Bass Guitar For Starters - Important Tips

By Stuart Michael M

Bass guitar is my favorite type of guitar. You may think that being a bassist is nothing great because the bass sound is very low and soft, unlike electric guitar. If you have this type of thinking, you are absolutely wrong. Try comparing a song that has this guitar play and the other version of similar song without this instrument. You should agree with me once you have done it.

The number of strings in a bass guitar varies. It may consist of 4, 5 or even 6 strings. The most common type of this guitar is the 4-string bass. 5 and 6-string bass are for advanced player. If you are new, start off with 4-string bass. Here are several things you need to know in the process of learning this guitar.

Being a bassist requires some music background. Simple music theory like note A to G must be clear in your head, as a bassist only plays with notes. There are bassists who play chords but it is rather uncommon. You must know the notes of each string and the respective notes at a particular fret. Take some time memorizing the location before start playing. It will provide you smooth play if you know the location of each note clearly.

Other than that, you need learn how to grip on the strings properly. The strings of a bass guitar are very thick and you need press the string with sufficient strength to provide a clean sound. It may be painful at first as you are not used to it. Give it some time practicing and this problem will be eventually solved.

A bassist needs to be good in timing as well. Try to feel the beat of each song and learn the various tempos in different songs. Drummer is like the leader of a song as he or she is the one that determines the beat. Your job is to feel the beat and follow the play of a drummer in order to make the playing synchronize.

Stuart is writing for many websites, he enjoys writing on wide range of topics such as Lefty Electric Guitars and Left Handed Guitars. You may visit for more details.

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Bass Guitar Effects Pedals - 5 Effect Pedals For the Bass Guitarist

By Alan Williamson

Overview

The effects that are described for each Effects Pedal are the same for both electric and Bass Guitars. However, for the Bass Guitar, the effect is often modified to suit the lower frequency range of the instrument.

Bass Wah Wah Pedal

As with the Electric Guitar Wah pedal, the Bass Wah effect is produced by the use of a rocking treadle type foot pedal. However, with this type of unit, the use of custom EQ circuitry is incorporated specifically for Bass frequencies and the result is a full fat bass tone with a smooth response. This is ideal for enhancing your rhythmic playing, from warm and subtle, to punchy.

Octaver Pedal

The use of the Octaver is to produce a note that is one full octave below the original note played - quite a useful pedal for Funk and R&B - and many are able to cope with two or three note chords. Due to its need to create the altered pitch 'live', the pedal needs to have a fast response or tracking capability suitable for use with rapid playing techniques.

Overdrive and Distortion Pedal

If you want gutsy sounds for playing Rock/Metal etc, then the distortion pedal is for you. These pedals enhance the signal to the point where the resulting sounds are anything between rich and warm 'clipped', to something which is a lot more aggressive. Pedals vary in complexity from a few simple controls to more complex versions incorporating control over harmonic content and tone shaping facilities. Often these pedals are criticised for introducing high levels of noise, and are quite difficult to use for studio recording. Considering the way the signal is being boosted and enhanced, it's not surprising.

Bass Chorus Pedal

Again this pedal is specifically designed for the Bass frequency range. These pedals emulate the effect of having multiple bass notes playing in unison where slight variations create the chorus effect. It is possible to emulate up to sixteen voices depending on the make, and voice randomisation produces a thickening of the sound.

Bass Compressor/Limiter Pedal

The Bass Compressor enables the Bassist to play over a wide range of playing styles - from normal rhythmic playing to greater dynamic styles such as 'slap' - while maintaining the same output or volume from the Amplifier. This enables the audience to hear all your playing, while maintaining a balance within the band. The Compressor is probably the most commonly used pedal, but is the most difficult to use. If not set up correctly, the pedal can produce a rather bland performance.

Conclusion

If you want to use a number of Bass effects, you may want to choose using multi-effect units which incorporates all or any of the above. However, many criticise these saying that having all effects in one unit compromises the quality and functionality of each individual effect. Although, with the advent of microprocessor electronics, a large range of control over the parameters and sound shaping facilities are available to the user, so whether these criticisms are valid or not is difficult to confirm. It is probably down to the opinion of the individual which will decide the method to adopt, and there is certainly an appeal to the ease of setting up at a gig - with fewer cables to worry about going wrong at the most inopportune time.

There are a number of these types of pedals on the market today, which can make deciding the type or make of pedal to buy a bit daunting. If you would like more information on what's available on the market today, plus some great YouTube videos on various pedal types, please visit Bass Guitar Effects Pedals for upcoming news, reviews and sales.

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