chapter

AL
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An Introduction

TE
MA
to Bass Guitar D
This is where you learn what the bass guitar is and what it does. More
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importantly, though, this is hopefully the beginning of many good times
playing and enjoying music. Let’s get started!
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What the Bass Guitar Does . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Get Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Your Milestones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
 What the Bass
Guitar Does
Most of the popular music you hear today is built on the foundation of the bass guitar. It provides
the basic building blocks necessary to make a song, and it can also add just the right part here or
there to make some timeless music.

Elements of Bass Guitar Playing

Whether you listen to pop, rock, jazz, folk, funk, or most

other genres of music, chances are you’ve heard a bass guitar
in the mix somewhere. Since it was created and popularized
in the 1950s by Leo Fender, the bass guitar has become an
indispensable part of the music of today. Far from just being
a rhythm-section instrument, bassists from Sting to Bootsy
Collins to Victor Wooten have moved from the background
of the rhythm section to the forefront of popular music and
made sure that the bass guitar claims a central role in many
bands. When you become a good bassist, there will always
be a group waiting for you.
A good bass guitarist combines rhythm, harmony, and style
into a package that makes a song sing and a body want to
dance. Let’s take a look at each of those elements.

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 An Introduction to Bass Guitar chapter 1
Rhythm

The first duty of the bass guitar is to keep the

rhythm. Keeping the pulse of a song is central
to your role as a bassist. Whether it’s a simple
country two-step or a complicated jazz-fusion
riff, the bass guitar always makes sure the
rhythm and tempo are clearly defined.

Most times, you’ll be playing along with the

kick drum of a drum set; however, you could
also be working together with the player of
a different rhythm instrument or just holding
the rhythm all by yourself. In any of these
cases, it’s vital that you keep the rhythm
and tempo of the song moving and clearly
defined. Check out Chapter 10 for more
information on common rhythms.

Everybody has rhythm. It’s in the way that you walk or the way that you talk. All you’re doing here is translating your natural
rhythm to the bass guitar. Relax and let it come to you as you practice.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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 What the Bass
Guitar Does (continued)
Harmony

At the same time the bass guitar is keeping the rhythm, it’s also providing the basic harmony for the song. In most cases, the
bass note defines the key of the song and the chord the instruments are playing at any time in the song. Where the bass
leads, the others follow.

The notes you choose to play create the character of the song, so it’s important to learn as much as you can about what
makes a chord sound the way it does, and how to make your bass lines flow easily from one chord to the next. This
contributes greatly to making the song memorable and worth listening to. Look at chapters 8 and 9 for more information
on chords and harmony.
Remember, all songs are made up of melodies over a bed of rhythm and harmony. Other instruments build on what you
create and define.

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 An Introduction to Bass Guitar chapter 1
Style

When you can keep a rhythm and know the song’s harmony, all that’s left is to play the song with style. Style is a word that’s
hard to define sometimes, but you always know when you hear it. You might hear it called “swinging,” “rocking,” or “grooving,”
but it always means that the bass guitar part is exactly where it should be: playing its role and making sure everything goes
smoothly.
Style might be the hardest part of the bass guitar to master, but the road to style is based on being comfortable and having fun.
The more you practice with your bass guitar and the more you listen to the bass guitar’s role in music, the more comfortable
you’ll be playing it. The more comfortable you are, the more fun you’ll have. When you’re comfortable and having fun, the
style will naturally come to you.

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 Get
Started
It’s possible for you to play your first song the same day you get your first bass guitar and ampli-
fier. With just a little time and effort, you can be on your way.

Some Basics

YOUR BASS GUITAR YOUR AMPLIFIER

You don’t need to buy an expensive instrument to start. A
good-quality starter model will help both your playing and
your budget. Chapter 13 tells you what to look for when
you’re buying your first bass guitar.
Again, you don’t need an expensive, six-foot-tall mountain
of speakers and circuits to get started. A small practice
amplifier enables you to hear your bass without irritating
your family or your neighbors. Chapter 13 also helps you
with choosing the right amp.

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 An Introduction to Bass Guitar chapter 1
THE ELEMENTS OF PLAYING A NOTE
Although it might take some time to fully master the tricks and intricacies of the bass guitar, the fundamental parts—fretting a
note and plucking it—are something you do the very first day. Add a couple more notes in the right rhythm, and you’ve got a
basic song ready to go.
Chapter 5 shows you more about fretting a note, whereas Chapter 6 teaches you how to pluck one. The metal strips on the
bass, called frets (you’ll read about frets in Chapter 2), help to keep your notes in tune. Get the basics of those chapters
down, and you’re ready to go. The rest of the chapters add to your knowledge of the bass guitar and make you a well-rounded
player. It’s best to start at the beginning of the book and follow the chapters in order, but you can always feel free to jump
back to other chapters for reference as you build skill and experience.

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 Your
Milestones
Playing the bass guitar means learning
something new every day. The key is
making sure you keep learning. And
you keep learning by practicing.
Although learning the bass guitar
is a journey, it doesn’t have to be a
race. You’ll learn more by keeping a
steady pace than by going in fits and
starts. It’s important to make time
every day to play the bass guitar in
a place where you have as few
distractions as possible.

Make Time for Practice

You don’t have to devote every waking moment of your day to learning how to play the bass guitar. In the beginning, it’s
important to set a regular practice time and stick to it, even if it’s for only a brief time. Try setting aside 20 minutes at first
every day to go over the basics of the bass guitar. Pretty soon, you can expand it to half an hour spent warming up, reviewing
those basics, and learning new material. Pretty soon, you could be up to an hour or more of serious practice time. Your play-
ing will improve with the more time you spend practicing; however, it’s important at first to get into the habit of practicing.
Habits are hard to break, but the creation of good habits will only help you get better.

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 An Introduction to Bass Guitar chapter 1
Find the Right Place

There are a couple of good reasons why

musicians are often banished to the garage
or basement to practice. One, sometimes
they can be a little loud. Two, and more
importantly, it gives them a space where
nothing is happening beyond the activity of
practicing. Just as it’s difficult to read
Shakespeare while the radio is on and the
television is blaring, it’s difficult to concen-
trate on practicing the bass guitar with other
things going on around you. Find a quiet,
comfortable place to practice, and you’ll see
that having fewer distractions means you
learn more quickly.
Notice the items in the picture. These are
essential items to your practice space:
• A comfortable chair, preferably without
arms
• A CD or mp3 player to listen to songs
or examples
• A music stand to hold paper (or this
book) for easy viewing while playing
Finally, make sure your practice space is out of the way, so that people aren’t constantly coming through and distracting you.
You don’t have to devote an entire room to practicing; your bedroom or living room will work. Just make sure that the only
thing happening in there at that designated time is you enjoying your bass guitar practice.

TIP
Practice should never be a boring chore. When
you practice, play what you like, set many goals,
and you’ll never get enough.

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