The Music Theory for the Bass Player Spelling Bee…

phonetic alphabet for the bass player

It all started with marveling about the note H in the German musical alphabet and me being on the phone trying to spell something akin to Oachkatzlschwoaf (which means tale of a squirrel where I come from!). English is not my mother tongue. The way German is wired, we just don’t spell like they do here. And if we do, most certainly not in English. And the international phonetic alphabet with Alpha Bravo Charlie… is just so un-inspiring. So I decided to create the new Music Theory for the Bass Player Phonetic Alphabet and recruited Facebook for help. Here it is. If you find omissions, please continue to play in the comments! Thanks everyone for playing.

Rules

  • Music theory terms or bass terms okay.
  • No names of bass players for letters (no Jaco Pastorius, no Xander Zon…  That is the next game!)
  • No song names (also another game)

The Music Theory for the Bass Player Phonetic Alphabet

  • A (#, b, maj7, 7, 9 etc!)
    accent
    acciaccatura
    adagio
    allegro
    amp
    approach
    arco
    articulation
    augmented
    arpeggio
    aeolian
    altered
  • B
    Bass
    bridge
    backbeat
    bar
    bass solo
    bebop
    Big Box/Little Box
    Boot Shape
    buzz
  • C
    cable
    cantus firmus
    chicks
    chromatic
    comping
    compressor
    clef
    chord
    chorus
    cycle
    circle
  • D
    dedication
    delay pedal

    diatonic
    diminished
    Do
    double-stop
    duration
    dynamics
    dorian
    distortion
    downbeat
  • E
    ending
    ebony
    embellishment
    end pin
    equalizer
    ergaonimics
    Excuse me – I hit a bad note!
  • F
    funk
    fretless
    flat-9
    f clef
    Fa
    fatigue
    feel
    filter
    finger picking
    fingers
    flat
    flatwounds
    fret
    fuzz
  • G
    gain
    gargoyles (I look like gargoyle when I’m gigging)
    ghost notes
    gig bag
    gigue
    groove
    gig
  • H (the German B)
    half step
    hands
    harmonic minor
    harmonics
    harmony
    hazard exercises (Steve Bailey)
    heart
    hemiola
    Hexagon shape
    hipshot
    homophony
    horse hair
    hum bucker
    impedance
    improvisation
    improvise
    instrument
    intermezzo
    interval
    intervallic
    intonation
    ionian
    hammer-on
  • input
  • jazz
    jacks
    jam
    jazz
    joint
    juxtaposition
  • knobs
    keeperofdafunk
    key signature
    klezmer
  • La
    ledger line
    legato
    Little Box/Big Box
    lydian
    locrian
    legato
  • major
    maple
    measure
    melodic minor
    melody
    meter
    metronome,
    mezzo
    Mi
    minim
    minor
    minor,
    mixer
    modality
    modes
    modulate
    monster groove
    mordent
    mute
    mixolydian
  • noise
    neck
    nut
    natural
    ninth
    No time to practice!
  • offbeat
    oooops
    overtone series
    octave
  • pull-off
    parametric
    passive
    pedaling
    pentatonic
    phrasing
    pianissimo
    piccolo
    pick
    pickup
    pizzicato
    pluck
    pocket
    ponticello
    practice
    precision
    prelude
    pulse
    Pythagoras
    phrygian
  • quarter note
    quaver
    quintuplet
  • reggae
    rallentando
    Re
    recapitulation
    repeat
    rest
    rhondo
    rhythm
    rock
    root
    roundwounds
    riff
    run
  • sustain
    staff
    string
    swing
    syncopated
    segno
    saddle
    scale
    seventh
    sharp
    shuffle
    slap
    slide
    smorzando
    So
    staccato
    strap
    swing
  • TAB
    tabular
    thumping
    tritone
    triad
    third
    tap
    tenor clef
    tenth
    Ti
    tone
    transducer
    transpose
    tremolo
    triangle
    triplet
    tuner
    tuners
    Two-feel
  • unison
    upbeat
    Upside Down Boot
  • verse
    vintage
    volume
  • waveform
    walking
    whammy bar
  • x and bacon after the gig!
    X Brace (Double bass)
    x pattern
    x-factor
    xenochrony
    XLR
  • Yyz
    y connector
  • zone

 

Music Theory Course