How to Play Electric Bass Guitar

The bass guitar is a staple of nearly any type of band. You play the electric bass guitar a lot like a standard guitar, although the bass has only four strings. Follow these steps and you'll be playing bass like a pro.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Bass guitar
• ampliflier
• Cord
• Guitar picks
• Paper and a pen or pencil

1. Set up your bass guitar. Plug in the amplifier and the instrument, and turn it to a reasonable volume.
2. Practice playing one note on one string. The way your hand acts on the strings is ultra-important for the bass. Get used to repetitive one-note playing.
3. Practice switching strings. Play a series of notes that goes up or down from one string to the next.
4. Choose a pick style of play or a non-pick style. Picking is probably easier, but it's your choice. Stick to one or the other until you get comfortable.
5. Draw a fretboard. Study where notes are on the fretboard. The four strings of a bass guitar are tuned the same as the four bottom strings of a guitar, so they have the same notes in the same places.
6. Speed up slowly. Work on gradually improving your speed. Taking it too fast can lead to discouragement.
7. Learn advanced bass guitar with tools like scales and tablature. Study how your bass guitar idols play. Each has his or her own style that can be instructive.

Tips & Warnings

• Look for bass guitar "tablature" that shows how bass solos or bass lines are played. You don't need music theory to read tablature, and for a bassist, who doesn't use as many notes, it is practical.
• Don't use a guitar amplifier for your bass guitar. Using a regular guitar amplifier can hurt the amp if it doesn't have enough low register to process the sound of your bass. The amp doesn't have to be huge, but it has to be made for bass guitar playing.