About Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd were an English rock band who earned recognition for their psychedelic music in the late 1960s, and as they evolved in the 1970s, for their progressive rock music. Pink Floyd's work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album cover art, and elaborate live shows. One of rock music's most critically acclaimed and commercially successful acts, the group have sold over 200 million albums worldwide, including 74.5 million certified units in the United States, making them one of the best-selling music artists 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! 🎸

Comments

LoudLon

6 years, 8 months ago
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You've got some errors in there.

Riff 4 - should be
G|———9—————————————|
D|————9————————————|
A|7————7——————7—10—|
E|———————7—10——————|

The song is in triplet 8th feel, and especially during the extended middle section(s) you've skipped some notes, like in some cases, instead of:
Riff 7
G|——————————|
D|——————————|
A|7—6—5—4—6—|
E|——————————|

He's actually playing:

Riff 7
G|———————————|
D|———————————|
A|7—76—65—64—6—|
E|———————————|

So the song is a bit more intricate in certain parts. Otherwise, this is a solid tab.

HeySydney [author]

6 years, 8 months ago
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Quote:

You've got some errors in there.Riff 4 - should beG|———9—————————————|D|————9————————————|A|7————7——————7—10—|E|———————7—10——————|The song is in triplet 8th feel, and especially during the extended middle section(s) you've skipped some notes, like in some cases, instead of:Riff 7G|——————————|D|——————————|A|7—6—5—4—6—|E|——————————|He's actually playing:Riff 7G|———————————|D|———————————|A|7—76—65—64—6—|E|———————————|So the song is a bit more intricate in certain parts. Otherwise, this is a solid tab.

Hey there, thanks for feedback!

I see the problem with riff 4, seems like you are right.

Though I can't really hear the additional notes in the example in number 7, did you mean slides or something else?

Anyway, thanks again for rating and commenting my first tab, really helpful. Looking forward to hearing the answer for my question.

LoudLon

6 years, 4 months ago
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Sorry for the late response. Only the tab author gets a PM notification when a new comment is posted so I had no idea you'd replied!

The song is in triplet 8th feel (also called “swing rhythm" ) which means that rather than the usual two equal 8th notes per quarter beat, there are three equal notes per quarter beat, like so (ignore the periods, I needed them to make the number counter lined up right):

Tabs:

Normal 8ths:
G|-----------------|
D|-----------------|
A|-----------------|
E|-----------------|
...1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

Triplet 8ths:
G|-------------------------|
D|-------------------------|
A|-------------------------|
E|-------------------------|
...1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &

What you've tabbed for Riff 7, if placed on a triplet template, would look like this:

Tabs:

G|-------------------------|
D|-------------------------|
A|-7-----6-----5-----4-----|
E|-------------------------|
...1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &

But while he is playing a note on each quarter marker as you indicate, you've excluded the note he plays on what would be the third triplet marker right Before:

Tabs:

G|-------------------------|
D|-------------------------|
A|-7---7-6---6-5---6-4---6-|
E|-------------------------|
...1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &

Incidentally, to further confuse matters for beginners, the main riff is in 7/4 time as well as being in triplet 8th feel – which I've never seen indicated in any tab I've ever seen for this song:

Tabs:

..7/4
G|-------4-----------------------------------|
D|-----------4-------------------------------|
A|-2-----------2-r---------------2-----5-----|
E|-------------------2-----5-----------------|
...1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & & 5 & & 6 & & 7 & &

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