Online Bass Guitar (4 and 5 Strings)
This virtual bass shows the neck of an electric bass guitar with 4 strings (E A D G) or 5 strings, with the low B, and plays each fret with a thick-string sound generated in the browser. Play with your finger, the mouse or the rows of your keyboard and see the name of every note on the fretboard.
How to use it
- Tap a fret to hear the note; the light strip before the nut plays the open string.
- Under Scales, pick the root and the scale: the notes appear along the whole neck and Play scale goes up and down one octave.
- Under Arpeggios, pick a chord to see and hear the root, third, fifth and octave; ↗︎ Arpeggio plays it ascending and ↘︎ Descending, the other way.
- Under Notes on the fretboard, switch on Natural notes or All notes to see the whole map.
- Switch to 5 strings in the tuning to add the low B.
Help and explanations
To study, pick a scale and the online bass marks all of its notes up to fret 15, with the root highlighted, and plays the scale in a one-octave box. Under Arpeggios, pick a chord and hear the root, third, fifth and octave: the path a bass line follows in almost every song.
Notes on the bass fretboard
Open, from the 4th string (the thickest) to the 1st: E A D G, the same notes as the four low strings of a guitar, one octave lower. A 5-string bass adds a B below the E. Every string is a fourth away from its neighbour, so fret 5 on each string is always the note of the next open string.
To memorise them, start with the natural notes on the two low strings, where the root of almost every arpeggio sits: on the E string, fret 3 is G, fret 5 is A, fret 7 is B and fret 8 is C; on the A string, fret 2 is B, fret 3 is C, fret 5 is D and fret 7 is E. The octave of any note is two strings up and two frets higher.
Scales and arpeggios to start with
The minor pentatonic is the first scale for almost every bass player: five notes, two per string, and it works for rock, blues, funk and pop. The major scale comes right after.
In an arpeggio, the box of root, third and fifth in the same area of the neck is the foundation of a bass line. Pick C under Arpeggios and see: C at fret 3 on the A string, E at fret 2 on the D string, G at fret 5 on the D string and C at fret 5 on the G string.
Tips
- Switch on Natural notes and say the name of every note out loud as you play it: the fastest way to learn the fretboard.
- On a 5-string bass, the low B goes down to B0 without changing the tuning; the scale shapes stay the same on the other strings.
- Low notes need headphones or a speaker: a phone speaker cuts off most of the lowest notes.
- Start with the volume low, especially on headphones.
- To tune your own bass, use the online bass tuner.
Frequently asked questions
What are the notes of the bass strings?
On a 4-string bass, E A D G from the 4th string to the 1st (E1 A1 D2 G2). On a 5-string, B E A D G, with B0 on the 5th string.
How do I memorise the notes on the bass fretboard?
Learn the natural notes on the E and A strings up to fret 12 first and use two rules: fret 5 is the note of the next open string, and the octave is two strings up and two frets higher. From fret 12 on, everything repeats.
What is the tuning of a 5-string bass?
B E A D G. The 5th string sits five semitones below the low E. Choose 5 strings in the tuning selector.
Can you play chords on bass?
You can, but the usual thing is the arpeggio: the notes of the chord one at a time. Under Arpeggios, the virtual bass shows and plays the root, third, fifth and octave of each chord.
Does the virtual bass work for double bass?
Yes for the notes and the scales: the double bass uses the same tuning, E A D G. The sound here is an electric bass.
Which scale should I learn first on bass?
The minor pentatonic, which the virtual bass already opens in E. Then the major scale and the major and minor arpeggios.