Gary Turner - Bass Guitar Lessons for Beginners: Teach Yourself How to Play Bass Guitar

The bass player, together with the drummer, form what is called the "rhythm section" of a group. They create the backing beat, driving force and "tightness" necessary for a successful group. Progressive Beginner Bass assumes you have no prior knowledge of music or playing the bass. In this book you will learn:

• How to read and play bass guitar music using standard music notation and also easy read TAB notation.
• Notes on all four strings including sharps ( # s) and flats ( b s).
• Scales, Riffs and Arpeggios so you can create your own bass lines.

After completing this book you will have a solid understanding of the bass guitar and will be ready for further study on specific styles of bass playing e.g., Rock, Blues, etc. All bass players should know all of the information contained in this book.

The best and fastest way to learn is to use this book in conjunction with.

• Buying sheet music and song books of your favorite recording artists and learning to play their songs.
• Practicing and playing with other musicians. You will be surprised how good a basic drums/bass/guitar combination can sound even when playing easy music.
• Learning by listening to your favorite recordings.

Particularly in the early stages it is helpful to have the guidance of an experienced teacher. This will also help you keep to a schedule and obtain weekly goals.

Approach to Practice

From the beginning you should set yourself a goal. Many people learn bass because of a desire to play like their favorite artist (e.g., Sting), or to play a certain style of music (e.g., Rock, Blues etc.). Motivations such as these will help you to persevere through the more difficult sections of work. As your playing develops it will be important to adjust and update your goals.

It is important to have a correct approach to practice. You will benefit more from several short practices (e.g., 15-30 minutes per day) than one or two long sessions per week. This is especially so in the early stages, because of the basic nature of the material being studied. In a practice session you should divide your time evenly between the study of new material and the revision of past work. It is a common mistake for semi-advanced students to practice only the pieces they can already play well. Although this is more enjoyable, it is not a very satisfactory method of practice. You should also try to correct mistakes and experiment with new ideas.

Bass Guitars

The following diagram illustrates the various parts of the bass guitar.

Amplifiers

Bass guitars have pickups (a type of inbuilt microphone) and need to be plugged into an amplifier (amp) to be heard. There are two main types of amplifiers.

1. Combo which has a combined amplifier and speaker cabinet.

2. Stack which has a separate amplifier "head" and speaker box.

Strings

Different types of strings can be used to create different sounds and feels. Round wound strings are the most popular strings for modern bass playing. The gauge varies between light, medium and heavy. A standard medium gauge would probably be the best to start with e.g., G = 45, D = 60, A = 80, E = 105. The heavier or thicker the gauge the "bigger" the sound will be. The lighter the strings the easier and faster you can play.