Learning Bass Guitar

What is it about this most understated of instruments that has whetted your appetite to start learning bass guitar?

Is it that you want to be a little different to the mass of electric guitar players? Maybe not, but learning bass guitar does set you apart.

It could be said that if lead guitar is the face and voice of a band then the bass guitar would have to be the heart and pulse of that same band.

Together with the drummer the bass guitarist accepts the responsibility of setting and maintaining the rhythm and the pace around which the whole of that group of musicians functions.

Through most gigs that are played the spotlight and the excitement is centred upon the lead guitar and vocalist with the drummer from time to time breaking up that monopoly and demonstrating his skills with an occasional fast and furious solo routine.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

But behind all this frenetic activity the heartbeat that gives life to the whole body of the band steadfastly beats on as the bass player calmly goes about his craft.

Seldom the star but often the hero the bass player dependably keeps his cool as he continues to maintain that life giving beat to the music.

The depth and richness of tone emanating from a properly tuned and well played bass guitar is a very addictive sound indeed. To be the creator and actually to be a part of that sound on your own bass guitar is an even greater addiction still.

So if you have now made your decision to become part of that exclusive club of bass guitar players and want to start learning bass guitar what should be your next step?

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Well, of course you won’t get far without your own bass guitar! Choosing your new bass guitar is without doubt an exciting experience and one that should not be taken lightly and hurriedly. The best advice is to get down to a specialist guitar retailer where you will have the widest choice to look at. Tell them you want to start learning to play guitar and get them to not only show you all the different models, but allow you to hold them and find out which ones are comfortable for you. A bass guitar has a bigger body and longer neck than other styles of guitar and you must be able to hold it and reach the farthest frets in comfort. Don’t forget that as you learn bass guitar you are going to spend many many intimate hours with what will ultimately become your best friend. So it is vitally important that you get it right. Having found a selection of bass guitars that you like the look of and that are comfortable for you to hold and play, ask to have each one plugged into an amplifier so that you can hear and feel how they sound. Only when you have gone through this process diligently will you have truly found the right guitar and ultimately have found a new soul mate for yourself.

Fantastic, you now have your new bass guitar! But, if you are going to start learning bass guitar you need to be able to hear it. So, the next thing is to get your guitar a bass amplifier. Again get the retailer to show you a selection that fits within your budget and get him to plug your new guitar into them so that you can hear the soul of your new bass guitar talking to you. See it, try it then buy it. That’s the rule. Not, see it, buy it then try it or buy it, see it then try it!! As we have already said, you will be spending a lot of time with this new set up and you will be putting a lot of your hard earned cash into it. So no tears, get it right first time.

To start learning bass guitar though, you still need to do a little more shopping. You will need a guitar lead to connect the guitar to the amp. Also a comfortable strap to support the guitar on your shoulder as you play it is a wise investment.

Guitars do need to be frequently tuned and the easiest way for you to do that will be with an electronic tuner. These are not expensive but they do make tuning quick and easy.

One other thing. Learning bass guitar has a lot to do with timing. As a guitarist you can be nothing without timing. It will be your timing as you play your new guitar that makes you a success or a failure at any future auditions you go along to. As you begin to learn bass guitar it is much easier if you start playing numbers slowly and then as your confidence increases gradually speeding up through to the correct speed for a particular song. So if you will only take one piece of advice away from reading this it should be before you start learning bass guitar, get yourself a metronome!

Metronomes are still available as the traditional mechanical devices but battery operated versions are great value for money now. Get one with a good “woody” tick rather than a click or a bleep as it sounds so much better. Also get one that goes up in increments of one beat per minute it will make the graduation of speed increase as you are learning bass guitar songs much less frustrating.

There are all manner of accessories and hardware that you may or may not decide to invest in as your journey in learning bass guitar progresses. Having made your decision to start learning bass guitar and having equipped yourself with a wonderful guitar and amplifier how do you now go about actually learning and mastering the techniques and skills needed to realise your dream of playing in a band?

Without doubt the very best tuition will come from taking lessons with a professional guitar teacher on a one to one basis. If you can find such a teacher convenient to your home and you can afford his fees and can fit his lessons around your lifestyle then this is your way forward.

However there is another way. There are available today a number of multimedia home tuition courses that can bring you fantastic results and cost you little more than a couple of private lessons. These courses can have you learning bass guitar at home at your own pace and be studied and practiced at a time to suite you.

As always some are better value than others and some represent a greater investment than others. But having made your investment in equipping yourself with the right new bass guitar it makes sense that you should now continue to invest in yourself and get the right course of instruction and start learning to play bass guitar in a properly structured and professionally way.

Can I suggest you take a look at the Learn & Master Guitar course? Here is an in depth award winning multimedia suite of instruction written and hosted by renowned guitarist and teacher Steve Krenz. Learn & Master Guitar comes from the Legacy Learning Systems stable of home instruction courses and is without doubt the best of the best available to you today.

  
       
CLICK HERE FOR FULL DETAILS ON THE LEARN & MASTER SPOTLIGHT BASS GUITAR COURSE