Bass Guitar

How to Read Bass Tabs by Al Beckett


Want to read bass tablature but you're not sure how?

Tablature is a quick and easy method of reading music that can be applied to many fretted instruments such as guitar, bass, mandolin, or even banjo, and is often used by self-taught musicians in place of standard notation. This article will highlight the basics of reading bass tablature (tab), point of some of the most commonly used symbols and make note of its flaws.

Bass tablature is drawn as a series of horizontal lines one on top of the other, which represent each string of the bass guitar. A bass guitar normally has four strings; hence, four horizontal lines are used. Each line is labelled with the root note of that string, E (the lowest line), A, D and G (the uppermost line).

Numbers can then be drawn on the lines to indicate which note needs to be played. For example, a number "3" drawn on the lowest line (E) indicates the player should play that string whilst his/her finger is pressed down on the third fret. When the number "0" is used, this indicates the player should play the string open, without pressing down any frets.

Tablature isn't a standardized method of reading music so many of the symbols used to indicate bends, slides and mutes etc, differ depending on who has written it. Since this is the case, the author of a tab will provide a key, detailing what each symbol means.

Tablature does have its flaws though. It's often written in such a way as to assume the reader knows the rhythm, tempo and structure of a song, and often leaves this and other information such as pitch and dynamics, out.

To summarize:

* Tablature is quick and easy to learn. * Horizontal lines are used to represent strings. * The lines are labelled E, A, D, G (the uppermost line). * Numbers are used to indicate fret number. * Tablature isn't standardized, and symbols vary. * Tab often leaves out important information such as rhythm and tempo.


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Bass Guitar

Welcome to my blog on playing the bass guitar.

I'll be posting articles and tips on the finer points of playing the bass guitar very soon, so be sure to check back soon.

Cheers

Terry