Bass Guitar 101

If you know the open bass strings, you may already have enough to play a song!

Try these chord sequences with a simple basic rock rhythm:

DUM DA DUM (pause)

DUM DA DUM (pause)

A / / / D / / / A / / / E / / / A / / / D / / / A / E / A / / /

D / / / D / / / G / / / D / / / A / / / G / / / A / / / D / / /

You are going to ask me why you need to know note names aren't you? After all, you can use guitar TAB! Well, of course you can, but the beauty of knowing note names on your bass is that you can play and communicate with other musicians, such as keyboard players. You can look at a lead sheet with melody and chord letters and straight away make up your own bass lines. That can be a challenge in jazz, but it is always satisfying! Good bass players understand the theory they need to communicate with other musicians who can't play from fret numbers!

If you want to learn a little more about rhythm notation and playing in time, click on the picture. This will take you to my website where you can download a pdf and play along with a little backtrack I put together. You will need F# too - the one you need for the "rundown" is 2nd fret on the E string.

Taking that a step further, here are all the notes in nut position. You now have enough information to play a simple bass line in any key! I will be stopping by to add another lesson soon, so don't forget to practice with the rhythm reading backtrack and meanwhile here is a great bass course I recommend for beginners. It leads to recognised exams too!

RGT - Bass Guitar Playing, Early Grades Book [Perfect Paperback]
First Exams in Bass Guitar from the Registry of Guitar Tutors. A practical course that will teach musicianship.

RGT - Bass Guitar Playing Grade 3 To 5 Intermediate [Perfect Paperback]
RGT - Bass Guitar Playing Grade 3 To 5 Intermediate has everything you need to learn to play classic rock and blues styles.

Rgt Bass Guitar Playing Advanced Gr 68 L (London College of Music Handbooks for Certificate Examinations in Bass Guitar Playing) [Paperback]
Rgt Bass Guitar Playing Advanced Grades 6-8 takes you high up the fretboard and into the realms of advanced bass and jazz.