How to Play a Bass Guitar & the Placement of the Fingers
The key to learning bass guitar is developing good technique from the beginning. Bad technique engenders all sorts of bad habits that quickly can become obstacles and stumbling blocks in your progress as a bass player. Good technique involves the proper placement of the left and right hands. The bass guitar feels unnatural and awkward at first, and developing good bass technique eventually makes the bass feel more comfortable and easier to play. The most popular electric bass is the four-string bass. The strings are tuned E-A-D-G. It's best for a beginner to learn to play the four-string bass, but the same techniques also are applicable to five- and six-string basses.
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Instructions
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Holding the Bass
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Center the body of the bass around your belt buckle from a standing position. The position of the bass is a matter of taste to some degree, but this a good place to start to develop the proper technique. Place your left leg slightly forward, and place the body of the bass on the left leg if you are sitting.
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Rest your right forearm on the top of the bass. Your easily should be able to reach all four strings with the fingers of your right hand. Some bass players rest the thumb of the right hand on top of one of the bass pickups to provide extra support.
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Center the left-hand thumb behind the neck to easily reach across the neck with all four fingers of the left hand without blocking any strings. The thumb always remains invisibly hidden behind the neck while you are playing.
Right-Hand Technique
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4
Pluck the strings with the index and middle fingers. Play the fourth string several times, alternating between the index and middle finger each time the string is played. Repeat the exercise with the third, second and first strings. Playing the bass with the index and middle fingers is the most traditional way of playing the bass. Start slowly, and gradually increase the speed. Experiment with different rhythmic patterns and grooves.
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5
Pluck the strings with a guitar pick. The pick-style is a common technique used by rock bass players, especially punk rock and hard rock genres. It produces a more aggressive and crisper attack than playing with bare fingers. Hold the pick between the thumb and index finger. Play the fourth string with all down strokes. Make each note smooth and even. Repeat the exercise with the other three strings. Repeat the exercise alternating down and up strokes with the pick.
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6
Practice the slapping and popping techniques. This thumb-style technique is used by many funk-style players. The slapping effect is produce by hitting the strings with the side of the thumb rather than plucking the strings. Practice slapping the E string several times, and then the other strings. The popping effect is produced by the tip of your index finger under the string. Quickly pull your finger away from the string. The movement causes the string to move with your finger as your finger pops off the string. Practice with the G string.
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Combine the slapping and popping techniques. Slap the E string and pop the D string. Slap the A string and pop the G string.
Left-Hand Technique
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Practice string exercises for all the left-hand fingers. Use a numbering method, such as 1 (index finger), 2 (middle finger), 3 (ring finger) and 4 (little finger). Play 1-2-3-4 on the E, A, D and G strings. Alternate the finger pattern as many ways as possible, such as 1-3-2-4, 4-3-2-1 and so forth. Move the 1-2-3-4 pattern up and down the fretboard. The goal of the exercise is to make the fingers of the left hand familiar with the bass guitar. Keep the thumb behind the neck.
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9
Purchase a bass instruction book that outlines and diagrams chords and scales. Learn basic scales, arpeggios and chords on the bass. It is important to understand the fundamentals of music theory. Chords are constructed from particular notes of the scale. For example, the C major scale is C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. A C major chord is built from the root note, the third note of the scale and the fifth note of the scale. A C major scale, therefore, is C-E-G, which are the primary notes that a bass player plays. The bass is the glue that hold everything together. The notes of the chord are played in consecutive order to play an arpeggio. For example, C-E-G-C-G-E-C.
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10
Study bass patterns and grooves. Bass players rely on basic patterns for a variety of songs and styles. Once you learn a pattern with the left hand, it easily is moved up and down the fretboard. For example, a typical walking bass pattern in G is the following: G (second finger, third fret, E string), B (first finger, second fret, A string), D (fourth finger, fifth fret, A string), E (first finger, second fret, D string), G (fourth finger, fifth fret, D string). The G is the root note. Move up two frets on the E string, and start the pattern with the A on the fifth fret. The pattern stays the same, but you are playing an A major chord.
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