There are many ways to sound a note or phrase on the bass guitar. Here I wi'll cover a few techniques which will give you access to different sounds. For clarity, I've chosen to used numbers to refer to the fingers of the left hand (a reminder: 1=index, 2=middle, 3=ring, 4=pinky) which still using i, m, r, and p to refer to the fingers of the right hand
Hammer-ons
When you first start playing bass, you will tend to pluck every note with your right hand. This is a good habit to get into, but there are other ways of sounding notes which give different sounds and which allow you to execute certain passages with more speed. When you are playing two or more notes on the same string, you might choose to pluck on the first one and then sound the other two simply by fretting them with other fingers of your left hand:
When you first start playing bass, you will tend to pluck every note with your right hand. This is a good habit to get into, but there are other ways of sounding notes which give different sounds and which allow you to execute certain passages with more speed. When you are playing two or more notes on the same string, you might choose to pluck on the first one and then sound the other two simply by fretting them with other fingers of your left hand:
---------- ---------- -5h7------ ---------- 1h3 (left hand) i (right hand)
-----------------
-----------------
-5h7-5h7-5h7--etc.
--------------
1h3 1h3 1h3 . . . (left hand)
i m i (right hand)
Pull-offs
The hammer-on works fine for going from a lower note to a higher one, but for reversing the process we need another technique: the pull off. This technique takes a little more practice than the previous one. To pull off from one note to another, you pluck the first note and then take take your finger off the note so that the lower note will sound. The trouble is that if you simply remove your finger, the lower note will not have much volume, so you must pull the note to the side a little with the finger of your fretting hand (essentially you will be plucking it with your left hand) to insure that the lower note has enough volume:
The hammer-on works fine for going from a lower note to a higher one, but for reversing the process we need another technique: the pull off. This technique takes a little more practice than the previous one. To pull off from one note to another, you pluck the first note and then take take your finger off the note so that the lower note will sound. The trouble is that if you simply remove your finger, the lower note will not have much volume, so you must pull the note to the side a little with the finger of your fretting hand (essentially you will be plucking it with your left hand) to insure that the lower note has enough volume:
------------------
------------------
-7p5-7p5-7p5--- etc.
---------------
3p1 3p1 3p1 . . . (Left hand)
i m i (right hand
Combining Hammer-ons and Pull-offs
You can combine hammers and pull-offs to play this lick up and back down:
You can combine hammers and pull-offs to play this lick up and back down:
-------------------------- -------------------------- -------5h7h8-8p7p5-------- -5h7h8-------------8p7p5-- 1h3h4 1h3h4 4p3p1 4p3p1 (left hand) i m i m (right hand)
These techniques are particularly useful when you need to play
three notes that are close together on the same string, as in this minor scale
lick :
--------------- --------------- -------5h7h8--- -5h7h8--------- 1h3h4 1h3h4 (left hand) i m (right hand)
When you get really good at hammer-ons and pull-offs, you will
be able to play repeating licks for as long as you want by plucking only the
first note and using the strength of your pull-offs to keep the notes sounding:
-7h8p7p5h7h8p7p5-- etc. ------------------ ------------------ ------------------ 3h4p3p1h3h4p3p1 . . . (left hand) i (right hand)
In fact, once your left hand is strong, you don't even have to
use your right hand to start the first note, you can hammer it too.Just slam your
left hand finger down on the fretboard at the spot right behind the fret where
you'd normally finger the note in question. Some players expand this technique a
lot by using it with their right hand to fret notes high on the neck while using
their left hand to finger notes lower on the neck.
Slides
Another often used technique is the slide. To slide, you simply pluck the first note and then slide your left hand up or down the neck while pressing down as if you were fretting the note. I've used a slash (/) in the tab to indicate a slide up the neck and a back slash (\) to indicate a slide down the neck.For the fingering, I've used an "s" to indicate a slide:
Another often used technique is the slide. To slide, you simply pluck the first note and then slide your left hand up or down the neck while pressing down as if you were fretting the note. I've used a slash (/) in the tab to indicate a slide up the neck and a back slash (\) to indicate a slide down the neck.For the fingering, I've used an "s" to indicate a slide:
------------- ------------- -3/5-5\3----- ------------- 1s1 1s1 (left hand; s=slide) i i (right hand)
In the above example, we puck the first note, slide it up to
the fifth fret, pluck the note again, and slide back down to the third fret. The
entire passage is played with on one finger of the left hand.
Sliding is a technique which really exploits the sound of the
bass to advantage. Often players will make a dramatic slide to emphasize the
first note of a song or to emphasize a change in parts in a song. You might play
a slide like this one to start a song where the first note
of the measure is A:
--------------- --------------- --------------- -12\5---------- 1 s1 (left hand) i (right hand)
For emphasis, you might want to pluck the fifth fret note (A)
when you arrive :
--------------- --------------- --------------- -12\5---------- 1 s1 (left hand) i i (right hand)
Bends
Bending is a technique that originates with blues guitarists. To bend a note you increase the tension of the string by pushing the string across the fretboard so that it sounds a higher note. How far you can bend a note depends uppon your bass, your strings, and the strength of your hands. Generally, you'll be bending either one half step up or one whole step up. Below the tab, I've used "b" to indicate a bend and I indicate in parethesis how far you should bend it (i.e. 1= one whole step, 1/2 = one half step). The note on the tab in parenthesis indicates the pitch you should be sounding. It's there for a reference.
Bending is a technique that originates with blues guitarists. To bend a note you increase the tension of the string by pushing the string across the fretboard so that it sounds a higher note. How far you can bend a note depends uppon your bass, your strings, and the strength of your hands. Generally, you'll be bending either one half step up or one whole step up. Below the tab, I've used "b" to indicate a bend and I indicate in parethesis how far you should bend it (i.e. 1= one whole step, 1/2 = one half step). The note on the tab in parenthesis indicates the pitch you should be sounding. It's there for a reference.
--5-(6)----- ------------ ------------ ------------ 3b(1/2) (left hand) i (right hand)
Guitarists often bend notes up a whole step or
even further. On the bass, due to the higher string tension, this can be quite
difficult, but half step bends are easy and
add a lot of color to your playing.
Intonation is very important when bending notes. You can check
your self by comparing the fretted note with your bent one, as in this example:
--7-8-- --7-(8)-- ------- --------- ------- --------- ------- --------- 3 4 3b(1/2) (left hand) i m i (right hand)
Bends are easier in the upper register and on the higher
strings. They're also easier with your third finger,
since you can also use your first and second finger on the same string to
support your third finger.
Assuming your bass has a moderate amount of sustain, you can
get even more mileage out of bends by bending up to a note and then releasing
back to the original note. To indicate a quick bend an release, I'll use
"b&r." The number in parenthesis on the tabulature will still indicate your
target note, while the note in parenthesis below the staff will tell you the
number of steps or half steps you should be bending. The first example frets
every note while the second example uses a bend.
--7-8-7-- --7-(8)-(7)- --------- ------------ --------- ------------ --------- ------------ 3 4 3 3b&r(1/2) (left hand) i m i i (right hand)
You could, of course, bend and release several times without
using your right hand to sound a new note. Likewise, you can bend string to
produce one note and then bend it further to produce another. The possibilites
are endless. Experiment a bit and you will come up with a lot of different ways
to incorporate bends into your playing.
Ryno.Jacobs
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