Novelbright From the Bass Side: BASS TAB, Keigo & the Sound Behind the Songs

Updated: 30 Sep, 2026 • 0 • min read

Table of Contents

If you're into Japanese rock and you're starting to pay more attention to the bass, Novelbright is a pretty fun band to explore. Their songs can sound huge because of the vocals, guitars, drums, and carefully built arrangements, but the bass is doing a lot of work underneath all of that.

This page is a growing collection of Novelbright Bass TAB resources for players who want to hear the songs from the bass side. The idea isn't just to memorize fret numbers. It's to understand how the bass works inside the arrangement, how the groove connects with the drums, and how small choices in timing, note length, articulation, and dynamics can change the feel of a part.

You'll also find background information about Novelbright and a closer look at bassist Keigo (圭吾), whose unusual path from drummer to bassist has had a pretty interesting effect on his approach to the instrument.

So yeah — if you're here because you want the TAB, that's cool. But if you want to become a better bass player while learning these songs, there's a lot more to dig into.

Meet Novelbright

Novelbright is a five-piece rock band from Osaka, Japan, centered around vocalist Yudai Takenaka. The band was originally formed in 2013, while the current lineup came together in January 2019.

The current lineup features Yudai Takenaka on vocals, Kaito Yamada and Sojiro Oki on guitar, Keigo (圭吾) on bass, and Negi on drums.

Before their major-label debut, the band gained attention through live street performances and social media. They officially made their major debut with the digital single Sunny drop in August 2020.

Since then, Novelbright has built a catalog that moves between energetic rock, emotional ballads, polished pop-rock, and larger modern arrangements. The band's official profile says its songs have surpassed two billion streams in Japan and overseas, showing just how far their music has traveled.

In 2026, the band entered another major chapter with the release of their fourth major full-length album, PYRAMID. The album was released on April 1, 2026 and includes songs such as 透明, カノープス, アネモネ, Everywhere I Go, and several newly recorded tracks.

Novelbright is also currently taking the album into the live setting with the Novelbright HALL & ARENA TOUR 2026 ～PYRAMID～.

Why Novelbright Is Interesting for Bass Players

A big reason Novelbright works well as a bass-study band is that the music gives you different levels of difficulty.

Some parts can be approached as basic groove exercises. Others are more active and require tighter coordination between your fretting hand, picking hand, and rhythmic awareness.

That makes the catalog useful whether you're still getting comfortable with four-string bass or you're already trying to improve your phrasing and musical decision-making.

More importantly, Novelbright can teach you something that gets overlooked when players spend too much time staring at TAB: the bass line is part of an arrangement, not an isolated collection of numbers.

Novelbright Bass TAB Collection

Here are the Novelbright songs currently covered on rikytone. Each song has its own dedicated article with more detailed information about the bass part, tuning, playing approach, practice ideas, and the corresponding Bass TAB resource.

This list is designed to keep growing. New Novelbright songs can be added here without changing the structure of the pillar page.

Getting to Know Keigo (圭吾), Novelbright's Bassist

Keigo's background is one of the most interesting parts of Novelbright's bass story.

Before becoming the band's bassist, Keigo was a drummer. According to his 2021 interview with Bass Magazine, he had played drums for around seven years before joining Novelbright.

He originally started playing drums during middle school after being influenced by his older brother. He later played in bands and eventually met Novelbright through the live-house scene.

When Novelbright needed a bassist, Keigo made the switch even though he was still very new to the instrument. In the same interview, he explained that playing with people he liked and making music he enjoyed mattered more to him than which instrument he was playing.

That's a pretty unusual starting point for a professional rock bassist. Most players spend years thinking like bassists before stepping into a major band. Keigo basically had to learn the instrument while already operating inside a serious band environment.

From Drummer to Bassist

This background matters because rhythm was already a huge part of Keigo's musical thinking.

In his early days as a bassist, he was still learning what the instrument was supposed to do. He described his playing on the early recording 「EN.」 as being heavily based around root notes because he didn't yet feel confident creating his own bass lines.

Over time, that changed.

Through listening, studio sessions, conversations with the other members, and playing more music, he gradually developed a better understanding of how bass can interact with the rest of the arrangement.

By the time of WONDERLAND and later 開幕宣言, his bass parts had become much more active and expressive.

That development is especially useful for bass players to study because it shows that a strong bass style isn't necessarily something you have to be born with. You can build it by learning how your instrument interacts with the rest of the band.

What Makes Keigo's Bass Approach Interesting?

Based on Keigo's interviews, one of the clearest characteristics of his playing is that he doesn't see “supporting the band” and “having an interesting bass part” as completely opposite ideas.

He has openly said that he prefers flashy bass playing. He likes bass lines that are interesting enough to listen to even when separated from the rest of the arrangement.

At the same time, his comments repeatedly point back toward the song and the band as the bigger picture.

That's a useful distinction.

Playing a lot of notes doesn't automatically make a bass line musical. What matters is whether those notes actually help the song move, breathe, build, or hit harder.

1. Rhythm Is a Major Part of His Foundation

Because Keigo spent years behind the drum kit, his understanding of rhythm naturally became part of his bass playing.

This is especially important for bassists. The bass sits between rhythm and harmony, so having a strong sense of where the drums are can make even a relatively simple line sound much more confident.

When you practice Novelbright songs, don't only listen to the bass. Listen to what the kick drum is doing at the same time.

Ask yourself: Are the bass and kick hitting together? Is the bass anticipating the beat? Is it leaving space?

2. He Likes Active Bass Lines

Keigo has explained that he personally enjoys bass parts with movement. That's an important part of understanding his musical personality.

Instead of always sitting on the root note, an active bass line can connect chord changes, answer a vocal phrase, create movement into a chorus, or give a section more energy.

For players studying his approach, the lesson isn't “always play more.” It's closer to: learn when movement actually improves the part.

3. Band-First Does Not Mean Boring

This is probably one of the coolest lessons from Keigo's development.

A bass player can be noticeable without fighting the vocalist or guitars. You can create movement while still supporting the overall arrangement.

Think about it like this: the bass has its own personality, but it still needs to live inside the song.

4. His Drummer Background Can Change How You Feel the Groove

A drummer tends to think physically about rhythm — where the beat lands, where the accents happen, and how patterns interact.

Bringing that mindset to bass can create a different kind of groove.

You may notice that this approach encourages you to think less about individual notes and more about rhythmic shapes.

That's something worth stealing as a practice idea, even if you don't play drums.

Keigo's Bass Development: A Quick Timeline

Stage	What Happened	Bass Lesson
Early years	Keigo develops his musical background primarily as a drummer.	Strong rhythmic awareness becomes a foundation.
Joining Novelbright	He switches from drums to bass and learns the instrument quickly.	Adaptability matters when the musical situation demands it.
「EN.」	Early recording period with a much simpler bass approach.	Solid roots and timing come before advanced vocabulary.
WONDERLAND	More active and expressive bass writing begins to appear.	Bass can become an active musical voice.
開幕宣言	More developed, energetic bass parts become part of the band's sound.	Movement can coexist with a strong band foundation.
Assort and beyond	Keigo explores different bass sounds and approaches.	Tone and arrangement can be part of the composition.

Keigo's Gear Choices Tell Another Part of the Story

Keigo's approach isn't only about the notes. His instrument choices have also changed depending on the musical situation.

In a 2022 Bass Magazine interview, his main bass was described as a Sadowsky JB-type instrument, while he also used other basses for specific recording situations.

For example, he used a Precision Bass-type instrument for Too Late, while different Jazz Bass-type instruments were used on other songs for their brighter character.

He also discussed using different instruments as a way of adding depth and variation to the album rather than forcing every song to use exactly the same bass sound.

That's a useful reminder for players at home: tone is part of arrangement.

You don't need five expensive basses to learn that idea, though. Even with one instrument, you can experiment with pickup balance, tone control, playing position, attack, muting, and string choice to find different personalities.

What Bassists Can Learn From That

If your bass always sounds exactly the same regardless of the song, try changing the way you play before buying another piece of gear.

Move your plucking hand closer to the bridge for a tighter attack.
Move toward the neck for a rounder feel.
Experiment with how hard you attack the strings.
Control how long each note rings.
Use muting intentionally instead of as an afterthought.
Try different pickup blends when your instrument allows it.

How to Analyze a Novelbright Bass Line

When you open one of the individual Bass TAB articles, don't immediately try to memorize every number.

Instead, use the TAB as a starting point for analysis.

Look at the Rhythm First

Before worrying about the exact frets, figure out the rhythm of the phrase.

Can you clap it? Can you tap it on your leg? Can you play the rhythm using only one note?

If you can't do those things yet, the problem might not actually be your fretting hand.

Then Look at the Note Choices

Once the rhythm feels comfortable, check how the notes move.

Are they mostly chord tones? Are there passing notes? Is the line climbing toward the next section? Does it drop into a lower register for impact?

Those questions help you understand the musical logic behind the TAB.

Finally, Listen to the Articulation

Two players can play exactly the same fret numbers and still sound totally different.

That's because timing, attack, muting, dynamics, and note length all matter.

So when practicing Novelbright, don't stop once the notes are technically correct.

Ask yourself: Does it actually sound like a bass line inside this song?

A Practical Novelbright Bass Practice Framework

Here's a simple workflow you can use with any song from this collection.

Phase 1 — Map the Song

Listen to the full track once without your bass. Identify the intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, breakdown, and ending.

Phase 2 — Find the Foundation

Figure out the main rhythmic idea first. Don't worry about playing the whole song yet.

Phase 3 — Learn Small Chunks

Practice one or two bars at a time. Looping tiny sections is often much more productive than repeatedly restarting a whole song.

Phase 4 — Add Articulation

Once the notes are comfortable, work on attack, muting, note length, and dynamics.

Phase 5 — Lock With the Drums

Bring your attention back to the kick and snare. This is where your drummer mindset starts becoming more useful.

Phase 6 — Play the Full Arrangement

Only after the smaller pieces feel reliable should you run the complete song.

Five Things to Listen for While Practicing

Listen For	Question to Ask
Kick drum	Where does the bass lock with the kick?
Note length	Should this note ring, stop, or stay tight?
Dynamics	Does the bass become stronger in certain sections?
Transitions	What changes right before the next section?
Space	Where does the bass deliberately leave room?

Don't Ignore the Spaces Between the Notes

One of the easiest mistakes for developing bass players is assuming that good bass playing means keeping the instrument constantly busy.

It doesn't.

Sometimes the most important part of a groove is the space between two notes.

When you're working through a Novelbright Bass TAB, pay attention to where notes stop. A short note followed by silence can create a completely different feel from the same note being allowed to ring.

This is especially useful if you're trying to make your playing sound tighter with drums.

Fingerstyle or Pick?

There's no need to force yourself into one technique for every song.

Fingerstyle can give you control over dynamics and note length, while a pick can deliver a sharper and more immediate attack that works naturally with rock arrangements.

Instead of asking which technique is “correct,” ask which one helps you reproduce the feel you're trying to learn.

Once you've learned a part comfortably, try playing it with the other technique. Even if you don't use the result, you'll probably learn something about how attack changes the character of the line.

Use Novelbright Songs to Improve Your Fretboard Awareness

Bass TAB is also a great excuse to get away from playing everything in one familiar position.

After you've learned a phrase, look at where the notes sit on the neck. Could you play the same idea somewhere else? Would another position make the transition smoother?

You don't need to force every phrase into a different position. The goal is simply to understand your options.

Try This Simple Exercise

Choose a short phrase from one Novelbright Bass TAB.
Play it slowly until the movement feels comfortable.
Stop looking at the TAB.
Try to remember the physical shape of the phrase.
Play it again while listening carefully to the recording.
Experiment with another practical position if possible.

This gradually shifts your brain from reading numbers to recognizing musical and physical patterns.

What Keigo's Story Can Teach Beginner Bass Players

Keigo's transition from drummer to bassist is actually a pretty useful case study for anyone starting bass.

You don't need to know everything about the instrument before you start making music with it.

His early period was very different from his later playing. He started with a much simpler approach, then developed his vocabulary by playing, listening, talking with bandmates, and studying how bass functions inside arrangements.

That's a much healthier way to look at learning an instrument than thinking you need to master every technique before you can play real songs.

Start with the groove. Learn the notes. Listen to the drums. Understand the arrangement. Then gradually add more vocabulary.

Novelbright Bass TAB: What This Collection Is Really About

At first glance, a Bass TAB collection might look like it's simply a bunch of songs with fret numbers attached.

That's not really the goal here.

The bigger idea is to use songs you actually enjoy as a practical bass classroom.

You can learn timing from one song, fretboard movement from another, articulation from another, and arrangement awareness from something else.

And because Novelbright's catalog covers different moods and arrangements, you don't have to practice the same type of bass line over and over.

How to Get the Most Out of the Individual Articles

Each song in the collection has its own dedicated article. That's where the song-specific material lives.

Instead of repeating the same generic explanation on every page, each individual article focuses on the musical problems that make that particular song interesting to play.

So the best workflow is simple:

Choose a song from the collection.
Open its dedicated Bass TAB article.
Check the tuning and setup information.
Listen to the song carefully.
Practice the bass part in small sections.
Work on timing and articulation.
Then try the full arrangement.

Frequently Asked Questions About Novelbright Bass TAB

Who is the bassist of Novelbright?

Novelbright's bassist is Keigo (圭吾). He is part of the band's current five-member lineup alongside vocalist Yudai Takenaka, guitarists Kaito Yamada and Sojiro Oki, and drummer Negi.

Was Keigo originally a bassist?

No. Keigo originally played drums and had around seven years of experience as a drummer before switching to bass for Novelbright.

How did Keigo's drumming background affect his bass playing?

His background gives him a strong rhythmic perspective. In interviews, he has discussed the importance of the relationship between bass and drums, which is especially useful when analyzing how the bass fits into the band's arrangements.

Does Keigo prefer simple or flashy bass lines?

Keigo has said that he personally likes flashy bass playing and enjoys lines with enough movement to remain interesting even when heard away from the full arrangement. At the same time, his comments about his development emphasize learning the role of bass within the band.

What can beginners learn from Keigo's playing?

Beginners can start with his rhythmic mindset: focus on timing, note length, interaction with the drums, and consistency before worrying about complicated techniques.

Does every Novelbright song use the same bass approach?

No. Novelbright's catalog covers different arrangements and moods, so the bass approach can change depending on the song. This is one reason the individual song articles on this site are written separately rather than using one identical explanation for every track.

What tuning should I use for Novelbright Bass TABs?

Tuning can vary from song to song. Always check the setup information in the individual article before practicing so your instrument matches the transcription.

Should I use a pick or my fingers?

Either can work depending on the song and the sound you're trying to reproduce. If you're unsure, start with the technique that gives you the cleanest timing and articulation, then experiment with the other approach.

Are new Novelbright Bass TABs going to be added?

Yes. This is intended to be a growing collection. New songs can be added to the list above while their detailed information remains on their individual articles.

Is this an official Novelbright Bass TAB website?

No. rikytone is an independent music and educational resource. The Novelbright name, recordings, compositions, member names, and related trademarks belong to their respective rights holders.

About the Bass TABs on rikytone

The Bass TAB resources featured in this collection are independently created transcriptions prepared as educational and practice resources for bass players.

These pages are intended to provide additional musical context, playing analysis, practice ideas, and bass-focused commentary rather than simply reproducing song information.

Novelbright, its members, recordings, compositions, names, logos, and related trademarks remain the property of their respective rights holders. rikytone is an independent resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Novelbright.

If a rights holder has a concern about material appearing on this page or one of its related articles, please use the site's contact channel so the matter can be reviewed.

Keep Exploring Novelbright on Bass

Start with whichever song catches your ear, then use its dedicated article to dig deeper into the bass part.

And keep checking this page as the collection grows. New songs can be added without changing the structure of the pillar, making this page the central starting point for Novelbright Bass TAB resources on rikytone.

Learn the notes. Lock with the drums. Listen for the spaces. Experiment with your sound. And most importantly, don't just play the TAB — figure out why the bass line works.