CAR WASH (Bassline)
As recorded by Rose Royce
(From the 1976 Album CAR WASH: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK)
Words and Music by Norman Whitfield
Transcribed by Slowhand
Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Lequeint "Duke" Jobe - Bass'
Gtr II (E A D G) - 'Handclaps'
Intro
Q=118
4/4
Gtr II (Handclaps arr. for Bass)
Q Q Q Q Q E. S E E Q Q Q Q Q Q E. S E E Q Q Q Q Q
|-------------|----------------|-------------|----------------|--------------|
|-------------|----------------|-------------|----------------|--------------|
|----x-----x--|----x--x-x-x-x--|----x-----x--|----x--x-x-x-x--|----x-----x---|
|-------------|----------------|-------------|----------------|--------------|
Q E. S E E Q Q Q Q Q Q E. S E E Q Q Q Q Q
|----------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|
|----------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|
|----x--x-x-x-x--|----x-----x--|----x--x-x-x-x--|----x-----x--|
|----------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|
Q E. S E E Q Q Q Q Q Q E. S E E Q Q Q Q Q
|----------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|
|----------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|
|----x--x-x-x-x--|----x-----x--|----x--x-x-x-x--|----x-----x--|
|----------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|
Q E. S E E Q Q Q Q Q Q E. S E E Q Q Q Q Q
|----------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|
|----------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|
|----x--x-x-x-x--|----x-----x--|----x--x-x-x-x--|----x-----x--|
|----------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|
Q E. S E E Q Q Q Q Q Q E. S E E Q Q Q Q Q
|----------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|
|----------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|
|----x--x-x-x-x--|----x-----x--|----x--x-x-x-x--|----x-----x--|
|----------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|
Gtr I (Bass)
Q E. S E E Q E E E S S E E E S S
|----------------|---------------------|
|----------------|---------------------|
|----x--x-x-x-x--|-5---5---3-5---5---3-|
|----------------|---------------------|
E E E S S S S S S E E E E E S S E E E S S
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------3-3-2-2-----|-----------------------|
|-5---5---3---------5-2-|-5---5---3-5---5---3---|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|
E E E. S S S S S E E E E E S S E E E S S
|----------------------|---------------------|
|----------------------|---------------------|
|-5---5--0-3-3-2-2-0-2-|-5---5---3-5---5---3-|
|----------------------|---------------------|
E E E S S S S S S E E E E E S S E E E S S
|-----------------------|---------------------|
|-----------3-3-2-2-----|---------------------|
|-5---5---3---------5-2-|-5---5---3-5---5---3-|
|-----------------------|---------------------|
E S S S S S S S S S +S E E
|-------------------------------------|
|---x-x-x-10-x------------------------|
|--------------10h12-12-8b9-(8)-------|
|-------------------------------10-8\-|
1st & 2nd Verses
E E E S S E E E S S E E E S S S S S S E E
||----------------------|-----------------------|
||o---------------------|-----------3-3-2-2-----|
||o-5---5---3-5---5---3-|-5---5---3---------5-2-|
||----------------------|-----------------------|
E E E S S E E E S S E E E e E e E e E E E. S E E E. S
|---------------------|---7---4---5---6-|--------------------|
|---------------------|-----------------|--------------------|
|-5---5---3-5---5---3-|-5---2---3---4---|-5---5--3-5---5--3--|
|---------------------|-----------------|--------------------|
E E E S S S S S S E E E E E S S E E E S S E E E E E E E E
|-----------------------|---------------------|---7-------------||
|-----------3-3-2-2-----|---------------------|-----3-3-5-------||
|-5---5---3---------5-2-|-5---5---3-5---5---3-|-5---------0-3-4-||
|-----------------------|---------------------|-----------------||
Chorus
E e E e E e E e E e E e E e E S S E e E e E e E e
|---7---4---5---6-|---7---5---4-------|---7---4---5---6-|
|-----------------|-------------------|-----------------|
|-5---2---3---4---|-5---3---2---0-3p0-|-5---2---3---4---|
|-----------------|-------------------|-----------------|
E e E e E e E S S E e E e E e E e E e E e E e E S S
|---7---5---4-------|---7---4---5---6-|---7---5---4--------|
|-------------------|-----------------|--------------------|
|-5---3---2---0-3p0-|-5---2---3---4---|-5---3---2---0-3p0--|
|-------------------|-----------------|--------------------|
1.
E e E e E e E e e S S S S S S +S S E E E
|---7---4---5---6-|---7-7-5h7--------------------||
|-----------------|-----------5h7-(7)-----------o||
|-5---2---3---4---|-5-----------------5-8-------o||
|-----------------|-----------------------10-8\--||
2.
E. S +S S S S S S S +S E E
|----------------------------------------||
|----12-(12)-10-x------------------------||
|-----------------10h12-x-8b9-(8)--------||
|---------------------------------10-8\--||
3rd Verse
E E E S S E E E S S E E E S S S S S S E E E E E S S E E E S S
|---------------------|-----------------------|---------------------|
|---------------------|-----------3-3-2-2-----|---------------------|
|-5---5---3-5---5---3-|-5---5---3---------5-2-|-5---5---3-5---5---3-|
|---------------------|-----------------------|---------------------|
E E E e E e E e E E E. S E E E. S E E E S S S S S S E E
|---7---4---5---6-|-------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------|-------------------|-----------3-3-2-2-----|
|-5---2---3---4---|-5---5--3-5---5--3-|-5---5---3---------5-2-|
|-----------------|-------------------|-----------------------|
E E E S S E E E S S E e e e e e e e
|---------------------|---7-----------5-||
|---------------------|-----3-3-5-5-7---||
|-5---5---3-5---5---3-|-5---------------||
|---------------------|-----------------||
Bridge
E S S +S S E +Q +E. S Q +E. S Q. E
|----------------------------|-----------------|
|----------------------------|-----------------|
|-/10---9-(9)---7-(7)--(7)---|--------7-7------|
|--------------------------0-|-0--(0)----------|
E S S +S S E +Q +E. S Q +E. S Q. E
|---------------------------|-----------------|
|---------------------------|-----------------|
|-10---9-(9)---7-(7)--(7)---|--------7-7------|
|-------------------------0-|-0--(0)----------|
E S S +S S E +Q +E. S Q +E. S Q. e S S S S Q S S S S e e
|---------------------------|-----------------|-------------------------||
|---------------------------|-----------------|-------------------------||
|-10---9-(9)---7-(7)--(7)---|--------7-7------|-------------------------||
|-------------------------0-|-0--(0)--------7-|-3-3-3------5-5-5---5-5--||
Chorus
E e E e E e E e E e E e E e E S S E e E e E e E e
|---7---4---5---6-|---7---5---4-------|---7---4---5---6-|
|-----------------|-------------------|-----------------|
|-5---2---3---4---|-5---3---2---0-3p0-|-5---2---3---4---|
|-----------------|-------------------|-----------------|
E e E e E e E S S E e E e E e E e E e E e E e E S S
|---7---5---4-------|---7---4---5---6-|---7---5---4--------|
|-------------------|-----------------|--------------------|
|-5---3---2---0-3p0-|-5---2---3---4---|-5---3---2---0-3p0--|
|-------------------|-----------------|--------------------|
Out-Chorus
E e E e E e E E E S S S S S S S S S +S E E E e E e E e E e
|---7---4---5-----|---10h11---------------------------------||---7---4---5---6-|
|-----------------|---------12-10---------10----------------||-----------------|
|-5---2---3---4---|-----------------10h12----8b10-(8)-------||-5---2---3---4---|
|-----------------|-----------------------------------10-8\-||-----------------|
E e E e E e E S S E e E e E e E e E e E e E e E S S
|---7---5---4-------|---7---4---5---6-|---7---5---4--------|
|-------------------|-----------------|--------------------|
|-5---3---2---0-3p0-|-5---2---3---4---|-5---3---2---0-3p0--|
|-------------------|-----------------|--------------------|
E e E e E e E e E e E e E e E S S E e E e E e E e
|---7---4---5---6-|---7---5---4-------|---7---4---5---6-|
|-----------------|-------------------|-----------------|
|-5---2---3---4---|-5---3---2---0-3p0-|-5---2---3---4---|
|-----------------|-------------------|-----------------|
E e E e E e E S S E e E e E e E e E e E e E e E S S
|---7---5---4-------|---7---4---5---6-|---7---5---4--------*|
|-------------------|-----------------|--------------------*|
|-5---3---2---0-3p0-|-5---2---3---4---|-5---3---2---0-3p0--*|
|-------------------|-----------------|--------------------*|
Duration Legend
---------------
W - whole; H - half; Q - quarter; E - 8th; S - 16th; T - 32nd; X - 64th; a - acciaccatura
+ - note tied to previous; . - note dotted; .. - note double dotted
Uncapitalized letters represent notes that are staccato (1/2 duration)
Irregular groupings are notated above the duration line
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. Multi-
bar rests are notated in the form Wxn, where n is the number of bars to rest for. Low
melody durations appear below the staff
Tablature Legend
----------------
h - hammer-on
p - pull-off
b - bend
pb - pre-bend
r - bend release (if no number after the r, then release immediately)
/\ - slide into or out of (from/to "nowhere")
s - legato slide
S - shift slide
- natural harmonic
[n] - artificial harmonic
n(n) - tapped harmonic
~ - vibrato
tr - trill
T - tap
TP - trem. picking
PM - palm muting
\n/ - tremolo bar dip; n = amount to dip
\n - tremolo bar down
n/ - tremolo bar up
/n\ - tremolo bar inverted dip
= - hold bend; also acts as connecting device for hammers/pulls
<> - volume swell (louder/softer)
x - on rhythm slash represents muted slash
o - on rhythm slash represents single note slash
Misc Legend
-----------
| - bar
|| - double bar
||o - repeat start
o|| - repeat end
*| - double bar (ending)
: - bar (freetime)
$ - Segno
& - Coda
Tempo markers - = BPM(8/16=s8/s16), where s8 = swing 8ths, s16 = swing 16ths
Bass Tabs | |
Title | Car Wash |
Artist | Rose Royce |
Tablature Type | ASCII Tab |
YouTube ID | eB0aROCl530 |
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).