How to Play the Acoustic Bass

Video Transcript

"Hi, it's Steve Bauman from Summerhays Music in Murray, Utah, and we're talking about the bass today and this is an acoustic bass. The acoustic bass is kind of a mix between an electric bass and an acoustic guitar. It's like an electric bass because it's still held in the same way, it's not an upright bass. So it's held in the same way as a guitar or an electric bass is. And also it's played like an electric bass where you play with your first two fingers here. Except for instead of resting your fingers on a pickup, or your thumb rather, on a pickup, you're going to rest your thumb either on the top string here and just play like that. Or you're going to rest it up against the body. Or you're just going to float out and out there and just hit it with the two fingers. You can also play with a pick or with your fingers or however is comfortable for you. Now, the way that it's like an acoustic guitar is the way that it makes sound. 'Cause where on electric bass it makes sound based off the pickups, the magnetic pickups that pick up the sound, where an acoustic guitar or an acoustic bass the string vibrates, goes down through the sound hole, the sound bounces off the back and the sides of the instrument and it vibrates the top of the instrument. And so it projects the sound that way. Completely different, although there is also a preamp on most acoustic basses where you can plug it in and make an electric bass of course. So, this is Steve Bauman and for any questions or if you want to comment on any of this, go to Summerhaysmusic.com."