PLAY GUITAR: [HOME] Part 1: The Basics. Part 2: Diggin’ In. Part 3: Playing Bass. Part 4: Chords & Songs

BEGINNER BASS GUITAR

It is probably important for someone who wants to play the bass to first learn how to play guitar. It has been said that bass players were just frustrated guitar players. They couldn't handle the tips of their fingers being sore!

Playing beginning bass is very easy because you only really have to worry about 1 string at a time. Find where the fret positions for G, C, D, Em, and Am are and you can play Step by Step before the guy learning how to play guitar. Once you learn that, you can go on to discover that the bass is much more complex and interesting to play.

There are (usually) only four strings on a bass (there are five and six-string guitars.). They are basically the four bigger strings on the guitar only 1 full octave lower - E, A, D, G. You can refer to the fretboard on the previous page to find where you should place your finger to get the desired note you want. The 4 bass strings would be strings 3-6 of the guitar and numbered 1-4 for the bass. You may use your fingers on your right hand to pluck the strings or you can use a heavier pick. Each one has a different sound. You should practice using both. Most people use a pick to get a cleaner sound.

READING BASS NOTES

When you play guitar you are usually playing the tune of the song. The bass plays a lower sound that is sometimes different from the melody that the guitar is playing. The bass plays notes instead of chords and is played differently. When reading a lead sheet (like the songs in the back with the chords above the words), a guitarist plays the chord he sees above the word.

The bass player plays the same root chords. If the guitar chord is G, the bass player plays a G note on the bass. If the guitar chord is a G/B, then bass player plays the B note and not the G chord. That signifies a different chord for the guitar player. He/she is going to play a G chord but the lowest note would be a B.

If the chord is C/E, then the guitar player will play a C chord (with an E in the bass or the top string), but the bass player will play an E note on the bass (which would probably be either played with an open 1st or top string OR 5th strings, 7th fret, OR 4th string, 2nd fret. Look at the fretboard and find the places where you could play an E note (strings 3-6) and play them. (You can even do this on the guitar.)

The bass plays only the major root of the chord. For example, when the band is playing an Em, the bass player simply plays an E. Gm7 is played G on the bass. This is basic bass playing. There is more to learn about bass runs, playing alternative notes, etc. Look at the song Good to Me and notice the bass notes to the right of the regular chords.

Take a Walk

As you get better, you will notice that you can “walk” to the next note. If you are playing the C note (2nd string from top, 3rd fret) and the next note you need to play is G, you can “walk there. Play C, then the B (1 fret toward the nut), then the open string (just pluck the A string), then G. You can walk back up from G to C by plucking the A, B, and finally C.

Learn your 5ths

To expand your bass skills, learn the 5ths of the note you are playing. If you are playing a G note, the 5th of G is … come on… yes, D. You can “rock back and forth” from G to D to G for added interest.

Octaves

Another beginner trick is to learn where the octaves are on the fretboard for the chords you are playing. For example, back to our G. On the base, if you move up two strings (physically down, but in sound up), and up two frets (toward the neck), then you have found the octave (one whole scale up: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G). You can play the G on the low E string and then pluck the G note up two strings and up two frets (again you will be going from low E to the D string).

Play with This Interactive Bass Fretboard

You can learn the bass fretboard really well with this Knteractive Bass Fretboard. Click on it and have some fun.

RHYTHM AND THE BASS

Playing the bass on a beginning level is different than the guitar because you don't strum. The bass and the drummer can carry the rhythm. You will pluck the bass string at the chord and then depending on the rhythm of the song, you may pluck that same note again. You can change the beat of a song, by playing with a syncopated pluck of the strings. Or you may simply play the bass note and hold it until the next note needs to be played.
You can use your guitar's top four strings to practice bass techniques. For practice, examine the top two strings of your guitar, or bass if you have one, and locate the notes G, D, C, G, E, D, C, and A on the fretboard on the previous page. Play Step by Step by plucking that one string at a time, with your finger in the correct position on the fretboard. Remember that Em is played as an E on the bass, and Am is played as an A.

PLAY GUITAR: [HOME] Part 1: The Basics. Part 2: Diggin’ In. Part 3: Playing Bass. Part 4: Chords & Songs