How to Play G on E String on Bass Guitar

Bass guitarists must be able to find individual notes easily and fretting a single note is one of the first exercises for the beginning player. Most popular music requires the bassist to play a G note on the E string very frequently. The following steps will show how to play G on the E string of a bass guitar.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Find the E string as the thickest and uppermost of the four strings on the bass guitar. It is called the E string because it plays an E in standard tuning when it is not fretted.

2. Find the third fret, usually marked with a dot on the side. The frets are the metal strips that go across the finger board and are positioned so that each successive fret increases the pitch of the string by a half-tone. Because the open string is E, the first fret is F, the second fret is Gb and the third fret is G.

3. Place a finger of your fretting hand on the E string just behind the third fret and hold it firmly to the third fret. Pluck the E string with the thumb or finger of your playing hand.

4. Check to see if you are fretting too far back. This will produce a characteristic buzzing and should prompt you to move your finger closer to the fret.

5. Listen for a muffled note. This could indicate that your finger is too far forward. You want your fretting finger as close to the fret as possible without actually being over it.