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Hot Bass How-Tos

How To: Fret and play a D sharp or E flat note on the bass

In this bass guitar lesson for beginners, you'll learn how to look sharp while fretting and playing a D sharp or E flat. Regardless of your preferred style of music, if you want to be great, you'll need your head and hands on the same page. And there's no better way to get your head and hands on the same page than to practice. Happily, the Internet is awash in video tutorials like this one. For more information, and to get started playing this note yourself, watch this free video lesson for b...

How To: Play swing music on bass in G

In this video series, watch as jazz artist Ryan Larson teaches basic swing progressions on an upright bass. Learn how to find the frets and chart the scales. Get tips on simple bass progressions and melodic patterns. With these easy online upright bass lessons, you are sure to improve your playing thanks to the experts at Expert Village.

How To: Fret and play a G note on a bass guitar

In this bass guitar lesson for beginners, you'll learn how to fret and play a natural G. Regardless of your preferred style of music, if you want to be great, you'll need your head and hands on the same page. And there's no better way to get your head and hands on the same page than to practice. Happily, the Internet is awash in video tutorials like this one. For more information, and to get started playing this note yourself, watch this free video lesson for beginning bassists.

How To: Fret and play a C sharp or D flat note on bass guitar

In this bass guitar lesson for beginners, you'll learn how to fret and play a C sharp or D flat note on the bass. Regardless of your preferred style of music, if you want to be great, you'll need your head and hands on the same page. And there's no better way to get your head and hands on the same page than to practice. Happily, the Internet is awash in video tutorials like this one. For more information, and to get started playing this note yourself, watch this free video lesson for beginnin...

How To: Play the bassline for "Soul Man" by Sam & Dave

"Soul Man" was one of the biggest hits of 1967, and still holds its ground in success. Sam & Dave's hit single, written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, will forever live on in the music world, and through you… if you play bass. This video is a beginner's lesson to bass guitar, which teaches you how to play the baseline for "Soul Man" by Sam & Dave, with the baseline perfected by Duck Dunn. This is a good bass line for beginners who've played for a bit to get their fingers around.

How To: Play "Little Wing" by Jimi Hendrix on the bass

Want to know how to perform the bass part to Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing"? Learn how to lay it down with this free video bass lesson, which presents a complete breakdown of the song's bass line. While this tutorial is best suited for intermediate players, bassists of all skill levels can play along given a little time and effort. For more information, and to get started playing "Little Wing" on your own bass guitar, watch this how-to!

How To: Play bass guitar for beginners using open strings

In this tutorial, we learn how to play bass guitar for beginners using open strings. Get used to look at written notes. To do this, look at open notes on a piece of paper and work on your right hand technique. You won't be pulling straight up, your finger should be resting on the string. Pull it slightly backwards and feel the string vibrate. A nice and eve stroke will be perfect, do this for all the notes to get them to all sound the same. Then, combine looking at sheet music with your right...

How To: Fret and play an A sharp or B flat note on bass guitar

In this bass guitar lesson for beginners, you'll learn how to fret and play an A sharp or B flat. Regardless of your preferred style of music, if you want to be great, you'll need your head and hands on the same page. And there's no better way to get your head and hands on the same page than to practice. Happily, the Internet is awash in video tutorials like this one. For more information, and to get started playing this note yourself, watch this free video lesson for beginning bassists.

How To: Fret and play a C note on the bass guitar

In this bass guitar lesson for beginners, you'll learn how to fret and play a natural C. Regardless of your preferred style of music, if you want to be great, you'll need your head and hands on the same page. And there's no better way to get your head and hands on the same page than to practice. Happily, the Internet is awash in video tutorials like this one. For more information, and to get started playing this note yourself, watch this free video lesson for beginning bassists.

How To: Drop D tune a bass

This is a tutorial video on how to play bass, brought to you by How to Play Bass, hosted by Paul Wolf. In this lesson Paul teaches you how to tune your bass guitar down to what is called "Drop D" tuning. Follow along with him, as Paul demonstrates how to achieve this tuning by two different methods. The first method is done by tuning to the 'A' string, and de-tuning the 'E' string to 'D'. The second method involves a similar process, this time using the 'D' string to achieve the same effect.

How To: Play bass guitar in E Major

In this video series, our expert Ryan Larson will give you an introduction to playing the bass guitar in E Major including how to play the scale on the bass fretboard, intervals and roots. He will also show you some walking bass lines including progressions and tritone substitutions.

How To: Change Strings on an Upright Double Bass

In this video, I describe and show how to change strings on an upright double bass instrument. Several important thing that should be considered: First of all, don't change all strings at once, as this could damage your instrument if the sound post falls or changes position. So please, only change the strings one after another. Secondly, mark the position of the bridge; it may change position during string change, but it shouldn't. Thirdly, apply some graphite to the slots of the bridge and s...

How To: Play the bassline from "Time is Tight" by Booker T

In this video, we learn how to play the bass line from "Time is Tight" by Booker T. Start with the intro playing the metronome, the chords will be: C, A, and G. You will have CCA, CCA, then CCAG for your rhythm as you are playing. Practice playing this over until you reach the first verse of the song. Now, play F on a higher string, then D, and C. The sequence is, F, F, D, F, D, C, F, D, C, F, D, C, and D. Play eight bars, then continue on to play the rest of the verses throughout the song. W...

How To: Fret and play an A note on a bass guitar

In this bass guitar lesson for beginners, you'll learn how to fret and play a natural A like a natural. Regardless of your preferred style of music, if you want to be great, you'll need your head and hands on the same page. And there's no better way to get your head and hands on the same page than to practice. Happily, the Internet is awash in video tutorials like this one. For more information, and to get started playing this note yourself, watch this free video lesson for beginning bassists.

How To: Fret and play a G sharp note on a bass guitar

In this free video bass guitar lesson, you'll learn how to fret and play a G sharp note. Regardless of your preferred style of music, if you want to be great, you'll need your head and hands on the same page. And there's no better way to get your head and hands on the same page than to practice. Happily, the Internet is awash in video tutorials like this one. For more information, and to get started playing this note yourself, watch this guide for bassists.

How To: Play "Let It Be" by the Beatles on the bass

Want to know how to play the bassline to the Beatles' "Let It Be"? See how it's done with this free video bass lesson, which presents a complete breakdown of the song. While this tutorial is best suited for intermediate players, bassists of all skill levels can play along given a little time and effort. For more information, and to get started playing this great (and simple) Paul McCartney song on your own bass guitar, watch this how-to!

How To: Play the bass line to "Rain" by the Beatles

Want to know how to play the bass line to the Beatles' "Rain"? Learn how with this free video bass lesson. While this tutorial is best suited for intermediate players, bassists of all skill levels can play along given a little time and effort. For more information, and to get started playing this John Lennon song on your own electric bass, watch this how-to!

How To: Play the bass to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

Kurt Cobain's simple but majestic songwriting for Nirvana has been perhaps the greatest boon to aspiring rock musician of the last two decades. The video from How To Play Bass details how to play Krist Novoselic's iconic bassline from the song Smells Like Teen Spirit. Even if you can't count sixteenths, this video should have you playing the song quickly and is a great way for beginners to learn to play a really fun part without needing too much experience.

How To: Play The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" (bass)

Should you stay or should you go? Well, that depends on if you want to learn how to play the baseline for "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" by the Clash. If you're staying, pick up your bass guitar and get ready to rock! Watch this video lesson to see the baseline broken down and spelled out, note-by-note, along with fretboard positions and strings to play. Plus, you can hear the notes of the line played against a metronome click to ensure that you can hear the rhythm.

How To: Play the bassline from Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"

Wanna play the bass like a pro? Paul Wolf provides a superlative video, for beginners, to learn how to play Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" on the bass guitar. The use of a picture within a picture provides beginners good closeups of where to place the fingers of both hands to accomplish the task. He includes a slower version and a breakdown of the parts of the piece, the chords and metronome settings to help with the changes in tempo of the song. He provides great insights to all of the rift...

How To: Play basic walking bass lines

If you are looking to begin playing the bass then this how to video is the place to start. This is a short demonstration lesson detailing the basic principles of walking bass lines. You will learn some easy scales and how to play a walking bass line for whatever song you are playing. With this tutorial you will learn tips to improve your walking bass technique.

How To: Bow an upright bass

Bowing an upright bass is a technique that diversifies the sounds and music that can be made by the instrument. Play with a bow on upright bass with tips from a music teacher in this free stringed instrument video series.

How To: Play double bass

In this video series, our expert Casey Cormier will give you an introduction to the double or upright bass, show you how to handle it, and tell you all about the different parts of the instrument.

How To: Play jazz bass guitar in E flat (Eb)

In this video series, expert jazz musician Ryan Larson will teach you how to read and play jazz bass in the key of Eb major. Learn the different scales and techniques in this step by step bass guitar lesson. Improve your ability to groove with other musicians and move freely along the neck of the bass.

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