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This article is from the Rec.music.makers.bass FAQ, by Kalle Kivimaa Kalle.Kivimaa@hut.fi with numerous contributions by others.

10. How is standard music notation written for bass?

Standard music notation is written for bass in exactly the same
way that it is for piano, except that it is written one octave
higher than played; that is, the note to be played on the bass is
one octave lower than the one written on the page. This is done to
avoid using a very large number of ledger lines, since most bass
parts go well below the lowest line of the bass clef.

For example, the lowest note on a 4-string bass, open E, would be written
as:

-------|------------------- (lowest line of staff)
       |
   ---O---

The written note is E above low C, but the actual note on the bass is
E below low C. Writing this note as played would take 4 ledger
lines.

As a second example, when the written music calls for middle C,
you should play the C one octave below that, which is the 5th fret
on the G string.

 

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