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Bass Basics

Welcome to the Bass Basics page! Here you'll learn about the fretboard, note names, tuning, and some basic finger exercises to get started.

How to play the bass guitar

The bass guitar is a very similar instrument to the guitar except for it's size, tuning and pickups.

Lets get started!

If you are right handed place your left hand on the neck which is the long skinny part of the bass if your left handed place your right hand on it.
Once your hand is on it have your thumb at the back of the neck and your other 4 fingers on the fretboard which is located on the front side of the neck.
Next step, place your free hand onto the string closest to you and pluck it with your index finger.
Lift your neck hand slighly off the strings and play with your other hand the same string you played before.

Well done you played your first note which was an open E

Bass Fretboard

The image shows the neck of a bass guitar. Each letter represents a note on the fretboard. Learning these notes is crucial for reading sheet music and improvising over chord progressions.

Easy Task:
A great way to memorize fretboard notes is to first learn how to play an octave. Then, pick a note and play it in every possible position on the neck.