Learn to play Bass Guitar!

When I started making music, of course I grabbed a normal guitar, learned a few chords and started a band. That was in the late seventies and one problem we had back then hasn’t changed a bit: there were never enough bass players around! This basically guarantees you a place in a band, if you know how to hold a bass guitar and how to play five different notes on it. Once you get a bit better and know how to keep a beat and play a few riffs, you can choose between different bands, all trying to book you!
Joking aside, playing the bass guitar in a band is extremely rewarding and a lot of fun. A good bass line can make or break a song, a tightly playing rhythm section will get feet tapping or even dancing/jumping, and it will give you a buzz like nothing else!

If you want to learn to play the bass guitar, all you need is a half decent instrument and a practice amp. If you want to play in a band, the amp needs to be a bit bigger so you stand a chance against the 100W Marshal amp of the guitarrist. I would always recommend buying instruments second hand: you can save a lot of money that way. But don’t just trust the seller, take someone experienced with you to check out the goods before you part with your money. If the deal was fair and in the future you decide you’d rather play a different instrument (or golf), you have a good chance to get your money back. There are reasonable instruments out there that can be bought for under £100, if you have £400 to play with, you can kit yourself out for small gigs. If you are in doubt, I am happy to help you choose your gear!

Whether you are just starting on the bass or you want to improve your abilities or style, I can help you avoiding the usual pitfalls and make sure you are having more fun. Give me a call and we can discuss what I can do for you.