An essential step to becoming a complete bassist, learning to read bass guitar sheet music is essential in unlocking its full potential. Knowing notated pitches and rhythms opens up an entire world of potential.
Tab is a form of representational notation designed for fretted string instruments. This guide will introduce the basics of reading tab and some of its most frequently seen symbols.
Basics
Many bassists struggle with reading sheet music because they attempt to read it at an advanced level for their abilities. To successfully learn sheet music, the key is starting small – reading only 2 or 3 notes at a time in one position on the fretboard is enough for starting off and building knowledge. Don’t try and understand every symbol right away; focus instead on mastering one or two key ones such as muting, slapping or sliding as soon as you begin learning them.
As part of learning music, it is also crucial that you recognize all of the symbols found in sheet music so you can understand what each one stands for and how they function together. For instance, 1 indicates a note should be played using all four fingers while 2 suggests only using two. In addition to these symbols, be wary of slapping or sliding symbols which indicate when hitting harder or softer on strings respectively. Finally, familiarize yourself with all of the different chords found within one piece as well as how they are identified on a fretboard.
Sheet music provides all of the information you need to perform a song on bass guitar, including its tempo, key signature, rhythm and dynamics. This system of notation can be understood by musicians from all musical backgrounds and can provide a clear way to indicate length and duration for every note played; additionally it shows where to place said note on your fretboard.
Tabs are an instrument-specific notation system that utilizes numbers to indicate which fret to hit on each string. They may be easier for bassists than traditional sheet music to pick up quickly without memorizing a long list of notes; however, tabs don’t provide complete rhythmic information and may be difficult to interpret.
Once you’re comfortable reading basic rhythm, it’s advisable to move on to more complex pieces in bass clef. This will enable you to expand your reading skills as well as understand the time signature, rests, and dynamics of music. Practice reading bass clef music daily so that you become comfortable with its notation and understand its relationship to one another.
Symbols
As part of learning to read bass sheet music, it is crucial that one becomes familiar with all of its symbols. Although initially confusing, with practice they will soon become second nature – some examples being hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides and mutes.
When a number is followed by the symbol for “hammer-on,” this indicates that its note should not be plucked but rather played by pressing your fretting hand’s fingers quickly on another fret of the same string where you previously played (this articulation or alternate way of playing the same notes can save thumb lift and lift time) rather than plucking it (hammer-ons are an articulation or alternate method for playing similar notes). Picking, on the other hand, requires lifting between strings whereas “hammer-ons” save thumb from having to lift and drop between strings when picking is faster compared with plucking.
Pull-offs, typically marked ‘p’ or ‘up’, indicate pulling away from the fret where a string is situated to create a sharp sound and add depth and variety to certain bass parts. Slides require slightly more precision as you must slide your finger from fret to fret (just as in playing a hammer-on).
Down indicates a two-step reduction from its natural pitch; flat indicates the opposite (two steps higher). This knowledge will become especially vital when reading bass TAB which often follows different keys than standard notation; you must become acquainted with both flats and sharps before diving in!
A natural will cancel any previous sharps or flats to return the note back to its original pitch, which can be useful when reading Bass TAB as it will prevent you from inadvertently adding extra sharps or flats while reading parts.
Rhythm
Although bass tab can provide an effective means for transcribing bass guitar music, it does have its own set of drawbacks. First and foremost, it may be difficult for newcomers to read as it doesn’t always provide specific instructions as to where and when notes should be played on the fretboard, nor explain key rhythmic details that can help shape successful playing of this rhythmic instrument. Furthermore, due to being a rhythm instrument itself, an understanding of basic rhythmic principles is critical in becoming an excellent bass guitarist.
Bass tab can often focus on popular styles like rock and pop music. This may mean playing songs written in different keys than you’re used to playing them in, with sheet music that does not follow standard notation standards. This presents newcomer bassists with an additional challenge: learning an entirely different style’s notation will take considerable time before they feel ready to tackle standard sheet music independently.
When reading bass guitar sheet music, it is crucial to pay close attention to its numbering system. Each string contains a number that indicates which fret it should be played on and there is also a symbol at the beginning of each line to indicate whether each note should be sharp or flat (sharp notes have black circles around their letters while flat notes have Fs). Also keep an eye out for symbols which indicate how long a particular note should be held; whole notes have one line running along their top edge while an eighth note features two such lines indicating its duration – whole notes have one long line while an eighth note consists of two lines running along its top edge; these marks indicate which fret to play it on.
Other symbols will indicate techniques a bassist should use to produce certain sounds and textures on his/her strings, for instance a symbol that looks like an “h” indicates using a hammer-on technique when playing notes – this produces an effortless sound which adds rhythmic interest and depth to music compositions.
Extended techniques
If you’re an ambitious bassist with a specific musical genre in mind, your time spent learning tab will depend on it. Tab is a form of sheet music based on fingering patterns rather than musical pitches; as such it’s more accessible for musicians without prior musical knowledge than standard staff notation notation.
First and foremost, numbers in tabs give a clear indication of which strings to finger and where on the fretboard to place your fingers. For instance, “1” would tell you to play and finger and play the first fret of your bass guitar’s low E string (which sounds like an F), “2” indicates your A string (an C), etc. For optimal sound results position your fingers as close as possible to each fret for crisp notes.
Bass tablature often includes symbols to guide bending, muting and sliding your fingers across the strings of an instrument. A curving arrow above a note head indicates you should bend one or more strings in either direction to produce different pitches – something much easier on a bass guitar due to its thicker strings. A full tone bend should be marked with either solid or dotted lines; similarly an E flat marked curved arrow indicates semitone bend.
Vertical lines followed by colons indicate the need to repeat certain sections of your song at specific points in its development, but without these instructions the song may simply progress along its natural course, though you should pay attention to what comes before and after this section.
As well as including notes and symbols, bass tab may also include leger lines to indicate which note should be played next. Similar to stave lines, these indicate which note should come before another note by appearing right of it on a horizontal bar; any note appearing right of another indicates it should come first in line for playing.