This holds especially true when composing or learning songs on your own. This is because It is easier to navigate sheet music using the note in the middle of the grand staff. Note: For this purpose, it`s common to use C3 as a reference point. It`s helpful to have a reference point when reading music, especially when you’re just starting out. Middle C is however incredibly helpful for reading sheet music as a bass player. In the vast majority of bands I`ve played in, middle C was never even mentioned. It is also not a necessity for playing in a band. You don`t need to know where middle C is to learn the bass. Using middle C to navigate notation is thus done for the sake of coherency and efficiency. Middle C is important to serve as a reference point in sheet music and when collaborating with other musicians. A C that appears to be an octave higher than middle C, is in fact a middle C. ![]() A note that looks like a middle C will sound out an octave lower and be a C3. Therefore, bassists who read sheet music need to account for this. When comparing the piano and the bass, middle C is in fact written an octave higher for the bass: Yet, middle C is not written in the middle of the grand staff in bass guitar sheet music. This is the staff that combines the treble and bass clef in sheet music and is commonly used among pianists and classical musicians. The reason it`s called middle C is that it is located in the middle of the grand staff. This means that a note written as C4 in sheet music is in actuality a C3. It is often confused for a C3, as some instruments such as the bass guitar are transposing instruments. Middle C has a frequency of 256hz and is thus always a C4. On these instruments, middle C can only be played on the 17th fret of the G string. Some common bass guitar models, such as the Fender Jazz and Precision bass, tend to have 20 frets. Thus, as long as you have 22 or more frets on your bass, you will generally have two ways of playing the note. With fewer frets or an even deeper tuning, you simply won`t be able to play middle C at all.Į standard is however the go-to tuning in most genres of music. Depending on how low you tune the bass, you might only be able to play it in one spot.įor example, if you tune down to A standard, you can only reach middle C on your highest string if you have 24 frets. If you tune your bass down, you will have to reach even higher on the fretboard to play middle C. These are the only place you can play middle C on 4, 5, and 6-string basses in standard tuning. This means middle C can be played in 3 different ways on it: This also holds true for 5-string basses with a low B string, as it has the same high reach as a 4-string bass.Ħ-string basses are generally tuned B-E-A-D-G-C. Thus, while middle C is more accessible to most string instruments, there are only two ways to play the note on the bass guitar. The bass guitar has a low-frequency range. On 6-string basses, middle C can also be played at the 12th fret of the high C string. ![]() On a bass guitar tuned to E standard, Middle C is located at the 17th fret of the G string and the 22nd fret of the D string. This way, you will never have to question where middle C actually is on the fretboard and why it’s useful. You`ll also learn why it can cause some confusion, and why it is important to know where it is. ![]() Therefore, I decided to write this guide to clear up any confusion you might have about where to find middle C on the bass guitar.Īfter reading, you will both know where to find it and play middle C. Second, there is a difference between how sheet music is written for the bass, and how it actually sounds. Also, be aware that the OnTrack Reading Advanced Code Phonics Workbook incorporates most of the lessons found in this section, and much more.Finding middle C on the bass guitar is not difficult, but it can confusing for a couple of reasons.įirst, the bass has such a deep range, that middle C is rarely played on the instrument. The Sounds of the Letter g goes over a similar phonics rule for the letter "g," but explains why it is less important to teach it. It turns out that we generally use the letter "k" when the letter "c" won't work because of this rule. The "Rule of c" can also be useful for spelling because it is so reliable. And in British English, you will encounter a few spellings like "sceptic" whereas we in the US have changed the spelling to "skeptic" to comport with the rule.Īlso, to follow the rule we even add the letter "k" to words like picnic and panic when adding a suffix starting with "e," "i" or "y," so we have picnicking, panicked and panicky. "Soccer" would be pronounced sokser if it followed the rule and "muscle" would be muskle. In the United States, they are relatively few. Although the "Rule of c" is generally reliable, this is English, so there are some exceptions.
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