How to Play Bass Guitar for Newbie Lesson 4 : Playing Patterns

Practice Lessons

Once you have mastered playing each scale from top to bottom, try playing it backwards by starting on the last note of the scale and playing in reverse order back to the first note.

Practice each of these scales for at least 15 minutes or until you are confident enough to move on to the next one.

Lesson 4: Playing Patterns

The next step in learning how to play the bass guitar is to start to understand chord patterns and how a bassist uses them to compliment and emphasize the music that is being played by the other musicians.

One of the main responsibilities of a bass player is to provide a solid harmonic foundation for the chords that are being played by the rest of the band. If you aren't already familiar, the musical concept of harmony means that there are multiple notes being played at the same time. When listening to harmony, your ears tend to focus on the lowest sounding pitch that is being played (which is usually the bass note). That is why it is important for you, as a bass player, to understand how chord patterns work and how playing the correct notes at the right time can dramatically improve the overall sound of the entire band.

Understanding Chords

Unlike guitar or piano players, bass players rarely play whole chords themselves. This is because multiple bass notes played together can produce a muddy, convoluted sound (due to their low frequency). But just because bass players don't play chords, doesn't mean they don't need to understand how they work and how the notes that they play can augment the chords that are being played.

The way that a bass player contributes to the chords that are being played is by helping to outline or frame the chords with respect to the root note. For instance, if a guitarist is playing a C Major Chord (which uses the notes C, E and G), then the bassist can help emphasize the sound of the C chord by playing the C note. Because the C chord also contains the notes E and G, the bassist can also play either of those notes as well (although they will change the overall flavor of the chord slightly).

Understanding Root Notes

The Root Note (as its name implies) is the foundational note upon which each chord is built.12 As in the example above, while the C Major Chord is made by playing the C, E and G notes, the root note is the C. Root notes are relatively easy to determine. In general, the root note of any chord shares the same name as the chord itself (i.e. The root note of G Major is G, the root note of A Minor is A).

While bass players can play many different notes in order to help frame a chord, there are many instances in which a bass player will need only to play the root note of each chord in order to appropriately fill out the sound. While identifying the root note of a chord may not be difficult, it just as important to be able to find that note on the fretboard (see previous lessons).

Simple Bass Patterns

Now that we understand a little bit about the role of the bass in framing chord patterns, we can begin to start looking at a few of the most common types of patterns that bassists often use.

1. Octave Patterns: Even if you've decided that it's best for you to concentrate on playing the root note of each chord, you don't need to just sit on the same note the whole time. This is where octave notes can come in handy. In simplified terms, an octave is the space of 12 notes in between two notes of equal value.13 For instance, if you are playing the root note F, simply move up 12 half steps until you've reached the F that is one octave higher than the one you started on. While the two notes may sound identical, the difference in frequency between the two notes can help create an interesting dynamic when you move back and forth between the two (instead of just playing the root note).

2. Root & Fifth Patterns: Another note that is often used (along with the root and octave notes) in order to create a simple bass pattern is the Fifth Note. We call it the fifth because it is the fifth note in the scale. The reason the fifth note usually sounds good when placed in a pattern with the root and octave notes is that the fifth note is one of the notes that forms the chord which is being played.14 Try experimenting with adding the fifth note to the root and octave notes in order to create a simple pattern that can be played over the chord.

3. Root, Fifth & Sixth Patterns: Once you've are comfortable finding and playing the root, fifth and octave notes of a particular chord, you can add another note to your repertoire: The Sixth Note. While it may not be a part of the chord that is being played, the sixth note can help add some melodic flavor to your bass lines and give some variety to your playing. To start out with, try inserting the sixth note after the fifth in your pattern. This will give your bass pattern a lighter, more upbeat quality.