For those new to the guitar world, a bass guitar tab is a notation used to refer to a chord, or a series of chords. Learning bass guitar tabs is one of the more difficult aspects for beginners to grasp, as there are many different tabs that are used for the guitar. As there are many different combinations of fingerings, there are an equal number of tabs, all of which may only slightly vary between one or another.

Tabs are not only used for the bass guitar, though the use of the term “tab” is usually restricted to guitars. Harmonicas, as well as other instruments, make use of tabs, though if you go into many retail stores and ask for tabs, it is generally assumed you want guitar tabs. Bass guitar tabs are less often used, as the majority of players use other types of guitars.

When you make use of a bass guitar tab, you will want to keep references and resources handy. As you progress as a player, you will need the resources left often, but they are good to have if you encounter a notation that you have never seen before.

A bass guitar tab can be acquired in several ways. First, you can download them online. This is highly popular, as there are hundreds of thousands of tabs available on the internet, if you know where to look. You can also buy your tabs in local retail stores. In stores, tabs are commonly referred to as sheet music. If you find yourself having trouble locating tabs, ask where they keep the sheet music for your instrument. This will help you find the tabs you are looking for.

In the recent past, acquiring a bass guitar tab for some popular bands has become difficult. Due to bands desiring to protect their investments, some tabs have been banned for sale or distribution to the general public. If you are having difficulty locating a tab in your stores or online, this is probably the reason for it. The organizations in charge of this are the NMPA and the MPA, or, the National Music Publishers Association and the Music Publishers Association. Unfortunately, it is difficult to get a listing of the tabs that are currently banned from the public domain.

The easiest bass guitar tab to acquire is for music that has been entered into the public domain. These are songs that the bands have either released to the public domain by their own will, or songs that are so old that they naturally progressed into the public domain. These songs are commonly used as teaching tools, as acquiring them is extremely easy.