I haven't been playing bass very long. Since Christmas actually.
But I've gotten real good and I just figured that I would share
some lessons with begginers and advanced players. I will split
the lessons up into acouple exercises in each.
Some words you should all ready know:
—Fret
—Sharp
—Flat
—Measure
—Root Note
—Chord
*1— The Fret Board
G| —| A| —| B| C| —| D| —| E| F| —| G|
D| —| E| F| —| G| —| A| —| B| C| —| D|
A| —| B| C| —| D| —| E| F| —| G| —| A|
E| F| —| G| —| A| —| B| C| —| D| —| E|
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
The board above shows all the notes from the open position to
the 12th fret, at which all the notes repeat. The spaces with
hyphens(—) represent notes that are either sharp or flat. A
hyphened note can be called sharp or flat interchangable as
long as you put the right note in front of it. For example, all
the notes in the 6th fret are sharp/flat depending on which way
you come from. The E string is A sharp/B flat, the A being D sharp/E
flat, the D being G sharp/A flat, and the G string being C sharp/D
flat.
*2— Tone—Semitone Pattern
As you can see, there is a pattern in which the notes follow and
repeat. This is called the Tone—Semitone pattern. The following
shows the pattern in action.
A B—C D E—F G A
A full space above represents a tone, which means the notes are
a full step (two frets) apart. A hyphen(—) above represents
a semitone, which means the notes are a helf step (one fret) apart.
*3— Short Timing
There area only 4 different things in timing you should know
by now. A quarter note, eigth note, quarter rest, and eigth rest.
G|——————0—|——————00|————————|————————|
D|————0———|————00——|————————|————————| The stars(*) are rests.
A|——0—————|——00————|————0—*—|——*0*0——|
E|0———————|00——————|0—*—————|00——————|
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + <——— Each + Represents A Beat.
The first measure shows quarter notes, one note per beat. The
second shows eigth notes,
or two notes per beat. The third shows quarter note rests, one
rest per beat. And finally the fourth shows eigth note rests,
or one rest per every half beat.
*4— Turnaround Pattern #1
A Turnaround pattern is one of the many patterns that bass players
use to keep up with the guitar player. It consists of four root
notes. Here is an example.
C Am F G <———Shows Chord Used
G|————————|————————|————————|————————|
D|————————|————————|————————|————————|
A|3—3—3—3—|0—0—0—0—|————————|————————|
E|————————|————————|1—1—1—1—|3—3—3—3—|
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
The turnaround pattern can be started from any root note and
doesn't have to use just quarter notes. As long as you follow
the pattern, it can start anywhere. Here is the pattern...
|2|—|—|1|
|—|3|—|4|
The numbers DO NOT represent the frets. They represent the order
of which you hit the notes. For example, if you start on the 5th
fret of the A string then the pattern would be... 5th on the A,
2nd on the A, 3rd on the E, and 5th on the E.
*5— 12 Bar Blues Pattern #1
The 12 Bar Blues Pattern is just like the Turnaround Pattern
in which bass players use it to keep up with the guitar player.
Unlike the Turnaround Pattern... The 12 Bar Blues Pattern uses
only 3 root notes instead of 4, and 12 measures instead of 4. Here
is an example of one.
A A A A
G|————————|————————|————————|————————|
D|————————|————————|————————|————————|
A|0—0—0—0—|0—0—0—0—|0—0—0—0—|0—0—0—0—|
E|————————|————————|————————|————————|
D D A A
G|————————|————————|————————|————————|
D|0—0—0—0—|0—0—0—0—|————————|————————|
A|————————|————————|0—0—0—0—|0—0—0—0—|
E|————————|————————|————————|————————|
E D A E
G|————————|————————|————————|————————|
D|————————|0—0—0—0—|————————|————————|
A|————————|————————|0—0—0—0—|————————|
E|0—0—0—0—|————————|————————|0—0—0—0—|
Just like the Turnaround Pattern you dont have to use just the
root notes or quarter notes. And as long as you follow the pattern,
your good to go. Here is the Pattern.
|2|—|3|
|1|—|—|
Just like the Turnaround Pattern the numbers do not represent
the frets... they are the order inwhich you play the root note.
But of course unlike the Turnaround you do not just play through
the roots. There is a pattern in which the order you play them.
The pattern is simple...
1,1,1,1,2,2,1,1,3,2,1,3
So if you start on the 5th fret E string the pattern will be...
5th on the E four times, 5th on the A twice, 5th on the E twice, then
7th on the A, 5th on the A, 5th on the E, and 7th on the A.
Thats all I will show for now. I dont want to overload on the first
lesson.
—Jester
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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