s s  p  s     p     p     p  s     p     s s  p  s     p     p     p  s     p
G:——————12———————10h12—12/14—12———————10h12——————12———————10h12—12/14—12———————10h12—————
D:—————————10h12————————————————10h12———————————————10h12————————————————10h12———————————
A:—10—x—————————————————————————————————————10—x—————————————————————————————————————————
E:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
    s s  p  s     p     p     p  s     p     s s s  p s s s s s s  s
G:——————12———————10h12—12/14—12———————10h12——————————————————————————————————————————————
D:—————————10h12————————————————10h12——————————————10—9—9—9——————————————————————————————
A:—10—x—————————————————————————————————————10—x—x——————————9—9—9—10—————————————————————
E:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Riff 2:
   p s p s p s p s p s p s p s
G:—0———0———0———0———0———0———0—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D:———5———5———5———5———5———5———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E:———————————————————————————7\——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Part 1 of Riff 3:
   s s p s   p   p   s p s 
G:—————————————————————0—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D:—————5—————3h5—5/7—5———5———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A:———————3h5—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E:—3—x———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Part 2 of Riff 3:
   p s s p s s p s s p s 
G:—5—0—0—4—0—0—0—————0———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D:———————————————4—4———5—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Riff 4:
   p s p s s p s s p s p s p s s p s s p s p s p s s p s s p s p s p s s p s s p s 
G:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E:—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3———————

G:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A:—2h3———0h2—————————————2h3———3h5———2h3—————————2h3———3h5———2h3———3h5———5h7———3h5———————
E:—————3—————3—3—3—3—3—3—————3—————3—————3—3—3—3—————3—————3—————3—————3—————3———————————

Riff 5:

G:—0—————0h4———0—————0———0—————0h4———0h5———0———0—————0h4———0—————0———0———4—————0h5———4———
D:———5—5—————5———5—5———5———5—5—————5—————5———5———5—5—————5———5—5———5———5———5—5—————0———0—
A:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

G:—0h5———0h7———0h5———0h4———0h5—0—————0h5—0—————0h5—0—————0h5—————————————————————————————
D:—————5—————5—————5—————5———————5—5———————5—5———————5—5—————5—5—4—4—4h5—————————————————
A:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

G:—0———0———0———0———0———0———0———0———10h12—0———————0—9h10————0————0————0————0————0—————————
D:———5———5———5———5———5———5———5———5—————————10h12—————————————————————————————————————————
A:——————————————————————————————————————————————————————10———10———10———10———10———10——————
E:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

G:———————0——————0—————————0———0————0—————0———0———0———0———0———0———0———0———————————————————
D:—10h12———9h10———9h10———————————————————5———5———5———5———5———5———5———5———————————————————
A:—————————————————————10———9———10———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E:———————————————————————————————————3—3———3———3———3———3———3———3———3—————————————————————
Then go to sort of a variation of riff 4.

Order:

Riff 1
Riff 2
P1 of Riff 3 (let ring...)
P1 of Riff 3 x4
P2 of Riff 3 
Riff 2
P1 of Riff 3 x2
P2 of Riff 3 x2
Riff 2
P1 of Riff 3 x2
P2 of Riff 3
Riff 2
P1 of Riff 3 x2
P2 of Riff 3 x4
Riff 2
Riff 1
P2 of Riff 3 (let ring...)
P1 of Riff 3 x4
P2 of Riff 3
Riff 2
P1 of Riff 3 x2
P2 of Riff 3 x6
Riff 2
Riff 4
Riff 2
Riff 1
P2 of Riff 3
Riff 2
Riff 5 (remember to go to the sort of variation of Riff 4 directly 
after Riff 5)
P1 of Riff 3 x4
P2 of Riff 3
Riff 2
P1 of Riff 3 x2
P2 of Riff 3 x4
Riff 2*
P1 of Riff 3 (let ring... then end with a finishing pop of an open G)

There are slight ad libs in this song that I did not tab out. A lot 
of ad libs I did tab out, like in riffs 4 and 5, but it would take 
to long to tab the song note for note. 

*There is a slight variation in Riff 2 the last time it is played.

If you have any comments or corrections please tell me. I hope 
this tab helped. This is a great song and a really fun song to play. 
Thanks and enjoy!!!

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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Claypool, Les — Iowan Gal bass tabs