When I the in the 8th grade Jazz Band, my brothers pressured me
into writing and playing an eight measure solo to play as a fill
during the part that was suppose to be a sax solo but had been left
unfilled. I was desperate for a good part because this was my
first time playing any kind of solo piece in front of an audience.
I wasn't that good at the time and messed it up during the concert
but I got down in time to play it at three more concerts later that
year. It is still one of my favorite non—slapped solos.
————————3——————————————3———————————————————————————————————
——5\3—5———5——————5\3—5———5——5\3——3/5——3————————————————————
————————————345————————————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
——————8——————10——14h15p14———————————————————————————————
————8——————10——————————————————12———————————————————————
——6—————8——————————————————10—————10—8—10——10\8—8/10—8——
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
——————12—10————10/12———————————10————————————————————————
————————————12———————10——11——12——————————————————————————
——10—————————————————————————————————————————————————————
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
—————12/15—12—10—12——12\10——10/12—10————15————10—10h12—10————10————
—————————————————————————————————————13————13—————————————12———————
—10————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
——————————————————15\———————————————————
——5——3————————————15\———————————————————
———————5—3————————15\———————————————————
———————————6—4————15\——————————————————— Strike 15th fret with palm and slide down neck.
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:
Each line in a tab represents a string on your 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.
Play the first note by picking it, then press down on a higher fret with another finger without picking again.
G|-------------------| D|-------5h7---------|
Pluck a note and then "pull off" your finger to let a lower fret ring.
G|-------------------| D|-------7p5---------|
Move your finger up (/) or down (\) the fretboard while maintaining pressure.
G|-------------------| D|-------5/7---------|
G|-------7b9---------|
G|-------7~----------|
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.
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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