Things You'll Need:
- Bass fiddle
- Bow
- Electronic tuner
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Step 1
Bass stringsTune your bass. The bass fiddle contains four strings: E (the thickest, lowest string), A, D, and G (the thinnest, highest string). Using an electronic tuner, tune each string until its pitch matches the tone of the tuner.
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Step 2
Understand an octave. An octave is an interval between the same musical notes. On a chromatic scale, an octave is separated by 12 semitones. For example, the low E string (the root) and the E note played on the D string (the octave note, typically played with the first finger on the fingerboard) are an octave apart. They are essentially the same note--in this case, an E--yet they reside at different parts of the chromatic scale and thusly at different frequencies. To a beginning bassist, two notes played in a perfect octave such as this will sound the same, with the simple difference being that one will have a lower frequency than the other (in this case, the root E).
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Step 3
Play an E octave. Any octave can be played on the bass fiddle by first playing a note and then moving two strings over and two positions up the fingerboard to find the second, higher note of the octave. This is the simplest octave pattern. With either your bow or plucking finger, play the bottom E string. Then place your first finger on the D string to play the octave E.
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Step 4
Play an E octave on adjacent strings. Two notes of an octave can also be on adjacent strings, though this is a rarer pattern usually utilizing an open (unfingered) string. In this case, begin by playing the open low E string once again. This time, find the octave E on the adjacent A string. This requires you to move your fingering hand down the fingerboard farther than you would if you were playing a first finger E note on the D string. An E note on the A string is seven semitones above the open A.
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Step 5
Play a G octave. Place your first finger on the low E string and play the root G note. Then, on the D string (two strings over), place your third finger on the string to locate the octave G note (two positions up). If you have trouble reaching the octave G with your third finger, try using your fourth finger instead.
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Step 6
Once you've mastered the perfect octave, you can begin trying variations. An augmented octave is separated by 13 semitones (one more semitone than a perfect octave, such as a G-natural to G-sharp) and usually can be played with the same finger positions and stretching the finger that plays the octave note. Likewise, a diminished octave is separated by 11 semitones (one less semitone than a perfect octave, like G-natural to G-flat). In this case the octave finger would simply move back up the fingerboard one semitone to achieve the diminished octave note.
