This post will introduce you to the bass guitar, touch on its history, its evolution and mention some of the amazing bass players that have graced the instrument. Read on to learn more about the bass guitar.

Welcome to the world of the bass guitar; if you’re reading this then you’ve taken an interest in the electric bass and have decided to pursue it further. Maybe this post will reaffirms your decision to play bass guitar, or perhaps it will be the final argument for you to start playing the bass yourself.

The bass guitar is a pretty cool instrument. It may not be as flashy as a drum kit, or command as much attention as a pimped out electric guitar, but it has a subdued, laid-back vibe all its own. A standard bass guitar has four strings and is tuned E-A-D-G; an octave below the lowest strings on a guitar to provide a sonic foundation for the melody to build upon.

While you may give up the fame and glory of the spotlight when you choose to become a bass player, you gain full control of the key of the music, and full dominion over the bass frequencies.

Bass Guitar Frequencies Move People

This is almost a mystical power that most people won’t even realize that you have. Many won’t even realize that it is the bass player and the way he chooses to play certain notes, leave others out, and the space and rhythms in between these that are hypnotizing them into dancing. It is a great responsibility that you take on – called the groove – without it; any music you play will be lame.

So besides this, why take on the bass guitar? What is it about the bass guitar that is cool, or should be attractive to someone just starting out that just wants to play SOMETHING? Well, getting up and running with a bass guitar is much easier than most other instruments. You don’t have to have four-way independence as with drums, you don’t have to memorize all the chord fingering patterns like you would with a guitar, and you don’t have to spend years to get a sound that doesn’t sound like a cat being tortured as you would with a violin. You can pick up a bass guitar and start playing bass lines almost immediately – the good news is that the easier it is to play an instrument along to music you like when you’re starting out, the more likely you’ll stay with the instrument for good.

Another great reason why the bass guitar is cool is that EVERYONE needs a bass player. You make the other band members sound good, and there are many styles of music out there that use the bass guitar. That means that if you’re a good bass player, you’re willing to work hard, learn and you have a great attitude –you’re going to have many more job opportunities than many other musicians would have.

Being a bassist is as much a state of mind as it is a position in the band. You need to put the song and the other musicians before yourself. You are the glue between the rhythm and the melody – you straddle the line between the drummer and the guitarist, giving the music that third dimension that makes music so exciting. If you’re willing to put your ego on the back burner, you can become a truly great bassist that is in demand.

Is playing the bass guitar easier? Yes it is. But to master any instrument is virtually impossible. Playing bass guitar is initially much easier than guitar; you can outline chords one finger at a time as opposed to learning the fingerings for each chord. You also have fewer strings to change than the guitarist, but keep in mind that bass guitar strings are thicker – so in some ways, playing the bass guitar is more difficult because you need to play just as fast as the guitarists but with thicker strings. This means that you’re moving more mass in the same amount of time or energy.

What you may not know about the bass guitar is:

There is something to be said for a simple bass line that does what it’s supposed to do, get some asses out of the chairs at the bar.

Bass guitars can be beautiful and expensive, they can break your heart and if you get used to playing them – playing bass guitar can indeed be habit forming!

The electric bass guitar was responsible for making rock n’ roll music come to life in the fifties – the bass could now be heard (as well as felt!) and helped to drive the new-fangled rock n roll bands mercilessly into the spotlight.

The electric bass guitar started out with 4 strings and remained that way for several decades, before evolving to 5, 6, 8 and even 12 stringed versions beginning in the mid-70s. These multi-stringed basses owe a large debt of thanks to Anthony Jackson who helped open the door to more than 4 string basses by commissioning the first six string bass guitar to be built in the 1970s!

Some famous bass guitarists include Paul McCartney, Sting, Geddy Lee, Jaco Pastorius, James Jamerson, Flea, Les Claypool, Victor Wooten, Billy Sheehan, Stanley Clarke and John Entwistle.

You can get started with a bass guitar kit that includes a bass guitar, a <a href="http://www.bassguitarrocks.com/2008/07/bass-amp-eq-for-beginners">bass guitar amp</a>, a guitar strap, an bass guitar instrument cable and a tuner for around $250 or you can even rent a bass guitar from many major music instrument retailers. Even if you don’t know of any teachers in your town, you can surf Youtube and find plenty of lessons for free that can get you started. There’s no good reason to sit on the fence anymore, playing bass guitar can be an affordable hobby that can actually make you some extra money if you choose to play out in bands.

Choosing to play the bass guitar has given me plenty of opportunity to learn and grow as a human being. It’s allowed me to experience the thrill of performing in front of large audiences while sharing the stage with some amazing bands and meet terrific people. Playing bass guitar is a great way to be creative, relieve stress and have fun!

So what are you waiting for? Get out there, find a bass guitar and start playing today!

Michael Ippersiel
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/the-bass-guitar-and-why-it-rocks-736410.html

okay, so i’ve always been a fan of metal and always loved playing guitar , so i figured, i’ll combine the two, i can play alot of techniques and if i can’t i’ve always done my best to nail it, but i’ve tried to play some BFMV solo’s and it’s speed i’m after, anyone got any tips for speed plays and finger strength, and i was wondering if there is anyway to increase the strength in my fingers, when i’m not playing the guitar?

any ideas would be appreciated.

James,

You can totally learn metal (its not that hard for an intermediate player).

Speed Exercise:
1. Choose a lick or a run that you like or are having a hard time with
2. Start the metronome at a slow sped for you where you can play it perfectly
3. Mark that speed on a chart
4. Increase the speed by 5-10bpm and see if you can play it perfectly at that speed
5. Rince and repeat until you get to a speed you cannot play it perfectly
6. Mark that speed on a chart (max)
7. Back off by 5-10 bpm and practice there playing it perfectly 10,20,100 times in a row.
8. Do this every day and watch your speed increase.

How to increase strength even when you are not playing:
1. When your hand is not doing anything, get in the habit of tapping different alternating fingers in different patterns.
2. Get a gripmaster. These are spring loaded devices that you can squeeze that will get the fingers stronger.
3. As crazy as it sounds, I’ve found doing pushups and consequently strengthening the forearms, can make a huge difference to how easy it is to grip the guitar and press down on the strings. It all has to do with how the muscles are attached and different points.

I know a website that has more details and learning techniques. The link is below.

Good Luck Shredding,
John

If you are quite the enthusiast when it comes to musical instruments and you have your heart set on that beautiful guitar you saw last week, better start brushing on those fingers. There are some ways you can learn on how to become an excellent guitarist. But first, the basics.

First and foremost, you must have your own guitar. How can you learn to play without the proper instrument at hand? You have to determine first what type of guitar to play. Borrowing a guitar would be okay, but what if you can’t borrow it on a regular basis? Your training and practice will be hampered.

Then choose a particular song that you like, something that always sets you in the mood for a good vibe. Better yet, something inspiring. Inspiring enough to encourage you to try and play the chords over and over again.

Once you have decided on which particular song gets you going and yet you don’t have any idea on how to put on a tune, ask someone who has the knowledge in playing a guitar work it out for you. Let him read the tabs. If you don’t know how, let someone interpret it for you. Here, teamwork is essential. The same person may also be able to help you in determining which finger goes where to achieve the right sound.

A very good advice on learning is listening by heart. It doesn’t depend on the chords themselves but the musician. He creates a melody just by listening to every strum of his guitar.

Statistics show that almost 90% of those who plays the guitar admit they learned it the hard way. In fact, playing the guitar is quite harder than it looks like. It is by far easier to hear than to comprehend. Learning without some background or even a slight help from someone is difficult for a newbie.

If you can’t afford a personal instructor, might as well buy a book about the do’s and don’ts of learning a guitar. Aside from that, it would also be challenging on your part to guess where to put the most important finger on the most important string. Buy a step by step guide on acquiring the basic and most vital chords that usually appears on almost every song and melody.

Then you ask, do you still need a guide. It is necessary though. You need someone to listen to you. He or she must determine if your fingers are positioned in their proper places. A reference material or an online tutorial will surely be of big help but it won’t be able to hear if you’re out of tune or if you’re really playing on the right track. Call out for help and monitoring.

First, focus yourself on the basic chords and not the hard ones. Chords like A, A minor, E, E minor, D, G are easier to work on. There are varieties of songs which contain only these chords. Mastering your fingers to change strings every change of tempo enables a beginner to develop a faster pace.

Take your time. A lot of great guitarists acquired the skill only after a long period of time. Apply no pressure on yourself. Be patient when you’re not getting it right. The trick in learning is to create a positive attitude.

Sutikno Slamet

Acoustic guitars have found their popularity being challenged by their more modern cousins, the electric guitars. For beginners, this presents a challenge that\’s much more attractive to tackle. How does a newbie to guitars go about learning to play the ax?

Get the Right Instruments

First things first: you\’ll have to get yourself a proper guitar. No, not a physical electric guitar for beginners; there\’s no such thing as an electric guitar with specs just for beginners. Before you get all excited over the prospect of an electric guitar, you have to start where everyone else does – with an acoustic guitar.

How come? Electric guitars are a little more advanced, in that you\’d probably hurt yourself if you start playing them without a grasp of the basics. Besides, playing on the nylon strings of an acoustic is much easier on the fingers than going straight to the steel strings of an electric. But whether you go the acoustic route or straight to electric is entirely your choice.

The Basics

Every guitar player from Sting to Santana started out the same – with the scales. This is where a book or a tutor will come in handy, because you\’ve got to have these memorized before you can go and play the advanced stuff. As soon as you\’ve learned how to pluck and strum, the scales will be your very first lesson.

As you might have noticed, playing the electric guitar – for beginners, that is – can get pretty boring. It\’s all just a matter of time, though. You don\’t even need to do any actual memorization, especially if you practice on the guitar a lot. You\’ll eventually get the scales down and then work your way through to the more basic songs.

Don\’t get impatient if you think that your first practice songs are too inundated for something as cool as an electric guitar. For beginners, the first few songs usually help you get a feel for timing and rhythm, as well as playing along to that rhythm on the instrument. This is why you\’ll get a lot of slow tempos and nursery rhymes as your first practice songs on the electric guitar.

The electric guitar is an instrument that needs practice, especially when you\’re just starting out with it. Learning to play the guitar can be slow at first, but you really have to learn how to crawl before you learn how to run. With enough practice and dedication, though, you should be playing the guitar like a pro in no time.

N Baulch

I REALLY wanna play guitar. But I heard its hard to learn.
How do u learn play guitar? How much:P ? Any starting tips?
Can i teach myself?
All ur answers would be greatly appriciated. Thanks!

If u wanna Learn How To Play Guitar, u must have a strong will and persistance first!
Second, it’s much better for u to have a teacher guiding u. Of course, it consumes
money and time. But u can get an ebook with video lessons. Among those tutorials,
jamorama course has a serial lessons ranging from beginner, mid-level, high-level,
rock, blue etc. It will show u how to play guitar by pictures and videos. If u keep
learning from jamorama, playing guitar will not be ur dream any more:)

If you’ve been playing the guitar for awhile and can’t seem to get anymore speed on your licks, don’t worry because this happens to almost every guitarist. Some guitarists just have more time than others to hash out these skills while you’re left there wishing you could play faster.

As much as it might seem very difficult playing fast guitar, you can do it too by practicing hard and smart. Here are some very important tips to get your fingers moving faster the next time you’re scaling the guitar neck.

1. Strengthen your forearms. A lot of the muscles that power your guitar-playing comes from your fingers, but the rest comes from your forearms. Do a few exercises or start lifting to really get those muscles shaped for faster riffs.

2. Do other finger-intensive exercises. Playing fast guitar might be in your mind when the instrument is in your hand, but there are plenty of other things that can improve your finger movement throughout the day. Take up some other skills that involve intensive finger movement like typing or playing the piano in order to keep your fingers working hard.

3. Practice online typing tests. Sure you can test your speed on the guitar with a metronome, but have you ever thought about taking it to the internet? Hype up your typing skills and start using typing tests to measure the speed of your fingers because god knows how often we’re all on the computer these days!

4. Try to keep from cracking your knuckles. Cracking your knuckles can lead to medical problems in your hands and wrists once you get into your twilight years. Try to stop it if you want your hands to stay flexible and healthy for optimum playing speed.

5. Practice electric parts on the acoustic guitar. Maybe you have a couple riffs that you’re playing somewhat fast on the guitar. Transfer them over to the acoustic and try your hand. Your muscles will learn to adapt to the harsher conditions of the acoustic while the speed of playing on the electric guitar will slowly begin to increase.

6. Set reasonable speed goals. You can’t expect to reach goals that sound absolutely crazy and that’s most of the reason guitarists give up on themselves. Set goals that are challenging, but possible to ensure you stay on track with your skills.

It’s a hard business to start playing faster guitar riffs, but it can be accomplished by dedicating yourself to every practice and being consistent with your strategies. Put these 6 tips to the test and see if you can start increasing your guitar speed.

Kyle Hoffman
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/playing-fast-guitar-learn-important-tips-to-amp-up-your-playing-speed-1239741.html

I’ve been playing guitar for about 1 and a half years now, i’m into shredding, and I want to mazimize my abilities on guitar. I do some quite fast shred but i’m not sure what the next steps are. any help?
I also play alot on tempo… as in, i dont make lots of mistakes i’m pretty fluid in my playing. anybody?

Shredding is fun and impresses people, but you should learn music theory, various scales & modes, and maybe explore some other musical styles like classical and jazz if you want to be well-rounded and versatile.

I’m learning how to play acoustic guitar on youtube now. But my mom said if I wanna Learn How To Play Guitar, I have to find some tutorial that teaches me step by step in series. What do u think? Where to find serial lessons?

There are lots of great websites and youtube videos for learning guitar. But u have to stay away from those videos, for they can not teach u from the beginning to the end. While some have value, a lot of those really don’t have much substance. If a guitar book with video lessons is supposed to be helpful for u, such as jamorama. It teachers learners according to their levels, offering pictures and videos and explaining very clearly. U can have a look at of it. Good luck!

hi all, as you would have guessed, im trying to learn the guitar by myself.
not exactly alone. i have several friends who are teaching me how to play certain notes.
so far, i have only achieved a pathetic: g, f, c, a, assus, d
i know that is little. but all my friends also learnt by themselves.
so i took their suggestions and want to learn a song to better master the guitar faster.
the first song that i am trying to learn now is jason miraz’s im yours.
i have got the chords from this site: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/j/jason_mraz/im_yours_crd.htm
so do you think it is possible for me to learn guitar by myself, with guidance from my classmates?

Yes, its certainly possible to learn the guitar by your lonesome. Your just going to have to be dedicated. Learn as many chords and scales as you possibly can.

I would recommend playing with your friends as often as possible to compare your progress and trade advice.

I’ve been playing Hard Rock/Metal and Blues guitar for about 4-5 years and I’ve been working with theory on and off for the past year. Could anyone share a couple tips that could help me improve my playing? Anything that could help me in the long run, something to practice, anything really. I just feel like I should try to take in everything musical that I can if I plan to make a career out of it. Thanks in advance.

One really good idea is to develop a 10 or 15 minute warm up routine.
This will not only warm you up every day, but can be 10 minutes where you run through major scales, minor scales, major arpeggios, minor arpeggios, diminished arpeggios, (do over one octave, two octaves and three octaves), the minor pentatonic in all 4 positions etc

It would take many hours to put this together.
But then every day, you’d be geting faster at these.
And once you’d master all these your playing would improve a lot