Basic Bass Lesson

Unlimited Worship Basic Bass Lesson
LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO BASS

What is BASS?
It is the lowest-pitched guitar. Typically, it has 4 to 6 strings. Unlike acoustic and electric guitars, bass guitars
are plucked string instrument. In terms of its appearance, it has longer neck and much bigger frets as
compared acoustic and electric guitars. It serves as the backbone of the band and though almost
unnoticeable, it is still obvious whenever the bass is missing. Bass provides both harmonic and
rhythmic foundation in music.
BASS STANDARD TUNING:

E-A-D-G
Remember, the chords of the bass guitar are almost the same with the regular guitars. The difference is it
plays chords in lower octaves.
Treble - makes the bass sound brighter and more detailed due to its high frequency.
Bass - makes the bass sound heavier and more whole due to its low frequency.
There are different types of bass guitars. Some basses are used depending on a genre and depends on the
player's preference.
LESSON 2: BASS ANATOMY
Headstock - holds the tuning peg ang string guide in place

Tuning machines/pegs - used in tuning the guitar
Nut - keeps the strings in line all the way to the headstock
Frets - shortens the vibrating length of each string which results in producing different pitches.
Fingerboard/fret board - is where the fingers should be placed in order to produce/play a certain sound/chord
Strap and End pin - holds the guitar strap
Pickups - converts string vibrations into electricity, resulting into sounds.
Controls - is where the guitar's volume, bass, treble etc. are placed. It can be adjusted according to the
player's reference.
Bridge - supports the strings and transfers the vibrations of the strings
Jack - serves as the connection point of a guitar to an amplifier or speaker.
LESSON 3: BASIC CHORDS
The standard tuning of a bass guitar is E - A - D - G. The tuning is basically similar to a guitar, but
only with 4 strings.
The bass strings are absolutely thicker than the strings of guitars such as acoustic and electric guitars. This
is to produce a thick and low vibration, which is converted into a sound. However, despite being thick,
each strings has different thickness.
Notice that the string on the left (Open E-string) is thicker than the rest of the strings? This results into having
different pitches. The thicker the string, the lower the pitches it produce. That is one of the reasons
why octaves became possible.
NOTE:
Gb = F#
Ab = G#
Db = C#
Each fret has a corresponding note/chord. Make sure to memorize all of it to play easier. Make use of the
fret markers for better memorization. You can use whatever technique that suits you in order to learn,
memorize, and understand these chords easily.
One of the differences of bass guitar to a regular guitar is that it has NO minor chords. So, if you
encountered a minor chords (e.g. Am, Em, Gm, Dm, etc.) in a chord sheet, ignore the minor (m) letter
and follow the root chord instead. For example, a song has a chord progression of (G - Em - C - D).
As a bass player, it should be played as G - E - C - D, since bass guitar does not have minor chords.
Kindly refer to the chord chart:

Sharp (#) - means the note is half-step higher than the main chord/note (ex. G# is half-step higher than G-
chord)
Flat (b) - means that the note is half-step lower than the main chord (ex. Eb is half-step lower than E-chord)
Whole step - skip a fret in changing the chord. Changing from the C - chord to D-chord is a whole step,
since it skipped the fret where C# is placed (refer to the chord chart)
Half step - is a change of chord without skipping a fret/chord. Example is from C-chord to C# chord.
As you can see, multiple chords/notes are being repeated but is located on a different string. Notice that
there is an F-chord in an E-string and another F-chord on the D-string. This is called octave. An octave
is defined as a series of 8 notes (octa means 8) in a musical scale. Another definition is that the higher
note has a sound-wave frequency of vibration twice that of its lower note. In other words, using our F-
chord example, the F-chord in the D-string is higher in pitch than the F-chord located in the E-string.
To further summarize it, F in E-string has low pitch, while F in D-string has high pitch.
LESSON 4: PLUCKING PATTERNS AND PROPER HAND POSITIONS
Proper hand positions are vital in playing any instruments. It helps us play more comfortably, with more ease,
and prevents in having hand fatigue and numbness.
As you can notice, the hand position of bass is somehow different than of guitars. It is because bass is a
plucking instrument. Unlike guitars, bass guitars are typically played by plucking one string at a time.
Now, let us take a look on the hand position in the image above.
The thumb should SIT AT EASE on the guitar pickup. THUMB FINGER SHOULD BE RELAX, WITHOUT
ANY FORCE OR WHATSOEVER. Then, the wrist should also SIT in the body, RELAXINGLY as well.
This hand position helps in plucking the strings easily and reaching the lowest string without having
any difficulties.
As for the neck, fingers should be as flat as possible. This is to press the string down comfortably and helps
in reaching more and farther frets with ease. The thumb should be at the back of the neck as it serves
in helping the fingers press the strings more easily.
*PLUCKING
In plucking the string, the index and middle finger shall be used alternatively.
AVOID PLUCKING IT UPWARDS OR AWAY FROM YOU TO PREVENT THE BUZZING SOUND.
There are different notes that you can follow in order to practice your timing in plucking. These are the
WHOLE NOTE, HALF NOTE, and QUARTER NOTE.
WHOLE NOTE
A whole note is worth 4 beats. In order to execute this note correctly, try to count 1,2,3,4 in a
constant speed. But, pluck the string on number 1 only.
Example:
1234 1234
Every time you count back to 1, pluck your string.
HALF NOTE
A half note is worth 2 beats.
This time, pluck the string in counts 1 and 3.
123 4 1234
QUARTER NOTE
A quarter note is worth 1 beat.
Personally speaking, this would be a good exercise to practice plucking using both index and
middle fingers.
Pluck the strings in counts 1 to 4.
1234 1234
LESSON 5: SCALES
In this lesson, we are going to look at five simple scales that are useful for developing a strong foundation
for beginners to build from. We will learn one shape and cover one octave in each scale, but you
should remember that this is just to get you started. There are many different ways to play every scale
and playing around with alternative patterns will help you really understand the ‘ins and outs’ of each
one.
All scales on this page use C as the root note so you can easily compare them and understand what makes
each one unique.
1. The Major Scale
Scale Degrees
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
C D E F G A BC
We are going to start with the major scale as it is the most common and most important scale in all of Western
music. It is also the basis for what we know as the key of a tune.
Once you have the scale under your fingers, try moving the pattern around so you feel comfortable playing
it at any place on the neck.
If you want to do an exercise to help you remember the scale and get used to moving it around, you can
play the scale up and down, then move it up a fret and repeat. Do this all the way up the neck and
then work your way back down again.
2. The Major Pentatonic Scale

Scale Degrees
1 2 3 5 6 8
C D E G A C
This is a five-note scale that is basically a stripped down version of the major scale. The major pentatonic
has two notes missing that makes it different from the major scale – the 4th and the 7th. These two
are missed out as they need to be placed more carefully in a song, whereas the others work well in
most situations. This scale works really well over chords I, IV and V and is a great scale to start with
if you are beginning to learn how to solo and improvise.
3. The Natural Minor Scale

Scale Degrees
1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 8
C D Eb F G Ab Bb C
The natural minor scale can be found by playing the major scale starting from the 6th degree. For example,
if we played the C major scale from A (the 6th), then we would get the A natural minor scale.
C D E F G A B C D E F G A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6
This scale provides the pallet of notes for songs in a minor key.
4. The Minor Pentatonic Scale

Scale Degrees
1 b3 4 5 b7 8
C Eb F G Bb C
The minor pentatonic scale is another five-note scale that can be used by beginners to solo in a minor key
without running the risk of hitting notes that might clash. This scale is made by taking the natural minor
scale and missing out the 2nd and the 6th.
5. The Blues Scale

Scale Degrees
1 b3 4 #4/b5 5 b7 8
C Eb F F#/Gb G Bb C
The blues scale is a popular variation of the minor pentatonic and contains just one extra note – an
augmented 4th (also called a diminished 5th). This is a chromatic note that leads into the 5th from the
4th and creates a nice bit of tension and release. Even though it is out of key, the chromatic note works
here as it is between two strong scale degrees and isn’t lingered on long enough to sound out of
context.

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Unlimited Worship Basic Bass Lesson

LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO BASS

BASS STANDARD TUNING:

LESSON 2: BASS ANATOMY

Headstock - holds the tuning peg ang string guide in place

LESSON 3: BASIC CHORDS

Kindly refer to the chord chart:

LESSON 4: PLUCKING PATTERNS AND PROPER HAND POSITIONS

Every time you count back to 1, pluck your string.

1. The Major Scale

2. The Major Pentatonic Scale

3. The Natural Minor Scale

4. The Minor Pentatonic Scale

5. The Blues Scale

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