Bass Guitar Note Charts

From LoveToKnow Guitar
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For the bassist who wants to increase his or her musicianship, knowing where to find and how to read bass guitar note charts is crucial. While tablature is a fantastic way to learn songs without having to read music, the numerical notation system has its drawbacks. The most significant detriment to tablature is that the musical notes on the bass neck are omitted from transcriptions in tab. Most musicians don't discover that this is a problem until they begin to play with other people. When someone calls out, "This song is in the key of D", an accomplished bass player needs to know where to go on the fret board in order to stay in key.

The Importance of Bass Guitar Note Charts

One of the most fantastic things about the bass guitar is that, in most instances, the bassist is expected to play single notes rather than chords. The beauty of this lies in how few notes the bassist needs to memorize in order to be proficient. There are only 12 notes in the western musical scale: A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, and G#. Note that these notes can have different names depending on which key you are playing in. For example, A# can also be called B flat, and F can be called E# and so on. Every time the notes repeat themselves, it is said that you are in a different octave. If you're playing an A note, for example, you could theoretically play a different A note that is an octave above the first one, or you could play an A that is an octave below. Regardless of how they are named or which octave you are playing in, the fact remains that there are only 12 unique notes to know in any western scale. Since the bass only has four strings and not six like the guitar, the process is even easier.

The most important concept to understand when approaching bass guitar note charts is that mastering them involves memorization. Just like you memorize phone numbers, addresses or directions, you will need to thoroughly memorize the charts to know which note you are playing on your bass.

A Basic Note Chart for the Bass

In the rudimentary note chart below, only the first ten frets of the bass are labeled. For the beginning player, the first ten frets are going to be played the majority of the time. In addition, students typically master the lower two strings (E and A) before they advance to the higher D and G strings.


---G---|---G#---|---A---|---A#---|---B---|---C---|---C#---|---D---|---D#---|---E---|---F---|

---D---|---D#---|---E---|---F---|---F#--|---G---|---G#---|---A---|---A#---|---B----|---C---|

---A---|---A#---|---B---|---C---|---C#--|---D---|---D#---|---E---|---F----|---F#---|---G---|

---E---|----F----|---F#--|---G---|---G#--|---A---|---A#---|---B---|---C----|---C#---|---D---|


The above chart is to be read left to right with the G, D, A, and E lines in bold referring to the bass guitar strings. The G line is the highest pitched string on the bass. The E string is the lowest in pitch. The horizontal lines signify the frets on the bass. Therefore, if you want to play an F on the E string of your bass, play the first fret. If you want to play a B on the G string, you'll need to play the fourth fret.

Start with the E string. Memorize the first ten frets on the E string so that you know them backwards and forwards. Have a friend call out a note and see how quickly you can find it on your bass. Once you have the E string mastered, move on the A string. Continue in this manner until you have the notes completely memorized.

Further Resources

Online

The following online sites have useful information on bass guitar note charts.

Books
  • Amazon: Check out Amazon's huge selection of resources for the bass guitar. From simple charts to wall charts to in-depth texts on mastering the bass, there are plenty of print resources to guide you during your studies.
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Comments

Hey Jack- The deal with reading music on the staff isn't really covered in this article. Thanks to your question, we'll see about coming up with an article that does cover that issue. Until then, check out this YouTube video. Thanks for visiting.

-- Contributed by: Kevin Casper

How do the notes on the Bass staff correspond to the strings and frets on the Bass itself? For example, how would the note G on the 17th fret of the D string look on the Bass staff? I am not talking about TAB here. I am speaking about reading music on the Bass Staff. How would I know that the F note on the staff represents the first fret on the E string or the 13 fret on the E string? Thanks.

-- Contributed by: Jack

Hi Naddie. Thanks for stopping by, and we're glad that you are learning. Keep checking in and seeing what new articles we are adding every day.

-- Contributed by: Kevin Casper
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