* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
* —————————————THE COMPLETE, FULL VERSION—————————————————*
*  ME & MY BASS GUITAR —— by Victor Wooten                *
*  Tablature by David D'aranjo, 2003 ([email protected])* 
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Victor Wooten's awesome slapping skills are put into full effect on this track from 
his 1996 debut album, "A Show of Hands". "Me & My Bass Guitar" is a complex sounding song 
that is actually pretty accesible once broken down. As with many of Victor's jams, lots 
of ghost notes (written "x" on the tab) fill up space and give it that funky, complex groove. 
Also, check out Victor's website to get familiar with his "hammer, slap, pluck" technique. 
It is in full gear here. 

Victor also has a secret to keeping his strings from vibrating too much: he puts a fuzzy 
hair tie on the neck, dampening the strings enough to keep them under control. You can 
see this in any of his videos or pictures of him playing. Use a small hair tie to play this 
song —— it is essential to reaching his distinctive sound. 

This tab makes an attempt at all sections of the recorded version of the song, and tells 
you how to string them together at the end. Though Victor may play it differently, the 
overall effect is achieved! Happy tabbing. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  
SLAMMIN' INTRO GROOVE 
The song begins with a percussive INTRO GROOVE. This should be easy to figure out. Aside 
from the chords he "strums", the other notes are just percussive experiments he does 
with his palms higher up on the neck.

Play along with the CD and be sure to "strum" those notes with all the fingers of your right 
hand. He ends the intro with a quick tap on the G—string's 23rd fret before launching 
into the MAIN GROOVE. For that tap, use either you right hand thumb or index finger. 

      1  e  &  a  2  e  &  a  3  e  &  a  4  e  &  a 
G——————————————————————————x——x—————x—————x—————x——x——|
D——————————————————————————x——x—————x—————x—————x——x——|
A———————START==>———————————x——x—————x—————x—————x——x——| 
E——————————————————————————x——x—————x—————x—————x——x——| 
    "ah"        "uh"

      1  e  &  a  2  e  &  a  3  e  &  a  4  e  &  a 
G—————x———————————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————x—————|
D—————x———————————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————x—————|
A—————9———————————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————10————| 
E—————x———————————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————x—————| 
      S                                         S

      1  e  &  a  2  e  &  a  3  e  &  a  4  e  &  a 
G—————x———————————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————x—————|
D—————x———————————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————x—————|
A—————x———————————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————x—————|
E—————x———————————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————x—————| 

      1  e  &  a  2  e  &  a  3  e  &  a  4  e  &  a 
G—————x———————————x————————x——x———————————x—————x—————|
D—————x———————————x————————x——x———————————x—————x—————|
A—————9———————————x————————x——x———————————x—————10————| 
E—————x———————————x————————x——x———————————x—————x—————| 
      S                                         S

      1  e  &  a  2  e  &  a  3  e  &  a  4  e  &  a 
G—————x———————————x—————x—————x—————x—————x—————x—————|
D—————x———————————x——————x————x—————x—————x—————x—————|
A—————x———————————x———————x———x—————x—————x—————x—————|
E—————x———————————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————x—————| 

      1  e  &  a  2  e  &  a  3  e  &  a  4  e  &  a 
G—————x———————————x————————x——x———————————x—————x—————|
D—————x———————————x————————x——x———————————x—————x—————|
A—————9———————————x————————x——x———————————x—————10————| 
E—————x———————————x————————x——x———————————x—————x—————| 
      S                                         S

      1  e  &  a  2  e  &  a  3  e  &  a  4  e  &  a 
G—————x———————————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————x—————|
D—————x———————————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————x—————|
A—————x———————————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————11————|
E—————x———————————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————x—————| 
S

      1  e  &  a  2  e  &  a  3  e  &  a  4  e  &  a 
G—————x—————x—————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————x—————|
D—————x—————x—————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————x—————|
A—————x—————x—————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————12~~~~|
E—————x—————x—————x————————x——x—————x—————x—————x—————| 
 S~~~~~~ 

      1  e  &  a  2  e  &  a  3  e  &  a  4  e  &  a 
G———————————x—————x—————x———————————x—————x————t23————|
D———————————x—————x—————x———————————x—————x———————————|
A~~~~~~—————x—————x—————13~~~~~—————x—————x———————————|  To MAIN GROOVE
E———————————x—————x—————x———————————x—————x———————————|
~~~~~~~S~~~~~~R


*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  
MAIN GROOVE / VERSE
Essentially, the main groove is based on triplets. The first method of playing this 
groove involves tapping the note with your left hand (marked L; the "h" by the number 
stands for 'hammer—on'), slapping the second ghost note with your thumb (marked R), 
and then finishing off the triplet with a mute pluck (marked P) on the G string. Mute the 
G string with the 'fat' of your playing fingers. 

MAIN GROOVE, without tapping 
      1  e  &  a  2  e  &  a  3  e  &  a  4  e  &  a  
G———————————x————————x——————————————x—————————————————||
D—————————————h6——x————h7——x——————————————————————————||
A————————————————————————————h7——x————————x—h5————————||
E————h7——x————————————————————————————h5———————h6~~~——||
      L  R  P  L  R  P  L  R  L  R  P  L  R  L  L   

If this strikes you as a little difficult, here is an easier way to do it. There is no plucking 
involved. You just tap the note with your left hand (marked L), and slap the remainder 
of the muted ghost notes with your right thumb (marked R): 

      1  e  &  a  2  e  &  a  3  e  &  a  4  e  &  a  
G—————————————————————————————————————————————————————||
D—————————————h6——x——x—h7——x——————————————————————————||
A————————————————————————————h7——x——x—————x—h5————————||
E————h7——x——x—————————————————————————h5———————h6~~~——||
      L  R  R  L  R  R  L  R  L  R  R  L  R  L  L   

Either way works. Practice them slowly at first and build speed. When you have the 'bass' 
of it, let's add the right hand chord tapping. 

MAIN GROOVE, added tapping with right hand — index & middle
      1  e  &  a  2  e  &  a  3  e  &  a  4  e  &  a  
G———(t19)————————————x——————————————x—————————————————|
D———(t19)—————h6——x————h7——x——————————————————————————|
A————————————————————————————h7——x————————x—h5————————|
E————h7———————————————————————————————h5———————h6~~~——|

G———(t16)————————————x——————————————x—————————————————||
D———(t16)—————h6——x————h7——x——————————————————————————|| 
A————————————————————————————h7——x————————x—h5————————||
E————h7———————————————————————————————h5———————h6~~~——||

Note that both measures of the groove are the same, except for the tapping with the right 
hand (written in parenthesis) which goes from 19 to 16. Listen carefully to the CD to 
get Victor's experimentations with the tapped chords. He sometimes will repeat the 
hit on beat 2 of the measure, and also sometimes slides the chords up on the release. There's 
a method to his madness, but I'll leave that for you to find out. Now on to the chorus. . 
. 


*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  
BREAKDOWN/VAMP and CHORUS
This is a toughie. Practice this slowly and the speed will come. 

      1  e  &  a  2  e  &  a  3  e  &  a  4  e  &  a  
G———(t16)————————————x——————————————x————————x————————|
D———(t16)—————h6——x————h7——x——————————————————————————|
A————————————————————————————h7——x————————————————————|

About Victor Wooten

Victor Lemonte Wooten (born September 11, 1964) is an American solo bassist, composer and author.

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! 🎸

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Victor Wooten — Me And My Bass Guitar bass tabs