How To Read Tabs Bass? A Zager Guide
Knowing how to read bass tabs is a valuable skill for bass guitarists as it allows you to learn the bass guitar quickly while learning how to play songs. Tablature, sometimes known as tab, indicates how music should be played on fretted instruments. Despite not being a new creation, it is nevertheless widely used today. The usage of bass tablature dates back hundreds of years.
Different Types Of Bass Tabs
Bass tabs are available in different formats and notations depending on the transcriber’s sources and personal preferences.
ASCII Tabs
cc ASCII Tabs
These tabs are relatively simple and easy to use. It is the commonly used format for bass tabs, using primary text characters to represent bass strings only, fret numbers, and other symbols.
Guitar Pro Tabs
cc Guitar Pro
Guitar Pro is a popular software used for creating and sharing bass tabs. It comprehensively represents a song and includes various tabs such as bass, guitar, drums, etc.
It often uses standard musical notations combined with tablature. The bass track is typically displayed on itself, showing a musical staff’s notes alongside the bass guitar tablature representation.
Power Tabs
It uses a proprietary file format and provides a comprehensive view of a song, including multiple instrument tracks, musical notation, and tabs.
Sheet Music Tabs
cc Guitar Chalk
The sheet music tabs are presented in traditional sheet and music notation format with bass clef notation indicating pitches and duration notes. It includes further musical markings like dynamic and articulation playing techniques.
Youtube Tabs
Youtube tabs are found in the description or the comment section of the bass cover videos on youtube. These are either text-based tabs or ASCII representatives of the song.
Online Tab Websites
Several online bass guitar tabs websites, such as Ultimate Guitar and Songsterr, offer bass tabs in various formats. These websites often provide user-generated tabs in different notations, including ASCII, Guitar Pro, and more.
Always remember that the accuracy and quality of bass tabs can vary, especially when user-generated. It’s always a good idea to listen to the song and use your musical intuition to make adjustments or corrections. Developing your ear training skills and studying music theory will significantly complement your ability to interpret different bass tabs.
Bass Tabs Layout
cc Talking Bass
The layout of bass tabs consists of horizontal lines representing the bass guitar’s strings, with numbers indicating the frets to play on which bass tab represents each string. Here’s a breakdown of the bass tab layout.
Strings
Bass tabs typically have four horizontal lines, each representing a string on the bass guitar. A four-string bass guitar’s typical tuning from highest to lowest pitch is G-D-A-E. Thus, the G string is represented by the top line, the D string by the second line, the A string by the third line, and the E string by the bottom line.
Numbers
Numbers are placed on the lines to indicate which fret to play on a particular string. The number “0” (zero) represents an open string played without pressing down any frets. Higher numbers indicate higher fret positions. For example, if the number “5” is written on the third line, you should play the note on the 5th fret of the A string.
Timings
Using the horizontal alignment of the numbers, tabs show the timing of the notes. The order of the notes is represented by the sequential placement of each number from left to right.
The distance between the numbers represents the length of the notes and the song’s rhythm. Longer spacing indicates more extended notes or pauses, while shorter spaces suggest shorter notes or faster rhythms.
Symbols/ Rythme
Alongside the numbers, bass tab symbols convey additional information about techniques, articulations, and effects. Common symbols used in bass tabs include:
“-” or “h”: A hyphen or the letter “h” represents a regular, sustained note.
“x” or “X”: The letter “x” or an “X” indicates a muted or deadened note.
“s” or “sl”: The letter “s” or “sl” denotes a slide between two notes.
“p” or “pu”: The letter “p” or “pu” indicates a pull-off from a higher fret to a lower fret.
“b” or “bend”: The letter “b” or “bend” suggests bending the string to raise the pitch.
“r” or “release”: The letter “r” or “release” indicates releasing the bend back to the original pitch.
What Does P Mean In Bass Tabs?
The letter “P” is commonly used in bass tabs to indicate a specific playing technique known as a “pop.” Pop is a percussive technique where the player uses their thumb or a finger to quickly strike or pluck a string, causing it to snap against the fretboard. This creates a sharp and distinctive sound.
Popping is frequently related to slap bass techniques when the musician alternates between popping and slapping (slapping the string against the fretboard with the thumb). This method produces a recognizable rhythmic and percussive sound frequently used in funk, rock, and other musical genres.
When encountering “P” in a bass tab, it’s essential to practice and refine your popping technique to achieve a clear and defined sound.
Additionally, listening to recordings or watching tutorial videos of bassists specializing in popping techniques can provide valuable guidance for mastering this technique to read bass tab.
What Do Parentheses () Mean In Bass Tab?
In bass tabs, parentheses ( ) often indicate ghost notes. A ghost note is a lightly played or muted note where the string is touched or fretted but not fully pressed down to produce a clear pitch. Ghost notes typically add rhythmic texture and percussive elements to the bassline.
When parentheses are used in a bass tab, the note enclosed within the parentheses is meant to be a ghost note. The bass player lightly touches the string without fully fretting it, producing a muted or barely audible sound. Ghost notes often provide a rhythmic groove and can be played by lightly brushing the string with your finger or using a combination of palm muting and light touch.
What does h mean in Bass Tab?
When you encounter the letter “h” in a bass tab, it’s like a secret code inviting you to unleash your finger’s lightning-fast power. It’s a technique where you strike a note and then swiftly hammer your finger onto a higher fret without picking the exact string again, conjuring up a crisp and seamless sound. It’s as if your fingers are doing a magic trick, effortlessly producing notes that flow together like a smooth groove.
Mastering the hammer-on technique takes practice and finesse. Start by striking the first note with clarity and precision, then swiftly hammer your finger down on the higher fret, generating a sound as crisp as a freshly picked apple. Gradually increase your speed and accuracy until those first hammer-ons and pull-ons become second nature and flow effortlessly from your fingertips.
To truly grasp the magic of hammer-ons, I encourage you to listen to legendary bassists who excel at this technique. Let their basslines and nimble fingerwork inspire you to incorporate hammer-ons into your playing. With a bit of practice and flair, you’ll be wowing audiences and adding that extra sparkle to your bass grooves.
Find Bass Tabs Online
There are various websites where you can learn how to play the bass tabs online. We’ve compiled some for you.
Ultimate Guitar
Ultimate Guitar has one of the most extensive tabular databases. It offers a vast collection of songs with user-generated tabs and professional tabs. You can look for bass tabs by song title and artist or by browsing various genres and levels of difficulty. Additionally, interactive capabilities like playback, tempo adjustment, and chord diagrams are offered by Ultimate Guitar.
Songsterr
Songsterr offers interactive tabs in high quality with synchronized playback. You may follow along with the music and hear how it should sound by using Songsterr’s tabs, which are presented in an intuitive style. You can look up bass tabs by song or artist or browse the most popular, up-to-date, or suggested tabs.
Bass Tabs Archive
Bass Tabs Archive has a considerable number of user-submitted tabs from various genres. You can explore their vast selection of musicians or search bass tabs by artist or song title. The website has a forum where bass players may share their skills and discuss tabs and techniques.
About Us
Zager Guitars is a family-owned third-generation guitar builder that has been building guitars in Lincoln, Nebraska, since 1902. Zager is rated in the top 5% of all guitar brands and has been featured in Time Magazine, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX, and a multitude of national and international news media. Zager also donates over $1M in guitars to children and public schools nationally, more than any other acoustic guitar maker.
To achieve the levels of playability that Zager guitars deliver, it requires a “precision build.” This means computer-controlled milling, laser-guided cutting, and robotic sanding and finish application. Bob Taylor of Taylor Guitars uses the robotic building on their most expensive models because a computer build is always more precise than a hand build.
Zager does one thing differently, though. Where Taylor keeps their machines in Mexico and the US, we keep ours in Indonesia, where wood and materials for guitar building are 50% lower in price. This way, you receive a guitar with the most cutting-edge technology available today for $3000 instead of $6000-$10,000.
Denny Zager Guitar Learning Lesson Guide
Look at the best guitar players in the world; they have one thing in common. They play guitar by ear. Since 1969 Denny Zager’s taught millions of people to play guitar using his internationally acclaimed “Play-By-Ear” guitar method that shows you how to tap into that part of your brain scientists, say we rarely use “Play-By-Ear” as the pros do. The Zager Guitar Lesson Library allows you to learn guitar using a revolutionary guitar chord show system one-on-one with an actual guitar master.
Denny regularly adds new material to his library, so there’s always something new and exciting to learn. For 2016 he’s expanding his library to over 150 hours of streaming lessons with over 10,000 Easy Play tabs and hundreds of his patented guitar and song arrangements, making this the world’s most extensive guitar lesson library.
FAQs
How Do Bass Tabs Work?
A bass guitar tab has four horizontal lines that represent your string. The line below is your lowest E string, while the above is your G string. The numbers represent which fret is played.
What Do S And P Mean In Bass Tab?
They are called the “Slap” and “Pop.” S indicates that you should smoothly transition from one note to another by sliding your finger up or down the string. Popping involves using your thumb or finger to pluck the string upward, causing it to snap against the fretboard. This creates a sharp and distinctive sound.
Can You Learn Bass Just From Tabs?
Bass tabs are simple to understand. This does not require knowledge of notes or rhythm. All it takes is your own experience: numbers. It helps the beginner learn familiar bass lines quickly and keeps them motivated and practiced.
