Fender Precision Bass

Introduction:

The bass guitar is one of the most underrated positions in a band. Famous musicians and local heroes both agree that bass is the "glue that holds a song together", yet bass players are seldom given credit for their important role in a group. A bassist has to have flash or a certain sense of style to really stand out, however most are content with just laying out a solid foundation on which to build tune after tune. To be a good bass player, you must have a good ear and a good sense of timing or else it just won't work. You are the bridge between the melodic and the rhythmic, without you a band sounds hollow. So embrace your role as you discover the wonderful new dimensions you can take with it.

Parts of a Bass:

Let's start with the basics. An electric bass has the same parts to it as an electric guitar (going from top to bottom):

Tuners - metal keys that are usually chrome, black, or gold-plated that change the pitch of the individual string when you turn them.
Headstock - the top end of the guitar where the tuners are located and where the make of your guitar is usually found.
Nut - a small piece of plastic that serves to space the strings evenly.
Neck - the long piece of wood or graphite that changes pitch when you hold your fingers down on any part of it.
Frets - thin strips of metal that are crosswise along the neck at different intervals.
Position marker - dots, blocks, trapezoids, or shapes inlaid along the neck to denote certain positions on the scale.
Body - the large part of the guitar where the electronics are hidden inside of.
Pickups - crosswise bars underneath the strings that are basically little magnets wrapped with wire that produces sound electrically when a string vibrates over it.
Knobs - dials that either cut/boost volume or change the overall tone. There are also "active" basses that add equalization and further tone-shaping, but most basses should have at least a volume and a tone control.
Output jack - a hole in which to plug an instrument cable into it, the other end to an amplifier.
Bridge - a piece of metal where the other end of the strings rest at.
Strap pins - pieces of metal near the bridge and the top of the body where you hook your strap to.

There are many exceptions. There are basses with no headstocks at all, they are strung in reverse with the tuners at the bridge. There are also basses without frets, and are reminiscent of acoustic string basses. There are some with pickguards, and some without, among other things. Basses are as individual as the people who play them. There are 5, 6, and 7 string basses out there, even some as huge as 9 or 10-strings and more.

Acoustic basses are a little different, based more on a violin and cello than an electric guitar. They produce sound due to the resonance of their hollow bodies and from vibrations at its top. Some of the differences include:

Scroll - a decorative scroll on top where the tuning machines are below it. Some tuners on an acoustic bass are made of metal, yet there are still some made of wood that can even be detached during string changing.

F-hole - decorative holes cut into the body in lower-case "f" shapes that provide much of the sound projection.

Bridge - unlike an electric, the bridge on an acoustic serves as a saddle for the strings.

Tailpiece - where the other end of the strings are secured.

Endpin - a pin at the end of the tailpiece that rests on the floor

Each has their own pros and cons. For instance, an acoustic bass is very hard to mike up, it either ends up sounding thin or flooded with feedback from the background noise bleeding into the microphone. An electric bass just needs to be plugged into an amp. On the flip side, an electric makes hardly any sound on its own, while an acoustic sounds full and punchy without any aid. And while the oldest electric is probably over fifty years old, the oldest acoustic bass is probably around five hundred years old.

How to play an Electric Bass - Fingerstyle:

Where to begin, where to begin? A good tip is to start playing fingerstyle, it builds more muscle in your fingers when you start along your bass journey. Then when you have fingerstyle down, work with a pick. These are but suggestions and are totally up to you. Pickstyle can exercise your wrist more and can make you faster in that respect, but don't close your mind to different approaches. Fingerstyle sounds fuller, while playing with a pick has a more aggressive attack. And don't forget about slapping, also called thumbstyle, that also has its own effect. This article will show you how to start playing with your fingers.

First, you have to figure out which hand is your plucking hand. For southpaws it's your left hand, and vice versa. Use your thumb as an anchor, near the pickup is a good starting point, although comfort should always be considered. Some bassists will play over or near the base of the neck while some way near the bridge. Again it's all up to you, comfort and sound are always key. Allow your wrist freedom of movement, avoid being stiff. When you pluck the higher, thinner strings below, allow your hand to float over the strings using your thumb as a pivot point. Start plucking by alternating the index and middle fingers over a string, keeping them flexible and not letting them pluck or pull from underneath the string. The movement should be fluid and controlled, begin by softly grazing your fingertips over the strings, then gradually increase the intensity of your attack. When you can safely do that with ease, try challenging yourself by plucking with your ring and pinky. Playing an instrument is all about challenging yourself and expanding the boundaries of your playing.

Next we come to the opposite fretting hand. Again using your thumb as a guide, try to keep it behind and parallel to the neck without putting a lot of pressure on it. The power should be concentrated in the other four fingers as they hold down on the string. Keep your fingers arched and across the strings as much as possible, your fingertips should hold down much of the pressure on the string as it is being hit by your plucking hand. Try to keep your fingertips in between the metal frets to allow for a ringing, sustained note. You can produce notes by positioning your fingers directly over the frets, however the notes sound choppy.  As with any exercise, your fingers will hurt from the initial exertion put upon them, but gradually you will develop calluses if you stick with it, and it will get easier to play.

How to read Bass Tabs:

G----------------|------------------------------|------------------------3--2-------
D----------------|--------------------5--------|----------2--2--5--5---------5---
A----------------|----------2--5--5---5--4---|---3--3----------------------------
E----0--1--2---|---3--3----------------------|------------------------------------

Bass tabs are wonderful tools to help you as you begin your odyssey into the lower register, especially if you aren't familiar with standard notation. Bass tabs are usually four lines that graphically represent the four strings of a bass neck (although there are tabs for 5 and 6 strings as well), with the top line being the thinnest G string and the bottom line representing the bottom E string. Most are written in standard tuning E-A-D-G unless otherwise noted.  Over the lines are numeric values that represent different positions on the neck. For example, 0 means an open string, which means you let it ring out without fretting at all, 1 means fretting between the nut and the first fret, 2 between the first and second fret, and so on. Every good music store has bass tabs available to buy, and there are lots of websites that have tabs on almost every song ever recorded that you can print out and study at your leisure. So find the tab to your favorite song, then listen along and try to figure out what the bass is doing. And above all, have fun doing it.

Last thoughts:

Your ear is obviously going to be your greatest asset in being a musician. Different changes in pitch are like different colors in the spectrum, as they change you'll soon realize how they relate to each other and how they can be combined to create harmonious landscapes of sound. As you continue on your journey, your ear will let you know what works and what doesn't. You will train it, and it will train you as well. Don't stop fiddling around with your instrument and exploring new ways to express yourself, make it fun to play, and always be willing to learn something new  Welcome to the Order of the Bass.

See Also:

Bass 101: Part 2 - Shopping for New Basses and Amps

Bass 101: Part 3 - Playing Bass with a Pick

Freelancing 101:  How to Land a Freelance Gig