The Basics of Playing Bass

1) How to hold the bass:

Whether standing or sitting, the head of the bass should be at about a 45 degree angle, and at or near the same height as your head (for younger or smaller musicians compromises may need to be made). If the neck is too low, it will be too difficult to reach around and play the fretboard with the fretting hand (usually the left hand). Standing up will require the use of a strap, and you will have to adjust your strap to get the right height for your hands (don't play with too loose a strap, it can lead to back problems).

Playing this way while sitting may require a strap or the use of a footstool. I play with a footstool under my left foot when sitting (my left hand is my fretting hand).

2) Play within the midrange of motion to prevent injury: Musicians can and do hurt themselves by playing their instruments incorrectly. The easiest way to prevent injuries is by making sure not to flex or extend your fingers or wrists too much. This is what it means to stay within the midrange of motion.

Flex your wrist so that you holding the palm of your hand away from you (like a crossing guard telling cars to "stop"). That is the maximum extension of your wrist. Moving your wrist in the opposite direction flexes your wrist, but I don't recommend holding your wrist in the flexed position, as it is unnatural.

Many people play with too flexed a wrist, which leads to RSIs (Repetitive Strain Injuries). Yes, some songs you play will require you to flex or extend your wrist or fingers more than usual, but usually you can keep you wrist reasonably straight (or with a slight flex).Sitting or standing as properly as possible (point 1 above) helps to keep your hands in the midrange of motion.

3) How to hold a pick/how to use your fingers:

When using a pick, we usually hold it with the thumb and index finger, leaving a small gap between the finger and the point of the pick.

When using fingers, we tend to put the thumb horizontally (sideways) on the bass (so that the tip of the thumb is sort of pointing towards the head of your bass), and we use the index and middle fingers to pluck the strings. We usually alternate between fingers (index-middle-index-middle-etc), making a sort of "walking" motion on the strings (some people find imagining a paintbrush stroke helpful).

4) Tuning the bass: Tuning the bass is much like tuning the guitar, so read my page on how to tune the guitar with a tuner, here. The only difference is most basses have only 4 strings, so you'll only be tuning to E A D G (instead of E A D G B E, like the guitar):

1st string (closest to feet) -> G string
2nd string -> D string
3rd string -> A string
4th string -> E string

5) How to read bass music: [link coming soon]

6) Basic rhythm: Musicians need a good sense of pitch, and a good understanding of rhythm. I've written a post about basic rhythm which you can check out by clicking here.

Follow these steps, and you'll be well on your way to playing the bass!