Free Bass Tabs

Whether a bass player wants to play slap bass, stand-up bass, funk or simple punk bass lines, the availability of free bass tabs is something that can help all players achieve their goal. Bass tabs are plentiful on the Internet. Although the volume of tabs available for the bass is dwarfed by the sheer numbers of tabs for the six-string guitar, there are still enough bass tabs out there to satisfy the eager bass player looking to learn new material. Occasionally, bass tab sites will provide short tab excerpts of the main riffs for songs rather than a full transcription of the tablature for the song. The reason for this is that a lot of music for bass guitars is quite repetitive and consists of only a few phrases that are played over and over. For more complex bass music, there will often be a full transcription of the song. This is helpful for those who wish to stretch their abilities with more complicated music.

Where to Find Free Bass Tabs

There are many resources available to find free bass tabs on the Internet. Yesteryear's popular artists such as The Beatles, The Who, The Eagles and Chicago are represented, as well as more modern acts such as Coldplay, U2, REM and more. Bass players have a tendency to develop cult followings, so aspiring bass players often search for the secrets to playing in the style of their idols. A short list of good sources for bass tabs includes:

• Bass Masta: This site has a list of bass tabs in alphabetical order for easy searching. There is also a collection of bass-related articles on the site for enthusiasts looking for something other than just bass tabs.
• BassTabs.net: This website also has an alphabetized search feature for bass tabs. There is also a feature for searching for various scales, as well as a list of articles on a variety of different bass guitar related subjects.
• FretPlay.com: FretPlay is similar to the websites mentioned above in that it has an alphabetized method of searching for required bass tabs. This website also has a section containing reviews of bass guitars that is helpful for those looking to buy new equipment.

There are many more places to go to find quality bass tabs for almost any genre of music and for specific artists. It helps, though, to know what to look for in bass tabs and how to read them when the right tab has been found.

How to Read Bass Tabs

Tablature is a method of notating guitar music based on a graphic representation of the strings of the guitar. Thus, for a six-string guitar there are six lines representing the strings, and for a bass guitar, there are four lines. The fret numbers are placed on the lines in accordance with which fret is to be played on which string. There is no indication of the timing of each note, so the success of bass tablature rests on the reader either being familiar with the music or having the music at hand to determine the pace of the song and the timing of the individual notes. There are various abbreviated instructions for techniques such as harmonics, slides, etc. to aid the player in recreating the sound as authentically as possible. Bass tab is usually easier to read than guitar tabs due to the singular note-playing nature of the bass guitar, as well as the fact that there are usually only four strings to play.

Enjoying the Bass

With such a wide array of material available on the Internet, free bass tabs should be easy to find for most popular music selections. For committed players, this allows for an easy method of expanding their repertoire of songs. It gives a player confidence to learn more musical pieces and therefore improve technical competence. When this happens, playing bass guitar, or indeed any instrument, becomes more enjoyable.

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