Watermelon Man bass tabs
Artist: Herbie Hancock
Title: Watermelon Man
Album: HeadHunter
Tabber: Brandon (profound_poet@yahoo.com)
This is a great song, its 6 minutes long, this'll teach you some endurance
I'm not gonna get into the theory of this song, cause it would be like a 2
megabyte text. Anywho.. here we go
ATTENTION!!!
Before you give this tab a bad rating remember, THIS IS FOR THE JAZZ FUSION VERSION!!
not the classic jazz version, if the one your listening to DOES NOT start with funky whistles
its the wrong one..
ATTENTION!!!
Intro
(first bass hit is around 0:45)
G—————————12——13——14————————————————————————————————————
D———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E—0h1—————11——12——13————————————————————————————————————
Main Riff
(starts at about 0:55, right before drums come in)
G——————————————12——13——14————————————————————————————————
D————————3———————————————————————————————————————————————
A———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E—0h1——————————11——12——13————————————————————————————————
Pre—Chorus Type Thing
(starts at 1:44)
G——————7——8—————————————5——6————————————————————————————
D————————————————————————————————————10—————————————————
A———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E—8————6——7————8—7—6————4——5————6—8—————————————————————
Pre—Chorus Thing Continued
(starts at 2:02)
G——3/43——1—————————————————————————————————————————————
D————————————3——1———————————————————————————————————————
A——————————————————3————————————————————————————————————
E—————————————————————4—————————————————————————————————
Chorus
(at 2:05)
[ATTN: this is just a change between Ab and F#, this may get boring, just improv if you'd
like]
G———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E——44444————22222———————————————————————————————————————
Bridge
(around 2:28)
G—————————————————————12——13——14————————————————————————
D——7——6——5——————————————————————————————————————————————
A———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E—————————————————————11——12——13————————————————————————
Modified Main Riff
(at 2:33)
G—————————12——13——14————————————————————————————————————
D———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A——————————————————————————————————————————————————————— PLAY 3 TIMES
E—0h1—————11——12——13————————————————————————————————————
Modified Main Riff part 2
(at 2:42)
G—————————5—6—7—————————————————————————————————————————
D———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A—0h1——————————————————————————————————————————————————— PLAY 2 TIMES
E—————————4—5—6—————————————————————————————————————————
Modified Pre—Chorus
(starts at 2:56)
G—————7——8——9——10——————————————5——6——7——8———————————————
D———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E—8———6——7——8——9————9——8——6————4——5——6——7————7——8———————
Modified Pre—Chorus cont'd
(starts at 3:13)
G——3/43——1—————————————————————————————————————————————
D————————————3—PAUSE—1——————————————————————————————————
A———————————————————————3——1————————————————————————————
E—————————————————————————————4—————————————————————————
[Attn: im not sure what goes on during the next 10 seconds, its very hard to hear, if anyone
figures it out
send me an email, id really like to be able to play that part through]
repeat riffs when necessary. good luck
Introduction
If you’re learning how to play the bass guitar and you’re a fan of jazz, then learning the bass tabs for “Watermelon Man” is a must. This popular jazz standard was written by Herbie Hancock in 1962 and has since been covered by various artists in different genres. In this article, we’ll be providing you with the bass tabs for “Watermelon Man” and guide you on how to play them.
What are Bass Tabs?
Bass tabs are a form of musical notation used by bass guitarists. They consist of numbers that represent the fret number to be played on the bass guitar and the string that should be played.
Watermelon Man Bass Tabs
Here are the bass tabs for “Watermelon Man” by Herbie Hancock:
Verse:
G|------------------5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-----------------------------
D|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5---------------7-5-7-7-5---------------------
A|--------------------------------------7-5-3-------------------
E|------------------------------------------------5-3-1-3-3-1-1-
For the verse section of “Watermelon Man,” you’ll be playing the same pattern over and over again. Make sure to pay attention to the rhythm and timing when playing this section, as it’s essential to the overall feel of the song.
Chorus:
G|------------------5-5-5-5-----------------------------------------
D|---------5-5-7-7---------7-5-------------------------------------
A|-5-5-7-7---------------------7-5-3-3-5-5-3-3-------------------
E|--------------------------------------------------5-5-3-3-1-1-
The chorus section of “Watermelon Man” is similar to the verse section, with a few changes in the pattern. Make sure to practice this section slowly at first to get the rhythm and timing down.
Tips for Learning the Bass Tabs for “Watermelon Man”
Learning a new song on the bass guitar can be challenging, but with a few tips and tricks, you can make the process easier and more enjoyable:
- Start slow and gradually increase your speed as you become more comfortable with the song.
- Practice with a metronome to improve your timing and rhythm.
- Break the song down into smaller parts and practice each part individually before putting it all together.
- Watch videos of other bass guitarists playing the song to get a better understanding of how it should sound.
Conclusion
“Watermelon Man” by Herbie Hancock is a jazz standard that every bass guitarist should know how to play. By learning the bass tabs provided in this article and following the tips we’ve given you, you’ll be able to play this classic song with confidence and skill. Have fun practicing and enjoy playing this great tune!