Lesson Series 1 - Foreword

Welcome to Bass Tutor! This is the first lesson series containing both theory material and practical excercises to support your bass lessons. The first lesson series is called Lesson Series 1 and you can find all the lessons from this same lesson series by clicking the link list below or by clicking the Lesson Series 1 -link on the Categories list on the sidebar.

This lesson series also includes:

1. Lesson Series 1 - Foreword
2. The Basic Elements of Music
3. From Theory to the Groove I
   
4. Chord Theory I
5. From Theory to the Groove II

Whatever the situation or level you're playing at, my feeling is you've got to be a strong player. Bass is a strong instrument; you can't allow yourself to play it weakly, with no authority. You've got to play with an attitude, because everybody's listening to the bass..."
- Chuck Rainey (Bass Player Magazine, February, 1997) -

You will find notation images in the studybook and the website. Bass Tutor encourages students to use notes instead of tabulatures (representing bass or guitar strings with a number indicating what fret to press to produce a certain note). Instead of providing tabs, the examples include a stave for you to write tabs on to. Learning to read notes is a great advantage and an investment in your skills. It requires a little bit of extra work in the beginning, but it pays off in the long run.

In the BassTutor online version most of the examples include a player (such as below), which will allow you to listen to the samples on your computer.



This first example includes tuning notes (E, A, D, G) for a standard 4 string bass.

For the copyright reasons Bass Tutor does not provide music samples to support the lessons (other than those specially produced by Bass Tutor). Some of the examples are linked to outside online services (YouTube etc.). Unfortunately these links can be broken, eg. if the person who has uploaded the sample removes the video from the service. If you find a broken link, please let us know.

Bass Tutor articles include audio samples and backing tracks for practising. It is important to learn to play with metronome and with backing tracks. Producing a steady pulse (so called backbone) for the music is the responsibility of the bass player and the drummer. The pulse should stay steady even when the drummer is not playing, this is why it is important for a bass player to get into the habit of using a metronome.

Enjoy the lesson and most of all - feel free to ask questions and give feedback. It is all about learning.

©BassTutor 2009