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The Beatles — Birthday bass tabs

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Intro and verses


|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
|—————————5—4———————————5—4———————————5—4———————————5—4———|
|—————4—7—————7—————4—7—————7—————4—7—————7—————4—7—————7—|
|—5—5———————————5—5———————————5—5———————————5—5———————————|


|—————————5—4———————————5—4———————————————————————————————|
|—————4—7—————7—————4—7—————7—————————5—4———————————5—4———|
|—5—5———————————5—5———————————————4—7—————7—————4—7—————7—|
|—————————————————————————————5—5———————————5—5———————————|

|—————————7—6———————————7—6—————————————————————————————————|
|—————6—9—————9—————6—9—————9—————————5—4———————————5—4—————|
|—7—7———————————7—7———————————————4—7—————7—————4—7—————7———|
|—————————————————————————————5—5———————————5—5———————————5—|

After the drum, come in with

...yes we're goin' to a party party, yes we're goin' to a party party
|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
|0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—|
____________________________________________________________________________________

Birthday.. i would like you to dance...
_____________________________________________________________________________________

|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
|—————2—2—3—3—4—4—5—5—4—4—3—3—2—2—————2—2—3—3—4—4—5—5—4—4—3—3—2—2—|
|—3—3—————————————————————————————3—3—————————————————————————————|
|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
|—————2—2—3—3—4—4—5—5—4—4—3—3—2—2—————2—2—3—3—4—4—5—5—6—6—7—7—8—8—99999999——————————|
|—3—3—————————————————————————————3—3—————————————————————————————————————77777777——|
|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

then return to the main verse bass line and go straight into this:

|—————————————————————————5—7~7—5—————————|
|—7——5—7~—5————————7——5—7—————————7—5—————|
|——7———————753——————7—————————————————————|
|—————————————53——————————————————————————|

the "~" means you should bend the string a half step

after this go back to the "birthday.. i would like you to dance part, followed
by the main verse bass line

i can play along with the MP3 from the White Album perfectly like this

this is my very first tab submission EVER!!!



bigbasstabs.
Tablature player for this song:
The Beatles - Birthday Bass Tab

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

8 years, 3 months ago
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As I've learned today (from LoudLon) a thanks is in order. Keep on tabbing!

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