A common issue for a lot of bass players is getting into the groove. This quick video by Jeff Berlin explains how you can begin playing in the bass groove to improve your playing.

Getting In the Bass Groove is a blog post from Bass Guitar Hangout: Where you can learn bass guitar with videos, articles and much more.

I have been offering bass guitar tuition online now for 3 years and have helped thousands of people who visit this website every month. To help you get started check these out:

Bass Guitar Notes – Master The Fretboard Today

How To Play Bass Guitar For Beginners

Beginner Bass Songs – 5 Easy Songs For You To Learn

Bass Guitar Scales

Those web pages sound help to get you started with the basics of playing bass. Learning the notes of the fretboard is something that you should learn and along with some basic scales, which are a great way to warm up before you start playing. Playing songs is also vital and it’s important not to get caught up in to many exercises and scales. 

Start out learning some really simple songs and use those to also work on your bass technique and skills. You can then move on to harder songs later once you have the strength and dexterity in your fingers to perform the bass lines.

Another great tip is to break your practise into sections.

I tell my students to split their practice into three segments. First start off with warming up, for this  play through a few scales. While you play your scales say the names of the notes out loud or in your head to help your learn the bass fretboard. 

The second section I recommend is to learn a bass line or song. It’s a good idea to pick one bass lines and work on it for a week. Use this middle section of your practise to slowly play it note for note and try to get it perfect. Later you can then play it fast at the correct tempo (speed).

For the last part of your practise I recommend you jam, improvise and be creative. A great way to do this when you are starting out is to put a drum backing track on and then improvise a bass line over it using a scale you know.

I hope this has given you a quick overview of my bass guitar tuition methods and how I like to approach learning bass guitar. For more information on my online bass tuition click here.

Keep rocking!
- Tom Boyd

Bass Guitar Tuition is a blog post from Bass Guitar Hangout: Where you can learn bass guitar with videos, articles and much more.

In this video with Jaco Pastorius he explains how he started out on bass guitar. He says that the first thing he was told to learn was the melody to every tune, something that most bass player’s over look. Pastorius says how important it is and that it helps you to get a feel for the song rather than just learning to play the bass part. He says the same goes for all instruments for example a piano player should also know how to play the bass lines. One supports the other.

When asked what he studied to become a great bass player Jaco Pastorius says that he studied what was on the radio. He reveals that he didn’t learn to read music until much later and picked up how to play songs by just listening to them. It was easy for him to learn them that way as he says he has a natural talent for music.

Reading music wasn’t an easy thing for him to learn as he already knew how to play and had been playing for so long. However it was something he wanted to learn how to do as he couldn’t do it. He says the only way to learn how to read music is to practise and explains how he would practise for hours a day just reading any music book he could get a hold of.

Jaco started out as a drummer in a funk rock band but changed to playing bass after the previous bass player in the band left. He said he learnt to play in about a week. The host asks him about his famous fretless bass to which he says that he took the frets off in order to get it to sound more like an upright bass. (In later years Jaco admitted that he didn’t take the frets off himself and bought the Fender jazz bass that way.)

At the end of the video Jaco Pastorius gives another helpful tip and says how his father one came in and saw him practising his bass. He told him to play using one finger per fret, a very good technique, and something that should become natural to any good bass player.

Jaco Pastorius is a blog post from Bass Guitar Hangout: Where you can learn bass guitar with videos, articles and much more.

Many of the bass brands now offer bass guitars for left handed people and the number grows each day. Often you might find that local stores tend not to stock many but can often order them in for you. Another option is to order your left handed bass guitar on the Internet, which is perhaps why you are here!

Playing a bass left handed is exactly the same as playing right handed other than the fact that you use opposite hands. A right handed player will typically pluck the strings with his right hand and fret note with his left, for a left handed player it’s the other way around. You would pluck with your left hand a fret with your right.

Another option you have if you want a certain bass that is not available as a left handed version is to use a right handed bass but still hold it left handed. For this you will need to have the strings on backwards so that when you hold it the wrong way round you have the thickest string on the top. You will also probably need to pay a store to set it up for you as the bass will need to be set-up to be strung upside down.

Another problem you might find with holding a right handed bass backwards is things like the pick guard or the controls will be on the top. I think you would be best getting a proper left handed bass guitar but just wanted to share with you how you would go about using a right handed one if you wanted to.

Here are some left handed bass guitars I found on Amazon.

Left Handed Bass Guitar is a blog post from Bass Guitar Hangout: Where you can learn bass guitar with videos, articles and much more.

A experienced bass teacher named Alex Sampson discovered the secrets to playing impressive bass lines and put together a tell-all course, called Bass Guitar Secrets.

According to Alex, his bass system is  proven and recommended by bass players from all around the world who had had great success with the lessons.

Alex has been helping bass players for over 5 years.

Would you like to discover…

• 7 specific jealously guarded options for coming up with superstar fills and riffs… These 7 options can single handedly open up literally thousands of new ways for you to create great sounding fills and runs on the fly and add a touch of flare to your playing…
• 11 flaming hot tips that when applied will instantly improve your Gospel, Funk, R&B, Latin, Rock and Metal bass lines without you having to copy what you hear others play — Instead you’ll learn how to replicate exactly what you hear in your own head!..
  
• The right and wrong way to use ‘patterns’… One can be deadly to your expressiveness and snuff out your creativity and the other single right way will do wonders for your ability to navigate the neck like a pro…
  
• And much more…

Be sure to check out Alex’s Bass Guitar Secrets, and come back here to post your comments about it. I’d love to hear your feedback on his course or on this Bass Guitar Secrets review.

- Tom Boyd

Bass Guitar Secrets Review – Alex Sampson is a blog post from Bass Guitar Hangout: Where you can learn bass guitar with videos, articles and much more.

Many players spend weeks, months and even years trying to learn bass. The struggle to even get start and left alone, even the basic can seem difficult and frustrating. With the right bass guitar instruction you can short cut your learning time by following the simple lessons.

Online bass guitar lessons are ideal to help you learn and give you the instruction you need to make progress quickly, so you can be playing your favourite songs in no time.

Imagine just a few weeks from now being able to understand how to really play bass guitar. To be playing the music you love and the looks on your friends and families faces when you show them your new bass skills.

Playing bass is so much fun, when you know how. Learning an instrument is something many people dream of, yet never take the action they need to make their dream come true. With just a little effort you really can play the bass guitar. You just need access to the right knowledge.

So stop struggling on your own and get the bass guitar instruction you need to succeed today. You can do it, you just need the right information!

Click here to check out my online bass guitar lessons and discover how to play bass in just 15 minutes a day.

Bass Guitar Instruction is a blog post from Bass Guitar Hangout: Where you can learn bass guitar with videos, articles and much more.

When you want to know how to learn to play bass guitar, there is a lot of information out there, which can be a bit confusing. Sometimes it can be difficult to know where to get started. To make learning a bit easier for you, here are a few quick steps you can take.

Step #1 – Become Familiar with the Instrument

One step you need to take is to become familiar with the instrument. Usually it’s fairly easy to learn the bass parts. Learn the names and know what each part is for. While this may sound a bit basic to you, many people try to start playing without every learning what parts and controls are on their guitar.

Step #2 – Learn to Tune

Another important step to take to make learning easier is to find out how to tune up the bass. The last thing you want to do is practice when it is out of tune. It will just make everything sound bass. You can get an electric tuner to help you learn to tune it up in the beginning, and over time you may even learn how to tune it by ear as well.

Step #3 – Get Relaxed

Make sure you get relaxed – another great step to remember if you want to learn to play bass guitar.

If you are uptight and tense, it will become more difficult and will make your body, hands, and even your fingers start aching. Relax your body, breathe naturally, and stay relaxed for the best results.

Learn to Play Bass Guitar – Quick Steps to Make Learning Easier is a blog post from Bass Guitar Hangout: Where you can learn bass guitar with videos, articles and much more.

Bass chord chart - Discover how to play bass guitar chords using these easy to use chord charts.

How to play funk bass - This videos gives you some quick tips to help you get started playing funk bass lines. Simple watch the video and use the technique and you too can be playing the funk in no time!

Bass guitar notes on fretboard - Learn the notes on your bass fretboard with this quick and easy article.

Beginner bass guitar - Some quick tips and advice on how to get started playing bass guitar and how to avoid some common mistake that a lot of new players make.

Bass guitar scales - Bass scales are vital to know as a bass player. This article looks at scales and how you can use the in your bass playing

Bass guitar lessons - Want to take bass guitar lessons? This articles talks about the pros and cons of the different types of bass lesson and how to get started.

Best of Bass Guitar Hangout #1 is a blog post from Bass Guitar Hangout: Where you can learn bass guitar with videos, articles and much more.

If you don’t have much money at all then buying a few books or DVD might be a good option for you. This can be a great way to get an idea of the basic but it time it’s a good idea to find someone who can support you and give you answers to your questions.

Online bass guitar lessons are another option and are ideal if you can’t afford private lessons but want something more than a text book. Online lessons for bass guitar give you the ability to watch video lessons like a DVD but also give the additional support of being able to contact the teacher for help when you get stuck.

These are your 3 main option when it comes to taking lessons for bass guitar. Which one you choose all comes down to how much you are willing to invest in your bass education and how badly you want to play bass guitar.

I hope this has given you an idea of the choices you have and good luck with your lessons for bass guitar!

Lessons For Bass Guitar is a blog post from Bass Guitar Hangout: Where you can learn bass guitar with videos, articles and much more.

Private lessons are another option but these are often very expensive and out of the reach of many people and families. Online bass lessons give you the personal support you need along with videos for you to watch, rewind and learn from at your own pace and convenience

Being able to watch online bass lessons when it suits you is a huge advantage. We all live busy lives and trying to schedule time to learn and practise bass guitar can sometime be tricky. With online video lessons they are there for you to watch when ever you get a window of spare time.

Having the ability to re-watch and review the lessons is also valuable as repetition is the best way to master any skill, bass included. You can stop the video, rewind and pause it then you need too. This allows you to really absorb the skills you need to become a great bass guitar player.

There really is nothing like having the skills to play a musical instrument. It’s something many people only ever dream of, but with the right information and a little practice it can become a reality.

So why not sign up for online bass lessons today? You’ll be glad you did!

Online Bass Guitar Lessons is a blog post from Bass Guitar Hangout: Where you can learn bass guitar with videos, articles and much more.