Practice bass guitar can seem intimidating at first, especially for newcomers. Yet you can make small gains every day that will add up over time to major gains.
Bass guitars feature four, five or even six strings and are tuned one octave lower than electric guitars to establish rhythm and low end in songs.
Getting Started
One of the greatest obstacles to learning any new skill is simply getting started. A great way to set small goals and see progress each day is setting small goals – even practicing for 30 minutes each day can add up over time!
An effective place to start when learning bass guitar is with its basics. Learn to tune it and practice both seated and standing up playing to develop correct technique for both positions. When sitting down playing, get yourself an adjustable strap which prevents your instrument from dropping off your shoulder!
Once you understand the fundamental concepts, it’s time to work on more advanced techniques and songs. But be patient; starting off by mastering foundational skills will build your confidence faster and help accelerate progress.
When it comes to the fretboard, it can be helpful to visually learn its layout and memorize some notes so you can move easily across it when improvising or playing with other musicians. A fretboard chart like this one may help you visualize all the notes as they pertain to a bass instrument.
Learning some music theory is also a smart move as it will equip you with the fundamental knowledge to understand the structure of songs. There are numerous great resources online and free apps for mobile devices available for this study, including those dedicated to mobile. Finding an approach to studying that works for you may include something as simple as remembering the lines and spaces on a bass clef with an easier memory technique such as “Good Boys Do Fine Always” or “All Cows Eat Grass”. This will save time in the long run while giving more attention towards playing and having fun!
Using Your Fingers
If you want to play bass guitar, developing a light touch on the strings is of vital importance. This will enable you to pluck at higher tempo without wearing out your forearms and wrists – something which can be achieved by practicing various finger exercises on your bass guitar.
One popular exercise involves alternating fingers on each string, and another uses the “wandering thumb method” to muffle strings. Both methods can be effective; just be mindful not to rest your thumb on a string beneath it as this is an easy mistake to make!
An effective exercise on the bass involves learning one-octave scales. To do this, begin with your index finger on low G (the third fret on E string). Move through each subsequent fret using various fingers – first middle finger, then ring finger and finally pinky finger – making sure not to press too hard or damage could result.
Be exposed to various styles of music to develop your bass playing abilities in different genres and learn to master an extensive range of notes and chords, which will enable you to compose original songs as well as design unique bass lines that enhance their melodies.
Study music theory as this will allow you to better comprehend the bass as well as other musical components like chords and rhythm.
Master your musical understanding by learning to dissect chords in songs you already know. This will allow you to identify its key and craft basslines that harmonize with its chord progressions.
Using a Pick
Most bassists use picks at some point, though the decision ultimately lies within each individual player. While some prefer playing exclusively with picks, others switch between fingers and picks depending on the style of music being performed. It is essential that bass players learn proper technique; doing so will save much frustration while giving you optimal tone out of their instrument.
Before taking up bass playing, it is essential that you familiarize yourself with its layout and your hands’ position on it. With thicker strings than guitars and wider frets, your hands may differ significantly when holding one of these instruments. When holding it for extended periods, be sure to relax your wrist to prevent muscle strain or cramps in your hand.
Practice your picking technique over time; once mastered, playing with a pick will become easier.
Start off by finding an effective bass pick. There are various varieties on the market and each offers their own sound; experiment until you find one that suits your bass perfectly.
To hold the pick properly, make a light fist and bend your index finger at its middle knuckle, sliding it between your thumb and index finger so it points out at an oblique angle. Keep in mind that for this type of instrument you will require thinner picks than are commonly available to guitarists.
Using Your Ear
Bass players must develop many musical skills beyond fretboard and scale knowledge, including music theory, rhythm and harmony. Acquiring all these abilities requires developing a keen ear; being able to listen to songs and identify bass lines takes practice but is an indispensable talent for any bassist.
An effective way to begin bass learning is by listening to some of your favorite songs and trying to identify their bass line by ear. Once this step has been accomplished, take it further by exploring chord progressions within the song – this will allow you to better comprehend its structure as well as how its bassist created its unique bassline.
Another excellent way to train your ear is to identify intervals on the fretboard. Intervals are the spaces between two musical notes and each interval has a distinctive sound; once you can recognize these sounds you’ll be ready to create bass lines of your own!
To do this, choose a song you really enjoy listening to over and over again, focusing on the first two notes of its bass line and trying to discern an interval – for instance, Jaws opens with two minor second intervals while Smoke On The Water contains both major seconds and minor seconds in its opening two measures.
As another way of training your ear, try listening and singing along to familiar songs that you know well. This will allow you to focus on hearing the bass notes while at the same time training your ears so they only hear one string at a time – which can be difficult! Additionally, this exercise helps develop your hands so they are proficient with pull-offs and hammer-ons with ease.
Using Tabs
While most music can be learned by ear, certain technical details can be difficult to master without an instrument. For instance, bassists commonly employ a technique known as “slap” which involves striking your thumb against the strings to produce rhythm and percussive effects. Tabs or musical notation provide visual cues showing when to do this and indicate string bends by using upward/downward arrows.
In the past, learning a song on bass guitar meant purchasing an album by its respective band and listening to it repeatedly until you could identify what its bassist was playing. Nowadays, with access to online bass tabs making this process much simpler. Even so, remember that even with tabs you should spend sufficient time practicing your technique without them.
Another helpful technique for developing bass playing skills is transcribing bass lines. Doing this will enable you to truly understand how songs are constructed while also opening up new songs without bass tabs available. To start transcribing a song’s bass lines, take small bites – perhaps two bars or half bars first – of listening carefully, trying singing out notes that you hear, then moving onto the next part of it until eventually this becomes second nature and you can spot bass lines without even carrying a guitar along!