Any tips on playing bass guitar? I'm hopefully going to get one soon so I can start learning how to play, so I wanted to ask you because you're amazing at playing.
Hi! Yeah, I’ve got a few!
First thing’s first: as boring as this may sounds, you need to practice scales. Pentatonic, major, minor, harmonic, melodic, everything. You need to be able to associate the frets for each string with their corresponding notes.
For reading tabs, each fret is assigned a number. If you learn to read tabs early on, you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble.
Play for at least 30 minutes every day. Some people say just 10, I say that’s bullshit. Play until your fingers hurt, and then play some more. This is how you’ll build up callouses. Your fingertips will hurt like a motherfucker at first. But then they’ll toughen up. Soak them in warm water with epsom salt and table salt every night to help dry them out so the callouses will form more quickly. Hand sanitiser is your friend. Say goodbye to hand lotion.
Do not strum using an outward plucking motion. You want your fingertips to sweep across the strings. This allows for a smoother sound.
Wipe down your bass with an old soft t shirt after every time you play. This will keep the oils from your fingers from damaging the wood and eroding the strings. It’ll also keep your bass from looking like shit.
Try to avoid changing your strings if possible. If one is broken, that’s one thing. Otherwise? Don’t. The older the strings, the grungier the sound. You want that dead thump. New strings have a bright twangy sound and take a while to mellow out. It’s infuriating.
For a starter bass, check out the used gear section. You don’t need a brand new bass, and there are many used basses that are still in really good shape for a much better price. Hell, just a few days ago I saw a bleedin’ Ibanez for $64. Would have grabbed it, but I’ve still got Mikey, and I’m saving up for a longscale.
Used gear is your friend. The clerks will try to sell you the high end stuff. You don’t need it. You’re just starting out, get the cheap used stuff first. It still works fine. My lil Ampeg hasn’t failed me yet.
Some people will frown upon those who use picks. Fuck em. You want to use a pick? Go for it. Just go for the thicker ones. I currently use Big Stubbies.
Don’t play the bass when your hands are wet. You’ll rip those callouses right off.
If your strings are making a buzzing sound when you play, make sure you’re not facing the amp, as that can cause feedback. If the strings are still buzzing, take a look at how you play. You want to hit the fret as close to the fret as possible. Press right up against it. Otherwise, the string will vibrate against it, causing that dreaded buzzing noise. This is a problem I tend to have, as my hands don’t always cooperate.
Music theory will save your ass. Take some time to learn it. Grab a few books on it from the library. Watch some videos. Take the time to figure it out for yourself. You don’t need to launch right into lessons after you buy your bass and amp. Besides, those things are pricy, and so are lessons. I waited about a year and a half before starting lessons, and I took that time to play around with it and get a feel for it. Apparently, during that time, I passed up the beginner level and am now on “Level 2,” whatever the fuck that means.
Try to learn the tabs to your favourite songs. This will keep your interest going. Does the song you’re trying to learn seem too complicated? Keep going anyway. The satisfaction from figuring out how to play a hard song is so fuckin rewarding. A favourite of mine is Hysteria by Muse. Not as hard as it looks, actually. Just very fast-paced.
There are many videos online of people playing the basslines to popular songs, and quite a few of them have the tabs on the screen. If the notes don’t sound accurate to you, it’s because they’re probably not. Take the time to play around with it until you find the notes that sound right to you. There you go, there’s the Right Way. Your way is the Right Way.
Tune your bass every time you play it. You can buy a tuner or use an app, doesn’t matter. You could even use another instrument for reference. I personally prefer tuning by ear, despite being somewhat hard of hearing. I may not be able to hear the lower notes as well, but I can feel them. Which brings me to another point.
Most of playing the bass relies on feeling, not hearing. You may not be able to hear all the notes. But you’ll certainly be able to feel them. The bass provides not only sound, but rhythm. Let your instinct guide you. Don’t be afraid to lean up against a wooden table to feel the vibrations with your body. If you’re home alone, you can crank up that amp as loud as you want until your teeth vibrate with the rhythm and your lungs breathe in the dead thump of your bass. Be sure to wear ear protection though.
It helps to have a drum beat or metronome going while you play. I hate metronomes, but drum beats work well. Garageband has a virtual drummer that allows you to customise the drum beat loop without having to actually know how to play the drums. Very intuitive program, I love it. The virtual drummer sounds just like a real drummer, only without the obnoxious drum solos and tendency to fall off the tempo.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!
