Easy Way to Learn to Play the Bass
It is possible to learn to play the bass guitar fairly quickly. A bass guitar joke concerns a 15-year-old boy who learns the names of the four bass guitar strings, E-A-G-B, during his first lesson. As he is leaving the house with his bass, the next week his father asks him if he is going to his next lesson. He says, "No, I've got my first gig." Learning how to play bass is a bit more complicated; however, you will be surprised how quickly you will be able to jam.
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Instructions
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Buy an electric guitar tuner. Electric guitar tuners allow you to easily and flawlessly tune your bass guitar. It is essential that the bass be in tune. You are developing your ear at the same time as you are developing your bass skills. Simply plug a guitar cable into your bass and the opposite end of the cable into the tuner. Turn the tuner on and tune the bass. The standard tuning for bass guitar is E-A-D-G.
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Practice rhythm exercises with a metronome on four open strings. The role of the bass guitar is to lay down a groove and to function as a timekeeper. Use the metronome to develop your sense of time. Set it to click at a slow pace, clicking four beats per measure, 1-2-3-4. Play the following series on the E string: whole note (the note lasts for four beats), half notes (the notes lasts for two beats), quarter notes (one note per beat) and eighth notes (two notes per beat). Play the same exercises on the other three strings.
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Practice more complicated rhythmic exercises. Incorporate rests and stops into the exercises. For example, play quarter notes but only on the first and third beat. Make sure the strings are silent on the 2 and the 4. Add a pick up note on the second half of beat 4. Each beat, in the 1-2-3-4 series of 4/4 time has a down beat and an up beat. Count 4/4 time as 1&2&3&4&. The 1-2-3-4 is the down beat and the "&" is the upbeat. Playing on the upbeat anticipates and helps to drive the downbeat that follows.
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Learn the chromatic scale. The chromatic scale has 12 notes. Learning the scale will teach you the bass guitar fretboard. At this point, focus only on the first four frets of each strings. The E string is E (open), F(1st fret), F# (2nd fret), G (3rd fret), G# (4th fret). The A string is A (open), A# (1st fret), B (2nd fret), C (3rd fret), C# (4th fret). The D string is D(open string), D# (1st fret), E (2nd fret), F (3rd fret), F# (4th fret). The G string is G (open), G# (1st fret), A (2nd fret), A# (3rd fret), B (4th fret).
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Develop a basic knowledge of chord theory. This is not as intimidating as it sounds. Chords are built by adding three or more notes together. A good instructional bass book or DVD will lay out the chords for you. Chords can be divided into three categories: major, minor and dominant seventh chords. Major chords have three notes: the root note, the major 3rd and the major 5th. For example, a C major chord is C-F-G. A minor chord has three notes: the root, the minor 3rd and the major 5th. A C minor chord is C -E flat -G. (E-flat is the same note as D#). A dominant seven chord has four notes: the root, the major 3rd, the major 5th and the flatted 7th. A C7 chord is C-F-G- B flat (B flat is the same as A#).
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Learn some basic bass patterns. The most common patterns are (1) Root and 5th. Playing against a C major chord you would play C and G. The C is played on beat one and the G on beat 3. (2) A typical boogie woogie/ blues pattern, using a C major chord, is C-E-G-A-C or root-3-5-6-octave. (3) Stay on the root note. A typical rock pattern simply plays eighth notes using only the root note. A rock bass line for an A chord is simply A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A.
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Play with other musicians. This is essential in developing your chops as a bass player. Playing in a band situation, giving special attention to the drummer, is the quickest and most effective way to develop as a bass player.
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Tips & Warnings
Take private one-on-one lessons with a good bass instructor. Supplement your lessons with good instructional books and DVDs. Search online for free online bass lessons. Watch and study professional bass players. Read interviews with your bass heroes.
References
- Photo Credit Bass Guitar image by JMS from Fotolia.com
