GREAT BALLS OF FIRE (Bassline)
As recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis
(From the 2000 Album GREAT BALLS OF FIRE)
Words and Music by Jerry Lee Lewis

 

Gtr I (E A D G) — 'Standard'


  Bright Rock Q=166
 4/4
  Gtr I
  E E E     Q  Q  H      H    E E E E   Q  Q  H
|———————||—————————————|——————————————|————————————|
|———————||o————————————|——————————0—2—|—3——————————|
|———0—2—||o—3——————————|————————3—————|————————————|
|—3—————||—————————————|——————————————|————————————|


  H    E E E E   Q  Q  E E E E   Q  Q  E E E E
|——————————————|———————————————|———————————————|
|————————3—3—4—|—5———————5—5—4—|———————————————|
|——————————————|———————————————|—3—————————0—2—|
|——————————————|———————————————|—————————3—————|


  Q  Q  H      W          E E E E E E E E
|————————————|——————————|—————————0—0—2—0—|
|————————————|——————————|—————2—2—————————|
|—3——————————|——————————|—3—3—————————————|
|————————————|——————————|—————————————————|


  E E E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E
|—————————0—0—2—0—|—————————————————|—————————————————|
|—————2—2—————————|—————————————0———|—————————————0———|
|—3—3—————————————|—————0—0—3—3———3—|—————0—0—3—3———3—|
|—————————————————|—1—1—————————————|—1—1—————————————|


  E E E E E E E E   E E E E E E Q    Q  Q  H
|—————————————————|————————————————|————————————|
|—————————0—0—2—0—|————————————————|————————————|
|—————2—2—————————|—————0—0—3—3—5——|—3——————————|
|—3—3—————————————|—1—1————————————|————————————|


  W          E E E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E
|——————————|—————————————————|—————————————————|
|——————————|—————————————0———|—————————————0———|
|——————————|—————0—0—3—3———3—|—————0—0—3—3———3—|
|——————————|—1—1—————————————|—1—1—————————————|


  E E E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E
|—————————0—0—2—0—|—————————0—0—2—0—|—————————————————|
|—————2—2—————————|—————2—2—————————|—————————————0———|
|—3—3—————————————|—3—3—————————————|—————0—0—3—3———3—|
|—————————————————|—————————————————|—1—1—————————————|


  E E E E E E Q    Q  Q  H      H    E E E E
|————————————————|————————————|——————————————|
|————————————————|————————————|——————————————|
|—————0—0—3—3—5——|—3——————————|——————————————|
|—1—1————————————|————————————|————————3—3—3—|


  Q  Q  E E E E   Q  Q  E E E E   Q  Q  H
|———————————————|———————————————|————————————|
|———————————————|———————————————|————————————|
|———————————————|———————————————|————————————|
|—3———————3—3—3—|—3———————3—3—3—|—3——————————|


  E Q  E +E  Q.     E E E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E
|—————————————————|—————————0—0—2—0—|—————————0—0—2—0—|
|—————————————————|—————2—2—————————|—————2—2—————————|
|—————————————————|—3—3—————————————|—3—3—————————————|
|———3——3—(3)—3————|—————————————————|—————————————————|


  E E E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E
|—————————————————|—————————————————|—————————————————|
|—————————————0———|—————————————0———|—————————0—0—2—0—|
|—————0—0—3—3———3—|—————0—0—3—3———3—|—————2—2—————————|
|—1—1—————————————|—1—1—————————————|—3—3—————————————|


                                1.
  E E E E E E Q    Q  Q  H      W
|————————————————|————————————|———————||
|————————————————|————————————|——————o||
|—————0—0—3—3—5——|—3——————————|——————o||
|—1—1————————————|————————————|———————||


  2.
  H    E E E E   Q  Q  H
|——————————————|————————————*|
|——————————————|————————————*|
|————————3—3—3—|—3——————————*|
|——————————————|————————————*|




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


Duration Legend
———————————————
W — whole; H — half; Q — quarter; E — 8th; S — 16th; T — 32nd; X — 64th; a — acciaccatura
+ — note tied to previous; . — note dotted; .. — note double dotted
Uncapitalized letters represent notes that are staccato (1/2 duration)
Irregular groupings are notated above the duration line
Duration letters will always appear directly above the note/fret number it represents the
duration for.  Duration letters with no fret number below them represent rests.  Multi—
bar rests are notated in the form Wxn, where n is the number of bars to rest for.  Low
melody durations appear below the staff

Tablature Legend
————————————————
 h   — hammer—on
 p   — pull—off
 b   — bend
 pb  — pre—bend
 r   — bend release (if no number after the r, then release immediately)
 /  — slide into or out of (from/to "nowhere")
 s   — legato slide
 S   — shift slide
 — natural harmonic
  — artificial harmonic
n(n) — tapped harmonic
 ~   — vibrato
 tr  — trill
 T   — tap
 TP  — trem. picking
 PM  — palm muting
n/  — tremolo bar dip; n = amount to dip
 n  — tremolo bar down
 n/  — tremolo bar up
/n  — tremolo bar inverted dip
 =   — hold bend; also acts as connecting device for hammers/pulls
  — volume swell (louder/softer)
 x   — on rhythm slash represents muted slash
 o   — on rhythm slash represents single note slash

Misc Legend
———————————
 |  — bar
||  — double bar
||o — repeat start
o|| — repeat end
*|  — double bar (ending)
 :  — bar (freetime)
 $  — Segno
 &  — Coda
Tempo markers —  = BPM(8/16=s8/s16), where s8 = swing 8ths, s16 = swing 16ths

About Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis (born September 29, 1935) is an American rock and roll and country music singer and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him number 24 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2003, they listed his box set All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology number 242 on their list of "500 greatest albums of all time".

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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Jerry Lee Lewis — Great Balls Of Fire (ver 2) bass tabs