This is the tabs for the Ventures version of La Bamba’s bassline. I hope you enjoy.
Standard E—A—D—G tuning
Intro:
G|—————————————————————————2—————————4———
D|————————————————2—————3—————3———/5———5—
A|————————2————3—————3———————————————————
E|—3———5—————————————————————————————————
. .
G|——————2———
D|—3—3————3–
A|——————————
E|——————————
Play that once
. .
G|—————————————2——————————4———————————2–
D|————2—————3—————3———/5—————5———3–3————3
A|—3—————3——————————————————————————————
E|——————————————————————————————————————
Repeat that 15 times
G|————————————
D|————————————
A|—3——————————
E|—————1————3–
Repeat that 4 times
Now this part is just mostly the same thing as before except played in a different key
G|———————————————————————————
D|——————————————————————4————
A|—5——4————————4—————5—————5–
E|———————7——5—————5——————————
. .
G|——————————————————————
D|—————6———————————4————
A|—/7—————7———5—5—————5–
E|——————————————————————
Play that once
. .
G|—————————————————————————————————————–
D|———————————————4–————————6–—————————4—
A|—————4——————5—————5——/7—————7——5—5————5
E|——5—————5—————————————————————————————
Repeat 10 times
G|———————————————
D|———————————————
A|—12————————————
E|——————10————12–
Repeat that 4 times
G|—————————————————————————2—————————4———
D|—3———2–—————————2—————3—————3———/5———5—
A|—————————5–——3—————3———————————————————
E|———————————————————————————————————————
. .
G|——————2———
D|—3—3————3–
A|——————————
E|——————————
Play that once
. .
G|—————————————2——————————4———————————2–
D|————2—————3—————3———/5—————5———3–3————3
A|—3—————3——————————————————————————————
E|——————————————————————————————————————
Play that until the song ends
/: slide up
.: 8th note
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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