Learning to play the Bass Guitar

1
Learning to play the Bass Guitar

• For Beginners, 5th grade and up!

2
The Bass Guitar

• The bass is one of the most interesting and
  overlooked instruments in the rock world.
• The bass provides the beat and the melody for the
  music, and is an integral part of a band.

3
Holding your Bass

• Sitting Down
• Have strap attached.
• Hold bass solidly by the neck with your left
  hand.
• Reach your right hand over the front and rest
  your thumb on the pick-up.
• Find a comfortable curve on the body to rest on
  your knee.

• Standing Up
• Make sure your strap is securely attached!
• Let your bass hang loosely from your shoulder.
• Position the strap and bass comfortably your
  left hand should be able to reach all the frets
  and your right hand should reach the strings.

4
I can only count to four.

• The strings on your bass are E, A, D, and G.
• The E string is the closest to the top, and the
  thickest, and the G string is the thinnest and at
  the bottom.

5
Dont Fret

• The frets on your bass are the metal strips lined
  up horizontally along the neck of your bass.
• Each fret shows you where to place your fingers
  to play a certain note.

6
Right Hand

• Your right hand should have be resting gently on
  the body, with your thumb braced against the
  pick-up.
• Using your index or middle finger, pull the E
  (1st) string. The harder you pull the louder it
  will sound, but dont pull too hard or hit the
  string.
• Dont pluck the string, just pull it, and then
  rest your finger back on your thumb.

7
Left Hand

• Your left hand moves up and down the neck of the
  bass as you play.
• Your thumb should be on the bottom of the neck,
  in the middle.
• Use your fingers to press hard where you want to
  play.
• Not on the fret itself, but right before it. The
  harder you press, the better the sound will be.
• It may be a little hard at first, but your
  fingers will get stronger.

8
Right and Left Together!

• As you press on a fret with your left hand, play
  the string that you are pressing on with your
  right hand.
• You can alternate frets and strings, and will
  soon find yourself making melodies.

9
Everybody Follows the Bassist

• To the right is an example of a band with a
  bassist who heavily influences the music -
  Interpol.
• The bass line in this song sets the tone for the
  entire song, and leads both the rhythm and
  melody.
• See if you can hear how the bass carries the
  entire song, despite his placement in the back.
• Also, look at how he uses his fretting hand to
  change tones by sliding up and down the fret
  board.

Video for Windows Media Player Video in Quicktime
10
Be Cool

• One thing youll notice about bass players is
  that they always look cool.
• While guitarists are going crazy and sweating on
  their strings, bassists are chilling in the back.
• There can be no lessons in being cool, but you
  will acquire it just by playing. )

11
Links

• Cyber Fret Bass
• Features audio and video, with free interactive
  lessons.
• Cyber School of Bass
• Website with free video, audio, and textual
  lessons for beginners and the more advanced.
• Active Bass
• Interactive website with lessons, tabs, and
  programs to experiment and create your own
  melodies on a virtual fret board.