# Foundations

Know the instrument, tune it, hear the open strings, and read TAB before you lock into a groove. Four thick strings, **E A D G** (octave below guitar’s bottom four). Shared harmony: [/sangeet-yatra/theory/western/](/sangeet-yatra/theory/western/). Click frets for electric-bass samples ([credits](samples/bass/CREDITS.md)); synth is fallback only.

## Parts and hold

Long scale, neck slightly up. Fretting: one finger per fret, thumb behind the neck. Plucking: fingers near neck/pickups. Match strap height sitting and standing. Bass frets are wide: shift the whole hand instead of stretching. Reasonable action and intonation matter; warm up your hands and stop on pain. Stamina is daily minutes, not marathon sessions. Muting is half the job: [muting.md](muting.md). How bass differs from guitar: [vs-guitar.md](vs-guitar.md).

## Standard tuning — E A D G

| String | Name |
|---|---|
| 4 | E · E1 |
| 3 | A · A1 |
| 2 | D · D2 |
| 1 | G · G2 |

Use the [shared tuner](/sangeet-yatra/tools/guitar-tuner.html?i=bass); the Open buttons on the HTML page are a pitch reference. Check fretted 5ths against open strings. See [tunings.md](tunings.md) for Drop D / 5-string.

## Open strings on the neck

G on top, like TAB. Each fret is one half step; a finger just behind the fret keeps the note clean. Name every fret on [notes.md](notes.md). Good sounds like a clear attack, a controlled decay and true silence in the rests.

## Tablatures — How to read tabs

**TAB is a grid.** G on top, E at bottom. Read left to right; digits are frets; `0` is open. Prefer a click over guessing rhythm from spacing.

**Letters and marks:** **h** / **p**, slides, **b**, vibrato, **x** (dead / ghost note), harmonics `<12>`, **T** / **P** (slap thumb / pop).

All open strings, low E up to G (each `0` is the next string, not a chord):

```
G|-------------0--
D|---------0------
A|-----0----------
E|-0--------------
```

Hear them with **Play all open strings** on the HTML page. Rhythm, lead-sheet letters, and bass-clef reading continue on [Reading](reading.md).

## Ready when

- All four open strings match the tuner and ring clean, with no neighbour-string buzz.
- Read the open-string TAB (G on top, E at the bottom) and say which string each line is.
- A fretted fifth on the string below matches the open string above it: E5 = A, A5 = D, D5 = G.