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The Bass Guitar
Our guitar team have shared this useful information for anyone looking to learn the brilliant bass guitar.
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Any age can learn to play the bass guitar.
It can be an excellent standalone instrument to learn, or as an additional instrument for those who already play another type of guitar as their existing skills can be transferred to the bass.
Most pupils start out from ages 7 upwards, although bass guitars do come in different sizes with smaller instruments available for younger players. The strings on a bass are quite thick and younger players with smaller hands may like to start with another type of guitar to build up their strenght and skills before moving to the bass if they prefer. Our guitar team can help you decide on the right path to start out with.
Special features
Every great song has a great bass line! The bass guitar provides the backbone of many songs with it's deep, rhythmic notes. Its strings can be played using a varity techniques to create very different sounds anywhere from short and sharp to smooth and gentle.
Often the bass player is just grooving along with the drummer in a band with the singer and lead guitar taking all the attention but if you listen really carefully you can often hear some brilliant riffs and improvised solos that can actually steal the show.
Why choose the bass guitar?
Bass guitarists develop a strong sense of rhythm and harmony.
They are always in demand to perform with rock bands and jazz groups. There's a long tradition of bass players who sing and play in rock groups as well. It is a popular instrument with GCSE and BTec Music students who want to showcase their group work.
Playing with others in a band can increase confidence, performance skills and your ability to improvise musically by listening to and responding to the playing of other musicians.
The bass guitar and its instrument family
The bass guitar is part of the guitar family. They look a bit like electric guitars, but most have four thick strings whereas electric guitars usually have six, and have longer necks. They need to be plugged into a specialist bass guitar amplifier that can cope with the very low sounds a bass plays compared to an electric guitar.
Outside the guitar family, it is similar to a double bass (that looks like a very large violin and can be found in orchestras or jazz bands) which is part of the strings family. Double basses and bass guitars can play the same notes but are played using different techniques and have different roles in the musical world.
The bass guitar in action
This iconic bassline holds the entire song together. Notice the perfect timing and left hand technique of the bassist, all whilst singing live in concert!
Under Pressure by David Bowie and Queen, performed by Gail Ann Dorsey and David Bowie:
