ART FOR ART'S SAKE (Bassline)
As recorded by 10cc
(From the 1976 Album HOW DARE YOU!)
Words and Music by Eric Stewart & Graham Gouldman
Transcribed by Slowhand
Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Eric Stewart - Bass'
[Intro]
Q=118
4/4
Gtr I
W +W 3x W +H +E E +Q
G||------------|--------------||-----------|-----------------------|
D||o-----------|-------------o||-----------|-----------------------|
A||o-----------|-------------o||-----------|--------------10-(10)--|
E||--10--------|-(10)---------||-10--------|-(10)----(10)----------|
|--3--|
E E E a E +H +Q E E S S S E E E
G|-10-------12h14-(14)----|-(14)--12-14-12h14p12-10-------|
D|----12-10---------------|-------------------------12-10-|
A|------------------------|-------------------------------|
E|------------------------|-------------------------------|
E E E E +E E +Q +H S S E E E
G|----10---------------------|-----------------------|
D|-12----12-10-(10)-12-(12)--|-(12)------------------|
A|---------------------------|-----------------------|
E|---------------------------|---------10h13-10-10-8-|
+H. E E E. S +E E E E E E Q. E H +W
G|----------------|----------------------------|----------------|----------|
D|----------------|----------------------------|-------10-12----|-(12)\----|
A|----------14-15-|-14--14-(14)-12-------------|----------------|----------|
E|-(8)------------|----------------10-11-10-11-|-10-------------|----------|
a Q E E E E E E a E E E E E E E E a E E E E E E E E E E E E S S E Q
G|------------------|-------------------|-------------------|------------------|
D|------------------|-------------------|-------------------|------------------|
A|-3h5--5-5-5-5-5-5-|-3h5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-3h5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-5-5------|
E|------------------|-------------------|-------------------|------------------|
E E Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q E E E E
G|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||
D|---5------------|---5------------|---5------------|---5------------||
A|--------4-3-1---|--------4-3-1---|--------4-3-1---|--------4-3-1---||
E|-3------------3-|-3------------3-|-3------------3-|-3------------3-||
[1st & 2nd Verses]
E Q E H E E E E H E Q E H E E E E H
G||--------------|--------------|-------------|--------------|
D||o-------------|--------------|-------------|--------------|
A||o-------------|--------------|-------------|--------------|
E||--3----3------|-3-3-1-3------|-3----3------|-3-3-1-3------|
E Q E H E E E E H E Q E H E. S +E E +S E. Q
G|-------------|--------------|-------------|----------------------|
D|-------------|--------------|-------------|----------------------|
A|-------------|--------------|-------------|----1-(1)-3-(3)-4--5--|
E|-3----3------|-3-3-1-3------|-3----3------|-3--------------------|
E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E W W
G|-----------------|-----------------|----------|------||
D|-----------------|-----------------|----------|------||
A|-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-|-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-|-5--------|-4----||
E|-----------------|-----------------|----------|------||
[Chorus]
Q E E E E Q W Q. E E E +Q +W
G|-14--14-14---12----|----------|-17----17---15-(15)--|-(15)----|
D|-15--15-15---14----|----------|-17----17---15-(15)--|-(15)----|
A|-------------------|----------|-19----19---17-(17)--|-(17)----|
E|-------------------|----------|---------------------|---------|
Q E E E E Q W Q. E E E +Q +W
G|-14--14-14---12----|----------|-17----17---15-(15)--|-(15)-----||
D|-15--15-15---14----|----------|-17----17---15-(15)--|-(15)----o||
A|-------------------|----------|-19----19---17-(17)--|-(17)----o||
E|-------------------|----------|---------------------|----------||
[Bridge]
Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E E 3x Q E E E E E E +H E E E E
G||-----------------|------------------||----------------|-----------------|
D||o----------------|-----------------o||----------------|-----------------|
A||o-5--5-----5---5-|---2-2-3-3-4-4-5-o||-5--5-----5---3-|-(3)------3---2--|
E||-----------------|------------------||----------------|-----------------|
+W +W +W +W
G|------------|------------|------------|--------|
D|------------|------------|------------|--------|
A|-(2)--------|-(2)--------|-(2)--------|-(2)----|
E|------------|------------|------------|--------|
E E Q H E E E E +H E E Q H E E E E +H
G||--------------|---0------------|-------------|---0-------------||
D||o-------------|-3--------------|-------------|-3--------------o||
A||o-------------|-------1-(1)----|-------------|-------1-(1)----o||
E||--1-3---------|----------------|-1-3---------|-----------------||
E E S S E Q Q +H. E E
G|-----------------||---------------|
D|-----------------||o--------------|
A|---3---3---3-----||o--------------|
E|--------------5--||--(5)------5---|
H. E E H. E E E E S S E Q Q
G|-------------|-------------|-------------------||
D|-------------|-------------|------------------o||
A|-------------|-------------|---3---3---3------o||
E|---------5---|---------5---|--------------5----||
[Interlude]
|-3-|
+H +E E E E W +H +E E E E q q q H
G|-----------------9-|-9--------|-(9)----(9)--------|-9-9-9-9----|
D|---------------7---|----------|-----------------7-|------------|
A|-------------8-----|----------|---------------8---|------------|
E|-(5)----(5)/-------|----------|------------10-----|------------|
|-3--| |--3--|
+H +E E E E Q Q Q Q Q Q W +H +E E Q
G|-(9)----(9)-12-10-9-|-12-9-------------|-----------|--------------12-14--|
D|--------------------|------12-12-------|-----------|---------------------|
A|--------------------|------------12----|-----------|---------------------|
E|--------------------|---------------13-|-10--------|-(10)----(10)--------|
a Q E E +E E +Q +H +E E E E
G|-12p10----------------------|-----------------------|
D|--------12-10-(10)-12-(12)--|-(12)----(12)-------10-|
A|----------------------------|--------------10h12----|
E|----------------------------|-----------------------|
|-3--| |3|
Q Q Q Q H +H +E E Q
G|---------------|------------------|
D|---------------|------------------|
A|-12-10-9-------|--------------8---|
E|---------10-8--|-(8)----(8)-8-----|
E E E E E E E E +Q E E Q. E
G|--------------------10----|-------10-/14-17----14-|
D|-/12p10----------10----12-|-(12)------------------|
A|--------12p10-12----------|-----------------------|
E|--------------------------|-----------------------|
W H a H
G|-----------|-----------------|
D|-12--------|-12----10h12\----|
A|-----------|-----------------|
E|-----------|-----------------|
a E E E E E E E E a E E E E E E E E
G|-------------------|-------------------|
D|-------------------|-------------------|
A|-3h5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-3h5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|
E|-------------------|-------------------|
a E E E E E E S S E E E E E S S E Q
G|---------------------|-------------------|
D|---------------------|-------------------|
A|-3h5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-------|
E|---------------------|-------------------|
E E Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q E E E E
G|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||
D|---5------------|---5------------|---5------------|---5------------||
A|--------4-3-1---|--------4-3-1---|--------4-3-1---|--------4-3-1---||
E|-3------------3-|-3------------3-|-3------------3-|-3------------3-||
[3rd Verse]
E Q E H E E E E H E Q E H E E E E Q Q
G|-------------|--------------|-------------|----------------|
D|-------------|--------------|-------------|------------3\--|
A|-------------|--------------|-------------|----------------|
E|-3----3------|-3-3-1-3------|-3----3------|-3-3-1-3--------|
E Q E H E E E E H E Q E H E. S +E E +S E. Q
G|-------------|--------------|-------------|----------------------|
D|-------------|--------------|-------------|----------------------|
A|-------------|--------------|-------------|----1-(1)-3-(3)-4--5--|
E|-3----3------|-3-3-1-3------|-3----3------|-3--------------------|
E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E W W
G|-----------------|-----------------|----------|------||
D|-----------------|-----------------|----------|------||
A|-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-|-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-|-5--------|-4----||
E|-----------------|-----------------|----------|------||
[Chorus]
Q E E E E Q W Q. E E E +Q +W 4x
G||--14--14-14---12----|----------|-17----17---15-(15)--|-(15)-----||
D||o-15--15-15---14----|----------|-17----17---15-(15)--|-(15)----o||
A||o-------------------|----------|-19----19---17-(17)--|-(17)----o||
E||--------------------|----------|---------------------|----------||
[Outro]
Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E E Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E E 7x
G||-----------------|-----------------|----------------|-------------------||
D||o----------------|-----------------|----------------|------------------o||
A||o-5--5-----5---5-|---2-2-3-3-4-4-5-|-5--5-----5---5-|---2-2-3-3-4-4-5--o||
E||-----------------|-----------------|----------------|-------------------||
************************************
Duration Legend
W - whole; H - half; Q - quarter; E - 8th; S - 16th; a - acciaccatura;
+ - note tied to previous; . - note dotted;
Duration letters will always appear directly above the note/fret number it represents the
duration for. Duration letters with no fret number below them represent rests.
Uncapitalized letters represent notes that are staccato (1/2 duration).
| (n) - note tied to previous
| /\ - slide into or out of (from/to "nowhere")
| h - hammer on
| p - pull off
| |-3-| - triplet
************************************
Bass Tabs | |
Title | Art For Art’s Sake |
Artist | 10cc |
Tablature Type | ASCII Tab |
YouTube ID | Q7dgRxpx6XY |
Interactive Bass Tab Guide
Interactive bass tabs provide a better experience than ASCII tabs. With playback, loop, print features and a responsive display that follows the screen of your device.
Use these buttons to control the digital tab player.
Symbol | Function |
| Move cursor to the first bar |
| Play interactive tabs |
| Pause playback |
| Loop |
| Print the tab |
| Zoom |
Page | Switch between page and horizontal view mode |
How to Read Bass Tab: A Beginner's Guide
1. Understanding the Basics
a. Strings:
Bass tab consists of horizontal lines representing the strings of the bass guitar. The lowest-pitched string (usually the E string) is at the bottom, and the highest-pitched string (usually the G string) is at the top.
b. Numbers:
Numbers on the lines indicate which fret to play on a specific string. For example, if you see "3" on the E string, it means you should press down the third fret on the lowest string.
2. Reading Bass Tab Example
In this tab:
- Play the note on the 1st fret of the E string.
- Play the open E string.
- Play the 3rd fret on the A string.
- Play the 1st fret on the A string.
G|-----------------|
D|-----------------|
A|---------3-------|
E|---1-1---1---3---|
3. Playing Techniques
a. Hammer-ons and Pull-offs:
Hammer-ons are represented by an "h" (e.g., 5h7 means play the 5th fret and hammer onto the 7th fret). Pull-offs are represented by a "p" (e.g., 7p5 means play the 7th fret and pull off to the 5th fret).
b. Slides:
Slides are often indicated by an "/" or "\\" between two numbers (e.g., 5/7 means slide from the 5th fret to the 7th fret).