Introduction

If you’re a fan of classic rock ‘n’ roll or soul, chances are you’ve heard the song “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King. The song is known for its iconic bass line, which is both catchy and easy to play. In this article, we’re going to teach you how to play Stand By Me on bass with simple bass tabs that are perfect for both beginners and intermediate players. So grab your bass guitar and let’s get started!

How to Read Bass Tabs

Before we get into the tabs for Stand By Me, let’s talk briefly about how to read bass tabs. Tabs are a shorthand way of writing out music for stringed instruments like the bass guitar. They use numbers to represent fret numbers, with the lowest number representing the lowest fret on the neck. A “0” represents an open string. Just like with sheet music, time signatures and notation can be included to guide the player.

In the tabs below, the top line represents the highest-pitched string on your bass (usually the G string), and the bottom line represents the lowest-pitched string (usually the E string). Vertical lines represent each of the frets on your guitar. So, for example, if you see the number “3” on the A string, that means you should press down on the third fret of the A string.

With that in mind, let’s move on to the tabs for Stand By Me.

Stand By Me Bass Tabs

Here are the bass tabs for the main riff in Stand By Me:

G|--------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------4-----------------------|
A|------2--2--4--2------2--5-----5--2-----------2--0-|
E|--0-0--------------3-3----------------3-3-3-------|
			

That’s it! See, we told you it was easy. The main riff consists of just four notes played in a repeating pattern. Practice playing it slowly at first, making sure each note is clear and distinct. Then gradually increase the speed until you can play it smoothly.

Once you’ve got the main riff down, you can move on to the chorus. Here are the tabs:

G|--------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------2--2--4--2------2--2--5--4--2------2--0-|
E|--0--0--3--3--5-----------------3----------------3-----|
			

Again, it’s a simple pattern that repeats throughout the chorus. Take it slow and make sure you’re hitting each note cleanly.

Finally, here are the tabs for the bridge:

G|-------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------|
A|--4--4--4--5--5--5--7--7--7--9--9--9--11--11--11--12--12-|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
			

Like the other parts, the bridge is easy to play, consisting of a repeating pattern up and down the neck of the bass.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you now know how to play Stand By Me on bass! Keep practicing until you feel confident playing the full song. Learning classic bass lines like this one is a great way to improve your skills and add to your repertoire of songs. We hope you enjoyed this tutorial and feel free to check out our other bass tabs as well!