Is there an Fb on Bass Guitar?

[Nate D]

My band teacher (who's a guitar player) is trying to teach us a blues song, and he always tells me to play an Fb, but I have no idea where Fb is or how to do it on bass. I've checked bass chord charts, my scale sheets, and found nothing! Am I missing something or is he misleading me?

[Wayne T]

Fb is one fret lower than F. Actually it is the same as E because on the piano there is no black key between E and F. Yes I know you play guitar but the notes on piano and guitar are the same. One fret on a guitar (bass or otherwise) is a half step on the piano.

[Edwin]

Your teacher might be messing with you, or he is just adamant on calling the note that. Fb and E are enharmonic notes, meaning that they are the same note. Just play an E and you will also be playing an Fb at the same time. There are several other enharmonic notes, such as Gb and F#, or Db and C#. Don't let these confuse you. If it helps, draw a keyboard on a sheet of paper and fill in all of the notes, including their enharmonic names.

[Edwin]

He's joking....Fb is E

[LucasMan]

Fb is the same note as E.

I guess there could be a scenario where calling it Fb would be appropriate (like in an Ab7 b13 chord), but there aren't many.

There's a good chance that your teacher is either a) screwing with you or b) an idiot.