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What To Consider When Buying a Bass Guitar

There are a lot of different important aspects of a bass guitar that determine if it’s right for you! Read this article to gain a better understanding of how to shop for a bass guitar.

Your Style and Sound

Certain types of basses work really well for one style of playing, so ask yourself what type of music you play most often. It may help to look at what your favorite bass players are using for their genre.

Hofner basses are suited well for an early rock n’ roll sound, where schecter bass guitars have a reputation for “metal” type sounds. Pick what genre fits your style.

4 or More Strings?

I’ve already done a post on 4 and 5 string bass guitars. I prefer 4 string but I can see the appeal of having 5 or 6 strings. Choose what you like and what feels most comfortable when you are playing it at the short.

The Look

You should like how the bass looks, cause you are going to be seeing that beauty all the time. If you like wood finish, buy a bass with wood finish. If you like solid black, buy a solid black bass. That being said, it isn’t too difficult to paint a bass (though I’ve never tried it).

Hopefully this short guide has helped you pick out what bass is perfect for you. Leave a comment below if you have any questions or suggestions.

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5 Things You Need to Play Bass Guitar

Five products are extremely important for playing bass guitar, especially for beginning bass players who want to improve their skills quickly.

The Appropriate Bass

Having the right bass guitar is important for every bass player. Make sure you pick the right bass for your style of playing.

Punk and alternative rock suits itself to a P Bass with plenty of hard picking. Jazz players often find a J Bass to be very  suiting for more contemporary style. It all depends on you!

An Amplifier

You have to get heard somehow. I recommend that you start off with a small combo amp until you are ready to make a larger investment in a bigger combo or half stack amplifier.

I have three types of amplifiers- a 45 watt combo, 300 watt half stack, and a pair of studio monitors I can use on the go. They are awesome and are really good for my style.

A Training Program

Whether you learn best by reading this blog, or others, or going to a professional teacher, all that matters is that it fits your style. I took lessons from a bass player in my area for 3 years, and it was perfect for me while I was starting out.

Some Goals

You should have some goals in order to keep yourself motivated and always moving forward as a bass player. Some good examples are: join a band, play some shows, go on tour, and release a full length CDs.

Patience

Having the correct bass attitude and mindset is critical in life and bass playing. Remember that the best bass players in the world also practice several hours every day, for many years. Don’t get discouraged and don’t quit!

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Improving Your Right Hand Speed

This post assumes you are right handed, of course. If you’re a southpaw, this lesson shouldn’t be too dificult to follow.

Practice

Yes, the best way to gain speed and agility in your right hand is though dedicated practice. Make sure that you keep good form and do no slack off.

Learn Your Favorite Band’s “Fast Song.”

Figure out the faster riffs and then play along to the music. This will help you gain speed and pitch accuracy. Try stopping the music and testing if you can play the riff faster than the band does, while maintaining clarity and solid technique.

Try Other Techniques

I assume that you usually play with your index and middle finger. Well, try using a pick or even 3 fingers (index, middle, and ring). Whenever I try to play a “galloping” part of a song (see The Trooper by Iron Maiden) I find it easier to switch to 3 finger playing, instead of trying extra hard with just 2 fingers.

Take Breaks

Don’t overwork your fingers. If they become sore during a practice session and you continue to “push” them farther, they will be really sore the next time you play bass. Also consider the fact that you shouldn’t ignore callouses that your finger slowly builds over time. You finger tips will become sore, but gradually become tough.

It Doesn’t Come Overnight

You will not see a huge change in your playing speed overnight. It takes lots of time, practice, and dedication. But, I can guarantee you will see results if you work hard.

Got any suggestions? Leave a comment below.

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Bass Guitar Anatomy

This post is for those who just got their bass guitar and need a quick run down of the different parts of the bass and what they do. I will cover most parts of the bass, and try to keep it general and applicable to all types of basses.

The Head   (Pictured Right) 

The head is the (usually) wooden part of the bass farthest away from you. It will contain the tuning pegs, which you use to change the pitch that the strings make.

I recommend that you start to learn bass with standard tuning, which is (from thickest to thinnest) E A D G. The bar that separates the neck from the head is called the nut, and it holds your strings in place.

 

The Neck (AKA The Fret board)

The neck contains all the frets and is the connection between your bass’ head and it’s body (Really creative names, I know). The fret bars represent different pitches, as you can hear when you hold down the string to the fret.

When you replace the strings, make sure you take a damp paper towel and gently wipe down the neck.

 

The Body

The body contains a lot of different parts and functions, but I will try to keep it simple. If you bass has a plastic covering on one side of the strings, that is a pickguard, which is there to prevent you from damaging the bass’ body with a pick (How to play bass with a pick).

The knobs on your bass control tone and volume, and it is different for most basses. Just fiddle with the knobs and find a tone you like, for now.

Under your string will be some plastic boxes, or metal dots, or something along those lines. They are called a pickup, and they take the sound from the strings and take it to the output of your bass, basically.

The hole under your bass or near the bottom of the body is the output jack. Use a 1/4″ cable to hook your bass up to an amplifier.

The bridge is the bar on the opposite end of the nut. Your strings will probably be strung through this area, and help tight by the bridge.

Lastly, the two nubs that come off the side of your bass are for you to attach a bass guitar strap, so you can stand up and play.

 

Inside The Bass

On the back of the bass (the side that is up against your body whilst playing) there should be a cover that is attached by 4-5 screws. I wouldn’t mess around with this unless you know what you are doing or are following a guide!

Over time, it’s possible that the battery in your bass will die out. You just need to unscrew the back plate and replace the battery (most likely a 9v).

Let me know if this need clarification below!

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So You Bought A Bass… Now What?

how to start playing bass guitarCongratulations on buying a bass guitar, it will be well worth your investment! But, now that you have that bass what the heck do you do?

First, buy any other bass guitar accessories or necessities, as I outlined earlier in the post Other Things You’ll Need to Play Bass.

Next, figure out what method you want to use to learn bass, for example, reading awesome posts on this blog, watching bass videos on youtube, buying a lesson book, or looking up bassists in your area that give 1-on-1 lessons.

Set aside a daily practice time, and stick to it. I talk about the importance of this technique in this post, and it is something that has helped me tremendously over the years. You will start to see results immediately.

After practicing on your own, it’s time to take your talent into the real world and onto the stage. Some easier places to start playing are in a church band, in a cover/tribute band, just jamming with another musician friend, or even starting your own band.

Continue to practice and grow as a musician, and push the boundaries. After a while you might want to consider giving lessons to other beginner bass players, there are two huge advantages of this: Teaching something is the best way to learn it, and you can always use a little bit of cash on the side.

Hopefully this post got you inspired to become a bass rockstar. Well, it doesn’t happen overnight… so go practice!