The bassist's most-used note after the root. Root and 5th is the classic country and rock bass line.
Plays from the A on the E string, fret 5.
Shapes from a root on the E string
Same string, 7 frets up
1 string up, 2 frets up
2 strings up, 3 frets down
R is the root; the higher string is drawn on top, as on the neck below.
Bass interval chart from A
| Interval | Note | Semitones | Next string up | Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minor 2nd m2 | A# | 1 | −4 frets | |
| Major 2nd M2 | B | 2 | −3 frets | |
| Minor 3rd m3 | C | 3 | −2 frets | |
| Major 3rd M3 | C# | 4 | −1 fret | |
| Perfect 4th P4 | D | 5 | Same fret | |
| Tritone TT | D# | 6 | +1 fret | |
| Perfect 5th P5 | E | 7 | +2 frets | |
| Minor 6th m6 | F | 8 | +3 frets | |
| Major 6th M6 | F# | 9 | +4 frets | |
| Minor 7th m7 | G | 10 | — | |
| Major 7th M7 | G# | 11 | — | |
| Octave P8 | A | 12 | — |
About the Bass Intervals Tool
Guitar Tool Hub's bass intervals tool shows every interval from a minor 2nd to the octave on the bass neck. Pick a root and an interval, and every place both notes occur lights up across the full neck, with the root ringed. Below that are the fingerable shapes that join them: on the same string, or on a higher string within a four-fret reach. Hear each interval melodically or both notes together, at bass pitch. The shapes come from the tuning itself, so they are right for all 9 tunings, drop and 5 and 6-string tunings included, and a chart lists all 12 intervals from your root.
- 0112 intervals, minor 2nd to octave, from any of 12 roots
- 02Both notes lit across the whole neck, root ringed
- 03Interval shape diagrams from a root on any string
- 04Hear each interval melodically or harmonically
- 05Bass interval chart with the next-string fret offset
- 069 tunings for 4, 5 and 6-string bass
- 07Left-handed fretboard option
Frequently Asked Questions
An interval is the distance between two notes, counted in semitones (frets). On bass there are 12 within an octave: minor 2nd (1 fret), major 2nd (2), minor 3rd (3), major 3rd (4), perfect 4th (5), tritone (6), perfect 5th (7), minor 6th (8), major 6th (9), minor 7th (10), major 7th (11) and the octave (12). Bass lines, chords and scales are all built from them.
In standard tuning every string is a perfect 4th above the one below it, so an interval has the same shape wherever you play it. A perfect 5th is always one string up and two frets up, and an octave is always two strings up and two frets up. Learn the shape once and it works from any root on the neck.
In standard tuning, put your root on the E, A or D string, then play the note one string higher and two frets higher. That is the perfect 5th. The same note an octave lower sits on the string below at the same fret, a 4th under the root, and bassists use both. Root and 5th is the most common pattern in rock and country bass lines.
From a root on the E or A string, go two strings up and two frets up: from the A at the 5th fret of the E string, the octave A is at the 7th fret of the D string. On the same string, the octave is 12 frets up. Octave lines are the basis of disco and a lot of funk bass.
Only between strings that are not a 4th apart. In Drop D the low string is a 5th below the A string, so shapes that cross from the low D string move two frets compared with standard tuning. A 5-string in B E A D G keeps 4ths between every string, so its shapes match standard tuning. The tool works the shapes out from whichever tuning you pick.
A melodic interval plays the two notes one after the other, as in a bass line. A harmonic interval plays them together, as in a double stop or a chord. Use both buttons to hear the difference. Low harmonic intervals smaller than a 5th can sound muddy on bass, which is why bassists mostly play 5ths, octaves and 10ths together.
Yes. The bass intervals tool is free and runs in your browser, with no account or download.