Bass Chart

eno50 · #1 03-05-2009, 01:04 PM

Hello, Fellow bass players,
Does anyone have a simple way of writing bass charts
like a number chart type of thing, to explain.
i would like to be able to put things down on paper to remember, I guess i'am getting old ,i can only remember about
40 to 50 songs at a time off the top of my head. I know some of the other guys in the band too. you know someone
will say remember that song we used to play back then ,ah what was the name of that song? .
Anyway I have never learned to read allways played by ear and memory, i think it time to learn some form of reading and writing things down..
Thanks eno

Cameronj · #2 03-05-2009, 01:28 PM

Well tab is easy enough.
You could download one of these here: http://www.blanksheetmusic.net/blank_bass_tabs.html

or you could use the software Guitar Pro. It is pretty slick.

Cameronj · #3 03-05-2009, 01:30 PM

It wouldn't be that hard to learn enough notation to write things down either. Then you can get the rhythm right too. Or do a combination of both tab and notation. There are some blank pages in the link above that allow you to do that. This way you can also remember where on the neck you are playing the stuff. YMMV

DudeistMonk · #4 03-05-2009, 02:34 PM

What about just writing out chord charts? The lines I can always remember or just wing its the changes and the progressions that I forget, so I write out chord charts to glance at, until I've played the song 1,010 times.

Cameronj · #5 03-05-2009, 02:37 PM

yeah you can download blank chord charts too. This is the easiest if you can rember the gist of the line for each tune.

bassyeah · #6 03-05-2009, 02:44 PM

glad to see I'm not the only one!
it seems what I think I need to remember (at the time I know the song) is actually not enough later on when I pull out my notes... from the few posts here it sounds like you would write down the key, position, rythmic notes... and maybe tab any key bass lines???

mambo4 · #7 03-05-2009, 02:59 PM

What I usually do is take standard notation staff paper and write a chord chart for the song, with the repeats and D.S. al codas etc. And a jot a basic rhythm at the start of each verse/chorus/bridge, as a reminder.

with a basic grasp of harmonic theory, and a general knowledge of basic rhythms for various genres, learning to fake your way thru a chord chart, is not that hard -much easier then learning notation.

However, if remembering the specific bass line or specific rhythmic phrases and stops is the goal, I'd go with notation.

If your chord theory is solid, you can just use "nashville numbers..." instead of writing out "Cmaj Am Fmaj G7" etc