In the key of G, G is 1. Count up the scale from there: the 4th note is 4, the 5th note is 5. A chart that says 1 4 5 works in every key, so when the key changes for a singer, the chart stays the same.
The major scale is whole steps (2 frets) and half steps (1 fret) in that order. On bass, that makes one fingering you slide up and down the neck. Put your middle finger on the root. Frets: E string 2, 4. A string 1, 2, 4. D string 1, 3, 4.
1, 4, and 5 are major. 2, 3, and 6 are minor, written 6m or 6-. The 7 chord almost never shows up. Playing roots, you play the same note either way: 6m in G is E.
A slash chord like 1/3 means the band plays the 1 chord and the bass plays the 3 note. The bottom number is your note. In G, 1/3 is G/B, so you play B.
A key is the set of seven notes a song is built from. It's named after its home note, the 1. Every key uses each letter A through G once. What changes from key to key is which letters get a sharp (♯) or a flat (♭).
Bass players find roots on the E and A strings. The notes in the key of G have dots, and the gold dot is the 1. The faint letters are notes that aren't in this key. Tap a dot to hear it.
Learn these landmarks first. They sit on the dots of the neck, and from them you can find any note one or two frets away.
Tap a key to switch the page to it. Going down the sharp keys, each one adds one more sharp. Going down the flat keys, each one adds one more flat. Blue notes are the sharps and flats.
| Key | Sharps or flats | Notes 1 to 7 | 1 on E string | 1 on A string |
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Type the chords from a regular chord chart. The page finds the key that fits them best and turns them into numbers. Songs usually start or end on the 1.
Gold dots are the root (1). Tap any dot to hear it.
This is the cheat sheet. The note under each number is what you play when the chart says that number. Tap one to hear it.
Each number is one bar. Paste a chart from rehearsal or edit the sample, then change the key up top.
Paste a ChordPro chart (the kind with chords in square brackets, like [G]Amazing [D/F#]grace) or a chart with chords on their own lines above the words. The page keeps the section names, reads the key, and turns the chords into numbers. The sample below uses made-up lyrics.
Roots on beat one are always right. Once they feel easy, pick a pattern below. The page writes it out as bass tab in your key and plays it with you.
Playing every bar of the chart in the chart reader, top to bottom, then looping.
How to read tab: each line is a string, with G on top and E on the bottom. The number is the fret, and 0 is the open string. Each bar is four beats. Showing the first four bars in G.
Get ten in a row in one key, then move to the next.
In church you often have to follow the band without a chart. This drill plays the key (1, 4, 5, 1), then one more chord. Name its number. Start with 1, 4, and 5, because most songs live there. The key changes every question, so you learn to hear the distance from 1, not the note itself.
Saved in this browser only. A key counts as solid once you get ten quiz answers in a row in that key. Tap a key to switch to it.
| Symbol | Means | In G |
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