Is The Bass Easy To Play?

Is The Bass Easy To Play?

Today we will talk about: Whether is the bass easy to play and we will also see where you can learn this instrument for free, or at least get started on it. It is an easy instrument to learn, but as with music in general, it requires discipline and patience to master. The electric bass serves several functions in a band.

It is in charge of defining the chords playing the lowest note of the whole band. He also completes the rhythm section with drums. Let’s say it acts as a hinge between percussion and rhythm instruments when applied to rhythm guitar and piano. It helps create the textures that support melodic instruments, such as lead guitar or singer melodies.

The bass can also provide the melody, although these techniques require more experience and knowledge, such as handling bass chords. Yes, the bass is an easy instrument to learn and, in addition to being of vital importance, even so, mastering it well, like any musical instrument, will be a challenge.

Where Can You Learn Bass?

One of the first lessons for a future bass player is to learn the notes of the bass, where they are on the fretboard, or how to tune this instrument with its open strings. To do this, today there are many free resources all over the internet, including YouTube. Still, not all didactic channels are supported by a dedicated bass teacher.

But you can find sites focused on electric bass, as is the case with Debajoelectrico, where you have endless resources to learn, and it is also backed by a real bass teacher, Ernesto Martín.

Ernesto also has a bass YouTube channel with educational videos and exercises for electric bass students. You can learn; bass notes, intervals, bass tabs of songs, scales, chords and arpeggios, and everything related to the world of bass.

Bass Course On YouTube

The thematic website has a bass course where you can learn different concepts in order, which is of vital importance when starting on any instrument. Do not forget to visit it if you want something of quality, but let’s continue talking about this instrument that is so unique and sometimes so little valued.

Is Guitar Easier Than Bass?

Chords are sometimes a bit more difficult to coordinate on the guitar compared to the single-note approach that the bass player may require in most situations. Both instruments will require strength in the hand that is used on the neck or fingerboard, it is said that “you have to make a callus”.

Bass Strings Are The Thickest

On the other hand, electric guitar strings are thinner and guitars are also lighter and have shorter necks. Perhaps it may be easier to hold a guitar than a bass due to the differences in weight and dimensions.

But these are small differences, in reality, the rest is the same. You will still need to understand the rhythm to play both instruments, know when to play which, be able to listen to other musicians, and understand the musical context.

Since most basses have much wider fret spacing than a guitar, finger placement can be quite a challenge for those with smaller hands.

The diameter and action of the strings can also influence the ease of playing the instrument. Lower strings can be more difficult to play and beginners often have a hard time getting a good sound without fretting.

Even so, apart from a few differences, most of the necessary musical skills are the same, in addition, with what the bass has progressed today, as with the guitar, there is no limit to the number of techniques and repertoire that can be played. get to study

Some people learn to play either instrument fairly quickly. Others have difficulty with technique but have a great ear. The opposite happens to others, they pick it up naturally, but they need to train their ears a bit. It is a very individual thing and there is no right or wrong way to start when it comes to skills, however, it is important to know the correct bass technique.

Interchangeability

We must go step by step. Any instrument requires practice, patience, and a bit of discipline and will give us infinite possibilities to express ourselves and have fun.

It is entirely possible to switch from one instrument to another because the first four strings of a guitar are tuned like bass but sound an octave higher.

Some principles are the same for both instruments, but at the same time, both instruments have a unique feel and a different role in band music.

Perhaps the guitar at first can be a more enjoyable instrument to start with since you can learn a few simple chords in a matter of days and a few strumming or fingering patterns in a matter of weeks.

Bass requires you to play mostly single notes, which sounds easy in theory, and actually, it’s easy when you’re playing a song like Wipe Stripes’ Seven Nation Army, but it can be quite difficult when you’re playing Billy Jean’s bass line. MJ, this can be challenging for a beginner.

I dare say that for a beginner, the bass is more difficult due to the larger and heavier strings that require more force to be pressed. There are many misconceptions that the bass is easier or that it is just a backing instrument.

Conclusions

I think bass players need to develop a strong sense of rhythm because it’s one of the most prominent instruments in many forms of modern music and modern music is very square in time.

Even if the bass only has 4 strings and has fairly simple patterns at first, it can become exponentially difficult when it comes to driving all the harmony in a piece of music.

It is very important that the bass player has advanced knowledge in musical harmony, and the sooner the better.

I hope this article has been helpful to you and encourages you to learn (even electric) bass now!

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