Bass Basics #2: Tuning and How to Read Tab Notation

This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he covers the basics of tuning and reading tab notation for complete beginners.

This article covers tuning and how to read tab notation.

Tuning Your Bass

Before tuning, let’s learn the names of the strings. Looking at the bass from the front, from thinnest to thickest, they’re called the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strings.

Here’s the view from above. When you’re holding the bass, the string closest to your face is the 4th string.

When tuning, the standard pitches are:

Adjust each string’s open-string pitch to match these notes.

For example, on the 4th string:

↑ This is too low, so tighten the tuning peg (the part being turned here) to bring the needle toward center.

↑ This, on the other hand, is too high, so loosen the peg instead.

↑ This is what you’re aiming for. Once the needle’s centered, do the same for the rest of the strings.

It doesn’t matter whether you start tuning from the 1st string or the 4th. Experienced players can tune in a few seconds, but when you’re just starting out, even one string can take a while. It gets faster the more you do it.

A Recommended Tuner

A clip-on tuner is the easiest option for a beginner — affordable, quick to respond, and reliable. Many beginner bass packages even come with one included.

Why Bother Tuning?

Just like a piano, the bass has a fixed scale (a sequence of pitches). Listen to the difference:

Piano:

Bass:

On a bass, you adjust the pitch by turning the tuning pegs shown here:

During transport, or after long playing sessions, the pegs can shift slightly and throw the pitch off without you noticing.

So make it a habit to tune every time before you practice or head into a rehearsal space.

Once You’re Tuned, Try Some Practice Phrases

Once you’re tuned up, let’s get into some practice phrases. As a beginner, learning to read tab notation will serve you well.

Most people aren’t comfortable with standard notation at first.

That’s exactly what tab notation is for. Here’s what it looks like.

Tab notation tells you exactly which string and which fret to play, using numbers — making it easy for beginners to read.

The bottom line of the tab represents the thickest string, the 4th string. The top line represents the thinnest, the 1st string.

Let’s Try Playing Some Tab

Let’s play through a few tab examples.

Tab Pattern 1

Here, you’re playing:

The open 4th string, 4 times
The open 3rd string, 4 times
The open 2nd string, 4 times
The open 1st string, 4 times

Tab Pattern 2

Here, you’re playing:

4th string, 3rd fret, 4 times
3rd string, 2nd fret, 4 times
3rd string, 3rd fret, 4 times
The open 2nd string, 4 times

Tab Pattern 3

Here, you’re playing:

4th string, 2nd fret, 4 times
2nd string, 4th fret, 4 times
1st string, 2nd fret, 4 times
2nd string, 2nd fret, 4 times

Try actually playing through these yourself!

Use the Position Markers

Tab notation is convenient, but early on, it can still be tricky to connect the numbers on the page to actual fret positions. That’s where the position markers (the dots inlaid on the neck) come in handy.

As mentioned earlier, most basses have position markers at the 3rd, 5th, and 7th frets counting from the headstock. There are more further up the neck too — use these as landmarks while reading tab, and it becomes much more efficient.

That covers the basics — next time, we’ll get into fundamental practice routines.

Getting your hands to actually find these positions cleanly and consistently is exactly the kind of thing real-time feedback speeds up.

Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?

This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.

At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.

Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.

Check Out the Lesson Service →