A Beginner’s Guide to Mastering It
According to Fender, around 16 million Americans took up the guitar over the pandemic, bringing the total of guitar players to 72 million overall.
Some people can pick up the guitar and start strumming chords immediately, while others struggle to become proficient. A lot of the time, those who don’t click with the guitar think that they’ll pick up the bass instead. It’s only got 4 strings and you don’t need to play chords, so it must be easier, right?
There’s more to bass than you might realize. Is bass guitar easy to learn?
That’s what we’re here to discuss today and the answer might surprise you. Keep reading and we’ll give you a short beginner’s guide to get started on the right foot with your bass guitar techniques.
Table of Contents
Understanding the Bass
The bass guitar plays an important role in any type of instrument-based music. In many ways, it ties a band together, acting as the bridge between rhythm and melody.
A bass player in a band needs to know what everyone else is doing. They need to remain glued to the rhythm of the drums while providing the melodic guide for the guitars, vocals, and other instruments.
Many bass players play a subdued role, especially in rock music. People like John Paul Jones, Mike Watt, and Sting keep things simple but powerful. Other ass players take a more up-front approach when it comes to melody – think of Paul McCartney, Geddy Lee, or Flea.
Then you’ve got bass players who are complete virtuosos, like Thundercat, Jaco Pastorius, or Bootsy Collins. These players changed how people thought about the bass and what it can do in popular music.
The point is that there are levels to playing bass. You’ve got to start with the basics and see where the instrument takes you. At the same time, you can inject your personality into your playing and experiment with different styles.
Is Bass Guitar Easy to Learn?
No instrument is easy to learn, but the bass guitar is easier to wrap your head around than the piano, drums, or even the guitar. Fundamentally, it’s fairly simple, but getting to the level of any of the people mentioned above will take many years of practice and repetition.
When you’re starting, one of the most difficult parts of playing bass is developing strength in your fingers. The strings are a much heavier gauge than regular guitar strings, so you need to push down harder on the frets to get the right sound. You’ll need to develop strong calluses on your fingertips as well, which can take time.
The other tricky thing about playing bass is precision. Drummers and guitar players are notorious for playing all over the song, so figuring out where the bass fits in can be difficult. When you hear musicians talk about “feel”, they’re referring to a bass player’s ability to feel out the notes and rhythm they should be playing.
You don’t need a deep understanding of music theory to become a great bass player, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Learning your way around a fretboard is easier when you understand scales, modes, notation, and tablature.
Beginner Bass Guitar Tips
The good news is that anyone can learn bass guitar basics. If you want to learn bass guitar fast, starting bass guitar lessons is the best move. Here are a few key tips to get you going:
Bass Guitar Anatomy
Knowing your way around the bass guitar before you pick it up will help fast-track you to playing your favorite songs. There are 4 basic components of the bass guitar:
- The body
- The neck
- The headstock/tuning pegs
- The fretboard
The body is the largest and heaviest part of the bass guitar. Most electric basses are solid wood and contain all of the electronic components that make the bass work when you plug it in.
The neck is the long part that protrudes from the body and contains the fretboard, where you place your fingers and choose notes. At the end of the neck is the headstock, which contains the tuning pegs that you turn to keep the bass in tune.
Using Your Hands
Coordination is an important part of playing the bass. Start by figuring out if you’re more comfortable playing left or right-handed.
Most bass players are right-handed, so they pluck notes with their right hand and use their left hand on the fretboard. Left-handed bass players do the opposite.
Bass players also get to choose whether to pluck notes with their fingers or a pick/plectrum. Most beginners will find it easier to play with a pick, as there’s more technique involved with using your fingers.
To start playing, place your palm against the back of the neck with your fingers wrapped around the bottom of the fretboard. Choose a string and fret, place your index or middle finger down on it, and pluck that string with your pick or finger. If the note sounds dull or buzzy, you need to press harder.
Learn Bass Tabs
If you’re starting bass lessons, you may learn how to read sheet music. This will give you a better understanding of music theory in the long run, but tablature can get you playing your favorite songs much faster.
Bass tabs tell you where to place your fingers on the fretboard. You’ll see four lines, corresponding to the four strings (the bottom line is the lowest string – the E string). The number written on the line tells you which fret to place your finger on.
Tablature isn’t as instructive as sheet music regarding tempo, rhythm, and pauses, so you’ll need to develop your ear. The best thing to do is play along with the song while looking at the tabs and keep practicing until it sounds right.
Top 10 Easy Slap Bass Songs for Beginners
Start Playing Bass ASAP
Instead of asking, “Is bass guitar easy to learn?”, you should ask yourself how much work you’re willing to put in. All instruments are difficult if you don’t practice.
After you learn the basics, play your favorite songs as much as possible and you’ll start to unlock your potential. If you need more tips, tricks, or general music advice, please return to us for more helpful bass-related info.
