Song: Walk On the Ocean 
Artist: Toad the Wet Sprocket
Album: fear (1991)
Bassist: Dean Dinning
Tabbed by LoudLon for Big BassTabs.com

Standard tuning (EADG), Triplet 8th feel

NOTE: As you'll hear in the YouTube link provided, the final bar of the interlude is quite
difficult to make out.  Tinkering with my player's equalizer and even amping the bass with 
Audacity clarified nothing.  So what you see in the final bar of the interlude below is of
my own design.  It may not be album—accurate, but it's in key and sounds good enough to me.  

LEGEND:
/ = slide up
\ = slide down
(3) = triplet 8ths


INTRO/VERSE 1:

G |—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|
D |———————2—————————————————|———————2—————————————————|———————2—————————————————|—————————————————————————|
A |—2———————————2—————4—————|—————————————2—————4—————|—————————————2—————1———/—|—4———————————4—————————4—|
E |—————————————————————————|—4———————————————————————|—4———————————————————————|———————————4—————————4———|
    1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & & 

G |—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|
D |———————2—————————————————|—————————————————————————|——1————2—————————————————|—————————————————————————|
A |—2———————————2—————4—————|———————1—————2—————4—————|—————————————2—————1———/—|—4———————————4———————4—4—|
E |—————————————————————————|—4———————————————————————|—————————————————————————|———————————4—————————————|
    1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & & 


CHORUS 1:
                                               (  3  )                                             (  3  )
G |—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|
D |—————————————————————————|————————/6—4—3————h4p3———|—————————————————————————|————————/6—4—3————h4p3———|
A |———————————1—2———————1———|———————————————————————4—|———————————1—2———————1———|———————————————————————4—|
E |—4—————————————————————4—|—2———————————————————————|—4———————4—————————————4—|—2———————————————————————|
    1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & & 


VERSE 2:

G |—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|
D |———————2—————————————————|———————2—————————————————|———————2—————————————————|—————————————————————————|
A |—2———————————2—————4—————|—————————————2—————4—————|—————————————2—————1———/—|—4———————————4—————————4—|
E |—————————————————————————|—4———————————————————————|—4———————————————————————|———————————4—————————4———|
    1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & & 

                                                                                              (  3  )(  3  )
G |—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|———————————————————————————|
D |———————2—————————————————|—————————————————————————|——1————2—————————————————|—————————3—4——6—6—6————————|
A |—2———————————2—————4—————|———————1—————2—————4—————|—————————————2—————1———/—|—4———————————————————6—4———|
E |—————————————————————————|—4———————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————7—|
    1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & &  3 & &  4 & &


CHORUS 2 (x2):
                                               (  3  )                                        (  3  )(  3  )
G |—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|———————————————————————————|
D |—————————————————————————|————————/6—4—3————h4p3———|—————————————————————————|————————/6—4——3—4—6——4—3———|
A |———————————1—2———————1———|———————————————————————4—|———————————1—2———————1———|—————————————————————————4—|
E |—4———————4—————————————4—|—2———————————————————————|—4———————4—————————————4—|—2—————————————————————————|
    1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & &  3 & &  4 & &


INTERLUDE: 
                                               (  3  )                                        (  3  )(  3  )
G |—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|———————————————————————————|
D |—————————————————————————|————————/6—4—3————h4p3———|—————————————————————————|————————/6—4——3—4—6——4—3———|
A |———————————1—2———————1———|———————————————————————4—|———————————1—2———————1———|—————————————————————————4—|
E |—4———————4—————————————4—|—2———————————————————————|—4———————4—————————————4—|—2—————————————————————————|
    1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & &  3 & &  4 & & 

                             (  3  )(  3  )(  3  )(  3  )
G |—————————————————————————|————————3———————————————————|
D |—————————————————————————|—————4————6—4——3—4—6——4—3———|
A |———————————1—2———————1———|———4——————————————————————4—|
E |—4———————4—————————————4—|—2——————————————————————————|
    1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & &  2 & &  3 & &  4 & &


VERSE 3:

G |—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|
D |———————2—————————————————|—————————————————————————|—1—————2—————————————————|—————————————————————————|
A |—2———————————2—————4—————|———————1—————2—————4—————|—————————————2—————1———/—|—4———————————————————————|
E |—————————————————————————|—4———————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|
    1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &

                                                                      (Tempo slows)                (  3  )
G |—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|
D |———————2—————————————————|—————————————————————————|—1—————2—————————————————|—————————————————————————|
A |—2———————————2—————4—————|———————1—————2—————4—————|—————————————2—————1———/—|—4—————————————————6—4———|
E |—————————————————————————|—4———————————————————————|—————————————————————————|———————————————————————7—|
    1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &


OUT—CHORUS (Repeat to fade—out):
                                               (  3  )                                        (  3  )(  3  )
G |—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|—————————————————————————|———————————————————————————|
D |—————————————————————————|————————/6—4—3————h4p3———|—————————————————————————|————————/6—4——3—4—6——4—3———|
A |———————————1—2———————1———|———————————————————————4—|———————————1—2———————1———|—————————————————————————4—|
E |—4—————————————————————4—|—2———————————————————————|—4———————4—————————————4—|—2—————————————————————————|
    1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & & 3 & & 4 & &   1 & & 2 & &  3 & &  4 & & 

Follow along with the song:

About Toad The Wet Sprocket

Toad the Wet Sprocket is an American alternative rock band formed in 1986. The band consists of singer/guitarist Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss. The band enjoyed chart success in the 1990s with the singles "Walk on the Ocean," "All I Want," "Something's Always Wrong," and "Fall Down," among others. The band officially broke up in 1998 to pursue other projects and have not released a new studio album since 1997, but continue to tour the United States as a band in small-venue, short-run tours.

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

Kagne

4 years ago
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This is a great bass part and I learned it for a band I just joined. The effect on the bass is something I’ve heard other places but have never figured out what it is. It sounds a bit like fretless to me, but I’ve always assumed it to be processed. Any insight is appreciated.

LoudLon [author]

4 years ago
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It does almost sound like a fretless, but if you look up live performances bassist Dean Denning is always seen using a fretted bass, but still getting that same fretless-like tone. I'd wager it's a combination of his particular choices of bass and amp, not so much an effects pedal or anything done in post.

Okay, just did some googling and found this brief discussion about his gear:
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/dean-dinning-toad-the-wet-sprocket.245974/

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Toad The Wet Sprocket — Walk On the Ocean (ver 2) bass tabs