Sight Reading

for the Electric Bassist

Book 1

by Jayme Lewis
Cover Photo and Interior Photos by Kimberlee Miller

Cover design by Jayme Lewis

Illustrations by Jayme Lewis

Copyright 2012 by Jayme Lewis

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be

reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means
including information storage and retrieval systems,
without permission in writing from the publisher
except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
 Sight Reading
for the Electric Bassist
Book 1

by Jayme Lewis
 5

About the Author

Jayme Lewis began playing music at a very young age; his mother began
teaching him piano at the age of four and he quickly began to show both talent
and love for music. Jaymes father taught him how to play bass at the age of
seven and he has pursued the instrument ever since. He has been privileged
to have studied bass with such virtuosos as Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey,
Anthony Wellington, Mike Pope, Adam Nitti, Gerald Veasley, Oteil Burbridge,
Chuck Rainey, Oscar Mesa and Bunny Brunel. Jayme holds both an Associates
Degree in Music from Moorpark College and a Bachelors Degree in Music from
California State University of Northridge.
Jayme spends the majority of his time touring with the Jayme Lewis band,
teaching bass online at www.labasslix.com, and producing artists out of his
recording studio, Second Story Studios.

Visit Jayme on the web at www.jaymelewis.com

 6 Sight Reading for the Electric Bass: Book 1

Notes on the Staff

Musical notation is written on a music staff, and appears as five parallel lines
stacked on top of each other. A bass player reads from the bass clef ( ? ), and
each note
? is placed in one of two places: either on a line or on a space.
Solo Bass

The Line Notes w

? w w w
w w
w
E G B D F A C
w w
? ? w w
Linewnotes havewa staff-linewgoing directly through the middle of the note head.
Solo Bass

Notice
F how theyAskip from line
C to line as
E they move
G up the staff.
B D

w w w w
? w w w w
w w w w
w w
E F G A B C D E F G A B C D
The Space Notes w
# w w# #
? w w ## #
w w
F A C E G B D
?
Solo Bass
? ### w w w w w w# #
w
wspacewbetween ##
Spacew notes
w can
w be found
w in
w the two lines on the staff. Notice how
they
? Eskip fromF space
G to
A space B asCthey move
D Eup. F
w G wA B C D
w
w
? #w# # # w ## # # # w # ### # # ## # # #
# # F #
You will
E
need to Gknow theseB while working D
in this book, so getAvery comfortable
C
w
? them now. Dont worry,w its not aswhard as youw think; If I warrange them all
with
? #w# # # #on onewstaff youll see that they actually move in alphabetical order. n n n n# #n# #
together
F
## A C E G B D
n nb
? w w w w w w
w w # w
? #bw# # # w w w#b#b # # w #b#b # # #b#b# b# #
E F G A B # C D
b
E # F G A
b## B C D

? # ## ###
? #b b# #b# # n n nbn b n b
b ## n bnbb
 7

Notes on Bass Guitar

Here are two diagrams of some of the notes found on your bass guitar neck.
These will be covered in more detail in the individual lessons in this book, but this
page will serve as a master reference.

Natural Notes & Sharps

G# A# C# D# F#
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

G A B C D E F G G
D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D
A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A
E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E E

Natural Notes and Flats

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

G Ab A Bb B C Db D Eb E F Gb G G
D Eb E F Gb G Ab A Bb B C Db D D
A Bb B C Db D Eb E F Gb G Ab A A
E F Gb G Ab A Bb B C Db D Eb E E

b and some are

#
Notice that some frets are represented by a flat symbol
represented by a sharp symbol . This is because some notes have two different
names. Flats and sharps are commonly referred to as accidentals. Notes without
the accidentals are called natural notes.
8 Sight Reading for the Electric Bass: Book 1

1)
? 44 w w w w w w

?w w w w w

2) ? 44 w w w w

? w w

? w w

?w w w w w

3)
? 44

?
w

4)
? 44

?

The Key of C Major - No Accidentals 9

?
w

? w

5) ? 44

? w

?
w

6) ? 44

? w

10 Sight Reading for the Electric Bass: Book 1

7)
? 44

?
w

8)
? 43

? .

? 44
w

? w

? w
The Key of C Major - No Accidentals 11

?
w

9)
? 44 w

? w

?
w

?
w

10)
? 44

?
w
12 Sight Reading for the Electric Bass: Book 1

1) ?4
4 w w

? w
w

? w
w

2)
? 44 w

? w w

?
w

3)
? 43 .
. .

? .
. .

? . .


?
. . .

4) ? 44
. w .
The Key of A Minor - No Accidentals 13

? w
w w

?
w .

?
w
w

5) ? 44

?
w

?
w

6)
? 44

?
w

?
w
14 Sight Reading for the Electric Bass: Book 1

7)
?4
4 w

?
w w

?

w

? w
w

8)
? 44
w

?
w

? w

? w
w

?
w

?

w
The Key of A Minor - No Accidentals 15

9)
? 44
w

?
w

?
w w

10)
? 44

? w

?
w
16 Sight Reading for the Electric Bass: Book 1

1) ? b 44
w

? w
b w

?b w

?
b

?b
w

2)
? 4 w w
b 4

?b w

3)
? b 44

?b

?b

?b

The Key of F Major - One Flat 17

4)
? 4
b 4

?
b w

?b

?b

5) ? b 44

?b .

?b
w

6)
.
? 3
b 4 .

?b
.

? .
b

?b

.
18 Sight Reading for the Electric Bass: Book 1

7)
? 4
b 4

?
b w

8)
? 4
b 4

?
b

?
b

?b

?b

?b

?b
w

9)
? b 44

?b w

The Key of F Major - One Flat 19

? w
b w

?
b

?



b

?b

?b .

10)
? b 44

?b

?b w

?b

?b w

?b
w
20 Sight Reading for the Electric Bass: Book 1

w
1) ? 4
b 4

? w
b

2)
? b 44 w

?b
w

?b

?b
w

3)
? b 44 # w

?b # #

? b #

. .
4)
? b 43
# #

?b .
# # .
The Key of D Minor - One Flat 21

5)
? b 44 . . . . J # . . . J . J . J
J J J J

? b 44 # . . J . J

? b #. . . . . .

J J J J J J

? # .
b . . . J .
J J J

6)
? b 44

?b
#

? b #

?b w

7) w
? 4 w
b 4

?b
w
# w # . j

?b . j #

22 Sight Reading for the Electric Bass: Book 1

? b 44 # .
8)

?b .

?b
#

?b #
.

? b #
# w

? b 43 # #
9)
#

?b
# #

? b # # . . n j

?b . jn # .
#. #

? . #

b J

? b #
# #
The Key of D Minor - One Flat 23

? #
#

b

?b # # # .

10)
? b 44 #

? b #

? b # #.
# # w

? b .

?b #
#

?b #
w

? b 44
11) n # #

?b w #
n #

? b # . #
J #
24 Sight Reading for the Electric Bass: Book 1

1) ?# 4
4

?#

?#

? # .
J

?#

2) ? # 44 . .
J J

? # . .
J J

3) ? # 44

?#

?#

?#


The Key of G Major - One Sharp 25

4) .

?# 3
4 .

?#
.


?#
. .

?#

.

5) ? # 44

?#

? #

? #

6) ? # 44

?# w

?#
w
26 Sight Reading for the Electric Bass: Book 1

7) ? # 44

?#

?#

?#

?#
w

8) ? # 44 . j

. j

j
? # . .
J

? #

? #

? # 68 .
9)
.

?# j
. .
The Key of G Major - One Sharp 27

10)
?# 4
4

?#

?#

?#

?#

?#

?#

?#

11) ? # 44

?#

?#
.
J
28 Sight Reading for the Electric Bass: Book 1

? # 44
1)

?#
w

?#
w

? # 44
2)

?#

?#

?# j j

.

? # 68
J . .
3) .

?#


J .
.

?# .

.

?#
.
The Key of E Minor - One Sharp 29

? # 43 . . J . .
4) J

? # . . J . .
J

? # . . . .
J J

?# .

?# . .

?# 4 j j
5) 4 . .

?# .
J

?#

?# .
J

?# j j
. .

? # .
J
30 Sight Reading for the Electric Bass: Book 1

?# 4
6) 4

?#

? #

7) ? # 44
. J w

?#
.
w . .
J J . J J

?# .
J

? #

8)

? # # #

?#
#

? # . j

?# j # j j #
9) J
The Key of E Minor - One Sharp 31

? # # j # #
J

j .
?# j
# # # . J

.
?#

?# #

.
? # . . # . . . # . . .
#

?# #
# j
J

? # j j # #
#

? # # j j #
#

? # # #
10)
.
? # .

? # #


 More from Jayme Lewis:

MUSICAL TRAINING
www.ignitemusicaltraining.com

www.labasslix.com

JAM

www.lajamtrax.com
www.jaymelewis.com