Here's four tips for begining bass players:
1) Play with a metronome!
If you do this, your concept of time will be great!
Don't worry about not getting it right away.
If you practice with it everyday for a little you'll get it!
2) Always have control of your hands.
The Right Hand:
one exercise that really helps is droning on a note like this:
G|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
D|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
A|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
E|5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—|5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—|5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—|5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—|
|1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
Rh|1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 |1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 |1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 |1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 |
*make sure you alternate between your 1st and 2nd fingers always*
*if you're using a pick, make sure you alternate down then up*
As you're playing this, (with a metronome going at a slow/medium tempo)
Make sure every note is at the same volume.
This will give your hands and ears an idea of how to be steady while playing.
After you practice that,
start practicing your dynamics by playing softer and softer.
After you practice that,
start getting louder and louder
then come back to a middle ground.
Fluctuating between soft and loud (INTENTIONALLY) will establish your dynamic range.
This is very important because you want to be able to play at a varity of volumes.
when you start to get a very good understanding of this,
try the same thing with bass lines you know or made.
The Left Hand:
It's very important to make sure all four of your fingers are all strong
Here's a good exercise for practicing left hand stregnth:
G|————————————————|————————1—2—3—4—|4—3—2—1—————————|————————————————|
D|————————————————|1—2—3—4—————————|————————4—3—2—1—|————————————————|
A|————————1—2—3—4—|————————————————|————————————————|4—3—2—1—————————|
E|1—2—3—4—————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————4—3—2—1—|
|1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
Lh|1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 |4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 |4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 |
(Notice that the finger number matches up with the fret number)
*Check out my 5 finger exercises tab for more exercises*
3) The Golden Rule of Root Notes
If you're playing with a band and you have no idea what to do,
just play the root of whatever the guitar player is doing!
let's say the guitar player is playing something like this:
E|3—————3—3—————3—|3—————3—3—————3—|3—————3—3—————3—|3—————3—3—————3—|
B|3—————3—3—————3—|3—————3—3—————3—|3—————3—3—————3—|3—————3—3—————3—|
G|0—————0—0—————0—|0—————0—0—————0—|0—————0—0—————0—|0—————0—0—————0—|
D|2—————2—2—————2—|2—————2—2—————2—|2—————2—2—————2—|0—————0—0—————0—|
A|3—————3—3—————3—|2—————2—2—————2—|0—————0—0—————0—|2—————2—2—————2—|
E|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|3—————3—3—————3—|
|1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
If you have no idea what to do, just play the bottom note (The Root Note)!
G|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
D|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
A|3—————3—3—————3—|2—————2—2—————2—|0—————0—0—————0—|————————————————|
E|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|3—————3—3—————3—|
|1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
That's all you really need to do!
Notice how you're doing the same rhythm as well.
Always be aware of what is happening rhythmically!
It's one of the most important things a player should be aware of.
Once you get more comfortable with playing the root notes,
you can begin to experiment with fills and such.
4) Regiment and Relax
Everytime you sit down and practice you want to give yourself a goal.
It doesn't have to be (and really shouldn't be) anything crazy.
It's really important to give yourself small, manageble goals.
This way you can accomplish something and not drive yourself insane!
If you find yourself very frustrated and not getting anywhere,
just get up and take a break!
you're not doing yourself any good getting angry.
It's very easy to overwhelm yourself when playing.
There is so much to learn and so much to experience!
but don't let that bother you, it's the best part about music!
Always remember to breathe when you're playing.
make sure you're comfortable.
and remember...it's music! it's the greatest thing in the world if you get into it!
I hope this has helped.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
—just3boyz
Bass tablature (tabs) is an easy way to learn songs without needing to read traditional sheet music. Here’s a quick guide to understanding the symbols and techniques commonly found in tabs:
Each line in a tab represents a string on your bass:
Numbers on the lines indicate which fret to press. For example:
G|-------------------|
D|-------------------|
A|---3---------------|
E|-------------------|
This means you play the 3rd fret on the A string.
Play the first note by picking it, then press down on a higher fret with another finger without picking again.
G|-------------------|
D|-------5h7---------|
Pluck a note and then "pull off" your finger to let a lower fret ring.
G|-------------------|
D|-------7p5---------|
Move your finger up (/) or down (\) the fretboard while maintaining pressure.
G|-------------------|
D|-------5/7---------|
G|-------7b9---------|G|-------7~----------|Tabs don’t always indicate timing, so listen to the song while reading the tab. Wider spaces between numbers mean longer pauses, while closer numbers indicate quicker notes.
Tabs are a great tool to learn songs, but mastering the techniques takes practice. Listen carefully to the original track and play along to lock in the rhythm. Don’t rush — smooth, accurate playing is more important than speed. Happy jamming! 🎸
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