How to Play Octaves on the Bass Guitar

The octave is the marker of the chromatic scale. It's important to know your octaves when navigating the fretboard of any stringed instrument including the bass guitar. The octave in bass guitar can also come in handy as a relatively quick and easy way to get rhythm, as the bass guitar is really usually used as a rhythm instrument.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Choose a key. Wherever you put your index finger on the low string, that note is your "key" for your octave. For example, putting your finger on the first fret of the low E string makes it an F note (and an F key for an octave).

2. Locate the space 2 frets above your low note.

3. Put your ring finger on this fret on the string 2 strings up from where your index finger is.

4. Press down firmly on the fret you have found and pick the note to hear how it sounds. The note you've found should be an F, one octave higher than the F you have selected on the bottom string.

5. Try alternating the 2 notes in rhythm when you're comfortable with your octave and your playing will start to sound like something you've heard done by experienced bass guitar players as a stock riff in various kinds of music.

Tips & Warnings

• Stay on the low string. Technically, you can do your octaves on the second and fourth strings of the bass as well, but although opinions vary, unless you're showboating or you need a high sound, you don't need to go up to the higher set of strings.
• If you need to check your octave, one way is to use the traditional vocal system for a major scale. Just sing "do re mi fa so la ti do." Then sing the 2 "do" notes, the low and the high, and listen to how they sound. That's an octave. Match this against the notes you've selected on the bass guitar to see if you have a true octave.