If you are looking for accurate bass tabs and sheet music for “Hands Held High” by Linkin Park, you are in the right place. Released as an intense, politically charged track on their multi-platinum 2007 album Minutes to Midnight, this song stands out as one of the most unique arrangements in the band’s catalog. Sitting at a steady, marching 104 BPM, the bass line plays an incredibly disciplined, minimalist role—sitting out entirely for the majority of the track to let the sparse snare cadence and Mike Shinoda’s vocals breathe, before dropping in at the absolute peak of the song to deliver a massive, swelling harmonic foundation. Below, you will find the officially licensed sheet music, my Session Notes on nailing the technique, and a timestamped breakdown to help you practice along.
This track is just one part of our complete archive of verified [Linkin Park bass tabs and sheet music], which features full sheet music and tabs for their biggest songs.
Because of its massive commercial impact, this song is featured on our directory of [Platinum-Certified Albums Bass Tabs] for Minutes To Midnight, and it is also officially recognized in our collection of [Platinum-Certified Singles Bass Tabs] as a standalone global hit too.
Get the Accurate Hands Held High 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 from Sheet Music Direct
👉 Download from Sheet Music Plus
👉 Download from MuseScore
👉 Download from Musicnotes
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Listen To The Original Track
Before you dive into the sheet music, press play below and listen to how the track slowly builds up its emotional weight before the low end finally arrives.
Song Structure:
- 0:00 – Intro: The song opens with a prominent, military-style marching snare drum cadence and a clean acoustic guitar loop. Note: There is no bass in this section.
- 0:23 – Verse 1: Mike Shinoda’s hip-hop vocals enter over the marching snare beat and acoustic loop. Note: The bass sits out completely, allowing the verse to maintain a stark, intimate space.
- 1:09 – Pre-Chorus 1: The atmospheric textures expand slightly, building a subtle emotional tension. Note: The bass continues to sit out.
- 1:18 – Chorus 1: The arrangement opens up into a soaring, pipe-organ style synth pad as the melodic vocals layer in. Note: The bass remains silent.
- 1:41 – Verse 2 (Bass Entry): The marching snare rhythm resumes at 104 BPM for the second verse, and the bass guitar officially drops into the mix. It lays down deep, sustained whole notes that instantly ground the track and provide a warm harmonic foundation beneath the vocals.
- 2:27 – Pre-Chorus 2: The instrumentation swells. The bass holds down a rock-solid foundation, letting the long notes breathe to carry the track’s forward momentum.
- 2:36 – Chorus 2: The pipe-organ synth layers return to drive the hook of the track. Note: The bass sits out for this chorus section to allow a dynamic drop.
- 2:55 – Chorus 3: The song reaches its peak dynamic layer as a massive, choir-like vocal chorus erupts. The bass returns with full presence, locking into deep whole notes within the bright A Major landscape to provide a massive, stadium-sized floor that glues the vocal harmonies and synth pads together.
- 3:41 – Outro: The heavy vocal layers and low-end fade away, leaving the acoustic guitar loop and a distant ambient drone to slowly close out the track. Note: The bass sits out as the song resolves.
Song Information
Title: Hands Held High
Artist: Linkin Park
Album: Minutes To Midnight
Bassist: Dave “Phoenix” Farrell
Difficulty: Beginner
Tuning: Standard Tuning (E-A-D-G)
Key: A Major
Tempo: 104
Bass Diary Entry: Words That Carry Weight
As I mentioned on the Bleed It Out post, I’m not a massive fan of the more Mike Shinoda–centric tracks on Minutes to Midnight when thinking about them as “typical” Linkin Park songs. They sit slightly outside of what I personally look for when I put the band on.
That being said, taken purely on its own merit, this track deserves a lot of respect.
There’s a real sense of restraint here — musically and structurally. It doesn’t follow the usual formula, there’s no explosive chorus, and it never really “breaks out” in the way you might expect. Instead, it leans fully into its message.
Lyrically, this is some of the most direct and politically charged material on the album. Mike delivers it in a way that feels intentional and unfiltered, and the stripped-back instrumentation forces you to actually sit with what’s being said rather than getting swept up in a big hook.
From a bass perspective, this is all about subtlety. The bass isn’t trying to lead — it’s there to support the atmosphere and add weight without ever drawing attention away from the vocal. It’s minimal, controlled, and very deliberate.
It’s not a track I revisit as often as the heavier or more melodic songs on the album, but I can absolutely appreciate what it brings. It adds depth, contrast, and an important layer to Minutes to Midnight as a whole.
Session Notes: Tone & Technique
The Groove & Harmony
Sitting at a steady 104 BPM in the key of A Major, “Hands Held High” features zero rhythmic complexity. When you are active in the track, you are handling broad, sustained whole notes.
The entire challenge here is managing your note decay and executing perfect, gapless transitions between the major chord tones. Because the song is so open and atmospheric at 104 BPM, any accidental space or dead air between your chord changes will ruin the illusion of the massive pipe-organ textures. Keep your fretting hand fingers held firmly against the fretboard, and don’t lift off until the exact millisecond you strike the next root note.
Emulating the Alt-Rock Tone
To blend seamlessly with the organ and choir layers during the climax, you need a sub-heavy, deeply resonant tone that provides pure harmonic weight without any aggressive rock edge.
- Pick & Muting Technique: The record features a precise, clean pick attack. Use a heavy pick and strike the strings smoothly directly over the middle pickup. To match the round, analog-synth-like warmth of the track, apply a very subtle touch of palm-muting at the bridge. This mutes the high-frequency click of the pick strike and curbs any unnecessary fingerboard noise, leaving you with a smooth, deep, bell-like fundamental tone.
- EQ Settings: Set your bass’s tone knob to roughly 50%. On your amp or plugin, give your low bass frequencies (60Hz – 100Hz) a healthy boost to give the choir section its physical rumble. Keep your high-mids and treble completely flat or slightly rolled back to ensure the bass stays firmly under the vocal frequencies.
- Compression: Since you are playing long, ringing notes that need to sustain smoothly over several beats, compression is essential. Use a slow release time on your compressor to catch the tail end of your notes, keeping the volume of your strings steady and unyielding as they ring out.
Get the Official Sheet Music
You’ve made it this far, so don’t settle for “close enough” tabs that often miss the nuances that make a bass line groove.
This Hands Held High bass transcription is the result of hours of deep listening and research, ensuring you’re playing exactly what’s on the record.
Whether you’re prepping for a session or mastering your favourite tracks at home, get the professional edge with our officially licensed sheet music that ensures songwriters and performers are respected.from the below retailers!
👉 Download from Sheet Music Direct
👉 Download from Sheet Music Plus
👉 Download from MuseScore
👉 Download from Musicnotes
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