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