An Introduction to the Bass Guitar

This article is somewhat of a spin off from the guitar lesson articles I write. The previous two guitar lessons can be found at the following locations, article 1, and article 2. The third lesson in the series is about to be published with more to follow.

This lesson is an introduction to the bass guitar. For those of you who do not know anything about the bass guitar, it is somewhat similar to a guitar. The standard bass has four strings. The strings are tuned from the top to the bottom E,A,D,G. Note that this is the same tuning as the first four strings of a guitar. You will find that the strings on the bass are much thicker than the strings on a guitar. A bass is designed like a guitar, fretboard, neck, etc.

The bass is not played the same way as the guitar. While many guitar players use a pick to play, it is unconventional to play the bass with a guitar pick. This does not mean that it is not possible to play the bass with a guitar pick, or even that you should not. I myself have played the bass with a guitar pick while playing a show. To some players this is much more comfortable than the traditional way to play the bass. The traditional way is a bit tricky to explain without a picture. Your thumb is rested on the pick up of your bass (if playing an electric), while using your fingers to play the strings below. You may also rest your thumb on a string above the strings you will be playing. As I stated this may be a bit hard to understand if you do not have a diagram to view. This quick exercise may help with that. Rest your thumb on the pick up of your bass. Now strum the E string with your pointer finger. Strum the E string with your middle finger. Now alternate between the two. This should give you the feel for how to play the bass guitar.