Walk This Way Bass Tab

How to Play the Walk This Way Bass Tab

The bass line on Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" is one of those riffs that sounds simple when you hear it but falls apart fast if you haven't practiced the transitions. Tom Hamilton played it with a pick, and that pick attack is half the reason the song works. The riff locks tightly with Steven Tyler's vocal phrasing and Brad Whitford's guitar, so sloppy timing shows up immediately. If you're learning this, you'll want to slow it down and nail the chromatic approach notes before you even think about tempo. Here's the practical tab in the original key of A major. You can also capo at the 5th fret and play in E shapes if you prefer reading in fewer sharps. Both work fine. The song sits around 112 BPM, but don't rush it into that speed on day one. Intro / Verse riff:

E|---------------------------------| B|---------------------------------| G|-----------------------0-2-------|

D|-------------0-2-3---3-----3-0---| A|---------0-2-----------2-----2---| E|--0-2-3--------------------------|

That first measure is the core pattern. The chromatic approach from A up to B on the low E string (0-1-2 or just 0-2 depending on your feel) sets the motion, then the D string outlines the harmony before you land back on A. The G string figure with the 0-2 run is where most people lose momentum because it's easy to rush that transition into the D string run. Chorus variation: E|----------------------------------|

B|----------------------------------| G|-----------2-4-4-2----------------| D|-------2-4-------4-2--------------|

A|--2-4-----------------4-2---------| E|----------------------------2-0-2-| This moves higher on the neck and outlines the C#m and F#m areas. The descending finish on the low E string (2-0-2) at the end is important because it leads back into the verse pattern cleanly. Miss that landing and your next repetition starts late.

Bridge section: E|-------------------------------------| B|-------------------------------------|

G|-------------------------------------| D|-----------0-2-3-3-2-0---------------| A|-----0-2-------------2-0-2-----------|

E|--0-2-----------------------0-2-3----| The bridge opens things up with longer note values and more space. It's less about driving and more about holding the groove. Play the note values as written and resist the urge to add extra 16th notes. That space is part of the feel. The main technical detail people overlook is the pick angle and dynamics. Hammering every note with equal force makes the riff sound flat and aggressive in the wrong way. Lighter strokes on the approach notes, harder strikes on the downbeat roots. That dynamic contrast is what makes the line breathe. Palm muting is also essential on the verse riff. You want a short, percussive sound on most of the notes, not a ringing sustain. Keep the edge of your picking hand resting lightly on the strings near the bridge throughout the verse pattern.

I ran into a specific problem when I was first tracking this for a cover session. The tab shows a straightforward A to B approach, but on the record, Hamilton uses a slide from Gup to A on the low E string, and the timing of that slide eats into the count. When I tried to play it as separate fretted notes, the whole groove felt stiff and late. The workaround was to use a quick slide into the open A instead of fretting 0 on the low E string, then release the fretting hand slightly between notes to let the slide sound natural. It also helped to practice the riff with the drums only, no guitar, so I could hear exactly where the bass sits in the pocket. Another counter-intuitive point is that this riff doesn't actually need much vibrato or tonal variation. The interest comes from rhythm and note choice, not expression. Add too much hand vibrato and you blur the tight lock with the snare drum. Keep the tone relatively clean with a bit of midrange push on your amp or pedal. A bass with a bright pickup selection works better here than a dark, warm tone because the attack needs to cut through the mix. If you can't find a reliable Walk This Way Bass Tab online that matches the recording, the safest approach is to learn it by ear using the album version. The studio take is the reference most players are trying to match, and fan transcriptions often vary on the chorus descending passage. My recommendation is to use a slow-down tool like Anytune or Transcribe if you have one, drop the tempo to 70 percent, and work through one measure at a time. This usually cuts the learning curve from several weeks down to about three or four days of focused practice, depending on your current pick technique.

The biggest bottleneck with this riff is stamina in the picking hand. Playing it repeatedly with palm muting and consistent pick attack tires the wrist faster than open-string grooves because the muting hand creates friction. Take breaks every twenty minutes, stretch your forearm, and don't push through pain. A small technique adjustment like rotating the pick slightly so it glides rather than drags across the strings will save your wrist over time. For a complete tab document that includes the full song structure with intro, verse, chorus, bridge, and solo sections, check reputable tablature sites or purchase a published Aerosmith bass transcription. The patterns above cover the main identifiable parts, but the bridge and solo sections contain additional fills that vary between live and studio performances. Stick to the studio version for consistency unless you're performing live and want to adapt it.