Thursday, January 24, 2008

Learning to Play Bass Guitar - 4 Guitar Playing Tips

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Anthony_Lee]Anthony Lee

Playing the guitar is one popular pastime nowadays. For some people, it is also a way of expressing themselves and elevates the hobby into an art form or sometimes, science.

Playing the guitar, however, is no joke. It requires a lot of patience and practice. For some people, they would rather study playing the bass guitar than the regular guitar. Here are some tips on learning to play the bass guitar.

1. Feel the beat

Playing the bass guitar differs primarily from playing a regular guitar because it entails an emphasis on the beat of the music. One can compare the bass guitar into a drum or percussion set that is made into a guitar. Beats are very important in playing bass guitar because this type of guitar gives depth and timing to any song.

If one grasps the notes of a regular guitar through his ears, a bass player grabs the notes of a bass guitar through his chest. The bass guitar pounds on the heart and gives it feelings through the depth of the music.

2. Learn the notes (single chords) on a regular guitar

The main thing about bass guitars is that they are tuned like ordinary guitars. The difference is that most regular bass guitars only have four strings which are far thicker than ordinary ones. This kind of strings allows the bass guitar to go very deep in terms of tone.

Take a regular guitar (which is tuned from the thickest to the lowest string- E - A - D - G - B - E) and exclude the two thinnest strings at the bottom and what is left is basically a bass guitar with thinner strings.

Bass playing is usually note-oriented and not chord-oriented. This means that single notes are hit more often in bass playing and this scheme is the essential element of bass playing. One should be familiar with the tunings and the notes in a regular guitar to be able to decently play the bass guitar.

3. Finger placing is important

Hitting the bass guitar fret board with the left-hand fingers is very important since it is a major factor that will determine the wholeness of each note. Try to place the fingers such that they are close to the fret on the right. The right hand should also be practiced so as to give bass guitar playing a holistic approach.

4. Strengthen your grip

Another important thing to develop in bass playing is the strength of both hand's fingers. The bass guitar is a sturdy and solid musical instrument, strength is needed to play it.

In playing the bass guitar, one should always take one lesson at a time. Bass playing requires repetition and there's no sense in hurrying the learning process. One should feel the notes through his soul and through his heart and become one with the bass guitar.

To learn how to play guitar using the easiest to follow method, please visit http://www.Guitar-Playing-Tips.info/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anthony_Lee http://EzineArticles.com/?Learning-to-Play-Bass-Guitar---4-Guitar-Playing-Tips&id=280420

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Five Golden Rules that Generate Great Basslines - Part 1, Play the Root of the Chord

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Rhodes]John Rhodes

1 Playing the root of the chord.

Bass players get maximum mileage by simply playing the root of the chord during each bar.

What is the root? It is the letter used in the name of the chord!

For Cmaj7 just play C, For Cm7 just play C, For C7 just play C, For Cmaj7+11 just play C

For Bbmaj7 just play Bb, For Fm7 just play F, For A7 just play A, For Gmaj7+11 just play G

possible progression and bassline:

chords || G / / / | Am / / / | C / / / | D / / / ||

bassline || G / / / | A / / / | C / / / | D / / / ||

If you are aware that the bass is playing a G on beat 1 of bar 1, then you've got to try a G chord first.

What are you going to try if you're not listening to the bass? beats me!By playing the root of the chord the BASSLINE supports the chord perfectly.

Of course there is a couple of levels to this concept. PART 1a is about diplaced roots!

SO

Determine the note played by the bass on the first beat of the bar and you have the root of the chord.

Now play a selection of chords based on that root, with the track, and finish sooner.

It has to be easier doing it this way than trying listen to the guitar. [http://www.king-of-chords.com/beginners-bass-guitar.html ]see my beginners bass page and download some scale charts for bass

Hi John Rhodes here from http://www.king-of-chords.com let me help you become King of Chords. Benefit from my experience. I've transcribed over 30,000 songs and still counting. I've analyzed them too, for my private students. You can access some of the strategies I've recognized in use over the years, and download lots of free pdfs for chords and scales at my site. When you sign up for my ezine, you get 4 mp3 tracks to help your soloing, find out about how the 5 golden rules of bass lines help you transcribe and access to "chords progression of the month" an analysis of the chords, scales and construction of a classic track. Thanks

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Rhodes http://EzineArticles.com/?Five-Golden-Rules-that-Generate-Great-Basslines---Part-1,-Play-the-Root-of-the-Chord&id=319164

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Electric Bass Guitars

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Seth_Miller]Seth Miller

Electric bass guitars produce a very striking sound that gives a punch to any type of music. The sound it produces is lower and deeper than normal guitars. These have a longer neck and are tuned an octave lower in pitch than a normal guitar.

Bass guitars are based on the double bass, and the sound it turns out is magical to the ears. It has a similar range as other bass instruments. The bass guitar just like a classic guitar with a bass design. Its body is made of wood, with an option of a fully hollow body, partially hollow body or completely solid body. The electric bass, in contrast to the double bass, is played while held horizontally across the body. Unlike the double bass, it is not played with a bow; instead, it is usually plucked with the fingers, thumbs or plectra. You can play the electric bass guitar sitting or standing.

The bass players generally stand while playing, although sitting is also accepted, particularly in the orchestral settings. However, it is a matter of player’s preference as to which position gives him the greatest ease of playing. When sitting and playing, the instrument can easily be balanced on the thighs or legs. A bass guitar suits almost all kinds of music, like rock, jazz and pop, but it’s very popular in contemporary music. Playing a guitar is fun, but the electric bass guitar definitely add that little sound and vibration to your fingers as you enjoy playing it. [http://www.e-ElectricGuitars.com]Electric Guitars provides detailed information on Electric Guitars, Acoustic Electric Guitars, Cheap Electric Guitars, Electric Bass Guitars and more. Electric Guitars is affiliated with [http://www.Piano-Web.com]Piano Lessons.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Seth_Miller http://EzineArticles.com/?Electric-Bass-Guitars&id=274654

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Bass Guitar Tablatures

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Morva]Thomas Morva

A guitar tab is a system of notations, letters, symbols and other visual representations - instead of the traditional musical notation. Guitar tabs give directions to the player as to how to play a musical piece through a diagram of strings of the guitar.

Tablature consists of a diagram of strings of the guitar with finger positions indicated by numbers corresponding to the appropriate frets and sometimes with the numerical representations of the fingers. Guitar tabs are very important for those who are enthusiasts and are keen on learning new tunes and technicalities of guitar and especially those songs which have extensive guitar uses, both plucking and other types of fingering as well as lead parts.

A bass guitar is slightly different in shape from other guitars (rhythm guitar, classical guitar, Hawaiian guitar, etc.) A bass guitar is used for complementing and filling up the sound in an orchestration or a band and it goes in tune and rhythm with the drums and percussion. A bass guitar’s neck or fret board is much longer than the fret boards of any other guitars and it has four strings called the bass strings.

Nowadays tablatures, guitar tabs in particular, have vertical lines which represent the strings of the guitar (no matter what kind of guitar it is) horizontal lines for the frets, and dots signifying the position of the figures. In the case of a bass guitar there will only be four horizontal lines signifying the four strings of the bass guitar. A bass guitar can never be played with a spectrum (an object used to strum the strings of the guitar). Instead, it is played with figures just by plucking. Therefore, a bass guitar tablature is different from those of the rhythm or the classical guitars. [http://www.e-GuitarTabs.com]Guitar Tabs provides detailed information on Guitar Tabs, Free Guitar Tablatures, Classical Guitar Tablatures, Bass Guitar Tablatures and more. Guitar Tabs is affiliated with [http://www.Guitars-source.com]Guitar Tabs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Morva http://EzineArticles.com/?Bass-Guitar-Tablatures&id=190740