Bass guitars have four, five and sometimes six strings, tuned an octave below an electric guitar. This helps fill the low-end of a song, making it full and punchy.
This exercise asks you to play one beat note on each string in time with a metronome. These are called quarter notes.
1. One-Finger-Per-Fret
This one-finger-per-fret exercise is something you’ll want to work on if you haven’t already. It’s a very important exercise to work on, especially if you’re trying to reach higher up the neck for more notes without straining your fretting hand too much.
The exercise begins with your index finger playing a G on the D string, then your ring finger plays a C at the fifth fret of the G string (one note over, two strings up). This pattern is repeated for each string in your bass guitar, moving up a half-step for each repetition of the fingerings. You should try to do each string set with a different combination of notes. Try using the octave and/or 3rd tone, major or minor to create some interesting combinations.
A lot of bassists think that their hands are too small to use the one-finger-per-fret technique, but with a few months of consistent practice, most people can get to this point. The key is to keep your fingers close together and play with a metronome at a slow tempo to get the most out of this workout.
It’s also important to press the fretboard with just enough pressure to produce a clear note. Any more and you’ll start to hear unwanted fret buzz and muffled notes. Just like a sprinter doesn’t stomp on the ground while running, your fretting hand should be in contact with the neck as little as possible to avoid injury and pain.
As with all bass exercises, don’t push yourself too far and only push to the point where your fretting hand starts to feel tight or uncomfortable. If you’re starting to notice a lot of stress in your fretting hand forearm, it’s time to stop and rest for a few minutes.
Another thing to watch out for when you’re practicing these stretches is your thumb position on the back of the bass neck. Many bassists have a tendency to wrap their thumb around the neck, which shortens the effective finger length and can result in more tension when playing the guitar.
2. Double-Fret Exercise
This exercise is a great way to learn how to play double-stops. They are an essential part of any bass line, scale or arpeggio and can really help you make your music more interesting and creative. Basically, double-stops are two consecutive notes played with the same finger on each string. This exercise allows you to practice this technique in straight eighth note patterns which will ultimately help you lay down more clean, accurate eighth notes when playing a song.
Start off by playing the first sequence of three notes on each string with your index, middle and pinky finger. Once you get that down, try moving this pattern up and down the fretboard, starting at the 12th fret on the E string (where your fingers should be pressed down one finger per fret). Then move it up to the 14th fret on the A string and back down to the 12th fret again. Repeat this pattern a few times each string to build up your accuracy.
When you’re ready, try adding in some variation to the pattern by using different fingers or changing up the sequence of notes you play. Just be sure to play it at a comfortable pace and prioritize quality over speed when learning this exercise. If you go too fast, you might miss some of the important details and end up with some bad habits.
Another way to add variety to this exercise is by trying it with a higher tempo. You’ll find that you can play more quickly, but the accuracy of your playing will suffer. This is because you’ll be putting too much pressure on your finger and it won’t have the time to adjust.
If you want to take this exercise a step further, try playing the double-fret pattern in a key. This will give you a whole new set of notes to work with and it’ll also force you to adjust your squeezing technique. Once you’ve done this a few times, you’ll be better prepared to tackle any key changes that come your way when practicing bass.
3. Shifting Strings
Great bassists make it look easy, but they have spent years focusing on the control that is needed for their fingers to shift between strings smoothly. This exercise is a basic one that will help you get used to shifting quickly up and down the fretboard, without losing time between each string change.
Start by playing the first bar of the above rhythm with a metronome and a slow tempo to ensure that each note rings out for the beat and there are no big gaps as you shift between strings. Once you have mastered this bar, move on to the next bar which splits each beat into four notes (called quarter-notes). Again, practice at a slow tempo and use a metronome to keep your timing in check.
When you’ve mastered this simple progression, try to play the whole pattern from start to finish without missing any notes. This will be a challenge, but it is important to focus on how much you have to shift up and down the fingerboard when playing in higher positions. This will allow you to play the higher notes with a more fluid technique, reducing the risk of missed or muffled notes when transitioning between different strings.
This is a good exercise to practice with your thumb as well, as it will improve the way in which you hold the bass guitar in your hand. Try to keep the thumb upright and not turning horizontally as this will help to ensure that it doesn’t end up too far away from the strings. Also, remember to work from the elbow when you’re shifting between strings – this will help to make sure that your hand and thumb are moving together rather than one following the other.
Another benefit of this exercise is that it will build up your endurance when playing bass, as you will be practicing a lot of movements that require you to shift between different strings. This will be especially true when you’re playing in higher positions, as your thumb will have to be further up the neck on high strings and closer to the bridge on lower ones. This will build up the strength and stamina of your left hand, allowing you to play for longer periods of time.
4. One-Finger-At-A-Time
This is a great exercise to do when you’re trying to reach a new fret on the bass guitar. Start by pressing your index finger on the first string fret and pluck it. Then move to the second fret with your middle finger, then to the third fret with your ring finger and finally to the fourth fret with your pinky. This might feel like a stretch for your fingers, but the point of this exercise is to get your fingers to work on a new fret one at a time without moving them from their previous positions. Once your fingers are used to this, try doing the same thing up the neck (closer frets) on the D, A, and G strings.
This exercise has been a practice room and backstage warmup staple ever since Yamaha Artist John Patitucci mentioned it in his 1991 Electric Bass instructional video. It helps to build dexterity and strength in the left hand in a way that is kinder on your fingers than simply playing scales or doing other exercises where your fingers are constantly moving around the fretboard. This exercise is simple to start with, but gets progressively harder as you go along. Start on the E string and play a note with your index finger on the first fret. Then move to the next fret with your middle finger and then to the third fret with your ring. Once you’ve reached the fourth fret with your pinky on the fifth string, lift your fingers off their respective strings but don’t let them touch the adjacent ones!
The idea is to be able to shift the position of your fingers in the left hand quickly and easily. This will help to give you that fluid movement required for finger independence and allows you to cover a lot of ground on the neck in a relatively short amount of time. This is the equivalent of cross-training for a basketball player, it builds strength and endurance in different parts of the body without impacting the skillset needed to play the game successfully.