Reading a bass guitar "tab" is different than reading standard sheet music, and easier. This is the key difference between tablature and standard notation, as standard notation is more complex. Bass tab does not require knowledge of note names, and rhythm does not need to be "read," either (indeed, tabs do not appropriately convey rhythm). Instead, the structure of tabs requires only an understanding of numbers, as well as a few special symbols. This means that, unlike standard sheet music, bass tabs are more easily found on the Internet, thanks to the ordinary characters that are involved.

Instructions

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Things You'll Need:

• Bass guitar

1. Step 1

   Pick up your bass guitar and determine the number of strings it has. Many bass guitars have four strings, while some have five or six. Look at the bass-guitar tab. Each line on the tab represents the strings on your bass guitar, with the first line representing the thinnest string on your bass and the last line representing the thickest string on your instrument.

2. Step 2

   Look at the numbers that are found on your bass tab. Each number corresponds to the fret number on your bass guitar's neck, and each number will be located on a separate line. So a "6" on the last string on the tab means you play a note holding down the thickest string on your bass at the sixth fret. A "0" on a tab means you must play the string open (or without holding down a fret). Additionally, each number will be arranged along the tab either to the left or to the right. The numbers closest to the left side get played first, while the numbers to the right get played last.

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1. Step 3

   Find any place on the bass tab where multiple numbers are lined up vertically on separate lines. This indicates that a chord is to be played, or that each of these strings must be held down along the same fret to play a combined note.

2. Step 4

   Check for an "H" or a "P" on the bass tab. These are symbols that require you perform two related actions. An "H" stands for "Hammer On." A hammer-on involves playing one note and then, without releasing that note, pressing your finger onto a fret to play another. So if you see "5h7" on a tab, this requires you to hammer on from the 5th to the 7th frets. A "P" requires you to perform a "Pull-Off" move--a reverse Hammer On that is achieved by removing a finger from a string over a fret while keeping your other finger on the remaining fret.

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1. Step 5

   Learn additional symbols that may be found on a bass tab. A bar line, or |, requires you to lay your fingers over all of the indicated strings. A back slash, or /, requires that you slide your finger up the string along the different frets while playing a note, and an "R" requires that you do the same in the opposite direction. A "B" symbol means you must bend the string slightly as you play a note, and a "T" has you merely tapping a string to play a short note.

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