Guitar

The Bass Guitar and Why it Rocks

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:31:34 +0000

This post will introduce you to the bass guitar, touch on its history, its evolution and mention some of the amazing bass players that have graced the instrument. Read on to learn more about the bass guitar.

Welcome to the world of the bass guitar; if you’re reading this then you’ve taken an interest in the electric bass and have decided to pursue it further. Maybe this post will reaffirms your decision to play bass guitar, or perhaps it will be the final argument for you to start playing the bass yourself.

The bass guitar is a pretty cool instrument. It may not be as flashy as a drum kit, or command as much attention as a pimped out electric guitar, but it has a subdued, laid-back vibe all its own. A standard bass guitar has four strings and is tuned E-A-D-G; an octave below the lowest strings on a guitar to provide a sonic foundation for the melody to build upon.

While you may give up the fame and glory of the spotlight when you choose to become a bass player, you gain full control of the key of the music, and full dominion over the bass frequencies.

Bass Guitar Frequencies Move People

This is almost a mystical power that most people won’t even realize that you have. Many won’t even realize that it is the bass player and the way he chooses to play certain notes, leave others out, and the space and rhythms in between these that are hypnotizing them into dancing. It is a great responsibility that you take on – called the groove – without it; any music you play will be lame.

So besides this, why take on the bass guitar? What is it about the bass guitar that is cool, or should be attractive to someone just starting out that just wants to play SOMETHING? Well, getting up and running with a bass guitar is much easier than most other instruments. You don’t have to have four-way independence as with drums, you don’t have to memorize all the chord fingering patterns like you would with a guitar, and you don’t have to spend years to get a sound that doesn’t sound like a cat being tortured as you would with a violin. You can pick up a bass guitar and start playing bass lines almost immediately – the good news is that the easier it is to play an instrument along to music you like when you’re starting out, the more likely you’ll stay with the instrument for good.

Another great reason why the bass guitar is cool is that EVERYONE needs a bass player. You make the other band members sound good, and there are many styles of music out there that use the bass guitar. That means that if you’re a good bass player, you’re willing to work hard, learn and you have a great attitude –you’re going to have many more job opportunities than many other musicians would have.

Being a bassist is as much a state of mind as it is a position in the band. You need to put the song and the other musicians before yourself. You are the glue between the rhythm and the melody – you straddle the line between the drummer and the guitarist, giving the music that third dimension that makes music so exciting. If you’re willing to put your ego on the back burner, you can become a truly great bassist that is in demand.

Is playing the bass guitar easier? Yes it is. But to master any instrument is virtually impossible. Playing bass guitar is initially much easier than guitar; you can outline chords one finger at a time as opposed to learning the fingerings for each chord. You also have fewer strings to change than the guitarist, but keep in mind that bass guitar strings are thicker – so in some ways, playing the bass guitar is more difficult because you need to play just as fast as the guitarists but with thicker strings. This means that you’re moving more mass in the same amount of time or energy.

What you may not know about the bass guitar is:

There is something to be said for a simple bass line that does what it’s supposed to do, get some asses out of the chairs at the bar.

Bass guitars can be beautiful and expensive, they can break your heart and if you get used to playing them – playing bass guitar can indeed be habit forming!

The electric bass guitar was responsible for making rock n’ roll music come to life in the fifties – the bass could now be heard (as well as felt!) and helped to drive the new-fangled rock n roll bands mercilessly into the spotlight.

The electric bass guitar started out with 4 strings and remained that way for several decades, before evolving to 5, 6, 8 and even 12 stringed versions beginning in the mid-70s. These multi-stringed basses owe a large debt of thanks to Anthony Jackson who helped open the door to more than 4 string basses by commissioning the first six string bass guitar to be built in the 1970s!

Some famous bass guitarists include Paul McCartney, Sting, Geddy Lee, Jaco Pastorius, James Jamerson, Flea, Les Claypool, Victor Wooten, Billy Sheehan, Stanley Clarke and John Entwistle.

You can get started with a bass guitar kit that includes a bass guitar, a bass guitar amp, a guitar strap, an bass guitar instrument cable and a tuner for around $250 or you can even rent a bass guitar from many major music instrument retailers. Even if you don’t know of any teachers in your town, you can surf Youtube and find plenty of lessons for free that can get you started. There’s no good reason to sit on the fence anymore, playing bass guitar can be an affordable hobby that can actually make you some extra money if you choose to play out in bands.

Choosing to play the bass guitar has given me plenty of opportunity to learn and grow as a human being. It’s allowed me to experience the thrill of performing in front of large audiences while sharing the stage with some amazing bands and meet terrific people. Playing bass guitar is a great way to be creative, relieve stress and have fun!

So what are you waiting for? Get out there, find a bass guitar and start playing today!

Michael Ippersiel has been playing and performing on bass guitar for over 18 years and writes about it frequently. He also gives advice for Indie Bands about the music business.

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The Bass Guitar and Why it Rocks

Silvertone LB11 Bass Guitar and Amp Package, Liquid Black -SSLB11PK-BK

admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:14:05 +0000

Bass guitar package with everything you need to control the rhytm
Includes BAXs bass amp, digital tuner, instructional DVD, strings, strap, picks, cable, gig bag
Liquid black Revolver LB11 bass guitar offers comfortable balance, warm resonance, and fat tone
BAXs bass amp with 10-watt RMS power, 6.5-inch speaker, 4-band EQ
Guitar backed by limited lifetime warranty

Product Description
The Silvertone Bass Guitar Package is loaded with everything you need to bang out some serious bottom. Featuring the Silvertone SSLB-11 “Precision” style 4 – string bass (34″ long scale, 20 fret maple neck with Rosewood fretboard, 1 split “P” style pickup, 1 volume and 1 tone control, chrome die-cast enclosed tuning machines, fully adjustable chrome bridge). The Silvertone Bass Guitar Package also includes the BA-10 bass amp (10 watts RMS, 7″ bass driver, 3-band EQ, headphone jack), GT-8 tuner, gig bag, strap, cable, pickpack, and instructional DVD. Liquid BlackAmazon.com Product Description
Get everything you need to play the bass guitar with this special package from Silvertone, which includes the LB11 electric bass, 20-watt amplifier, padded gig bag, and instructional DVD. Classic style and tone. Click to enlarge. Includes tuner, gig bag, guitar strap, cable, guitar picks, strings, and an … Click Here For More Info >>

Silvertone LB11 Bass Guitar and Amp Package, Liquid Black -SSLB11PK-BK

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Silvertone LB11 Bass Guitar and Amp Package, Liquid Black -SSLB11PK-BK

Elixir NanoWeb Acoustic Guitar Strings – Light Medium

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:28:04 +0000

Made from ultra thin NANOWEB coating

Touts an impressive lifespan, they maintain a balanced tone 3-5 times longer than regular strings

Features bright tone and punch like that of non-coated strings

Gives the same feel you get from traditional strings

Available in a medium light gauge

Product Description
Elixir Nanoweb Acoustic Guitar Strings; Don’t Mess around with An Ordinary String!Elixir Strings with ultra thin NANOWEB coating sound great 3 to 5 times longer than ordinary strings. They have the bright tone and punch of non-coated strings. All this and they still feel like traditional stringsElixir Nanoweb Acoustic String FeaturesGreat Sound that lasts 3 to 5 times longer than ordinary stringsBright tone and punch like that of non-coated stringsThe Same Feel you get from Traditional StringsWhat causes ordinary strings to go dead?You do. Every time you pick up your guitar and play, you leave tiny bits of dead skin, body oils, sweat, and all types of gunk loitering on your strings. Stuck between the windings (a space Elixir calls theCritical Zone of Tone), these contaminants dampen vibration and accelerate corrosion. The result? Strings that are dead, rough and dirty.The Cure for the Common String.Elixir Strings are coated in a unique way to protect wound… Click For Great Discounts >>

Elixir NanoWeb Acoustic Guitar Strings – Light Medium

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Elixir NanoWeb Acoustic Guitar Strings – Light Medium

Ernie Ball 2834 Super Slinky Bass Nickel Round Wound String

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:28:02 +0000

Gauges: 45-65-80-100

Product Description
Made from nickel plated steel wire wrapped around tin plated hex shaped steel core wire. By far the most popular, produces well balanced all around good sound…. Click For Great Discounts >>

Ernie Ball 2834 Super Slinky Bass Nickel Round Wound String

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Ernie Ball 2834 Super Slinky Bass Nickel Round Wound String

101 Slimy Rock Guitar Licks for Twisted Derelicts and Assorted Slimeballs

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 05:42:19 +0000

Product Description
A superb variety of rock lead guitar licks for fingerboard exploration, technical development, and enjoyment. Red Dog Music Books is proud to offer this very fine, packed-with-great-licks rock guitar book for your fun and learning enjoyment. This is the perfect book and CD for early intermediates and ambitious near-beginners who are looking for ideas on which to build an interesting and varied rock solo style. And what a value this book is. The collection contains a goldmine of bite-size licks, all written in notation and tablature, each recorded note-for-note on a companion CD that also includes bass and drums. Many types of characteristic licks and sounds are included such as major pentatonic, repeating riffs, psychedelic, Mixolydian, harmonized thirds, harmonized fourths, offbeat, octave, background riffs, sequences, triplets, call-response, mellow, blues rock, string bending, country rock, rockabilly, funky, speed licks, hammer-pull licks, str… Click For Great Discounts >>

101 Slimy Rock Guitar Licks for Twisted Derelicts and Assorted Slimeballs

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101 Slimy Rock Guitar Licks for Twisted Derelicts and Assorted Slimeballs

L.A. Guitar Quartet: Dances from Renaissance to Nutcracker

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:35:46 +0000

Album Description
All of the arrangements on this album were made by LAGQ members. Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite was arranged by Andrew York, who explains in the booklet notes that he first arranged part of the suite for two guitars, which worked musically but was hard to play. So, as he explains: “The ideal solution was to redo the work for guitar quartet, allowing a more complete translation of the complexities of the orchestral score, which could be balanced among four guitars. Two dances remain as duets — the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” played here by Bill Kanengiser and Scott Tennant; and “Arabian Dance,” in which John Dearman and I are the players.”… Click For Great Discounts >>

L.A. Guitar Quartet: Dances from Renaissance to Nutcracker

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L.A. Guitar Quartet: Dances from Renaissance to Nutcracker

Takamine ES31C Jasmine Cutaway Acoustic Electric Guitar

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:35:42 +0000

Dreadnought cutaway body

Acoustic/electric style

It has a Spruce top

It has Nato neck

It has Nato rosette

Product Description
The Takamine ES31C Jasmine Cutaway Acoustic Electric Guitar is an excellent Acoustic for budding guitarists.The ES31C Jasmine is a high-value Dreadnought with a Nato body, impressive gloss finish, Spruce top and Rosewood fingerboard. Great features at a great price, the chrome plated tuning machines will keep this guitar tuned up and ready to jam for years to come.Inside every Jasmine, you’ll find the heart and soul of a Takamine. Their finest luthiers oversee every aspect of the design, construction, and quality control of these beautiful looking, beautiful sounding guitars. The electronics system in these models includes a piezo pickup under the bridge and a control section with volume and tone controls.If you could see inside a Jasmine Dreadnought by Takamine, you’d see its true beauty. Skilled craftsmen, using time-tested construction methods along with contemporary styling, have created acoustic/electrics with powerful resonance. Thanks to built-in p… Click For Great Discounts >>

Takamine ES31C Jasmine Cutaway Acoustic Electric Guitar

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Takamine ES31C Jasmine Cutaway Acoustic Electric Guitar

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Bass Guitar

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:34:18 +0000

ISBN13: 9780470048504

Condition: USED – VERY GOOD

Notes:

Product Description
Do you learn faster by seeing and doing than by wading through tedious instructions? Then pick up a bass guitar and start plucking! With Teach Yourself VISUALLY Bass Guitar, you’ll quickly progress from playing notes to experimenting with plucking and slap-and-pop techniques. You’ll learn about tuning, fretboard fingerings, alternate fingerings, down picking, palm muting, and more. The bass usually sets the tempo, so you’ll learn basic note values plus common popular rhythms from straight rock to syncopated reggae. Downloadable MP3 files on wiley.com complement the book and let you hear exactly how things are supposed to sound as you play. Concise two-page lessons show you all the steps to a skill and are ideal for quick review Each skill or technique is defined and described Step-by-step instructions accompany each photo Detailed color photos demonstrate each step Helpful tips provide additional guidance … Click For Great Discounts >>

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Bass Guitar

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Teach Yourself VISUALLY Bass Guitar

World Tour GBA100 Padded Acoustic Guitar Gig Bag

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:31:23 +0000

High Density Padding

Water Resistant PVC backed Cordura Material

Traditional and Back-Pack Style Transport

Metal Zippers with Metal Pulls

Large Gusseted Storage Pocket

Product Description
World Tour’s 200 Series of Guitar Gig Bags are economically priced while offering protection not seen in bags at twice their price. The bags feature high density padding on all sides, covered with a water resistant, PVC backed Cordura exterior material and fine scratch-proof Cordura interior. Other features include a large gusseted storage pocket, traditional handle and back-pack style transport attachment, interior neck tuner and bridge patches to prevent tearing, strong metal zippers with metal pulls. 5 Year Warranty… Click For Great Discounts >>

World Tour GBA100 Padded Acoustic Guitar Gig Bag

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World Tour GBA100 Padded Acoustic Guitar Gig Bag

Ernie Ball 2833 Hybrid Slinky Bass Nickel Wound .045 – .105

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:31:19 +0000

Gauges: 50-70-85-105

Product Description
Made from nickel plated steel wire wrapped around tin plated hex shaped steel core wire. By far the most popular, produces well balanced all around good sound…. Click For Great Discounts >>

Ernie Ball 2833 Hybrid Slinky Bass Nickel Wound .045 – .105

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Ernie Ball 2833 Hybrid Slinky Bass Nickel Wound .045 – .105

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Guitar

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:43:27 +0000

ISBN13: 9780764596421

Condition: USED – VERY GOOD

Notes:

Product Description
Do you learn faster by seeing and doing than by wading through tedious instructions? Then pick up a guitar and start strumming! Teach Yourself VISUALLY Guitar shows you the basics—photo by photo and note by note. You begin with basic chords and techniques and progress through suspensions, bass runs, hammer-ons, and barre chords. As you learn to read chord charts, tablature, and lead sheets, you can play any number of songs, from rock to folk to country. The chord chart and scale appendices are ready references for use long after you master the basics. Concise two-page lessons show you all the steps to a skill and are ideal for quick review Each skill, chord, or technique is clearly described Detailed color photos demonstrate proper fingering and technique Concise and understandable instructions accompany each photo Helpful tips provide additional guidance … Click For Great Discounts >>

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Guitar

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Teach Yourself VISUALLY Guitar

Classic Williams: Romance of the Guitar

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 06:30:13 +0000

Amazon.com
Guitarist John Williams (no, not John Williams the soundtrack composer) adds to his fine catalog of impeccable recordings with Classic Williams: Romance of the Guitar. But this isn’t just a best-of collection (though some of his greatest work is included here) since the disc contains three new recordings. Among the new tracks, Fauré’s Pavane is a real stunner, a short but gorgeous piece originally meant for orchestra and choir, where Williams’s guitar sounds as though it always belonged there. We get Williams at his most interpretative–his arrangements of Satie’s Gymnopedie No. 3 and Piazzolla tango Verano porteno–and his most serene (the “Cavatina” theme from the movie Deer Hunter). Let’s face it, some fine classical guitarists can lull their listeners into near comatose states with their instrument; Williams, on the other hand, is just the opposite. His gorgeous tone, inventive arrangements, and interesting repertoire continue to make the classical guitar soun… Click For Great Discounts >>

Classic Williams: Romance of the Guitar

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Classic Williams: Romance of the Guitar

D’Addario EXL110-10P Nickel Regular Light Electric Guitar Strings, 10 Sets

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 06:30:11 +0000

10 Packs of EXL110 Electric Guitar Strings

Electric Regular Light Guitar Strings

Nickelplated Steel

Distinctive Bright Tone

Excellent Intonation

Product Description
PROPACK XL REGULAR LIGHT… Click For Great Discounts >>

D’Addario EXL110-10P Nickel Regular Light Electric Guitar Strings, 10 Sets

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D’Addario EXL110-10P Nickel Regular Light Electric Guitar Strings, 10 Sets

Lauren 1/2 Size Nylon String Acoustic Guitar

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 05:33:38 +0000

Nylon String Student Guitar

Product Description
These 1/2 size acoustic guitars provide the young student an easy-to-hold instrument…. Click For Great Discounts >>

Lauren 1/2 Size Nylon String Acoustic Guitar

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Lauren 1/2 Size Nylon String Acoustic Guitar

Austin Bazaar 43″ Zebra Stripe Electric Bass Guitar with Accessories and Guitar Stand

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 05:33:37 +0000

Famous Double Cutaway Design

Basswood Body

Pickups : Split P-B P/U

Includes Gig Bag & Carrying Strap

Great looking zebra stripes design

Product Description
This Electric Bass is ideal for musicians of any age! Whether you need another Guitar to add to your collection or just need a little something for jam sessions in your garage, this Bass is for you! It has 20 Frets and a great looking Basswood Body. It also includes a Gig Bag and Carrying Strap. This guitar makes a great gift!… Click For Great Discounts >>

Austin Bazaar 43″ Zebra Stripe Electric Bass Guitar with Accessories and Guitar Stand

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Austin Bazaar 43″ Zebra Stripe Electric Bass Guitar with Accessories and Guitar Stand