Learning bass guitar theory pdf

Guitarists who are new to playing bass will often double the guitar part one octave lower. Music theory basic level the one in my signature music theory intermediate music theory advanced. Under the bridge of the guitar there often is a grounding cable, which makes you part of the electric circuit when touching the strings. Guitar lessons, music theory, bass lessons, scales, chords. The real fun and challenge of playing a bass guitar is that the patterns of the chords and scales never change, no matter what musical key youre in. Thats not to say necessarily that you must ace collegelevel theory classes. Basic music theory reading music for bass avcss guitar world. Walking bass exercises for jazz guitar lesson with tabs and audio. If youd like to take it a step further, the author also offers a corresponding 20 week course.

A slightly embellished version of this kind of line would also be typical of a basic boogie woogie type bass line, as in the following example. Bass guitar scales chords and arpeggios also features bass chords, both in open position and as movable chord shapes. Olav torvunds guitar pages music theory book of the month january 2005 happy traum. So i know what works and what doesnt, what students gravitate toward, what empowers students. Aris course music theory for the bass player coaches you through the book applications of theory in grooves and goes way beyond the theory guiding you through technique exercises and helping you by applying the knowledge. Music theory for bass guitar triads talkingbassmark 20190306t16.

Understanding the basics of bass guitar includes understanding what makes a bass a bass. Bass guitar for dummies cheat sheet learning made easy. Bass guitar theory, check out our handouts teaching basic music theory, key signatures, and information on relative keys for bass guitar. It has a different tone, scale length, feel and musical role, and in many cases it requires a different conceptual and technical approach. The trick is to learn the music theory which is relevant to you as a bass player and also learn it as you go. In this bass guitar lesson, i want to strip things back a little and show you. Is usually three or more notes as a twonote chord, or diad, is generally considered an interval can be played as a block of notes altogether harmonically, or individually melodically. It doesnt make a big difference if you have 20, 22, or 24 frets on your guitar.

Free bass tabs printable, downloadable pdf bass tabs. My fiancee is also excelling at the guitar and the bass guitar since. Ry naylor is a guitar mentor and transcriber with a mission to help guitarists. A trumpet player interested in jazz, a vocalist interested in early. Bass guitar theory, information and handouts teaching the.

Free guitar pdf ebooks online guitar lessons at fachords. This book can teach anyone music theory and keep a smile on their face the entire time. You wont get far on guitar without learning chord shapes, scale patterns, chord progressions, note. The science of electric guitars and guitar electronics. The bridge is the assembly that anchors the strings to the body. There is a pdf including all the notes on the neck and sopme tips and tricks to memorise them. Bass scales chart a free printable bass guitar scales. Personally, i like to use the bass tab to figure out the actual notes, while i use the musical notation to help me get an understanding for the overall timing of the piece. Learn from a pro player and guitar instructor and become the guitarist you have always wanted to be, playing your own style of music and improvising. Musicca makes learning music theory fun, easy, and effective. Written to be the only reference book a bassist will need, bass guitar scales chords and arpeggios is available to download direct from. I have played various instruments over 24 years and because of.

Music theory for the bass player is a comprehensive and immediately applicable guide to making you a wellgrounded groover, informed bandmate and allaround more creative musician. While music theory pertains to music in general, guitar theory pertains to the guitar specifically. The samples are in pdf format and require adobe acrobat reader to be. This book and the 89 free videos stand on their own and form a thorough source for studying music theory for the bass player. It also teaches proper hand theory, to get you off to the best start possible. Bass guitar theory, information and handouts teaching the basics. Many people make the mistake of learning a song as a long series of notes one after another. Beginner treble clef g clef and bass clef f clef note reading worksheets and exercises. Our collection of tabs, guitar chords, and video lessons is constantly growing, so check back often to find your favorite songs. Essential music theory for guitarists how to read guitar tab tablature, or tab, is a system of musical notation that focuses on where you place your fingers, rather than the actual musical pitches. Guitar can be a challenging instrument for sure, but if you follow my structured curriculum, keep a positive attitude, and practice the right things, then you will succeed. Bitesize guitar theory lessons with neat graphics to empower you to grow as a guitarist. A chord is a combination of different notes played together.

While it is good for beginners, it isnt good for anyone who wants to learn to play bass without getting into any complicated theory. Crash course in music theory for guitarists by andy drudy an indepth knowledge of music theory is essential for any musician. Working through this book will allow you to accomplish two things. Here are three video lessons dedicated to learning all the notes on the bass fingerboard. Learning music is an incredible exercise in memory. Music is a very large subject, and the advanced theory that students will want to pursue after mastering the basics will vary greatly. There are two methods you can use to tune a bass guitar. Bach the parts of the guitar there are three main types of guitars,the steelstring acoustic, the nylon string or classical guitar, and the electric guitar. Heres a collection of resources that will help you learn how to play the guitar. Click here to download the free the most important scale for bass guitar pdf. Be sure to download the free guitar pdf ebooks and music theory reference sheets. Basics of bass learn how to play bass guitar with free. Teach myself bass guitar learn how to play with stepbystep bass guitar lessons supported by video and audio files. How to play bass guitar bass guitar lessons for beginners.

It was written because beginning guitarists need guidance. Walking bass line theory basicspart 1by chris fitzgerald. Learning guitar and becoming a good musician is, in many respects, tied to your knowledge of music theory. Bass tab, showing the scales in 1 octave, is also provided. This pdf method contains 11 guitar lessons with chord studies, tabs. Three reasons to subscribe to the free members areae now. For bass guitar players, a strong and limber left hand makes playing the bass more comfortable and enjoyable, and it helps in tackling complex chords and scales. Chuck raineys book is a step by step approach to electric bass. Joe satriani note learning exercise for bass guitar. But youve at least got to learn and become comfortable with the theoretical concepts of your. Make sure you get a bass amp and not a guitar amp 6 some way to tune your bass. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the complete guide to music theory for bass guitar players. The e string is the thickest string closest to your face as youre holding the bass. When you zoom into the music theory bass guitar players actually need its the one thing that will actually enable you to make sense of music and gain a deeper understanding.

Basic information about the components of a bass guitar. These online bass lessons will help you learn music theory for bass. Try the course and see how quickly learning music theory can transform your guitar or bass playing. R 3 5 6 7 walking bass line theory basics chris fitzgerald. This gives me unique insights on creating exercises and lesson plans to help students overcome these challenges and get them playing the guitar in the fastest and most efficient manner. How to learn notes on the bass fingerboard 3 parts. This wellrounded bookcoursewall chart combo will guide you though. Pickups are also mounted to the body and work like little microphones that pick up the sound from the strings. A beginners guide page 6 introduction this book is for all beginning guitarists, especially those who dont yet believe they can play the guitar. In this video lesson, james discusses what the most important scale for the bass. The complete guide to music theory for bass guitar players kindle edition by eager, james. There is certainly a place for lockstep octave doublingjust listen to aerosmiths sweet emotion, led.

In this example, the bass line consists of simple arpeggiations of each chord, giving the overall effect of a simple blues bass line. It contains a huge range of movable scale, chord and arpeggio fingerboard diagrams allowing you to play in any key. Progressive beginner bass contains all you need to know to start learning to be a great bass player in one easytofollow, lessonbylesson bass tutorial. In bass tab pdf, the songs display both the bass guitar tablature, and the music notation so you really do get the best of both world. A bass guitar is like a guitar, but with only the lowest four strings.

Have you always wanted to learn music theory but felt it was too overwhelming a task. The strings of the bass should be tuned to the notes e, a, d, and g. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The easiest way to get started is to subscribe to the free howtoplaybass members area using the big red button below, and you. Bass lesson beginners guide to scales and modes the bass. This just means that you can play a couple notes higher on the guitar and those notes are so high pitched they are pretty annoying to listen to anyway. The importance of not playing anything spacesilence. You can move on to tuning forks, harmonic tuning, and variable instrument tuning later.

Typically, this includes only those aspects of music that enable guitarists to find their way around the fretboard, play music, and compose. It also helps to figure out what somebody else is playing and be able to know what to play with them. If youd like to understand more about the theory behind these. Bass music theory is the nuts and bolts of how music is put together, and how it relates to the neck of the bass guitar. When trying to learn a song, you can anticipate where that song will go simply because you understand the rules that guide us all. Aug 02, 2019 bass guitar scales chords and arpeggios is a printable pdf book for bass guitarists. Basics of bass guitar playing 5 amazing bass guitar lessons. Bass lesson beginners guide to scales and modes the. The most important scale for bass guitar yt085 ebassguitar. They need to know which chords and concepts to begin with, and which ones to ignore. Youve probably heard of guitar tab on the interwebs, but. Bass is more than just a guitar with two fewer strings.

But i want to write for guitar players, and take into consideration the peculiarities, limitations recommended. Just 15 minutes of practice twice a week can make a big difference. Its also somewhat guitar orientated and inevitably theres a few typos here and there. For when you have to learn to play the bass right now. All of the other parts of the bass are mounted on these three sections.

The bass players job is usually to hold down the bottom end and provide a groove. Although tablature is the most popular way to read music these days, the ability to at least understand basic music theory and how to read music the old fashion way is not a bad idea for any bass guitar player. Your left hand needs to be free to move about the fretboard. This just means that you can play a couple notes higher on the guitar and those notes. It provides instruction in music theory with concepts and pictures. The other difference with a bass is how its played. Music theory makes it easier to figure out and understand your opportunities within a song. Music notation and theory for intelligent beginners. The head of the guitar is at eye level guitar is at a 45. Music theory for bass guitar 22 comments this latest lesson on music theory for the bass guitar begins delving into the topic of chord construction with this video on triads 3 note chords. To ensure to receive the latest version of this book buy from amazon directly not an amazon marketplace seller. Learn scales, chords, and music theory at your pace when you have the time. The structured exercises are easy to get started with.

A good exercise for the left hand is the following permutation exercise. The very basics relating mostly to bass playing will be covered here. Its especially useful for bass players that have been playing for a while and who want to develop more of an overall knowledge of the instrument. In a sense, the clef calibrates or orients the staff to specific notes. Although it is significantly expanded from introduction to music theory, this course still covers only the bare essentials of music theory. You dont need to be able to read music to learn and use the book.

I agree with everyones assessment, this is a well laid out quick synopsis of basic theory. The guitar should sit on your right leg with your right arm resting on top of the body of the guitar keeping the neck tilted slightly upwards. Do not support the neck with your left hand, rather keep the guitar in position with your right arm. In some short circuit conditions this might lead to lethal accidents. Robin gibelhausen, music teacher, illinois basic music theory by jonathan harnum is an excellent book for people of all levels. All this stuff has been created to be a visual aid for the free guitar software available on this site, but if can download it and use it independently. Teach yourself how to play the bass guitar overnight. The treble clef for high range notes the bass clef for low range notes the alto clef for middle range notes the treble clef also called the g clef because it. After browsing our selection of free bass tab pdf, view our video lessons to help you get started learning your favorite songs from start to finish. Teach myself bass guitar takes you on a journey from beginner to advanced levels in your bass guitar playing. Basics of bass guitar playing 8 there are usually about 20 something frets on a standard bass guitar. All of our bass tab pdf is printable and downloadable so you can enjoy it for years to come.

Simply click on the worksheet images below to open the free, downloadable, printable, pdf files. Essential music theory for guitarists chainsawguitartuition. Earn points for correct answers, collect stars, and level up. When a chord is played as sperate notes, it is called an arpeggio. We will be focussing on arpeggios in this lesson as they are. Parts of the bass a bass is made up of three main sections. Learning the ropes sotospeak, will rapidly expand your insight into you own and other peoples music and will assist your song writing considerably. The next reason to learn music theory is understanding it helps you learn faster. Memorizing the order of your basss musical notes can prepare you to tackle those chords and scales. Music theory for the bass player is a comprehensive and immediately. The strings are thicker and give you a lower sound than a guitar. The complete guide to music theory for bass guitar players.