On bass, start from the root on the E or A string, then play the ♭3, 5, ♭7 going up and come back down. Root, 5th and octave is the classic rock and country line; adding the 3rd and 7th tells the listener whether the chord is major or minor.
About the Bass Arpeggios Tool
Guitar Tool Hub's bass arpeggios tool draws the chord tones of any chord across the full bass neck, from the open strings to the 24th fret. Choose from 7 arpeggio types — major, minor, major 7th, dominant 7th, minor 7th, minor 7♭5 and diminished 7th — in all 12 keys, on 9 tunings for 4, 5 and 6-string bass. The root is ringed so you can find each shape, and the guide tones (the 3rd and 7th) are ringed in magenta. Tap any note to hear it at bass pitch, label the notes with chord-tone numbers, and print a chart.
- 017 arpeggio types: major, minor, maj7, dominant 7, m7, m7♭5, diminished 7
- 02All 12 keys
- 03Root and guide tones (3rd & 7th) ringed across the whole neck
- 049 tunings for 4, 5 and 6-string bass
- 05Tap any note to hear it at bass pitch
- 06Label the notes with note names, chord-tone numbers (1 3 5 ♭7), or Roman numerals
- 07Left-handed fretboard option
- 08Printable arpeggio chart
Frequently Asked Questions
An arpeggio is a chord played one note at a time. On bass that means the chord tones — the root, 3rd and 5th, plus the 7th for seventh chords — played in turn instead of together. Most bass lines are built from these notes, because they spell out the chord the rest of the band is playing.
Start with the major and minor triads (root, 3rd, 5th), then add the dominant 7th and minor 7th. Those four cover most pop, rock, blues, funk and soul bass lines. The major 7th, minor 7 flat 5 and diminished 7th come next, mostly for jazz and walking bass.
7 arpeggio types in all 12 keys: major, minor, major 7th, dominant 7th, minor 7th, minor 7 flat 5 (half-diminished) and diminished 7th. They are drawn across the whole bass neck, from the open strings to the 24th fret.
The root is ringed in black (white in dark mode) so you can find where each shape starts. The 3rd, and the 7th on seventh-chord arpeggios, are ringed in magenta: they are the guide tones, the notes that tell the listener whether a chord is major, minor or dominant. Walking bass lines lean on them on the way to the next chord.
A scale is every note of a key — five or seven notes. An arpeggio is only the chord tones, three or four notes, taken from that scale. Arpeggios fit one chord; scales fit a whole key. Bass players usually play the arpeggio of each chord and use the scale for the passing notes between them.
Yes. The same 9 tunings as the bass fretboard are available, including standard 5-string (B E A D G), 5-string high C (E A D G C) and standard 6-string (B E A D G C), and the arpeggio is drawn on every string.
Yes — completely free. No account, no download and no payment.