| This article is aimed at helping the beginner bass guitar | | | | F# could also be called Gb (G flat) because it is both |
| player to learn the notes of the bass guitar. If you | | | | the note above F and the note below G. Easy to |
| want to play bass guitar you will need to know the | | | | understand but complicated to explain. |
| names of seven notes and their places on the bass | | | | Usually you begin learning bass guitar by using the E |
| guitar fretboard. Once you know where the notes are | | | | and A strings to play the bass line of some easy |
| you will automatically know where the sharps and flats | | | | songs. You could begin by simply memorizing where |
| are located. Playing bass is an easy to learn skill from | | | | the notes are but it will help if you set yourself the task |
| a technical point of view. After all, for the bass guitar | | | | of learning a song or two. Your memory always |
| you do not need to learn chords. At least not at the | | | | appreciates some help from your body and your |
| start. While you are learning the notes on the fretboard | | | | feelings, so trying to learn some songs will help you get |
| you could start right away on learning the bass parts | | | | the notes under your skin. You will note that I have |
| to some of your favorite songs from tabs. The big | | | | only given you the first ten frets. You will see that this |
| task ahead of you is getting the ability to take your | | | | is one octave on each string. Once you have the |
| place as a part of the group you are in. Learning the | | | | notes on those frets off by heart, the remaining notes |
| notes is a start, learning them so that you so not have | | | | will be much easier to learn. |
| to think about them takes time and practice. | | | | If you take a look at the diagram of the fretboard, you |
| Here are the notes as they appear on the bass guitar | | | | will see that the note at the fifth fret of the E string (A) |
| fretboard: | | | | is the note on the next open string, so once you play |
| ---|---E---|---F---| | | | | up to the fifth fret, you can either continue playing up |
| --|---B----|---C---| | | | | the neck or you can start playing the notes on the |
| -|---F#---|---G---| | | | | next string. If you have already learnt to play the guitar |
| -|---C#---|---D---| | | | | this will not be a surprise to you. Now that I have |
| You will notice that I have written the sharp symbol (#) | | | | explained the basics, if your head is spinning a little, just |
| on the diagram of the bass fretboard. You probably | | | | go back to the simplicity of what you are learning: four |
| already know that one man's sharp is another man's | | | | strings, four octaves made up of seven notes. That is |
| flat according to which key the song is in. For instance | | | | it. Good luck. |