How to Play the Upright Bass by Ear
The upright bass is known by many names, including stand-up bass, contrabass and bass fiddle. The upright bass is a versatile instrument found in symphony orchestra, chamber music, bluegrass, jazz and even country and rockabilly music. This gives bass players who use this instrument a range of playing technique options. The upright bass has the same notes as a traditional bass guitar. For those musicians who don't read music and want to play the upright bass by ear, the approach is similar to learning traditional bass, or any instrument, by ear. All it takes is the dedication to practice regularly and an ear-training method.
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Instructions
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Get familiar with your upright bass. The open strings are G, D, A, E from thinnest to thickest. Since you want to play by ear, it isn't necessary to know how to read music, but a basic understanding of the note names on your bass can be helpful to you when remembering positions of the songs you learn.
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Play any music you enjoy, but consider starting with something that uses a double bass simply. Bluegrass is a good choice. The bass lines are typically simple, therefore easier to hear. Get comfortable with your bass, either seated or standing, and begin with the open strings. Listen to the song until you have a feel for the bass notes being played on the recording. Try to repeat what you hear on the open strings.
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Place your fingers on the neck of the bass if the notes you hear rise in pitch. It may be difficult for you to hear at first, or what you play may immediately sound off key to you. It takes a while to train your ear to hear the different notes. At first, you'll concentrate on simply listening for a pitch to go up or down and move your fingers accordingly.
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Be patient. If you are trying to play along to a CD and can't keep up, stop and get your bearings, then start again when you feel ready. Even if you aren't playing along with the notes in time, you will get better at it as you continue to practice. Listen carefully, and if you can hit only every other note or every couple of notes, that's fine in the beginning. Give yourself time. Persistence is the key.
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Tips & Warnings
Purchase a book of chords for the upright bass at a music store and spend a little time each day playing the notes of the chord separately. This will help train your ear to sounds. Eventually, it will pay off because you will find yourself naturally gravitating to the right notes when you play by ear.
Practice playing every day, trying to copy anything you hear. Your ear will develop with time.
Use the tone mixers on your CD player to bring the bass up so you can hear it better.
