Playing bass effectively begins with understanding the very basics of music:
pitch (how high or low a note is) and rhythm (the pattern of sounds in time).
Bass is a foundational instrument, providing the harmonic and rhythmic “bedrock” in most styles of music.
Knowing music theory helps you navigate the fretboard, understand chord progressions, and communicate with other musicians.
Key Concepts
Pitch: Low to high sound frequencies. Bass focuses on the lower end.
Rhythm: The duration and spacing of notes.
Scales & chords: Collections of notes that form the building blocks of music.
Notation: How music is written down (staff, clefs, note durations, etc.).
Staff, Clefs, Ledgers
Written music uses a set of five horizontal lines called a staff.
Clefs tell you the pitch range intended for those lines. For bass, we primarily use the
bass clef (F clef).
Ledger lines extend the staff higher or lower for notes outside the five lines.
Staff: 5 lines and 4 spaces—each line/space represents a specific pitch.
Bass Clef: Looks like a stylized “F.” The two dots encircle the staff line for the note F.
Ledger lines: Short additional lines for notes that go beyond the standard staff.
Bass Tip: Bass parts often go lower than the staff, requiring ledger lines.
Note Duration
Duration refers to how long or short a note is played. Common note values include whole notes, half notes,
quarter notes, eighth notes, and so on.
Whole Note: Occupies an entire measure in common time (4/4).
Half Note: Half the length of a whole note.
Quarter Note: A quarter of a whole note.
Eighth Note: An eighth of a whole note (often grouped in pairs or fours).
Sixteenth Note: A sixteenth of a whole note.
Bass Tip: Practice counting aloud (“1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &”) while plucking notes to build solid timing.
Measures and Time Signatures
Measures (or bars) divide music into equal segments.
A time signature indicates how many beats are in each measure and which type of note gets one beat.
Time Signature: Notated as two numbers (e.g., 4/4).
Top number = number of beats per measure.
Bottom number = type of note that gets the beat (4 = quarter note, 8 = eighth note, etc.).
Common Time (4/4): 4 beats per measure, quarter note is one beat.
Other Examples: 3/4 (waltz), 2/4 (march), 6/8 (compound time), etc.
Bass Tip: Practice grooves in 4/4, then experiment with 3/4 or 6/8 to feel rhythmic differences.
Rest Duration
Rests are symbols indicating silence. Silence is as important as sound in music.
Each note duration (whole, half, quarter, etc.) has a corresponding rest symbol.
Whole Rest: A small rectangle hanging from the 4th line of the staff.
Half Rest: A small rectangle sitting on the 3rd line of the staff.
Quarter Rest: A squiggly line symbol.
Eighth Rest: A single flag rest.
Sixteenth Rest: A double flag rest.
Bass Tip: Rests make lines more rhythmic and dynamic. Don’t be afraid of space!
Dots and Ties
Dots and ties modify note durations.
A dot adds half the note’s original duration.
A tie connects two or more notes of the same pitch, creating one sustained note.
Dotted Half Note: A half note plus half of its value (2 + 1 = 3 beats in 4/4).
Tie: Tying a quarter note to another quarter note makes a half note’s worth of sound.
Bass Tip: Ties affect legato playing; watch out so you don’t pluck each note by accident.
Steps and Accidentals
Steps refer to the distance between notes:
whole steps (W, two frets) and half steps (H, one fret) on the bass.
Accidentals are symbols that raise or lower a note’s pitch:
sharps (#), flats (b), and naturals (♮).
Sharp (#): Raises a note by a half step.
Flat (b): Lowers a note by a half step.
Natural (♮): Cancels a previous sharp or flat.
Bass Tip: Understanding whole and half steps on the fretboard is crucial for scales and riffs.