Cello Suite No.

1 - Prelude
Johann Sebastian Bach
Arranged For Solo Electric Bass By Cliff Engel

? # 44 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Cello Tuning: CGDA
1

œ œ œ œ œ œ

T
141214 14 141214 14 151415 15 151415 15 151415 15 151415 15
A 12 12 12 12 12 12 14 14 14 14 14 14 16 16 16 16 16 16
B 12 12 12 12 12 12

? # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ#œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
4

œ œ œ

T 141214 14 141214 14 141214 12 12 12 12 12 12

A 17 17 17 17 17 16 14 17161714171617 12 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17
B 12 12 12 16 1816 18 18

œ# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ# œ
? # œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
7

œ œ œ œ

T 1217 161712 12 12 12 17 161412

A 16 17 16 17 12161412 171617 17 171617 17 121412 171614 17
B 16 16 16 16 16 16 18 181614
16 16 16

œ œ œ œ
? # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œnœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
10

T 171217 12 12 14 12141512 12141512

A 161412 16 121416 17161412 1812 151415121812 12151415121812 14 1412 14 1614
B 17 17

© 2004 Cliff Engel

 ? # #œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œœ œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ
13

T
12 12 12 12 12
A 13161316 16 1613161316 16 16 171614171617 1617161412 12 12 12 12 12 12
B 17161412 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17
18 18

?# nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
16

œœ œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ

T
151415 15 151415 15
A 151415 15 151415 15 141214 14 141214 14 16 16 16 16 16 16
B 1216 16 161216 16 16 1217 17 171217 17 17 12 12

? # œœœœœœœœœœ œ œœœœœ œœœœœœ œœœœœœ œœœœœœ

19

œ œœœœ œ œ œ œ œ
#œ œ œ œ

T 141214
A 12 17161412 141617141617 141617141617 121416121416 121416121416
B 12 17161412 14 14 14 14
1816 14 13 13 12 12

?# œ œ #œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ œ#œ œ œnœ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œœ œœ œœ
œœœœ
22

œ œ
œ

T 12 1617 17 12 12141512 12141517 1817 161717 1514151512

A 1216 12141617 1612141617 1617 161412
B 14 141617 141617
12

œ œœœœœ œ œ œ œ# œ bœ œ œœ œ# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ#œ œ œ
?# œ œ œœœ œœ œœ œ# œ œ œ œ œ
25

œ œ œ œ œ

T 1214151214 121412 16 1312131312 12 12 12 161716

A 1216 1712 1217 18 1716171714 1417
B 14 1716121416 1216 18161418
14 14
 œ œœœœœ œœœœœ
? # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ# œ œ œœ œ œ œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ
28

œ œ œœœ œ

T
1712 12 151412 151412 1412 12
A 161416 1216 12 17161412 17161412 17161412 17161412
B 14 18161412 17 1716 1716
1816 14

? # œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ

31

T
12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 121412 12
A 17161416 12 14 16 17 14 16 12 17 14 16 12 17 14 16 12 14 16 17 19 12
B 14

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœ œœœ œœœ œ

?# œ œ œ œ
34

T 1214121512 121412151217121412 151214121512 121412 121412 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

A 19 12 19 19 17 19 17 19 16 17 16 17 14
B

œ b œ n œ n œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ # œ
? # œ œ œ œn œ œ# œ œ œ œ# œ œ œ œb œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
37

T 12 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 22 22 22 22 22
A 16 1214 1512 16121712 1812 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21
B 19 19

œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœœœœœœ œœœœœ w
? # œœœ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ w
œ
40

T 22 22 22 22 22 22 21 21 21 21 21 21 22
A 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 21
B 19 19 19 19 12
 Performance Notes
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750) is the most highly revered composer of the German baroque era.
He is considered by most music historians to be among the greatest musical geniuses, improvisers, and
prolific composers in the history of western-based music. Throughout his lifetime, Bach was more
acknowledged as an organist than as a composer, and for many decades after his death, Bach's
compositions were largely ignored. It wasn't until the 19th century that his real musical genius came to
be recognized, particularly by romantic era composers such as Mendelssohn and Schumann. Since that
time, Bach's popularity has steadily grown. Throughout his musical career, Bach maintained three
significant posts: court organist and orchestral director in Weimar (1708-17), court orchestral director at
Köthen (1717-23), and cantor (municipal composer) in Leipzig (1723-45). It was during his time spent
as the orchestral director at Köthen that he composed some of his greatest secular instrumental works
including the cello suites.

Practically every great cellist of the past century has recorded Bach's six suites for solo cello. Up to the
early decades of the twentieth century, Bach's cello suites remained virtually undiscovered. Sometimes
cellists used them as technical fingering exercises but never performed them in public. It wasn't until the
1930's that the legendary Spanish cellist Pablo Casals resurrected Bach's cello suites from obscurity with
the first definitive recording of the suites. Since then, the cello suites have become among Bach's most
favored works and required repertoire for all cellists.

After hearing world renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma's recording of Bach's six suites for solo cello, my first
attempt at performing Bach's "Prelude in G Major" from the first suite on electric bass in standard tuning
began in 1992. It wasn't long before I recognized that the cello suites just didn't sound as good as they
did when performed on cello. In 1993, I began studying cello which I continued for the next two years.
During that time, I realized the difference in resonance was due in large part to the tuning of the cello.

Cello Tuning:
As you know, a 4-string electric bass is tuned in fourths, and standard tuning for the open strings is
E-A-D-G (low to high). Cellos are tuned in fifths, C-G-D-A (low to high). When analyzing recordings
of Bach's cello suites, you will hear that the open strings play a significant factor in their overall
sonority. The cello suites can be played on a 4-string electric bass in standard tuning, but to attain the
often sustained resonance of the open strings, the cello suites should be played in cello tuning. Note the
harmonic tension created by allowing the open G-string to ring extensively throughout the first 5
measures. In addition, the cello suites are much easier to play in cello tuning because in standard tuning
on electric bass, they require many awkward fingerings which are virtually eliminated in cello tuning.
Over the years, many attempts have been made at arranging the cello suites for various instruments, but
the best interpretations are still performed and recorded on instruments utilizing cello tuning.

Cello tuning can be easily achieved using standard gauge bass strings without the worry of placing
unnecessary tension on your instrument. In order to perform this arrangement, you will need to modify
three of the four strings on a 4-string electric bass in standard tuning. First, raise the open G-string a
whole step to A. The standard G-string will be the only string that you will need to raise in pitch. The
D-string will remain the same. Next, lower the open A-string a whole step to G. Finally, detune the
open E-string two whole steps to C. There are many advantages to tuning your bass in fifths, especially
for playing solo bass. For a detailed analysis of the benefits of utilizing altered tunings, please refer to
previous articles I have written regarding this subject.
Capo:
After you have tuned your bass to cello tuning, you will need to place a capo across all four strings at the
12th fret. By playing the "Prelude in G Major" in the second octave of the fingerboard (between the
12th and 24th frets), you will be performing this work in the same range as it is heard on cello.
Whenever you see the 12th fret indicated in the tablature of this arrangement, you will play the open
string which will now be stopped at the 12th fret by the capo.

Technique:
From a technical point of view, this arrangement is easy to play utilizing a fingerstyle picking method
which includes your thumb, index, and middle fingers.

Interpretation:
Within the standard notation and tablature of this arrangement, I have only included the notes and
indicated the positions where those notes should be played. The cello suites are among Bach's most
adapted and recorded works, and each time they are performed, they are phrased slightly different.
Usually, the same artist never plays a cello suite in the exact same fashion twice. Solo bassist Michael
Manring plays a version of Bach's "Prelude In G Major" in live performances which is similar to this
arrangement. I have also included a few of my favorite renditions of the cello suites below both in cello
and standard tunings. When listening to these recordings, you will hear how each of these artists has
interpreted these solo pieces.

Recommended Recordings:
Yo-Yo Ma - Bach: The 6 Unaccompanied Cello Suites
Pablo Casals - Bach Cello Suites
John Patitucci - Heart Of The Bass
Gary Karr - J.S. Bach Solo Suites
Edgar Meyer - Unaccompanied Bach Cello Suites