Lead Gen, Associate, and SEO Guru Adam Torkildson

There is little that proves more daunting for young bass players than realizing just how physically demanding it is to play bass. As novices watching our favorite bassists on video we think, “That doesn’t look so hard! I can do that!”

Take a regular guitar (which is tuned from the thickest to the lowest string- E – A – D – G – B – E) and exclude the two thinnest strings at the bottom and what is left is basically a bass guitar with thinner strings. Bass playing is usually note-oriented and not chord-oriented. This means that single notes are hit more often in bass playing and this scheme is the essential element of bass playing, one should be familiar with the tunings and the notes in a regular guitar to be able to decently play the bass guitar.

A bass guitar is heavy and cumbersome to carry around, because of all the supporting gadgets that come with it, not to mention the long cables that accompany all of the gadgets. Bass guitars are expensive to purchase, and also tough to learn. But these are indispensable in any pop or rock band. A bass guitar can indeed be the most prized possession of a devoted bassist.

Bass players want to be able to play the type of leads, licks and arpeggio runs that the pro players are doing, yes since most bass players have a really poor knowledge of their fretboard patterns and their application of them is so limited that it becomes a set back to their ability to play more and do more with their instrument. Not only do they need to know the right pattern to use and how to execute them in many different ways, but they also need to know how to practice with them. Regular practice with the proper set of fretboard patterns is a necessary component of becoming a seasoned player, time must be spent with practice, but it is important to know how to practice so that hours a day are not spent with insufficient result.

It can be played by plucking, slapping, tapping, popping, or by picking the strings with a pick. The bass guitar looks somewhat similar to an electric guitar, but with a larger, heavier body, a longer scale length, and a longer neck. The bass guitar usually has four strings, tuned one octave lower in pitch than the four lower strings of a guitar.

It is clearly not enough to know how to play your favorite instrument; you should always be looking to find new techniques and ways of playing. Learn blues bass guitar and rock the house. You may prefer a particular style of music over many others and when you begin learning a new instrument but perhaps over time, you will develop a fondness for other styles or genres.

The next link in the chain would be the choice of bass guitar. A $10 flea market bought bass would sound radically different from a $1000 Warwick, so choose which one suits the music wisely. Choice of strings (roundwound, flatwound, etc) also influences the resulting sound and character of the bass, as well as its behavior in interacting with the bassist’s fingers.

Learning your bass patterns from alternate views of music theory and fretboard theory will result in a large impact on your bass playing skill, which is what being a great bass player is all about. For example traditional patterns, modern patterns, in position and out of position patterns need to be an integral part of your bass lessons.

Are you serious about wanting to improve you bass guitar playing? If you are, then one of the most productive things you can do is work on your scales. It has even been said that the level of your scale playing pretty much determines the level of your bass playing overall! I have designed these exercises to help you to develop a more accurate sense of rhythm and to improve the speed and agility of your bass guitar scales.

Getting a guitar strap can help your hands focus on playing instead of carrying the instrument. It is advisable to keep your fingernails trimmed so that they do not interfere with the sound. Blisters signify the first signs of learning. They hurt a lot, but eventually you will get used to them and eventually calluses will develop to protect you from the sting.

If your strings ever break mysteriously at the bridge, check your saddles. If there are any string “bite” marks, snags or burrs on the saddles, it means that they are wearing down your strings and the constant vibration of the strings makes the burrs act like little saws on the windings of the string. Eventually the core gives in – and POW, there goes a string – and possibly an eyeball.

Beginner bass players should learn these right away to save them years of time, trouble and frustration, but that most often never happens for them. Intermediate bass players have to have some patterns under their belt to even be at an intermediate level, however, they are usually the most frustrated players because they feel like they are getting somewhere with their instrument, but the are so held up with partial information that they can’t move beyond where they are at.

The lst note of the exercise will be the first notes of the sixteenth note exercise. Another important thing to develop in bass playing is the strength of both hand’s fingers. The bass guitar is a sturdy and solid musical instrument, strength is needed to play it.

NEVER SING if you feel uncomfortable about it. NEVER HARMONIZE if you’re not sure what notes to hit with the lead singer. Avoid “falsetto vocals” if at all possible. Falsetto only belongs when you are driving in the car, ALONE, and with your favorite CD playing

This means that in the future you may feel the benefits from experiencing some different styles of playing bass guitar in your development period. This means that bass lessons can be invaluable at any stage of your playing career as there is always time to learn new skills and styles. People should always try to evolve and develop new skills and even their musical preferences can change over time.

Feel the beat, playing the bass guitar differs primarily from playing a regular guitar because it entails an emphasis on the beat of the music. One can compare the bass guitar into a drum or percussion set that is made into a guitar. Beats are very important in playing bass guitar because this type of guitar gives depth and timing to any song.