Best Easy Bass Tabs for Beginners

As a beginning bassist, it’s important to find tabs that you can read easily and that are on your level.

What Is Bass Tab?
Bass tablature is a type of music notation specifically made for bass guitar. It is the most widespread form of notation for bass. Normally, the tab will have a line for every string on the bass, running from the lowest string to the highest string. Standard bass tuning is E-A-D-G, so the bass tab has four lines, starting with G at the top, then D, then A, and lastly, E.

The notes are written on these lines using numbers. These numbers represent the fret you should play. Easy bass tabs also include bars at every barline. Sometimes a rhythm is included at the bottom of the tab, and other times, it is up to you to listen to the song and figure out the rhythm.

There are also a great variety of other markings on or beneath the strings that can indicate things like ghost notes, bends, pull-offs, pops, taps, or thumb slaps. These are not standardized and vary from piece to piece. Usually, they’re defined at the beginning of the tab.

Easy Bass Tabs for Beginners
When choosing bass tab pieces for beginners, it’s important to choose something on the right level. This means finding tabs that don’t have too many notes played simultaneously or that are written in a key that’s easier to play.

Another One Bites the Dust
This Queen classic has a fun bass tab that is essential to the song. Most versions are tuned up a half step but aren’t too complicated as far as fingering or transitions. It is close to 10 pages long, but has several repetitive parts, making it perfect for beginners.

Canon in D
If you’re into classical music with a rock-ish twist, consider the easy bass tabs version of Pachbel’s Canon in D. It is in an easy-to-play key, has a moderate tempo, and gives you plenty of time to move from note to note. It’s only a couple of pages long.

My Heart Will Go On
The Titanic theme, sung by Celine Dion, is a moderately-paced tab that is closer to the intermediate level. However, many of the notes are repetitive, and due to the pace, the transitions aren’t too difficult. Once you have the basic notes and fingering down, you can start to add in the extra flourishes and this will be a piece you’ll want to show off to others.

Another Day in Paradise
Can we really talk about easy bass tabs without a little Phil Collins? His pieces are just fantastic for bass guitar, and this piece is no exception. The melody line isn’t too complicated, and though it incorporates some tapping, you’ll catch on in no time. It sounds much more advanced than it is, making it a great performance piece.

Choosing the Best Bass Tabs for You
While there are a lot of bass tabs out there, to see an extensive collection of curated, easy bass tabs for beginning guitarists, check out the many options on Musicnotes.com.

https://www.studybass.com/lessons/reading-music/how-to-read-bass-tab/#:~:text=Bass%20tab%20shows%20the%20strings,required%20to%20play%20the%20song
https://www.musicnotes.com/search/go?w=easy%20bass%20guitar&af=scor1%3atab&isort=bestselling
https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0257540
https://www.musicnotes.com/bassguitartab/