If you are looking for accurate bass tabs and sheet music for “Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones, the secret to playing this track isn’t about the notes you play—it is about the space you leave empty. Bassist Lee Alexander provides a masterclass in subtlety on this Grammy-winning Jesse Harris tune, anchoring the acoustic jazz-pop arrangement with a warm, minimalist upright bass line that never once crowds the vocal. Below, you will find the officially licensed sheet music, my Session Notes on how to capture that vintage acoustic decay on a standard electric bass, and a timestamped breakdown to help you practice along with the original track.
Get the Accurate Don’t Know Why Bass Transcription (PDF & Sheet Music)
Feel free to just jump straight in to the tab and sheet music at the links below, but make sure you come back to check out my session notes on tone, technique, and the song’s breakdown!
👉 Download on Sheet Music Direct
👉 Download on Sheet Music Plus
👉 Download on MuseScore
👉 Download on Musicnotes
You can also find our sheet music for sale in over 5,000 Hal Leonard InStore digital retailers with print-on-demand options available (availability may vary per store)!
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Listen To The Original Track
Before you dive into the sheet music, press play below and listen specifically to how Lee Alexander uses silence and space just as effectively as the notes he plays.
Song Structure:
- 0:00 – Intro: The acoustic guitar and piano establish the relaxed feel. Notice how the bass enters with extreme subtlety, anchoring the very first downbeat.
- 0:09 – Verse 1: Norah’s vocals begin. The bass stays strictly out of the way, providing long, warm root notes that decay naturally, leaving plenty of room for the melody.
- 0:39 – Verse 2: The arrangement remains sparse. The bass locks in perfectly with the gentle drum brushes, ensuring the tempo doesn’t drag despite the slow, relaxed pace.
- 0:59 – Chorus 1: (“My heart is drenched in wine…”) The bass motion increases very slightly here to follow the harmonic shift, but remains grounded and restrained.
- 1:21 – Verse 3: We are back to the incredibly spacious verse groove. Pay attention to how the bass notes deliberately ring out and then decay before the next chord change.
- 1:43 – Chorus 2: The bass outlines the progression with a bit more weight here to support the dynamic lift of the chorus before the instrumental section.
- 2:05 – Solo: During the piano solo, the bass acts as the anchor. Keep your timing incredibly strict here so the piano has a solid foundation to dance over.
- 2:27 – Verse 4: The final verse. The bass returns to absolute minimalism, playing exactly what the song requires and nothing more.
- 2:48 – Outro: The track winds down. Let your final notes ring out cleanly and warmly, matching the relaxed, acoustic fade-out of the record.
Song Information
Title: Don’t Know Why
Artist: Norah Jones
Album: Come Away With Me
Bassist: Lee Alexander
Difficulty: Beginner
Tuning: Standard Tuning
Key: B♭ Major
Tempo: 89
Bass Diary Entry
Don’t Know Why is a song that’s been quietly woven into my life from a young age. My mum had Norah Jones’ first couple of albums on repeat when they came out, and even though I was only about 11 at the time — and just starting to carve out my own tastes with bands like Stereophonics and Red Hot Chili Peppers — her smooth, jazz-infused voice always stuck with me.
It was completely different to everything I was discovering on my own. No distortion. No mosh pit energy. Just a pure, gentle vibe that felt effortless and classy.
Years later, I ended up winning tickets to see Norah Jones at the iTunes Festival at the Roundhouse in London — and took my mum with me. It was one of those full-circle moments: experiencing a genuinely world-class artist in a venue where the focus wasn’t on chaos and crowd-surfing, but on the incredible musicianship happening on stage. A special gig for sure.
When it comes to the bassline itself, it’s deceptively simple. Nothing flashy — just subtle movement, tasteful space, and a lot of emphasis on timing and feel. It’s the kind of bassline that’s harder to get right than you’d expect, because every little note matters. No hiding behind distortion or speed — it’s confidence through restraint.
It’s nice sometimes to step away from heavier riffs and reconnect with a song like this — one that just breathes. Whenever I want to reset my ears or just relax, Norah Jones is still someone I go back to.
Don’t Know Why might not be what my younger self would have called “cool,” but it’s one of those tracks that quietly proves how powerful simplicity can be.
Session Notes: Tone & Technique
The Groove & Harmony
Don’t Know Why is the ultimate study in “less is more.” Lee Alexander’s bassline is incredibly sparse, often resting for entire measures or playing only simple root notes to mark the chord changes. The challenge here is entirely rhythmic and dynamic. You have to place your notes deep in the pocket, letting the acoustic guitar and piano carry the syncopation, while you provide the solid floor. Your timing must be flawless because there is nowhere to hide in a mix this spacious.
Emulating the Upright Tone
Lee Alexander tracked this on a beautifully recorded acoustic double bass. To replicate that warm, woody resonance and fast decay on an electric bass, try these three techniques:
To get the tone right:
- The “Foam Mute” Trick: Slide a piece of foam or a standard kitchen sponge under your strings right at the bridge. This instantly kills your modern sustain and gives you that beautiful, vintage upright “thud.”
- Pluck over the fingerboard: Move your plucking hand away from the bridge and up over the neck joint. Pluck gently with the fleshy side of your thumb or fingers to get the roundest, fattest tone possible.
- Roll off your treble: Turn your bass’s tone knob completely down to eliminate fret buzz, string noise, and modern high-end click.
Get the Official Sheet Music
You’ve made it this far, now make sure you check out the officially licensed bass tab and sheet music from the below retailers!
👉 Download on Sheet Music Direct
👉 Download on Sheet Music Plus
👉 Download on MuseScore
👉 Download on Musicnotes
Affiliate Note: This page may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. For full details on affiliate links, please see the Affiliate Link Policy.
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