How do you learn to play bass?

Question

Do you need accompaniment to learn and practise playing bass guitar? I can understand how someone would learn guitar, since you can play a (hopefully!) pretty recognisable melody on it, but bass is puzzling me!! Thanks!

and why would someone choose to play bass rather than guitar?

Answer 1

Well first, you should probably obtain a bass guitar.
You can look for lessons, but if you want to self-teach yourself, you can learn to read bass tablature and practice by looking up tablature online from sites like www.ultimate-guitar.com (there's another site with less pop-ups, but I forgot what it's called >_>), and ask questions from someone who already knows how to play bass or guitar. Some people learn guitar first, and then convert to bass.
I would say you don't need an accompaniment to learn and practice bass, but then I've never played bass, so I wouldnt know. However I do have some bass tabs that I've tried to play on the guitar, and it sounds fine. If you're worried that you might be playing it wrong because you have nothing to compare it to, all I can say is don't worry, just play and check up with other people to see if you are playing it right. I do have to say though, if you're trying to play modern rock songs like um.. GreenDay or She Wants Revenge and stuff like that, don't expect too much about recognizing a "melody" in playing bass, because everything they write nowadays is typically like.. the same chord through a measure played eight times, before they switch to a different chord for the next measure.

I hope I didn't confuse you too much or anything, but if you have any other questions, go ahead and send me an e-mail and I'll try my best to answer =)


In contrast to the answerer above, the tuning for bass and guitar are exactly the same, except that bass is tuned an octave lower (same difference!). Sometimes I play the bass parts of songs on my guitar and it's FINE.
But if you're going to learn the .. I don't know how to explain it other than what Flea from the Chili Peppers does with his guitar, where he plucks the string so it sort of snaps.. you should probably get some experienced pointers on that..

Answer 2

I've been playing bass for over 25 years. And it is at first harder to learn than guitar, because it has a different rhythm. The best thing I can tell you is to start listening to music, and trying to listen to just the bass playing. Listen how he plays with the bass drum in music. You'll have to get the "feel" of bass at first. It'll take some practice. You can also purchase DVDs for practicing bass, techniques, stuff like that. Remember you have to crawl before you walk, so get you a beginner bass DVD. The key to all this is patience, then practice, practice, and more pracitce. It won't come over night, but if you keep at it, it'll come, this I promise. You'll get some blisters, which in time will develop into callouses. Also the best advice I can tell you is to try to be as versitile as you can. Don't just listen to one genre of music while learning bass. Listen to it all....and learn bass from it. A couple of good bass players to listen to are: Geddy Lee from Rush (probably still #1 in the world), Stuart Ham, and Beaver Feldon. The more you practice, the more your ear will develop. After a while you'll be able to play songs just by listening to them. Again, this won't come overnight. But be patient, and practice.....it'll come soon enough. The more you practice, the better you'll be, and your talent will come quicker....so start your practice....everyday. I hope I've helped you...best of luck to you.........

Answer 3

Get a bass, a zoom 505 pedal (about 80 bucks), and set of headphones. Buy a couple of dvds and learn what you can from them, but listen and emulate all the bass lines you hear in different music. And yes, it's alot more fun jamming with guitar and drums.

Answer 4

Bass is a rhythm instrument first and foremost... half a rhythm section.... so practice with rhythm as accompaniment, either with a metronome (shudder), Drummer, Drum machine, or tapping your foot.
Listen to good Bass players.
Practice. play along to various styles of music... especially th' Funk...
Don't bother with a Plectrum. you have to feel the strings.
Listen to the Bass Drum, hold down that groove... you'll be fine.
Bass rules. much more than guitar....hehehehe

Answer 5

well i've been playing bass for about a year, and i'm self taught its pretty easy. i started off playing guitar, but i just couldnt get the hang of it...so i quit and bought a bass and i really like playing

Answer 6

Bass is harder then guitar of course. learing the guitar by your self is okay but I would reccommend getting lesson for the bass. THe bass has different keys ffom the guitar.If you want do don't have to take lesson but you'll have a harder time learning it.

Answer 7

Find a decent bass guitar teacher.

Answer 8

bass is the same as guitar. people seem to allways think that a bass is only there to acompany the guitar which is not true just what has become traditonal.

but to answer your question just take some lessons and practice practice practice

Answer 9

pretty getting a decent teacher would do it. I'm pretty sure accompaniment isn't necessary

Answer 10

go to schmit music place and ask if they dont know im sorry :(
but hopefully they do:)