LET THE CHILDREN PLAY (Bassline)
As recorded by Santana
(From the 1977 Album FESTIVAL)
Words and Music by Carlos Santana & Leon Patillo
Transcribed by Slowhand
Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Pablo Tellez - Bass'
Intro
Q=137
4/4
Gtr I
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E
|------4-4------|---------------|------4-4----7-|
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|
|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|---------------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|
+Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|-(7)-----------|------4-4----7-|-(7)-----------|
|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--|
|-------5-7-----|---------------|-------5-7-----|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4----7-|-(7)---7-------|------4-4------|---------------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--|
|---------------|---------7-----|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4----7-|-(7)---7-------|------4-4----7-|-(7)---7-------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--|
|---------------|---------7-----|---------------|---------7-----|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
1st Verse
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4----7-|-(7)---7-------||------4-4------|---------------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--||-7---------7---|------------5--|
|---------------|---------7-----||-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|
|---------------|---------------||---------------|---------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4----7-|-(7)---7-------|------4-4----7-|-(7)---7-------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--|
|---------------|---------7-----|---------------|---------7-----|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4----7-|-(7)---7-------|------4-4------|---------------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--|
|---------------|---------7-----|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4----7-|-(7)---7-------|------4-4----7-|-(7)---7-------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--|
|---------------|---------7-----|---------------|---------7-----|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Guitar Solo
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4----7-|-(7)---7-------||------4-4------|---------------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--||-7---------7---|------------5--|
|---------------|---------7-----||-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|
|---------------|---------------||---------------|---------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4----7-|-(7)-----------|------4-4------|---------------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--|
|---------------|-------5-7-----|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4------|---------------|------4-4------|---------------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--|
|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4----7-|-(7)---7-------|------4-4------|---------------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--|
|---------------|---------7-----|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q q Q H
|------4-4----7-|-(7)---7-------|-7----------||
|-7---------7---|------------5--|------------||
|---------------|---------7-----|------------||
|---------------|---------------|------------||
2nd Verse
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4------|---------------|------4-4----7-|-(7)-----------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--|
|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|---------------|-------5-7-----|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4------|---------------|------4-4------|---------------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--|
|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4------|---------------|------4-4----7-|-(7)-----------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--|
|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|---------------|-------5-7-----|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4------|---------------|------4-4------|---------------||
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--||
|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----||
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------||
Interlude
|--3--| |--3--| |-3-|
Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q E E E E Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------10------10-|-----9---------||-------4-4------|---------------|
|---10------10----|---9-----7-----||o-----------7---|------------5--|
|-8-------8-------|-7-----7---7-5-||o-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|
|-----------------|---------------||--5-------------|---------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q 4x Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4------|----------------||------4-4------|---------------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--o||-7---------7---|------------5--|
|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----o||-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|
|---------------|----------------||---------------|---------------|
3rd Verse
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4----7-|-(7)-----------||------4-4------|---------------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--||-7---------7---|------------5--|
|---------------|-------5-7-----||-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|
|---------------|---------------||---------------|---------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4----7-|-(7)-----------|------4-4------|---------------|
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--|
|---------------|-------5-7-----|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4----7-|-(7)-----------|------4-4------|---------------||
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--||
|---------------|-------5-7-----|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----||
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------||
Outro
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
||-------4-4------|---------------|------4-4----7-|-(7)------------|
||o-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5---|
||o-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|---------------|-------5-7------|
||----------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E +Q. E Q Q
|------4-4------|---------------|------4-4----7-|-(7)------------||
|-7---------7---|------------5--|-7---------7---|------------5--o||
|-------------5-|-(5)---5-7-----|---------------|-------5-7-----o||
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------||
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 |
Let The Children Play |
Artist |
Santana |
Tablature Type |
ASCII Tab |
YouTube ID |
XHNsilmWlpk |
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).