How to Teach Yourself to Play the Bass

Familiarize yourself with the bass structure. Identify the most important parts of the flock.

Learn how to tune the bass strings. Use a tuner or tuning fork to tune the bass. The bass strings are tuned (from top to bottom) according to the notes Mi, La, D, Sp (E, A, D, G) where Mi is the lowest note and Sp is the highest note. Learning to tune bass strings is quite similar to tuning a guitar.

Get familiar with the amplifier. Plug one end of the audio cord into the amplifier and the other end into the bass. Turn on the amp. When finished, turn it off. First, learn the difference between a volume knob and an input-to-output gain knob. Adjust the rheostat on the piano until you hear a nice sound. The basics of installing a bass amplifier are similar to those of a guitar.

Learn the correct posture, how to hold the guitar while standing and sitting. Adjust the strap so that you feel comfortable while playing. Place your right hand over the strings. You can rest your forearms on the piano. Find a spot along the strings so that the sound achieves fullness between the fretboard and the other end of the guitar.

Learn to pluck the bass. Use the index and middle fingers of your right hand to pluck the strings. Try to use only your fingers to pluck to minimize movement in your wrists and arms. Learn how to alternately pluck the index and middle fingers. Practice changing strings according to the IMIM method where I is the index finger and M is the middle finger. You can use the rear support thumb. Also, you may want to learn how to use the pick to play bass. If that’s the case, buy a standard stiff guitar pick. Hold the pick with your index finger (between the first and second knuckles) and your middle finger. Then pluck the strings from the top down, then from the bottom up. Practice strumming up and down. If you’re not sure which technique is best, try both.

Learn to block the strings with your hands. When learning to play the bass, it’s best not to let the strings vibrate together.

In position. Place both hands on the keyboard and try to keep your left hand as comfortable as possible in the direction of the keys. Place the index finger of the left hand on the first key and the remaining fingers on the adjacent keys.

Learn the notes on the first four fingers of the top string including the notes on the free string: (Mi) Fa, Fa sharp, Sp, Sp sharp. Next are the strings La (La Thang, Si, Do, Do Thang), Re (De Thang, Mi, Fa, Fa Thang) and Sp (Sp Thang, La, La Thang, Si).

Learn to press the strings with your left hand tightly enough so that when plucked with your right hand, the sound reaches the correct highs. Avoid loosening the left fingers so that the sound is not good.

Learn to play to the right tempo. Use a metronome. First, try playing a sequence of notes starting with the note E at each beat of the counter. These are called black nodules. Start slowly and gradually increase the speed (or equal to the speed of the metronome) as you feel comfortable playing to the beat. Then, start slowly again and try to play into every tick of the counter (or background music), as well as practice playing in between the two knocks. These are called single crochet notes. Finally, start slowly one more time and try to play to the exact tick of the counter, between the two knocks, then between the first and the midpoint of the first and second. . That means the first note you play will line up with the next metronome knock, and you’ll have to play three more notes until you hear that next knock. These are called double hooks. Make sure to keep the notes even at each step.

Learn to read and play tabbed. Find a tab for beginners to practice bass online.

Study music theory and foster musical knowledge.

Learn how to play the scale E major. This is the scale that contains all the notes in the key of Mi and is the easiest scale on the bass. Play the E string let go, then the second fret of the E string, the fourth fret of the E string, the let go of the A string (or the fifth fret of the E string, since they are the same note), the second fret of the A string, the fourth fret of the A string , the first fret is the D string, and the second fret is the D string. Then try playing the scale in reverse and then play it again in the same order until you get used to it. Next, you can learn other higher scales. For example, if the F major scale has the same pattern as the E major scale, you only need to play each note on the fretboard back one key (first fret of the E string, third fret of the E string, fifth fret of the E string, first fret La string, etc…). The F major scale goes back two keys, the G major scale goes back three keys, and so on…

Learn the role of the bass player in a band. The bass player is often seen as the bridge connecting the drummer with the rest of the band. The reason is because the bass player is closely involved in creating the background music for the song, as well as forming the basic chords that the entire band plays along. Therefore, you should spend a lot of time practicing with the drummer to keep the rhythm of the band effective.

Learn the most common techniques, such as fingering. The fingering technique is quite popular because it is possible to create a note without plucking the strings. To do this, try playing the third fret of the Mi string. While you can still hear the sound of the notes, move your finger to the fifth key. You can apply this basic technique to playing any two consecutive notes on the same string.

Learn vibration techniques. Vibration is a popular technique in music used to add beauty. To vibrate, gently press the string up and down with your finger while you still hear the note. Do this gradually until you clearly notice the specific number of times the sound vibrates. With practice, you’ll be able to add vibrato to sustaining notes.

Learn how to play your favorite song. Set a goal to play that song with the right tempo, right intonation. You can find the tabbed version of the song (if available) and start by tabbing before playing along with the recording of the song. It’s much harder to learn to play without tabs or tracks, but it’s still possible in practice. You can learn the chord sequence of the song and try to play the key notes of the chords to the beat. Then try using a popular bass run in combination with those notes. While it may not be exactly what you hear in the original recording, it’s still good.