Bassist: John Paul Jones
Style: Picked
Tabbed by Robbie

x = muted string (shouldn't produce a note, just a scratch sound)
b = bend

Scroll down to hear the isolated bass track. 
This tab is what I hear when listening to it, but you might hear something that I don't. 

Intro:
(Bass comes in at about 0:05)
G |—————————————————|—————————————————|—————————————————|—————————————————|
D |—————————————————|—————————————————|—————————————————|———————0—————0———|
A |—————————————————|—————————————————|—————————————————|———————5—————5———|
E |—————————————————|—————————————————|—————————————————|—————7—————7—————|
    1   &   2   &     3   &   4   &     1   &   2   &     3   &   4   &

G |—————————————————|—————————————————|—————————————————|—————————————————|
D |—————————————————|—————————————————|—————————————————|———————0—————0———|
A |—7—x—x—x—7—x—x—x—|—7—x—x—x—7—x—x—x—|—7—x—x—x—7—x—x—x—|—7—x———5—————5———|
E |—0—0—x—0—0—0—x—0—|—0—0—x—0—0—0—x—0—|—0—0—x—0—0—0—x—0—|—0—x—7—————7—————|
    1   &   2   &     3   &   4   &     1   &   2   &     3   &   4   &

Verse:
G |—————————————————|—————————————————|
D |—————————————————|———————0—————0———|
A |—7—x—x—x—7—x—x—x—|—7—x———5—————5———| x8
E |—0—0—x—0—0—0—x—0—|—0—0—7—————7—————|
    1   &   2   &     3   &   4   &     

Chorus:
G |—————————————————|—————————————————|
D |—————————————————|———————0—————0———|
A |—7—x—x—x—7—x—x—x—|—7—x———5—————5———| x5
E |—0—0—x—0—0—0—x—0—|—0—0—7—————7—————|
    1   &   2   &     3   &   4   &  

Verse 2:
G |—————————————————|—————————————————|
D |—————————————————|———————0—————0———|
A |—7—x—x—x—7—x—x—x—|—7—x———5—————5———| x9
E |—0—0—x—0—0—0—x—0—|—0—0—7—————7—————|
    1   &   2   &     3   &   4   &  

Chorus:
G |—————————————————|—————————————————|
D |—————————————————|———————0—————0———|
A |—7—x—x—x—7—x—x—x—|—7—x———5—————5———| x4
E |—0—0—x—0—0—0—x—0—|—0—0—7—————7—————|
    1   &   2   &     3   &   4   &  

(or just the verse part x26)

During the middle section:
(you don't need to play this part)
Roughly at 1:36 he plays random harmonics.
Roughly at 1:45:

G |—————————————————|
D |—————————————————|
A |—————————————————|
E |—————————xxxxxx——|
    1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &   
and at 1:54

G |—————————————————|—————————————————|
D |—————————————————|—————————————————|
A |—————————————————|—————————————————|
E |—————————xxxxxxx—|—x———x———————————|
    1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &   1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &   

and then does muted triplets right after. 
He randomly hits his strings like this until 2:35ish when he does this:

G |—————————————————|
D |—————————————————|
A |—5b—————————5b———|
E |—————————————————|
      
he does this randomly until the drum fill at 3:02


Guitar solo:
G |—9—————9—————————|—————————————————|—9—————9—————————|—————————————————|
D |—9—————9—————————|—————————————————|—9—————9—————————|—————————————————|
A |—7—————7—————————|—————————————————|—7—————7—————————|—————————————————|
E |—0—————0—————————|—————————————————|—0—————0—————————|—————————————————|
    1   &   2   &     3   &   4   &     1   &   2   &     3   &   4   & 

G |—9—————9—————————|—————————————————|—9—————9—————————|—————————————————|
D |—9—————9—————————|—————————————————|—9—————9—————————|—————————————————|
A |—7—————7—————————|—————————————————|—7—————7—————————|—————————————————|
E |—0—————0—————————|—————————————————|—0—————0—————————|—————————————————|
    1   &   2   &     3   &   4   &     1   &   2   &     3   &   4   & 

G |—9—————9—————————|—————————————————|
D |—9—————9—————————|———————0—————0———|
A |—7—————7—————————|———————5—————5———|
E |—0—————0—————————|—————7—————7—————|
    1   &   2   &     3   &   4   &  

Verse:
G |—————————————————|—————————————————|
D |—————————————————|———————0—————0———|
A |—7—x—x—x—7—x—x—x—|—7—x———5—————5———| x10
E |—0—0—x—0—0—0—x—0—|—0—0—7—————7—————|
    1   &   2   &     3   &   4   &   

Chorus:
G |—————————————————|—————————————————|
D |—————————————————|———————0—————0———|
A |—7—x—x—x—7—x—x—x—|—7—x———5—————5———| x4
E |—0—0—x—0—0—0—x—0—|—0—0—7—————7—————|
    1   &   2   &     3   &   4   &  
G |—————————————————|
D |—————————————————|
A |—7———————————————|
E |—0———————————————|
    1   &   2   &     

(4:16)
G |—————————————————|
D |—————————————————|
A |—7———————————————|
E |—————————5———————|
   
(4:27)
G |—————————————————|
D |———————0—————0———|
A |———————5—————5———|
E |—————7—————7—————|
    3   &   4   &  

G |—————————————————|—————————————————|
D |—————————————————|———————0—————0———|
A |—7—x—x—x—7—x—x—x—|—7—x———5—————5———| play until the end of the song.
E |—0—0—x—0—0—0—x—0—|—0—0—7—————7—————|
    1   &   2   &     3   &   4   &   
 
Isolated Bass Track:
Please listen, because even though this tab is repetitive, it gets a little confusing.



(time stamps here do not necessarily correspond with time stamps in the song or this tab)

About Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 and consisting of Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals, harmonica), John Paul Jones (bass guitar, keyboards, mandolin), and John Bonham (drums). With their heavy, guitar-driven blues-rock sound, Led Zeppelin are regularly cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal and hard rock music. However, the band's individualistic style drew from many sources and transcends any one genre. Led Zeppelin did not release songs from their albums as singles in the UK, as they preferred to develop the concept of "album-oriented rock".

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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Led Zeppelin — Whole Lotta Love (ver 10) bass tabs