5. What is tabulature? (Bass)
Description
This article is from the Rec.music.makers.bass FAQ, by Kalle Kivimaa Kalle.Kivimaa@hut.fi with numerous contributions by others.
5. What is tabulature? (Bass)
Bass tabulature, or TAB for short, is a simple method for writing
bass music. There are several different versions of tabulature,
but the following features are common to most of them.
Bass tab is written on four-line staves. In text interfaces these
are usually written using dashed characters. Each space
corresponds to one string on the bass: the lowest space
corresponds to the E string, the next lowest to the A string, the
next to the D string, and the highest to the G string. A number on
a given space represents a note played at the given fret on the
corresponding string; thus, to indicate playing a G at the third
fret on the E string, one would write:
G------------------------------------ D------------------------------------ A------------------------------------ E----3-------------------------------
Notes are played from the left of the staff to the right; thus, an
ascending G major scale might be written:
G------------------------------------ D-------------------2--4--5---------- A----------2--3--5------------------- E----3--5----------------------------
Or, using open strings, it might be written like this:
G-------------------------0---------- D----------------0--2--4------------- A-------0--2--3---------------------- E----3-------------------------------
Chords can be written by writing two numbers in the same vertical bar.
Thus one might write a simple A major chord as:
G-----9------------------------------ D-----11----------------------------- A-----0------------------------------ E------------------------------------
which means to play an open note on the A string, to play a C# at the
11th fret on the D string, and an E at the 9th fret on the G
string.
Various fingering techniques can be noted in TAB as well. This is
done by writing a single character after the note being fingered.
The most common of these are:
h - hammer-on from previous note
p - pull off from previous note
\ - slide up to note
b - bend note
S - slap the note with the right-hand thumb (left hand if left-handed)
P - pop the note with the right hand (ditto)
t - tap the note with the right hand (ditto)
H - harmonic
Thus a funky bass line might be written like this:
G---------5P-7h-5p------------------- D------------------------3b---------- A---0S\5-----------3S-5S----5S-5H--- E------------------------------------
A muted note (one that is not fingered cleanly and makes a percussive
sound rather than a clear tone) is written by placing an x on a
line instead of a number:
G------------5--7-------------------- D------------------------------------ A---5--x--x--------5--x--5----------- E------------------------------------
When it is not obvious which left-hand (right-hand to lefties) finger
should be used to to fret a particular note, this may be indicated
by writing a number under the note, with 1=index finger, 2=middle
finger, 3=ring finger, 4=pinkie finger, and rarely, 5-thumb:
G---------5--7--5--------------------
D------------------------------------
A---0--5-----------------------------
E------------------------------------
1 1 3
It is becoming popular to indicate time in TAB by writing over each
note a letter indicating the time value of the note: s=sixteenth
note, e=eighth note, q=quarter note, h=half note, w=whole note. It
is possible to add dots to this system as is done with normal
notes though it is not common. In addition, vertical bars are
usually used to indicate measure breaks. TAB noted this way might
look like this:
w q s s e q h q. e e e s s e h
G-----|----5--7--5-------|-------------5--7--7-|----
D-----|------------------|-3--3--5--7----------|----
A---0-|-5-----------8--5-|---------------------|-5--
E-----|------------------|---------------------|----
Continue to:
My Books
