I can’t thank you enough at 71 years old and never had the privilege of learning how to play a bass your calm demeanor , slowly explaining the basics is very encouraging. Thank you again.

@StudyBass

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Warner! I'm happy you're learning. The beginning is the hardest part. Stay the course. If you're not already, be sure to follow the full series of lessons on www.studybass.com Keep me updated on your progress.

those are the best bass lessons on the Internet ; no kidding. This is genuinely the most helpful videos for bassists out there. thank you very much.

@StudyBass

7 жыл бұрын

You're too kind. Thank you.

Spot on the "If you are trying to play but the strings are hard to play, let a professional do a setup" tip. I regret not doing it sooner.

Such an incredible series. I've been playing for a little while now but going back to basics with these kinds of videos is really revealing. I suffer a lot from pressing too hard on the strings, and something I'd not noticed until seeing this is the 'flying fingers' syndrome, they're all over the place!

@StudyBass

5 жыл бұрын

Great! It all gets better with time and deliberate practice. You'll find yourself coming back to the basics many times more. Each time you know how to approach it better. Don't stop.

I just started learning to play bass 2 months ago and I love it! It's my first exposure to proper music training. I've been following the Studybass lessons and going through the tutorials and they're great. I've watched these fretting videos several times as fretting is the thing I struggle with the most. I had a bad case of flying fingers (cured that lol) but still can't avoid the buzzing, especially when I try to play songs.

@StudyBass

2 ай бұрын

Excellent! I'm happy you're here learning. Your touch will improve with time. Be sure to have a professional guitar tech do a proper setup of your bass. Then you can be sure the problem is you and not your bass. Find the best tech in town, not just a random music store guy. After the setup, don't pluck too hard (turn up your amp) and really get those fingers right up to the fret. Again, most of this stuff works itself out with time. Not alternating plucking fingers is the bigger problem to solve. Keep an eye on that, and keep me posted on your progress.

@justine_machine

Ай бұрын

@@StudyBass thanks for the tips. I never had a setup done. I didn't know that was a thing until after I got my bass, but I watched a youtube tutorial on how to check if it is set up properly. Mine seems fine, but I probably should have a professional give a 2nd opinion. Alternate plucking always came easy to me and it's automatic now. I picked up my bass after over a week of being away traveling and was worried I'd forget how to do a lot of the things I learned so far but it ended up being one of those practices where I did super well with less buzzing lol

This is such a great help. The clear explanation coupled with the close-in camera showing how it should look like. Thank you!

@StudyBass

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I'm glad it's helping. More to come.

Excellent work andrew! Your videos really expand the readings and are very very helpful. Thank you!

@StudyBass

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I'm glad they're helpful. I appreciate your support.

Even though I have been playing for a couple years, I found that picking up an acoustic bass it brought out some bad habits I hadn't thought I had. Your series of lessons have helped me work through some of them. Thanks.

@StudyBass

6 жыл бұрын

I'm glad to hear it. Keep it up!

You saved one of the most important things for almost last, have the bass set up. It is a bad habit saver. Great bass lessons, thank you for your time and help.

@StudyBass

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Yes, a setup is important. With beginner basses being shipped thousands of miles through many climates from factory to owner, there's little chance it will show up with a perfect setup.

Outstanding series...def subscribed...thx

@StudyBass

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Rick. All the best to you.

Really well thought videos !

@StudyBass

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Quentin! Put it to good use.

Thanks for the video! I think this is very helpful for beginner bassists.

@StudyBass

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words. More to come.

Love your videos man.

@StudyBass

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I'll be adding more after I finish this major website revision. Keep playing and learning!

Very clear explanation & video!

@StudyBass

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Keep playing and learning!

Awesome INFO

@StudyBass

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Make awesome music!

Thank you

@StudyBass

3 жыл бұрын

You're welcome. Keep playing and learning!

This is great! Thx, from a beginner

@StudyBass

3 жыл бұрын

Great! Put in the daily practice and you'll be sounding good in no time. Don't stop.

This series was very good. That's a problem I'm having; pressing the strings to hard. The advice you gave concerning having a set up done to my bass to see if the strings are to far from the fret board was very good. At times when I'm practicing my bass has a cling to it on some of the notes I'm playing making the sound distorted and uneven. And I think I'm applying to much pressure on the strings as I'm going from fret to fret because my fingers are hurting at times. Again thanks for your 3 part tutorial.

@StudyBass

2 жыл бұрын

Great! I'm happy it helped. There's a lot more on www.studybass.com. If you're getting distorted notes it could be the height of the pickups being too high. Again, a setup would help. Keep practicing daily. You will learn to lighten up as more things fall into place. It all becomes a reflex just like speaking.

I like the bass line you are playing in this video. Is the bass line from a song or did you make it up? I am trying to learn it. What chord tones and/or scale is used in the bass line? Thank you.

@StudyBass

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks. This reggae one is in Bb minor. Progression: Bbm - Bbm - Gb - F7 It's mostly chord tones with a major pentatonic on the Gb.

I noticed you talked about Hammer-Ons, Pull-Offs and Slides. But you haven't touched on String Bending and Vibrato yet. Do you have plans to touch on those?

@StudyBass

4 жыл бұрын

Yes, there will be another lesson block in this curriculum covering more articulations. In the StudyBass course I rotate topics and lessons in a sequence and pace I've seen most students handle well. Currently I'm working on a major website upgrade then I'll be back with more videos and lessons. Keep making music!

As I was a beginner (and I'm still one, lol), let me highlight important things that was said on the video: 1) Do a setup to your bass. You are new and you can't spot things that may work against you like a high action, high frets that may need to be saw or factory errors. Believe me, those 15-30€ that you have to pay, might save you a looot of headaches 2) Regarding the strength needed to play bass: Have you ever seen those videos with a 9 year old chinese girl playing bass? You are a 25 yo. Maybe more. You are stronger than her. Just press close to the fret with the pad of your finger. If it still buzzes, reposition it until it sounds as it should.

@StudyBass

Жыл бұрын

Very good highlights from the video. Just those two tips can save years of frustration. Keep learning and making music!

Hi, I've been learning how to play the bass with your website. Your course is very good and has helped me a lot! I just have a question about fretting technique: when you need to play two different notes that are on the same fret and you want to stick to the one finger per fret pattern, how can you make those notes really 'legato'? When I try this, there always ends up being a pause (albeit slight) between the first and the second note. Is it a matter of speed, practice or is there something else I need to pay attention to? I think maybe because I am a piano player the concept of not linking notes with your fretting hand by using two different fingers is a bit hard to understand.

@StudyBass

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Anna! Legato is a good goal to focus on. Playing legato on the same fret with the same finger gets better with practice where any gap becomes almost imperceptible. The technique you should try most often is to move the end of your finger over to the next string. The reasons why are 1) your legato will only improve practicing this way 2) you have more control with the end of your finger for other techniques such as vibrato, slides, bends, etc. With practice you'll develop more confidence and slowly close the gap you hear. Some phrases, however, can be very difficult or frustrating to play with excellent legato. For example, playing a chord's root and lower fifth rapidly back and forth (i.e. C and G on the 3rd fret of the A- and E-strings). In these cases where you're not happy with your legato you can roll your finger across multiple strings. I suggest this as a last resort. This technique can pose some muting challenges, too. A second technique for perfect legato is breaking the one-finger-per-fret "rule." For example, you can play the root/fifth pattern C-G-C (3rd fret A-string, 5th fret D-string, 5th fret G-string) with fingers 1-3-4. The drawback is it limits the number of notes beneath your fingers and can make some note patterns very awkward (like your fingers are playing twister!). Depending on what one is playing, that may or may not matter. Beginners should try to avoid these techniques to focus on getting strong legato sounds without them. Once your good general technique is in place, you'll know when you can be lazy or when there's little choice to get the legato you want. I hope that helps. Keep practicing!

Your lessons are so good! Is that cool progression at the end 1m 1m 5# 5? Or how would you write it?

@StudyBass

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! You're hearing it correctly. Bb minor: i - i - bVI - V (Bbm - Bbm - Gb - F). Remember to use Roman numerals for chords (to indicate chord position within a key/chord function), and Arabic numerals for scale degrees (like if you were analyzing the individual notes of a melody). You would call this a bVI ("flat six") chord since it is in a minor key and the chord is built on the flatted sixth of the minor key. You won't call it a sharp V because you want one of each number (minor scale = tonic, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7).

@jeffsmithsolo

5 жыл бұрын

@@StudyBass nice lesson about the flatted 6--all the numbers represented. Thank you! So are you against the Nashville numbers; that's what I'm used to.

@StudyBass

5 жыл бұрын

There's nothing wrong with the Nashville system. I didn't know if you were following the lessons on the website. As long as it makes sense to you and whomever you communicate with understands then it works.

I learned here in 10 minutes than a year somewhere else!

@StudyBass

Жыл бұрын

Thanks! Every time I hear this it makes me happy and sad at the same time. Your time to learn is precious and can't be wasted. I hope you'll check out studybass.com as there is a lot there not available here. Keep making music!

What should I do about that harmonic at the 7th fret. I usually encounter it on the A string, if I try playing staccato it keeps ringing out afterwards. I’ve heard you should play the note with multiple fingers behind it before

@StudyBass

9 ай бұрын

A common problem. Combine these techniques with the plucking techniques (an earlier lesson) to gain control over it. The right plucking technique will stop the ringing. And, more contact with the strings in the fretting hand helps, too. Every so often, however, it can only be solved by the plucking hand muting technique. I highly recommend following all of the studybass.com lessons in order to make the most of the lessons. Keep me updated on your progress!

As a left handed person. Do yo have experience teaching lefthanders to play right handed bass, or is it generally exclusive to use dominant hand for plucking.

@StudyBass

7 жыл бұрын

Good question. I talk about this in the bass buying guide (www.studybass.com/gear/bass-guitar-buying-guide/). I've had a lot of lefty students do both. I haven't seen any problems from left-handed players playing right. I think it, at the least, might make you sound more unique. And, I always point out that they don't make left-handed pianos. Playing left-handed basses comes with some minor problems: - Basses are harder to find - You always have to pay extra for a LH bass - Basses are harder to sell - It's hard to try out a right-handed bass to know if you want to order the left-hand version - If you ever needed to borrow someone's bass at a gig... When I have the chance, I encourage left-handed students to play right-handed, but you'll be fine either way.

Simply great, great and again great!

@StudyBass

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, thanks and again thanks! Keep me posted on your progress!

Great lesson! Please can anyone share the notes of this raggae line used for the intro of this lesson. I've tried countless times to score it, I guess my scoring ability ain't sh***. I'll like to use it as a finger exercise. Thanks and God Bless!

@StudyBass

4 жыл бұрын

You can do it! It's a struggle at first. Just get the first note. Try humming it and hunt it down. Then the second note... You can slow down the audio in KZread's settings (gear icon). Don't give up!

Hey thank you for your explanation. I have a problem wit my pink-finger. When I stretch, I don’t get enough power in it and most of the time it is to short. Is here a way I can fix this of don’t have to play with it? By what I saw in the video’s my pink-finger is almost the same as ours

@StudyBass

5 жыл бұрын

The pinky is everyone's weakest, and everyone feels it is too short when they start. You need to spend several months working at it before considering alternatives. Your fingers will loosen up and stretching will get easier. Patience is the key. Don't miss the point that it is OK to move the entire hand when reaching for a note. Don't stretch your hand out like a stiff claw hovering a finger over each fret. Relax. Stretch and reach at the moment necessary. Sometimes you can bunch, or group, your fingers together side-by-side (not on top) to make pressing easier. With experience, you'll know when you can do this and when you can't. It will depend on the notes you are playing. Keep practicing. The beginning is the worst part. Good luck!

First of all, great video. Unfortunately, I have a problem that has been bothering me for quite some time. At 3:30, I noticed that you specifically mention to release the pressure applied on the fretboard from the 1st finger (without lifting the finger!) and then fret on the next note with the 2nd finger, and so on. However, when I do the exact same thing on my bass the note sounds muted. I clearly hear a difference in sound when I lift the first finger. It sounds much brighter which is the kind of tone that I want. Am I doing something wrong? Is there something wrong with my bass? Is there something wrong with the way I am tuning my bass (I usually keep it in standard tuning)? Could someone please help me out on this regard? Other than that, I understood everything and found the video quite helpful :)

@StudyBass

3 жыл бұрын

Sorry for my slow reply. That's a strange sounding problem. A finger behind another finger sounding out a note should have no noticeable effect. Maybe you are hearing a harmonic from somewhere or a resonating open string. Have you tried another bass and replicated the sound? Does it happen similarly up and down the neck or only certain frets? Does it only occur when ascending or descending notes on the same string?

Greetings sensei, about how long would you spend warming up your hands and wrists before practice? It's been a long time since I was sixteen and could play guitar all day without issue. I'm much older now and bass strings are beefy, especially that B string. It's also been close to twenty years since I regularly played guitar, so my hands aren't even in guitar shape anymore.

@StudyBass

5 ай бұрын

Warming up will be unique to everyone. It's a "getting to know yourself" kind of thing. And, you change over time as you've witnessed. A big point of warming up is to get your blood flowing. Blood flow is important not just for your muscles, but for your brain. Some sort of large muscle, full-body activity will really help get the blood flowing faster than just playing. Maybe some squats, triceps warmups (stretch out your arms and rotate them in circles), lunges, jumping jacks, etc. I'd avoid physical activities that put stress on your hands/wrists (like pushups or gripping handlebars of a bike). Just 2 or 3 minutes of easy movement might be enough. Once your hands don't feel cold, start playing. Play slowly and lightly without any wide stretches for 5-10 minutes. Remember, the warm-up is not only physical, but mental. To warm up try playing scales/arpeggios higher up the neck (7th fret maybe) where the frets are closer together. Reviewing scales/arpeggios will help warm you up mentally and aurally as well as physically. I'd avoid playing random gibberish finger pattern exercises (except for those who don't yet know any musical patterns!). Then, slowly move your review exercise down the fretboard a fret at a time to start stretching your fingers more. I hope that helps!

@corontsurara3862

5 ай бұрын

@@StudyBass i just started working on the "one finger per fret" and I've been walking up and down the strings with it until I start learning scales. Working on slowly moving down the fretboard until I can manage the exercise at the largest frets.

@StudyBass

5 ай бұрын

Great! Keep doing those, but like I mentioned start getting some *musical* sounds in there to connect your ears to your fingers. You'll rarely play 1-3-2-4 on each string, but you'll constantly play scales and arpeggios. Keep at it!

I know as a teacher it’s probably exhausting to hear this over and over but I am a stubby fingered guy (3.3 inch index 2.7 pinky measured bent at the knuckle) the bass I bonded with is 34 inch scale length. When doing the c major scale starting on the 3 fret of the a string I HAVE to shift a little bit , to get the correct fingers to correspond with the notes/frets. Is this ok ? Or do I need to stop before making a bad habit ? I’m playing the That way feels comfortable and trying to get the correct fingers on the correct place to build my foundation to do the other major scales . Also doing one finger per fret chromatic exercises up the neck starts getting really difficult with the pinky on the a e string past the 7 fret . Thanks so much for the lessons I’m really loving learning the bass. And enjoying your lessons .

@StudyBass

5 жыл бұрын

It's not exhausting at all! I love for people to learn to play music. Shifting a bit is fine. In the beginning this isn't a giant problem. The worst habit you can pick up in the beginning is just plucking with one finger. Most other things get better with time. As certain mechanics fall into place, your bandwidth opens up to attend to finer and finer details. That's how you know you're progressing--your problems get smaller. Eventually you will need to focus on playing more legato (little to no silence between the notes). Beginners will add too much silence between their notes by picking up their fingers too early so that their next finger arrives to the next note on time. This is normal, but eventually you need to fill that silent gap. You need to sustain the note longer. As you become more comfortable, you can listen to and focus on this detail. Right now, you're probably fine. Keep at it!

@MegaDieseldriver

5 жыл бұрын

studybass thanks so much for the reply and yes when I first started I wanted to pluck with just my index finger so bad and alternate plucking while still coordinating the left hand felt impossible, but I preserved and now i don’t even think about it :)

Do flat wounds play easier than round wound? I have had multiple trigger finger surgeries and I’m finding it harder to play. My years of bad habits haven’t helped!

@StudyBass

6 ай бұрын

Not in my experience. Flatwounds have a lot more tension and are stiffer. There's also more drag when shifting. I'd suggest trying some lighter gauge strings with low tension (for instance, DR Nickel Lo-Riders 40-100). That and get your bass set up by the best luthier in town. I hope the situation improves for you. I just posted about an accident I was in where I broke my hand. It's a bummer. I added some ideas for practice when you can't play. www.studybass.com/says/studybass-news/the-accident/

great advice...is it better to fret next to the fret or over it ??...i see you do both ways.....

@StudyBass

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks. You never want to be on top of the fret. Ideally you should just see metal in front of your finger. That's where you can press with the least amount of pressure to get a clear sound. The beginning is the hardest part--stick to it!

@Sanson101

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks....the closer, the clearer...that edgy electric bass sound we are always looking for!

is it feasible to use 1-2-4 fingering exclusively? i have a cyst on the knuckle of my ring finger rendering it kind of useless (I can't bend the joint closest to the nail, so I can only use the finger in a completely flat way, which sometimes works but doesn't give me the degree of control that rounding the finger would)

@StudyBass

3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely. I've had students with missing fingers and other issues. Everyone has to work with what they have. The key to it is consistency. You are coordinating your mind, ears and fingers. The more consistent your approach, the faster that coordination develops. You might pick up a copy of the Simandl Double Bass Method book for a guide to 1-2-4 fingerings. Keep at it!

@pwnedshift1

3 жыл бұрын

@@StudyBass thanks for the encouragement. since I've been using my pinky more, I'm finding it and the muscles in my hand to be sore. is this expected, or am I doing something wrong?

@StudyBass

3 жыл бұрын

It's hard to say. It's not unusual in the first few weeks of doing something novel to feel some general soreness. If it's sore for more than a few weeks, you're probably overdoing it. Beginners often pluck and press too hard. Many times this comes from playing with an amp not turned up enough. Turn up and don't pluck aggressively. Then you end up pressing the strings more gently too. Experiment with how little pressure you need to get a clear tone. Also, take breaks. If it continues, you should take some lessons with a local teacher to figure out what you're doing wrong. You shouldn't be playing through any pain.

@pwnedshift1

3 жыл бұрын

@@StudyBass I think the main problem is that my action is just way too high. I"m going to get my bass setup properly and then try again. thanks again for your timely and helpful responses. your channel is great!

What about fretting note on the 12th fret and up. Especially on the E and A string.

@StudyBass

6 жыл бұрын

Good question. Typically you'll play those same notes on lower frets of higher strings. So, rather than playing a G on the 15th fret of the E-string, you'd play it on the 10th fret of the A-string, or the 5th fret of the D-string, or even an open G--they're all the same octave G note. Your position choice will depend on the surrounding notes of the rest of the bassline or phrase. You'll notice the notes/frets you play most move diagonally as you go up the neck. For example, players often wear out E 0-7, A 0-12, D 0-15, and G 0-20. Naturally, it's different for everyone and depends on one's style, approach and preferences, but that's the typical pattern. The times when you're forced to use high frets on the low strings, you might need to adjust the angle of your bass to reach them comfortably.

@dougjones2063

6 жыл бұрын

studybass Thank you

@StudyBass

6 жыл бұрын

You're welcome. Make music!

Tabs for the riff in the beginning?

@StudyBass

Жыл бұрын

I'm happy you want to learn this little improv. As a teacher, I urge you to learn things by ear. Here you already have the advantage of being able to see where things are played--and you can slow it down in the settings. As frustrating as it can be, use your ears to learn. You will be better for it I promise!

Are those strings flats?

@StudyBass

4 жыл бұрын

I use groundwounds--in-between rounds and flats.

Where is 2 of 3 in this series?

@StudyBass

6 жыл бұрын

Part 1: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZIeZrriSebuTo5M.html Part 2: kzread.info/dash/bejne/X6ii2NttZsXAoLw.html

@bustabass9025

6 жыл бұрын

studybass Thanks man!

I think I may be pressing too hard. When I practice on a fast-tempo song, like I Saw Her Standing There, my hand gets tight, and I can barely even finish the song once, let alone try it again without waiting a while.

@StudyBass

7 жыл бұрын

That's very common--almost everyone. And, pressing as hard as you describe is very dangerous in terms of hand injuries. When you pluck harder, you have a tendency to press harder, too. Try turning up your amp a good bit. Also, get something (app, plugin) to slow the music down so you can focus on the light touch. Gradually increase the speed. Or, use a metronome. I also recommend learning new habits with new songs and exercises when possible. Otherwise you dive right back into your original habits.

@wizardglick9609

7 жыл бұрын

studybass thank you! I will try all of that.