Erix Bass Guitar Tips » Playing

Playing Bass Guitar For Beginners

Eric — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 19:54:16 +0000

Playing Bass Guitar For Beginners

Playing bass guitar| can be easy to learn but can also be hard to become an advanced player. The bass guitar is fairly easy to get started on and most people can pick up the basics and start playing after a couple of lessons. The first question you ask yourself, “Is playing bass guitar what I want to play?” That is the most important thing because as everyone knows when you want to get started in something it will require a small investment. With today’s economy no one wants to spend money on something they are not sure of. I did not start out to learn bass guitar, I started on acoustic guitar and played that for quite a few years, then began playing in a small band. As the band grew, we then needed a bass guitar player so I put down the acoustic and started playing bass guitar. The point is that I had put out the money to get set up in two different instruments, now that is ok if that is your plan to play two different things..

The next thing you should think about is your musical talent and if you are ready to put in the time to learn bass guitar, because when I say it is easy to learn, it is, if you put in the time and practice. The following are my suggestions you’ll need to do to start playing the bass:

1. Practice, where you can play without distractions and practice every day.
2. Purchase. If you want to play an acoustic bass, be sure that is what you want to play because acoustic basses are more expensive than electric basses. It all depends on your own taste and what kind of music and who you are going to play with. Start with a cheaper, but good quality bass.

3. Start playing, just to get the feel, it doesn’t matter if you have never played before, you are just taking the first step to get the feel, because every bass guitar player has his or her own style and with playing bass guitar you will soon develop your own style.
4. Purchase an online lesson program, for the basics to learn bass guitar. Playing the bass with an online program is the best way to learn on your own without costing as much as private lessons, see get started with online bass guitar lessons|. Try not to learn from a friend because it can lead you to a style that is not yours, work on creating your own style. That is why I recommend playing bass guitar from a lesson program.

5. Picks or fingers, If you want to learn with a pick, buy a bass pick because there is a difference between a bass pick and a guitar pick. If you are after that natural sound then use your fingers. The choice is totally up to you and the kind of sound you want to play. Again, this all fits in with your type of style to learn bass guitar.
6. Number of strings, 4, 5 or 6 but being a beginner I would recommend a classic four string bass. The four string is easier to learn from the obvious fact that it has only four strings.
7. The notes, Try to learn all the notes on the neck. This will be an ongoing learning lesson as you get more comfortable with the guitar, and always remember every time your playing bass guitar you will be improving your style. With a bass guitar lesson program you will be able to learn on your own, in your own time.
8. Learn the notes to play, there are two things in most bands, to help with the rhythm and to emphasize the root notes for the punch that the band needs to create the depth.
9. The scales. Your scales are the start of all your bass lines and patterns and you will use them to create new things all the time. When you are trying to learn bass guitar you should always keep experimenting with new things.

10. The musicians. You need to listen to the band as a whole, not just other bassists. Listen to the drummer who keeps the time and rhythm and play along with him.

11. The techniques. Play around with different things as you get better, chords, notes and other patterns when you get comfortable with the basics.
12. The rhythm. Playing bass guitar requires you to have rhythm, so practice with your favorite song or bass player. Playing along with the song is one of the easiest ways to learn the rhythm.
13. Listen to the song. To learn bass guitar, listening to a song can be a great lesson in itself. When you listen, try to pick out all the different parts and instruments and it will help you pick up the rhythm and feel so you can play along.

14. Familiar songs. Start with playing along with songs that you know because it will help you with the timing and rhythm. This is a great way for a beginner to get started.

15. Play with people. Playing bass guitar with other people can also be one of the best learning techniques. Whether you’re a beginner or not, playing with a group or just one person is a great way to work on your style and learn to play with other instruments.
16.The progress. Don’t let it get to you if you do not progress like you wanted, it will come. Sometime you might have to stop and take a break for a little while just to reflect and digest it all. But make sure you come back because this is why you started in the first place. Playing bass guitar can be self taught and with practice you will be playing in no time. Always remember to start with the basics and take as long as you need.

The big question is, “Can I teach myself?” the answer is “Yes!” to learn bass guitar from online lessons with a little time and practice, you can teach yourself just about anything. You have to ask yourself, “What direction do I want to go?”, “Do I want to just play by myself?”, or “Do I want to play in a band or just jam with friends?”

Playing music is fun, but there is a price to pay and that is time and patience. You need to practice. The following guideline below is a good start for a beginner’s practice session, but can be anything you want, just don’t get burned out.
1. Warm up with anything (5 minutes) helps loosen up your fingers.
2. The scales (5 minutes) helps with memory ( brain to fingers).
3. Pattern exercises (5 minutes) helps with dexterity.
4. The song itself (10-15 minutes+) this is what everyone wants to get to.
5. Cool down (? minutes) play anything (could be scales again).

Everyone wants to grt to the song right away, but in order to do so, you need to practice the first three steps first. If playing bass guitar is your goal, you will succeed and with online bass guitar lessons, you will learn all the techniques needed to reach your goal.

But always remember to learn bass guitar does not have to be complicated. For example, listen to the Beatles or any number of bass players that just play basic bass parts, but what they have is feel and the groove of the song. If you can play with the feel and get the groove and the timing you’ve reached your goal, for now, advanced stuff will come later. When you practice, play with a metronome (it is a small device that helps you keep time just as the drummer keeps time in a band).

This article was written by Tommy Combs and he is also the webmaster of http://www.playbasseasy.com/ check out this blog http://playbasseasy.blogspot.com/

Slap Bass Lesson 5 with Double Thumb Technique

Eric — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 09:23:51 +0000

This lesson is more advanced. It has pull-offs, hammer-ons, double thumb technique, sliding double stops and double plucking ghost notes. Its part of my “slap bass groove 5″ video @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhx9ukqIJgQ

Duration : 0:2:30

Playing Melodies: Bass Guitar Lessons : How to Play “When the Saints” on Bass

Eric — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:58:38 +0000

Play “When the Saints Go Marching In” on the bass guitar; learn how with tips from our expert bass guitar player and teacher in this free music lesson video.

Expert: Casey Cormier
Bio: Casey Cormier has been playing both the guitar and bass for 10 years.
Filmmaker: Christian Munoz-Donoso

Duration : 0:2:0

L149 Em slap bass with Bm fill

Eric — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:12:54 +0000

Slapline in E with B minor pentatonic fill , B minor over E minor sounds coolio!:-)

Jeez! Its video # 300! (I need to get a life, lol)

Remember to see more bass lessons on http://playbassnow.com

Duration : 0:1:36

Slap Bass Solo Piece

Eric — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:59:24 +0000

This is a Slap solo piece I wrote for an instructional DVD in Japan

Duration : 0:2:11

Playing Melodies: Bass Guitar Lessons : Chromatic Exercises for Bass Guitar

Eric — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:58:50 +0000

Use chromatic exercises to play bass melodies in first position on the bass guitar; learn how with tips from our expert bass guitar player and teacher in this free music lesson video.

Expert: Casey Cormier
Bio: Casey Cormier has been playing both the guitar and bass for 10 years.
Filmmaker: Christian Munoz-Donoso

Duration : 0:1:48

Slap Bass Lessons : Palm Muting Techniques for Slap Bass

Eric — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:53:08 +0000

Use palm muting techniques for playing slap bass; learn how with tips from bass guitar expert and bass legend Tony Newton in this free music instruction video.

Expert: Tony Newton
Contact: www.tonynewtonmusic.com
Bio: Tony Newton has been a professional musician & bassist since the 1960. He has performed on over 25 gold albums, with such artists as John Lee Hooker, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, & Little Richard.
Filmmaker: Nili Nathan

Duration : 0:2:35

Slap Bass Lessons : Reverse Thumb Rake: Slap Bass Lessons

Eric — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:46:28 +0000

Use the reverse thumb rake technique for playing slap bass on bass guitar; learn how with tips from bass guitar expert and bass legend Tony Newton in this free music instruction video.

Duration : 0:3:5

Slap Bass Lessons : Right Hand Slap Bass Techniques

Eric — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:46:10 +0000

Use right hand slap bass techniques; learn how with tips from bass guitar expert and bass legend Tony Newton in this free music instruction video.

Duration : 0:4:8

Random Bass playing

Eric — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:03:06 +0000

This is me just playin some random bass stuff im new to playing i just got my bass for christmas and am trying to teach myself playing by ear and using tabs my bass was out of tune being the tuner that i came with made no sense so… lol anyways enjoy it i guess btw way i know you cant see my guitar but thats cause my there is no good angles with light in my house sorry

Duration : 0:2:25