Free printable chart
Double bass fingerboard chart, free printable Simandl first position
First position on all four strings, using the Simandl system, fingers one, two, and four, with no third finger.
Practise one string at a time
Each string has its own note table, short exercise and one-page PDF. These references show the selected first-position pattern, not every accidental or higher position.
Save it as an image
The same chart as a single picture, for a phone lock screen, a slide, a class page, or a group chat. It carries its own title and address, so it still says what it is after it has been forwarded three times.
- Format
- PNG · 1200 × 1500
- Licence
- Free to use and share
Prefer paper? The version above this one is built for a printer and comes out clean in black and white.
Every note on the chart
The same information as the diagram, written out, open string first, then each finger.
- E string
- EF♯GG♯
- A string
- ABCC♯
- D string
- DEFF♯
- G string
- GAB♭B
How to read it
The double bass chart looks different from the other three because the instrument is. The strings are tuned in fourths rather than fifths, and the string length is long enough that a hand spans only a whole step in the lower positions. That is why the Simandl system assigns one finger per half step using fingers one, two, and four, the third finger reinforces the fourth rather than stopping a note of its own.
You will notice there is no 3 anywhere on this chart. That is correct, not an omission. A bassist reading a chart with four evenly spaced fingers is reading a cello chart.
Strings run vertically, lowest on the left, nut across the top. Because a position covers only a whole step, bassists shift far more than other string players, this chart is the first of many positions, not a map of the whole instrument.
What a chart cannot tell you
- Pitches shown are sounding pitches. Double bass music is written an octave higher than it sounds.
- Simandl is one established approach, not the only fingering system. Follow the position and fingering system used by your teacher; this reference does not compare or combine other systems.
- Half position sits below first position and is not shown here. It is where much of the early orchestral repertoire actually lives.
Printing and sharing it
Open the print dialog
Press Ctrl+P on Windows or Cmd+P on a Mac, or choose Print from your browser menu.
Check the preview
The chart appears alone on one sheet, the navigation and the text around it are removed automatically, and colours are set to black on white so it photocopies cleanly.
Print, or save as PDF
Print it directly, or choose "Save as PDF" as the destination to get a file you can email to a student or a section.
Teachers are welcome to print these for a class or a section and hand them out. The chart carries its own address in the footer, which is all the credit we ask for.
Double bass chart questions
- What are the notes in first position on double bass?
- On the E string: E, F sharp, G, G sharp. On the A string: A, B, C, C sharp. On the D string: D, E, F, F sharp. On the G string: G, A, B flat, B. Those are sounding pitches, written double bass music appears an octave higher.
- Why does the double bass skip the third finger?
- Because a hand spans only about a whole step in the lower positions on a string that long. The Simandl system assigns fingers one, two, and four to the three stopped notes within reach, with the third finger reinforcing the fourth rather than taking its own note. It produces a stable, repeatable frame at the cost of much more shifting.
- What is half position on the bass?
- The position below first, where the first finger sits a half step above the open string rather than a whole step. It is where a great deal of early orchestral repertoire sits, and most method books introduce it alongside first position rather than after it.
- How do I print this double bass chart?
- Choose Download the PDF for a ready-made one-page file, free without an account or email. Print it at fit-to-page scale in black and white, or use the browser print button for the on-page chart.
A chart shows you where. Arco shows you why.
The bass curriculum builds the hand frame this chart describes, with the staff, the keyboard, and the fingerboard shown together on every concept.