bass - rock bass basics

7/22/2019 Bass - Rock Bass Basics

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .o w t o T u n e U p 4

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .usicNotation 5

n and Time S ignatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . .ightHandTechniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Example 1 Slow Ballad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

. . . . . .xample 2 : Stand By M e Ballad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xample 3: My Girl Riff 11 7

Example 4: Ballad with Passing Tones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . 8

Example5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . . 9

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .uarter N ot e Rock Feels 14

Example6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . 1

Example 7: Slide and Hammer-on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 . . . . . 11

Example 8 : Rolling Stone s Feel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 1 2

Example9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 . . . . . 13

xample 1 : Ostinato Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 14

Example11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 5

hth N ot e Rock Feels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

. . . . .xample 12: Z Z Top Groove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 16Example13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . 17

. . . . .xample 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 18

Example15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 . . . . . 19

Example16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 . . . . . 2 0

teenth N ot e Rock Feels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 8

Example17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . 2 1

Example18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 . . . . . 2 2

k Shuffle and Boogie Feels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Example19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . 2 3Example 20 : Stacca to Shuffle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . 4

Example21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . 2 5

Example 2 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 . . . . . 2 6

Example23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . 27

Example 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . 28

Example25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 . . . . . 2 9

. . . . .xample26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 30

Example27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . .31

pping Harmonics and D o u b lf fi to p ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Example28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . 3 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xample29 45 33

Example30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 34

Example31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 . . . . .35

Example 32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . 3 6



HOW TO TUNE UPElectric Tuners:

Many brands of small, battery operated tuners, similar to the one shown below, are

available. Simply follow the instructions supplied with your tuner.

Tuning to a Piano or Electronic Keyboard:

An easy way to tune a bass is to a piano keyboard. The four strings of the bass are tunedto the keyboard notes shown in the following diagram.

string rd string 2nd string st string

Tuning the Bass to Itself [Relative Tuning :

1 Tune the t string to G on the piano [or some other4 3 2 1

fixed pitch instrument, such as a pitch pipe .

2. Depress the 2nd string at the 5th fret. Play it and you

will hear the note I he same as the t string open.

Turn the 2nd string tuning key until the pitch of the 2nd

string matches of that of the 1st string.

3 Depress the 3 rd string at the 5th fret. Play t and you

will hear the note D, the same as the 2nd string open.

Turn the 3 rd string tuning key until the pitch of the 3rd

string matches that of the 2nd string.

4 Depress the 4th string at the 5th fret. Play t and youwill hear the note A the same as the 3rd string open.

Turn the 4th string tuning key until the pitch of the 4 th

string matches that of the 3 rd string.



MUSIC NOT TION

the neck of the bass is indicated by the tablature. Here are some basic

5th Line4th Line 4th Space

3rd Line 3rd Spac end Line nd Space

t Line t Space

beginning of the staff s a bass clef [or F clef]. The bass clef is used for all bass

he notes are written on the staff in alphabetical order. The first line is G

measures by bar lines A heavy double bar line marks the end of the

Bar LinesA

Measure Measure ~ e a s u r e

the location of notes on the neck of the bass. This illustration compares the four

f a bass to the four lines of tablature.

are indicated by placing fret numbers on the strings. An 0 ndicates an open string.

is tablature indicates to play the bpen, t, and 3rd frets on the t string.



RHYTHM NOTATION AND

TIME SIGNATURES

A t the beginning of every song is a tim e signature.4/4

is the mo st com mon t im e signature:

Four counts to a measureA Qua rter note receives one count

The top number tel ls how m any counts pe r measure the botto m num ber tel ls which kind of

note receives one count.

The tim e value is determ ined by thr ee thing s:

I ote head: o

2 stem:

3 lag:

This is a whole note. The n ote head is open and has no stem .

In 4/4 time a whole note receives 4 counts.

This is a half note. It has an open note head and a stem.

A half note receives 2 counts.

J This is a quarter note. It has a solid note head and a stem.

A qu arter n ote receives 1 count.

This is an eighth note. It has a sol id note he ad and a st em w ith a flag attached.

An eighth note receives 1/2 count.

Whole Note:Count: 2 3

Half Note:Count: 2 3 4

Quarter Note:Count:

I I4

Eighth No te: rl 7-l J7 J lCount: 4



RIGHT H ND TECHNIQUES

W he n playing th e ex am ples t her e a re several d i f ferent tone quali ties th at you can createth your r igh t hand without ever touching the t one con trol knob on your bass o r ampl if ier .

is is done by posit ioning th e r igh t hand a t var ious places on t he bass and is necessary t o

hieve th e c or re ct so und fo r th e style you are playing.

hen playing ballads and long notes such

whole and half notes play up nea r th e

; th is gives a full ric h sound .

he n playing sixteenth no te feels play back

th e bridge; th is gives a thinner tig ht er

nd with m or e definition.

W h e n playing qua rter and eighth note feels

play directly over the pickups; this gives a

m or e percussive sound.



ROCK BALLAD FEELS

Throughout this book we will cover many different classic rock grooves; some of them are fast

sixteenth note rock feels, others are slow ballads and some even use power chords. Each one

will help develop the techniques that you will need to know as a rock bass player. One of the

most important things you need to be able to do as a rock bass player is to lock in with the

drummer. This is done by matching the subdivision [the way each beat is subdivided the

drummer is projecting. Listen to the included recording to hear how to do this. Play along to

help practice locking in. The first groove we will cover is a slow rock ballad.

D

@ Example : Slow BaIlad

This example demonstrates a slow ballad feel in the key of G major. A ballad is usuallycharacterized as having a slow tempo and sad or melancholy quality. The example alternates

between the root of the I chord G) and the vi chord [Em , using a dotted quarter to eighth

note feel. There is also a connecting line leading from the root of each chord, moving down

chromatically from the to the E and back up chromatically from the E to the G. This gives

the line a little character in addition to connecting the roots of the chords. A chromatic

connecting line moves up or down by half steps, .sounding every pitch between the roots. Use

your left hand to achieve separation between the notes by releasing the pressure on the

string, lifting the string off of the fretboard to stop t from ringing.



Example : Stand y Me Ballad

This example is anothe r ballad feel. This one is similar to th e song Stand By Me by Ben E.

King. It is in th e key of C ma jor and moves in a standard I (C), vi (Am], IV (F], V [G I chord

progression. To help make a sm ooth transition b etween th e r oo ts of the chords, t his example

uses di tonic rath er than chromatic connecting lines (meaning the notes are fr om a

particular scale, in this case C major].



@ cales

Before moving on to the next example there are two scales that you are going to need to

know. As a rock bassist you are going to find you do not need to know that many scales but

these two are very important. They are the major and minor pentatonic scales and they

contain the five primary notes from the major and minor scales.

First is the major pentatonic which uses the root second third fifth and sixth of the major

scale.

E Major Scale: E F G A B Cfl Dd E

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

E Major Pentatonic: E F G B C E

E major pentatonic

Next is the minor pentatonic which uses the root third fourth fifth and seventh of theminor scale.

E inor Scale: E F f l G A B C D E

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

E Minor Pentatonic: E G A B D E

E minor pentatonic

Both scales are demonstrated here using E as the root but can be transposed to use any

note as the root.



@ Example : M y Girl Riff

This example uses th e E and A m ajor pentatonic scales, start ing on th e ro ot and ascending t o

the octave. It is based on the imm ortal bass line of the popular tune My Girl by th e

Temptations. It also contains a comm on l ine th at walks down fro m th e V cho rd [B ] to the I

[El which brings you back t o th e top of the song. This is some times called the turnaround

lntro Verse

ridge

Chorus



This example transpos es t he M y Girl riff t o E minor, giving it a darker, heavier sound.

Minor pentatonic My Girl riff

Example : Ballad with Passing Tones

This is ano ther example of a ballad th a t uses p assing tones. t star ts on the I ch ord [El, walks

down the major scale t o the vi chord [C#m] with the D#as a passing tone, the n down t o the IV

chord [A) with the B as a passing tone, then down to the ii chord [Fflm] with th e G s a

passing tone, th en walks up the E ma jor scale, using th e A and ~ as ch roma tic passing

tones. This cho rd prog ression is very com m on and can be found in many popular rock and

cou ntry ballads.



is example is a ballad feel in the key of C, introducing what is known as the sl sh chord

B]. slash chord occurs when the bass note is not the root of the chord, but is insteadsuch as the third or fifth. This example uses several slash chords such as

G/B chord, where the bass is playing the third of the G chord], not the root. The

ample primarily descends through the C major scale and uses mostly half notes. Be sure to

ke the right hand feel consistent and all the notes the same length. Listen to, and lock in



QU RTER NOTE ROCK F LS

This next section covers several quart er note roc k feels. The feel of qua rter note roo ts and

simple lines is com m on t o wha t is known as stadium rock. W he n playing large venues, thebass player, when he o r she gets too busy, will n ot be hea rd in the hall. M o st of the exercises

in this section conc entrate on this qua rter note feel.

D

@ Example

This example uses qua rter note ro ots throughout, alternating between A and G. To keep the

example interesting th er e a re several eighth no te lines connecting each ch ord change, leading

up chromatically o r down diatonically t o the ro ot of the next chord.



I I I

3 Q 1 . 3 3 J n n nv Y u U L U



CD

Example 7: Slide and Hammer on

L

This next example uses two new techniques: the Slide: Hammer on:

sli e and the hammer on. To slide from one pitch

to another simply play a note and slide your fin-

ger to the next note keeping pressure on the

string. The ha mm e~ l ns done by hammering the

string to the fretboard using the tip of any left

hand finger. The note is sounded by the left hand

attack [the right hand is not used].



xample : Rolling Stones Feel

This example is very sim ilar to many of the lines used by Rolling Stones bassist Bill W yma n. It

uses the roo t f i f th and sixth of the chord moving down then up the pa ttern. The pattern is

based on the m ajor pentatonic scale using thr ee of the five no tes of the scale.

vn n n n l n n e l n

I e I IU U U U



D

@ xample

This is very sim ilar to Example 8 except t is based on the m inor rath er than the major

pentatonic scale. The patte rn is played over a 12 -ba r mino r blues-a com mo n song form.



CD

@ Example 7 : Ostinato Bass

This example introdu ces a technique known as ostinato bass Ostinato is big wo rd which

basically mea ns tha t while the c hord s move, the bass no te doesn't . In this case the bass

pedals an E underneath the chords, s tart ing on the low E and the n adding the octave above asthe dynamic level of the song rises, to make the feel m ore intense. Remem ber to be consistent

with the right hand feel so th a t each note sounds similar to th e next.

C



@ Example

Here we use tt ie major pentatonic scale in wha t is

known as an and feel. This is also referred t o as

Iyncopation, whe re the note s are played primarily

Beats: 1 and 2) and 3) and 4) and

on the up beats. The upb eats a re in-between the

beats, and are called and [Ind 2 and 3 and 4

and]. This example plays on beat 1 and then on theA

u .

ands of bea ts 2 3 and 4.

Practice counting the rhy thm aloud and listen t o th e reco rded example t o get the feel of the

rhythm.

I IA a a n a a a a 4 1

I a I '.t .



r r nn n n n n n n

u u V V u u u u ~n nu . P



EIGHTH NOTE ROCK F LS

This next section covers several eighth-note ro ck grooves. The exercises a re similar to the

exercises in the previous section in th a t they ar e m ostly ro ot s and simple passing lines, but

using primari ly eighth notes instead of q ua rter notes (two no tes pe r be at instead of one). Besure t o alternate your left han d fingers when you pract ice to help increase your speed.

D

@ Example 72: ZZ TopGroove

This example uses a groove similar to a song by the legendary ro ck band ZZ Top. This one is

mostly roo ts with a ch rom atic line approaching each cho rd change, giving th e impression of a

walking movement. The example also adds th e chord [Am) and ends with some upper

register double stops and chords. Double-stops refe r to playing mo re than one n ote a t a t ime

and ar e usually done in the upper re giste r of th e ba ss due to th e overall low range of theinstrume nt. W he n lower rang e notes are played together, they tend t o sound muddy and the

pitches are ha rd to perceive.



xample 7

s example is the sam e a s Example 12 except t is indicated to play th e notes st cc to [by

note heads]. Staccato m eans tha t the note is cu t off sharply by

opping the string fr om vibrating. This can be done by releasing the pressu re in the left

lifting th e finger slightly off of th e fretboa rd bu t no t off of th e strin g. Playing stac cato

the feel much sharper.



Example 7

Here is an eighth note pa ttern in the key ofE, using the roo t, fifth and flat seventh of the

scale. To help solidify th e g roove the re is a sixteenth no te lick a t th e e nd of each p hrase

emulating a pa ttern played by th e d rums. The no tes in this l ick are muted.t

is ea sier t o play ifthe index f inger is dragged acro ss the strings, a technique commonly known as raking.

v v C CY



xample 7

s next eighth-note example can be divided into two sections. The f irs t se ction u ses ostinato

s [where the chord s move b ut the b ass note doesn t]. In th e second section, th e bass l inellows th e ch ord changes, which makes th e tune sound dif ferent. Rem emb er t o p ractice

ernating th e rig ht hand f ingers, keeping th e notes steady and hit t ing th e strings with th e

finger p ressure ; th a t way the volume will be consistent.



Example 7

s one use s m os t of the notes in the ma jor pentatonic scale plus the flat third. The technique

f using both the m inor and m ajor third is very com mo n t o roc k and blues. The example uses

open and closed position Open position means the open strings are used and closedon me ans they a re n ot used. To play bo th third s in closed position slide th e le ft hand firs t

nger up f rom the minor th ird to the major th ird [D - Dft].

Open position: Closed position:

n nL I

n n A c M n n

n n n a I I =V V l V

n 4 9 A . . An CI .n n n n n q I [ [ g

n n a I n n n L L vI .

E B

A7



SIXTEENTH NOTE ROCK FEELS

This section covers several sixteenth note feels. Sixteenth notes receive a quarter of a beat in

4/4 time. To count sixteenth notes, use the syllables em nd a for the notes between the

beats and up beats [ 1e a 2 e a3 e a4 e aA

good example of a sixteenth note feel isthe bass line from the song Goin' Down by Jeff Beck, shown in Example 17.

xample

In addition to the sixteenth-note feel, this example also uses a

technique known as the bend To bend the string, pull the fourth

string down towards the third string until the pitch raises from A

to Bb, then release the string to allow the pitch to return to A It

is helpful to use more than one finger in the left hand when bend-ing a string, fretting the note with the third finger but keeping the

first and second fingers on the string for support. Be sure to

listen to make sure the bend is in tune.

Bend

l e a 2 e a 3 e a 4 e a

\

Y2\

Ir cd Iw

u u u u w O C O O C O C O P \P *C\

R

I7 r

\

\v u u V u V v u V u u v V v u 1

e ID Y



w , r l U V ,I

n n n n n

A A C C P . W

n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n nV V U V V V V V V V V V V V V 3 3 3 U V V O V

A

nr

n n e

I \

n n n n n n nV V V V V V V r V

/ r re\ *

rit / z >

I

v I n



@ xample 18

This example is similar t o many of the b ass lines played by Rocco Prestia fro m Tower of Power.

The sixteenth notes move up chromatically t o the roo t [El and fifth [ ] via connecting lines.

Prac tice the example slowly at firs t t o develop a clean attack the n slowly speed up. Use a

metronome o r dru m m achine.

A A ~ C C E 1 7 7 u V B w w r r A A ~ L C C- . . W V Y

I I C C C r . . .

C 7 7 a a n n

7

V V . J J U U I I



I e e w - w n r r n n

V V r l V u J r ~ e r

-- P - t . J . J U U

c E 7 7 n n n n r r r 4 n r rr r rr r a 4 1I I 6 I U

n n ~ aU U L IJ

V I .I

7

. 7 n

n 1 r. 3 7 7 7 9 7 7 7 7 7 7I I I I I I I l I n I .J V



This nex t section deals prim arily with roc k shuffle feels. A shuffle is usually described as

playing th e e ighth note s of a song with a triple t feel, whe re the eighth no tes are played on the

f irst and last pa rt of the tr iplet . A tr iplet is playing thre e notes p er be at and by cutting ou t themiddle note, thi s gives you th e shuffle feel. Shuffles are also writte n in 12 8 t ime, where

there are 12 eighth notes per bar, grouped into four sets of three eighth notes. This is similar

t o playing fou r b eats of tr iplets. Be su re to l isten t o the audio examples t o hear the difference

between the shuffle feels in this s ection and the straight feels in the previous sections.

@Example 9

Here is a simple shuffle feel, using mostly roo ts and simple chro ma tic l ines approaching thechord changes. Rem emb er to alternate the r igh t hand fingers. This will help to play the shuffle

feel a t faster tempos.



xample 2 : Staccato Shuffle

Here is another shuffle th a t uses a stacca to feel. Rem emb er th a t t o play staccato simply lift

the left hand f inger off of the str ing for just a mom ent. You can see how the notes are cut off

which leaves just a tiny a mo unt of space. Th at little bit of ro om betwee n th e notes makes the

feel bounce just a little m or e than th e legato feel.

n n n n n n n n n n n n nU U U I I L L U C I L U U V V I I L L



Example 7

hnique where th e notes are sounded bythe string to the fretboard rath-

rig ht hand attack. This example

a triplet hamm er-on n the left hand.

e note is sounded by the rig ht hand attack

the second finger ham me rs on followed

y the thir d finger in th e rh yth m of a triplet.

e making the attack of the left hand

nd similar to th e attack of the right hand.



xample

s example is in th e style known as th e hicago shuffle The Chicago shuffle s characterized

its ro ot down to th e fifth moveme nt, alternating shuffle e ighth note s root-fifth [GG . The

ample also u ses connecting lines similar to those used in previous examples.



xample 3

This example introduces the boogie feel boogie feel is a shuffle characterized by a constantly

repeated bass figure which is highly syncopated and stresses the up-beats over the down-

beats. This feel is important to learn due to the fact that rock music has been greatly

influenced by boogie music. The important thing to remember about the boogie feel is that t is

extremely syncopated with most of the notes occurring on the up-beats.

Ill a I I



Ixample 4E power chord:

s example is similar t o Example only this tim e using power

A power c hord is played by combining the ro ot and the

fth together and is similar to playing a m ajor or mino r tr ia dhout the third. This makes th e power cho rd very popular in

and blues because when improvising both thirds ca n be

withou t clashing with th e chords.



@ xample 5

This example is a boogie feel in 12/8 mean 12 8 feel

ing there are 12 eighth notes per measure. L I L L L

r n L n

alternating the right hand fingers on the thirdTriplet feel

and fourth strings. Remember to keep your

right hand fingers in the same position and

you will get a consistent sound.Beats: 1 (trip) let (trip) let (trip) let 4 (trip) let



s example is the prim ary riff fro m the tune Lies by Tim B ogart. Like Example 2 5 , this example

in 1 2 /8 and the triplet feel is set up by the righ t hand. The example alternates between the

en fourth s tring ro ot [El and the 6 [a]lat 7 [D ] and octave on the th ird string, and ends with

very comm on descending mino r pentatonic riff



@ Example 7

This example uses a ma jor pentatonic pa ttern similar to Example 16 bu t this tim e uses shuffle

eighth notes instead of stra igh t eighth notes d

. a n n n n n n n n n n

l = l = = i l l l i l



1 CL a . I A 1

J J Jn n a A

L L L n n n nI V V . V V V



TAPPING HARMONICS

AND DOUBLE-STOPS

This section will cover some tricky little bits that work really well to impress people: tapping,

harmonics and double-stops. Tapping is a fun thing, made popular by Billy Sheehan. While

holding your left hand finger on the neck, you tap the note to the fretboard with the tip of

your right hand index finger, then pull down on the string as you release the right hand note t

sound the left hand note.

@ Example 8

n

*Indicates R. H tap.

Tapping can also be used in conjunction with left hand hammer-ons and' pull-offs.

+ Indicates L. H tap.



xample 9

are found at various points on the bass and

t o play chords, melodies or just for effect. To

ctly over a fret (do not depress the string to the fret-

ing bell like sound.

I harm harm

By combining more than one harmonic, they can be

used to play chords. If you play the harmonics at the

I harm fifth fret on the first and second strings with the open

fourth string, they combine to form a lovely E minor 7

hord.

the various harmonics on the bass and experiment with using them in scales

CD

xample3

ble-stops are simply playing two notes at the same time A common technique is to

monize a scale using double-stops in a series of major and minor thirds, using the notes

at scale.

aj rd in rd in rd aj rd Min rd in rd aj rd aj rd

E mixolydian scale [which is the same as the A major scale

starting on E harmonized up to the octave, all played on the first two strings. After reaching



D

Example 7

This example combines two of the previous techniques into one exercise. t begins with the

harmonics at the fifth and seventh frets and then moves into the tapping section. Remember

to start slowly and gradually increase the tempo using a metronome or drum machine.

harm harm



D

@ xample 3

This exercise introduces a technique known as a power

slide, which is simply playing the fifth fr e t pow er cho rd

and sliding i t up to the seventh fre t E power chord. The ex-

ample also uses the slash cho rd, where the t hir d is used in

the bass instead of the root.

bass - rock bass basics

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