Learning How To Play Bass Guitar

The bass player used to have a secondary role to the lead guitarist in early rock bands. In the late nineteen sixties Jack Bruce changed all that with his radical soloist’s approach to the bass. All the same the bass could still be seen as something of a percussion instrument which is felt in the body as much as it is listened to with the ears and mind.

If you are considering taking up the bass guitar you may have already gone through the rites of passage of a guitar player – the forming of callouses on the finger tips and learning to read sheet music or tab. The first thing you could do is listen to a few bass players and decide whether you are going to use a pick or your fingers to play bass guitar.

If you use a pick make sure you start by choosing a few of the heavier ones to experiment with. If you settle on being a bass guitarist who uses his fingers to play, you will be learning some techniques that involve slapping, snapping and plucking.

There’s a few different types of bass guitar. The common or garden bass has four strings which play the notes E A D G. There are also five and six string basses which give you much more room for self expression.

This video will give you a good start with how to play bass guitar . . .