Learning bass guitar requires dedication and practice. Mastering some styles and techniques – including complex chords, scales, arpeggios and slapping techniques – may take years of dedication.
Bass players have two primary methods for plucking strings: their fingers or a pick. Fingerstyle playing has become increasingly popular and fits seamlessly with various musical genres and styles.
Basics
The bass guitar is the heart of any musical group or band. It provides that distinct bass sound that gives music its distinctive groove. To start playing bass yourself, a few basic techniques must first be learned.
First and foremost, whether sitting or standing, positioning your bass properly is paramount to its successful use. Aim for its neck to point upward at an obtuse angle – this will enable your fretting hand to reach all strings easily while reducing forearm or wrist soreness. Also make sure it rests comfortably against either leg; beginners should try placing their instrument either left or right thigh; this helps improve posture while its curved contour will conform more closely with their leg’s unique contours.
Next, practice playing bass. One easy way is fingerstyle playing; this involves plucking strings with your fingertips instead of using plectrums to do so. Most bassists will typically employ their index and middle fingers on their fretting hand for this technique, though thumb use can also be effective. Doing this will build finger dexterity – an essential aspect of bass playing!
Once you have the basics mastered, it is time to move onto other techniques such as slapping and picking. However, don’t overexert yourself during practice as maintaining a routine is key; try mixing in technique drills, learning new songs, jamming with friends as well as technique drills into your routine.
Learning scales is another effective way to hone your playing. By identifying intervals (the space between notes), you can more quickly recognize chords and play them more accurately.
As part of your research process, it can also be very beneficial to spend some time listening to bassists that you admire, which will provide an opportunity to better understand their style and how they use bass to support songs with an overall sound. Furthermore, listening can inspire and open your eyes up to what can be accomplished using this incredible instrument!
Scales
Though the bass guitar may not immediately come to mind as a lead instrument, many examples exist of creative lead parts played on it. By studying scales, chord root notes, and chord progressions you can craft an impressive bass line that complements your song’s melody and lyrics.
Scales are the building blocks of music, and bassists should familiarize themselves with both major and minor scales, as well as their modes. By knowing these scales well enough to use them to compose melodies that reflect who they are as musicians – not to mention developing finger dexterity on fretboard and becoming aware of different tones produced when moving fingers around neck of bass – can create melodies unique to their playing. Practice can help students develop these scales in addition to increasing awareness of possible tones created when moving fingers around neck.
Scales will enable students to develop an understanding of intervals, or the differences in sound between two musical notes, which is crucial in developing bassist skills. All bass lines consist of notes strung together one after another; knowing this allows a bassist to distinguish what sounds like lower notes from higher notes when listening to bass lines; the ear can more readily identify intervals than individual notes within bass lines.
This will enable the bassist to gain a better understanding of the musical language used in each song, making it easier for them to identify chords and melodies that complement them. This knowledge can also prove beneficial when writing or composing bass lines – something all musicians should strive to master.
Talkingbass offers a free bass guitar scale generator which is an effective tool to learn various shapes of scales on the fretboard. Students can select their scale of choice and then view a graphic fretboard displaying all relevant notes highlighted; this helps students quickly learn what notes are available and how to play them effectively.
Chords
Bassists rely heavily on chords when performing, either to fill out harmony of pianists, guitarists or singers – or create bass solos – using chords on their instruments. The following bass guitar chord chart is an excellent resource to start learning about all of these shapes; open circles represent root notes referred to by letter names (for example A chord has an A root). Black dots represent scale- and chord-tones which must be played when performing any one of these chords.
Utilizing the cycle of fourths as our basis for chord learning, we can gradually progress into more intricate shapes. It is vital that bassists become acquainted with all major key patterns. A good way to do this is taking a common progression like C – G – D – A as found in songs like The Beatles Let It Be and repeating it across each major key before moving onto other progressions such as C – F – Bb – Eb – Ab as found in The Rolling Stones Sympathy for the Devil.
Chords can also be enhanced using intervals, which are two notes within the same chord that sound identical when played separately. Intervals enable bassists to voice chords with less notes while still producing an impressive soundscape.
As you hone these basic chords, try adding bass lines that utilize some of the techniques discussed in previous bass guitar lessons on this website – such as slapping and popping – to form more complex chords and arrangements. This will add character and depth to the bass lines you play, helping them stand out among bandmates while contributing to overall song sound and feel.
An important choice when playing chords is whether to use a pick or fingers to play bass. Each has their own set of advantages and disadvantages, so each individual player should decide what works best for them. In general, picking up a pick allows faster, more fluid playing style; on the other hand, fingers produce more natural, organic sounds.
Tuning
Bass guitar tuning may appear complicated at first glance, but it needn’t be. By understanding the fundamentals and developing an ear for tone you can achieve more precise bass tuning while expanding your sound palette.
Once you’ve identified a reference string – such as the thickest bass string or open string on a bass’s e-string – play it and tune all other strings according to it. Keep this reference note with you while practicing so you can tune quickly and efficiently in any situation.
Electronic tuners make learning to tune your bass easier. Just ensure that you use one with quality in mind; many beginner errors include not reading and following through with instructions in their user manual, turning the tuning pegs too quickly, and not reviewing adjustments after making changes.
Some bassists choose to tune their instruments by ear rather than using an electronic tuner, and this method can also prove invaluable. To successfully do so, it requires understanding intervals and chord progressions so as to distinguish the differences in notes; additionally, using a reference pitch like piano or keyboard may prove handy when tuning by ear.
Once you’re comfortable tuning your bass, experiment with various tunings. Drop tunings – which involve lowering the pitch of your lowest bass string by half or whole steps – can add depth and weight to your bass sound; metal bands often use drop D tuning: D, A, D, G for example, which is five steps below standard tuning.
Remember to change your strings regularly in order to maintain fresh and in tune playing experience. Dirty or worn-out strings are difficult to tune and produce an unfocused, dull tone; to keep them sounding their best, clean your bass after every session by washing with warm water and wiping down with a dry cloth once finished playing. Also avoid subjecting it to drastic temperature or humidity fluctuations when not playing your instrument.