4-String Bass Note Chart
Standard 4-string bass · tuning E–A–D–G (low→high) · every note, frets 0–15 · tap to hear
How to play
- Tap any note to hear it and see its name, string and fret. The board reads like bass tab: the top row is the thin G string, the bottom is the thick low E.
- Use Highlight to pick a note letter — every place it appears lights up, so you can see how each note repeats (an octave is always 2 frets up and 2 strings across).
- Dots under the fret numbers are the position markers (3, 5, 7, 9, and a double at 12).
- Open strings plays E–A–D–G. Vol sets volume. Keyboard: Tab to any note or control, Enter/Space to activate.
The chart is an interactive one where all available notes within fifteen frets of a typical four string bass are mapped out. You can move around this interface using your computer keyboard and click note with your mouse to see how it works. The design is similar in look and feel to actual ‘tablature‘ for bass instruments as it shows the lowest pitch (E) at the bottom and then moves up through strings, placing the highest pitched G string at the top. It allows you to map exactly what is shown in sheet music or other tabs straight onto the fretboard positions you’d expect to find on a physical instrument.
To start, simply tap one of the buttons for each note on the grid, which will play it for you. The frequency, string, fret number and note name are then shown below the fretboard so that you get an instant sound clue as to where a note is located.
How to Use the Interactive Bass Chart
If you like, you can navigate using your keyboard instead of a mouse. Press Enter or Space to select whatever is highlighted. Use the Tab key to jump from control to control or note to note. That makes it fully accessible if that suit your needs better.
In addition, you can filter the fretboard to highlight certain notes with The Highlight row at the top. Clicking on any of the letter buttons will illuminate all occurrences of this note throughout the grid. You’ll see the repeated chromatic scale pattern which also demonstrates how an octave shifts two strings up and two frets left. If you choose Off, then this removes the filter and displays the initial view again. This is particularly helpful for finding other positions for one note or visualizing scales.
Use the Open strings button to hear the standard E-A-D-G tuning played in sequence. This also lets you quickly find the root note of each string. By sliding the volume potentiometer located to the right, you can turn the master output down if it’s too hot, or up if you’re having trouble hearing clearly. What your ears are listening to is a synthetically generated bass note which includes sub-harmonics and give the bass a very real feel.
The Fullscreen mode expands the widget to fill your screen. On smaller devices this gives more room to tap individual notes on the fretboard. This is good if you want to project the chart for a group or study its layout in detail. The Help panel toggles a quick reference guide of keyboard shortcuts and controls. If you forget how something works (like how the navigation or highlighting features operate) refer here.
Play some tunes that you know, playing simple patterns around the root-notes. You can follow where the scale goes on the neck using the highlight function. See where the same note occurs on neighbouring strings in various positions. It help develop muscle memory for where your fingers should go. Make sure you have the volume turned down to a comfortabley level then begin practicing. It will help you make the leap from written music to playing it on the instrument. It provides you with a space where you can try out string crossing, intervals etc., free from any need for performance.
Be experimental. Try out new positions and patterns as slow or fast as you wish. Then put it into action by playing today. This will reinforce your grasp on navigating around the bass guitar.