The physical size and thickness (or gauge) of bass strings of a bass may also make it more challenging for new musicians to learn. For instance, for more tone and guitar-driven songs in the country genre, playing bass may be easier than rhythm-focused genres such as funk or hard rock and heavy metal. Playing bass guitar can be easy but the more you decide to delve into the intricacies of the instrument, you can apply that knowledge to play simple or more complex basslines in songs.ĭepending on the musical genre and the level of mastery you aspire to with playing your instrument, it can determine how easy or how hard it is to learn bass guitar. Picking up a bass and learning how to weave its rhythmic texture into a song puts you in good company.īe the first to know about new products, featured content, exclusive offers and giveaways. Take a look (and listen) to Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Paul McCartney of The Beatles, Parliament-Funkadelic’s Bootsy Collins (who also played with Dee-Lite and James Brown), Geddy Lee of Rush, Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx, and Gene Simmons of KISS, and you have a litany of bassists who have been the songwriting forces behind their respective bands. Many bassists have a firm understanding of the structure of songs and often take a front-seat role in songwriting.

Need another reason to want to learn to play bass? While you may marvel at a guitarist’s string-bending prowess when you listen to a song, when you plug your headphones in, the bass line is usually the part that makes you bob your head. However, bass guitar is the low-end bottom that provides a bridge between the showmanship and melody of the guitar and the driving backbeat of the drums. While guitar gets the glory in terms of musicianship in the band, there aren’t quite as many bassists vying for the spotlight. In This GuideĬhoosing a Bass Guitar That’s Right for You We’ll give you some pointers on how to choose a bass guitar, tuning tips and finger technique, as well as how to play a song on bass.

In this guide, we’ll show you some bass guitar basics, helping you get started on your musical journey. The bass guitar is responsible for creating the undercurrent - or bassline - that ties a song together, giving it a rhythmic feel and a steady beat that helps both the guitar and drums propel the song forward.

Bass may not get all the glory of the guitar or have the flash, crash, and bang of the drums - but the instrument holds an important spot in any band, bridging the gap between rhythm and melody.

How to play spooky on bass