# 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.

Tuning: E1 · A1 · D2 · G2. Clef: Bass clef, sounding an octave below written.

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.

## Notes and fingers

### E string

- E1: open string
- F#1: finger 1
- G1: finger 2
- G#1: finger 4

### A string

- A1: open string
- B1: finger 1
- C2: finger 2
- C#2: finger 4

### D string

- D2: open string
- E2: finger 1
- F2: finger 2
- F#2: finger 4

### G string

- G2: open string
- A2: finger 1
- Bb2: finger 2
- B2: finger 4

## What the chart does not show

- 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.

## 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.

[Download the PDF](https://arcosounds.com/charts/bass/fingerboard-chart.pdf)

Canonical source: https://arcosounds.com/charts/bass