Learning Bass Guitar

What is it about this specialised form of guitar play that has aroused your interest such that you have decided to start learning bass guitar

Is it perhaps that the the particular respect afforded to the bass guitarist appeals to you Whether you have thought about it or not as a bass guitarist you will be regarded as very special.

More often than not it is lead guitar that usually takes the credits as the face and voice of a band but back of that it is the bass guitar that provides the pulse that gives life to that same band.

The rhythm and the pace at which the whole band functions finds its beat developing out of the bass guitar and the drums working together as a unified rhythm section at the very centre of the music.

Although it is the case that most gigs that are played the spotlight and the applause goes to the lead guitar and vocalist with the drummer from time to time breaking up that monopoly with a display of his skills with a periodic fast and furious solo routine

Steadfast back of all of this frenzied activity the bass guitarist resolutely goes about his craft keeping the heartbeat going that gives life to the whole body of the band.

Infrequently the star but often the hero the bass player dependably keeps his cool as he continues to maintain that life giving beat to the music.

The depth and richness of tone emanating from a well tuned and well played bass guitar is a very captivating sound indeed. To be the one playing your own bass guitar and to be capable of creating such a sound yourself is an even greater excitement.

So if you have now decided to become part of that exclusive club of bass guitar players and want to get on with learning bass guitar what should your next step be?  

If you are going to start learning bass guitar you had better get yourself kitted out! Here comes the most exciting step and one you should take your time over and not take lightly, its time to choose your new bass guitar!.

The best plan of action is to go to a specialist guitar retailer where you will have the widest choice to view. Invite them to not only show you all the different options, but allow you to hold them and find out which ones are most comfortable for you. A bass guitar has a slightly larger body and longer neck than other styles of guitar and you must be able to hold it and reach the farthest frets in comfort. You will be enjoying very many hours in the months and years to come as you make your way through your progress with learning bass guitar .So it cannot be overstated how important it is to get it right. There is one more step that you must now take. Ask that you can hear any guitar you have short listed connected through an amplifier to hear and get a sense of how it sounds.Each of these steps taken with care will ensure that the bass guitar that you take home with you will be the one that is right for you and that it will continue to be right for you through the years ahead.

Great, you now have your new bass guitar! But, if you are going to start learning bass guitar you need to be able to listen to it. every electric guitar needs to be played with an amplifier.You ought to hear your new guitar played through a number of bass amplifiers that fall within your budget range so that you can choose the one that gives the sound that best gives life to your guitar . See it, try it then buy it. That’s the rule. Not, see it, buy it then try it or buy it, see it then try it! You are going to be committing a lot of your savings to buy and you are going to be spending a lot of your time in learning bass guitar. So no tears, get it right first time.

There are still some things on the shopping list to get sorted before you can get down to begin learning bass guitar. The guitar needs to be connected to its amp with a guitar lead. Also buying yourself a comfortable guitar shoulder strap will be money well spent.

Keeping your guitar correctly tuned must become a daily routine for you and the most accurate way for you to go about accomplishing this is with the assistance of an electronic tuner. These are not expensive but they do make tuning your guitar quick and easy.

One more point. You will soon discover that timing is critical when you are learning bass guitar.

It is an essential part of your development as a guitarist that you can cultivate a good sense of timing. When the time arrives for your first audition it will be your appreciation of timing as much as anything else that will get you through selection.

By far the best way of learning how to play a new song with your guitar will be to start playing it at a slow pace and then as your familiarity with the song develops you gradually increase the speed at which you play it.When you start learning new songs for your guitar you will have the most success if you play the number at perhaps half speed until you feel comfortable with playing it and then little by little increase the speed up to the normal pace for the song. So if you will only take a single piece of advice away from reading this article it really must be, get yourself a metronome!

Metronomes can still be bought as the traditional mechanical device but electronic versions are probably the best value for money now. Be sure you have a chance to listen to those you see on offer as cheaper ones can have an annoying tinny click or bleep rather than a nice satisfying woody tick. Also it is well to obtain one with beat increments of one beat per minute allowing a very measured increase in tempo which will be more suitable for you when learning bass guitar songs.

Don’t be tempted at this stage by all the many accessories and add ons that are thrust at you in magazines and shops, these are best left to another time when you have gained a better feel for which of those things you might really need.

Now that you have put together a fine bass guitar and bass amplifier how will you now go about aquiring the techniques and skills you need to realise your dream of learning bass guitar

If you can manage it then it is probably the favourite option to take individual private tuiton from a dedicated professional guitar teacher. If you can afford the not inconsiderable cost and you can find such a teacher near to your home who can fit in with your available time slots then that will be the way to go forward.

You can however take a more affordable path.

For very little more than the price of a couple of private lessons you can invest in a very comprehensive multimedia home study course that can deliver fantastic results.

These courses are structured for you to start learning bass guitar at home at your own pace and be studied and practiced at a time to suite you.

As is always the case some deliver better results than others and some will cost more or less than others.But having made your commitment in equipping yourself with a really good new bass guitar it makes sense that you should now continue to invest in yourself and get a really good course of instruction and start learning bass guitar in a properly structured and professional manner.

Can I suggest that you take a look at the Learn & Master Guitar course? Here is an in depth award winning multimedia suite of instruction written and hosted by renowned guitarist and teacher Steve Krenz. Learn & Master Guitar comes from the Legacy Learning Systems stable of home instruction courses and is without doubt the best of the best available to you today.