Choose Me Bass TAB by BAND-MAID – 5-String Bass Guide for Rock Players

Table of Contents

Looking for the BAND-MAID "Choose Me" bass TAB? This page is built for bass players who want more than just a page full of notes. Along with the independently created bass transcription, you'll find practical ideas for approaching the song, working with a 5-string bass, tightening your timing, and making the bassline feel good instead of simply getting the notes right.

"Choose Me" is a fun track to put on the practice stand because the bass has to live inside a busy rock arrangement. The guitars bring plenty of energy, the drums keep the track moving, and the bass has to stay connected to that rhythmic foundation.

That makes this song useful practice for something every bassist eventually has to get good at: playing with the band instead of simply playing the instrument.

The TAB on this page is an independent transcription created for study and practice. It is not an official BAND-MAID publication.

Choose Me Bass TAB – Quick Information

Here's the basic setup used for this transcription:

Artist	BAND-MAID
Song	Choose Me
Instrument	Bass Guitar
Bass Used for TAB	5-string bass
Tuning	B E A D G
TAB Type	Bass TAB PDF
Practice Focus	Timing, groove, coordination, and consistency
Best For	Bass players studying Japanese rock

Note: The setup above describes the independent transcription presented on this page. Individual performances or live arrangements may differ.

What Makes "Choose Me" Interesting for Bass Players?

One reason songs like "Choose Me" are worth studying is that they teach a bassist to think about the relationship between rhythm and movement.

In a guitar-heavy rock arrangement, it's easy to think that the bass is simply following the guitar. That's not really the best way to approach a part like this. The bass has its own job: helping connect the harmonic movement with the rhythmic pulse of the drums.

That means a good performance isn't only about whether you hit the correct pitch. It's also about when the note starts, how long it rings, where you release it, and how consistently you repeat the groove.

That's where this song can become a pretty useful practice piece.

Think About Note Length, Not Just Note Choice

Here's a little bassist trick that's easy to overlook: two players can play the exact same notes but make the part sound completely different.

Why?

Because note length matters.

A note that rings slightly too long can blur into the next part. A note that gets cut off too early can make the groove feel weak. When practicing "Choose Me", listen closely to the spaces between notes as well as the notes themselves.

That tiny change in mindset can make a surprisingly big difference.

Understanding the Role of the Bass in the Arrangement

When learning a song from TAB, it's tempting to stare at the fretboard and ignore everything else happening in the recording. Try not to do that.

Before practicing the complete bassline, listen to the track and pay attention to three things:

1. The kick drum – notice where the low-end rhythm is being reinforced.
2. The guitar rhythm – listen for moments where the bass supports or contrasts with the guitar.
3. The vocal phrasing – notice how the arrangement moves around the vocal rather than treating the bass as an isolated instrument.

This gives you a better musical map of the song. Once you have that map, the TAB becomes much easier to understand.

5-String Bass Setup for "Choose Me"

The transcription uses a 5-string bass in standard B E A D G tuning. If you're already comfortable with a 5-string, that's a pretty straightforward setup: the lowest string gives you additional low-register territory while the remaining strings follow the familiar E-A-D-G layout.

If you're coming from a 4-string bass, don't feel like you need to immediately buy a 5-string just to study the song. You can still analyze the musical movement and adapt certain passages to your instrument when the range allows it.

Why the Low-B String Can Be Useful

The low-B string isn't just "one extra string." It changes the way you can think about positioning.

Instead of constantly moving up and down the neck to reach lower notes, a 5-string can let you keep certain passages in a more comfortable position. That can be especially useful when you're trying to maintain consistent right-hand technique.

A Small Setup Tip

Before playing the song at full speed, spend a few minutes finding the important low-register notes on your B string. You don't need to memorize the entire fretboard in one sitting. Just make sure you know where the notes you're actually using are located.

That way, your eyes don't have to constantly search for the next position while you're trying to keep the groove going.

How to Practice the Bassline Without Getting Stuck

If you've ever learned a fast rock song, you probably know the classic trap: you play the first part over and over, reach the difficult section, mess it up, restart the entire song, and repeat the whole cycle.

Yeah... we've all been there.

A better approach is to treat the difficult section like its own mini exercise.

Step 1 – Find the Problem Area

Don't assume the entire song is difficult. Find the exact transition, rhythm, or position change that keeps causing trouble.

Step 2 – Strip It Down

Play that section slowly. Ignore the pressure to sound like the recording immediately. Your first job is simply to understand the movement.

Step 3 – Repeat Without Restarting

Once you can play the section, repeat it several times without going back to the beginning of the song.

Step 4 – Connect Two Sections

Now play the last few beats of the previous section and connect them directly into the difficult part.

Step 5 – Increase the Tempo

Only increase the speed when the movement feels controlled. If the groove falls apart, drop the tempo again. There's no prize for playing it fast and sloppy.

Right-Hand Technique: Keep It Economical

For energetic rock basslines, right-hand efficiency becomes increasingly important as the tempo rises.

Whether you use fingers or a pick, try to avoid unnecessary movement. A smaller, controlled motion generally makes it easier to maintain consistency over longer practice sessions.

If You Play With a Pick

Keep the pick movement relatively compact and experiment with alternate picking where it feels natural. The goal isn't to force one technique onto the entire song; it's to find a motion that stays consistent and doesn't create extra tension.

If You Play Fingerstyle

Focus on keeping your alternating fingers consistent. Don't let one finger start doing dramatically more work than the other just because a particular passage feels easier that way.

Also keep an eye on your muting hand. On a 5-string bass, unused strings can create unwanted noise surprisingly easily.

Muting: The Secret Weapon of a Clean 5-String Sound

This is one area I'd spend extra time on.

A 5-string bass gives you more range, but it also gives you more strings that can potentially ring when you don't want them to. If you're playing a rhythmic rock part, unwanted low-end noise can make an otherwise accurate performance sound messy.

Try practicing individual phrases while deliberately checking whether any unused strings are ringing. If they are, experiment with both hands to find the most comfortable muting combination.

Quick Muting Check

• Play the phrase slowly.
• Stop after each rhythmic figure.
• Listen for extra string noise.
• Repeat the phrase while muting unused strings more deliberately.
• Gradually increase the tempo.

Once clean muting becomes automatic, faster passages usually feel much less stressful.

Timing Practice: Make the Bass Lock In

Here's where this song can become more than just another TAB in your practice folder.

Try practicing the bassline with a metronome instead of always practicing along with the original recording.

Start at a slower tempo where you can play comfortably. Then gradually move upward. The goal isn't simply to reach the original tempo. The goal is to make every repetition feel stable.

Practice Stage	Main Goal	What to Listen For
Slow	Learn the notes	Correct pitches and positions
Medium	Build consistency	Timing and note length
Near Tempo	Improve endurance	Tension and unwanted noise
Full Tempo	Musical performance	Groove and consistency

How to Use the TAB More Effectively

Don't treat the TAB like sheet music that has to be memorized line by line.

Use it as a map.

Look at the TAB, understand where the phrase moves, then look away and try to play the idea from memory. If you can gradually reduce how often you need to look at the page, you're actually learning the bassline rather than simply following instructions.

Listen → Read → Play → Repeat

A simple four-step cycle works really well:

1. Listen to the original recording.
2. Read the corresponding TAB section.
3. Play it slowly on your bass.
4. Repeat until the movement feels natural.

After a few rounds, try playing without looking at the TAB. This is where your ear starts becoming part of the learning process.

Common Mistakes When Learning Rock Bass TAB

Playing Too Fast Too Soon

Speed can hide mistakes. If you immediately practice at full speed, you may accidentally train sloppy movements into your muscle memory.

Ignoring the Drums

The bass and drums are a team. If you're only listening to the guitar while practicing the bass, you're missing a huge part of the rhythmic picture.

Letting Unused Strings Ring

This becomes especially noticeable on a 5-string. Clean muting is part of the performance, not an optional extra.

Focusing Only on Correct Notes

Correct notes are obviously important, but timing, articulation, dynamics, and note length are what make the line feel musical.

Can a 4-String Bass Play This Song?

Yes, depending on the specific passage and the range you need.

The transcription presented here is based on a 5-string bass setup, but a 4-string player can study the same musical ideas and move certain notes to higher positions when necessary.

The important thing is to preserve the musical phrase rather than blindly copying the exact fingering.

If a note falls below the range of your 4-string, you may need to move the passage to another position or adapt the arrangement. That's completely normal. Bassists do this kind of problem-solving all the time.

Original Recording Reference

Listening to the original recording while studying the TAB is strongly recommended. The recording gives you information that notation alone can't fully communicate, including feel, articulation, dynamics, and the relationship between instruments.

The embedded video is provided through YouTube as a listening and reference resource.

VIEW BASS TAB PDF

Once you've gone through the information above, you can access the independent "Choose Me" Bass TAB PDF here.

For the best practice experience, use the TAB together with the original recording rather than relying on the notation alone.

VIEW BASS TAB PDF →

About This Independent Bass Transcription

This page contains an independently created bass transcription intended for educational, analytical, and personal practice purposes.

The transcription is the author's interpretation of the bass part based on the recording. It is not an official BAND-MAID TAB, official transcription, or publication from the band's rights holders.

Different live performances, arrangements, and recordings may contain variations. For that reason, the original recording should remain the primary reference when comparing the bass part.

BAND-MAID and "Choose Me" are names associated with their respective rights holders. This website does not claim ownership of the original composition, recording, lyrics, artwork, or other copyrighted material belonging to their respective owners.

BAND-MAID Bass TAB Collection on rikytone

"Choose Me" is one entry in the growing BAND-MAID Bass Tabs collection on rikytone.

The collection will be expanded over time as new BAND-MAID bass transcriptions are added. Rather than putting every song into a static table on each individual article, the main BAND-MAID collection page acts as the central hub for the available songs.

That means this page can remain focused on "Choose Me", while the BAND-MAID pillar page can continue growing as new songs are published.

New Bass TAB Articles Will Be Added Over Time

rikytone is an ongoing project, so the bass TAB collection isn't intended to stay static. New songs may be added as the site develops, giving bass players more Japanese rock material to practice and explore.

If you're a BAND-MAID fan and bassist, checking the main collection from time to time is the easiest way to see what's been added.

Final Practice Notes

Don't feel like you have to nail the whole song in one session. Start with the sections that feel manageable, get your timing together, and slowly work toward the parts that require more coordination.

And remember: playing bass isn't just about hitting the right notes. It's about making those notes sit in the pocket, supporting the drums, leaving the right amount of space, and keeping the whole arrangement moving.

So grab your bass, fire up the track, and take it one section at a time.

Have fun with "Choose Me" and keep the groove locked. 🎸