It may seem daunting when you’re just starting out learning bass guitar, making you wonder if you’ll ever reach your music goals. More advanced guitarists didn’t get there by accident. They know a few tips and tricks that can help you progress consistently and play more advanced music before you know it.
1. Choose Easy Bass Tabs To Start
When you first start, it is important to choose sheet music appropriate for your skill level. It is easy to get discouraged by music you cannot understand or play, so avoid the temptation to start with something overly tricky.
Look for sheet music with many open string notes, repetitive beats, and a moderate or slow tempo for your first songs. It can also be helpful to choose songs you already are familiar with and love, as this can also keep you motivated to practice consistently, even when you may not want to.
As you advance through these songs, you can gradually add faster songs, songs with high fret numbers, and more complex rhythms.
2. Practice Regularly
Without consistent, regular practice, your bass skills will not improve. If possible, you should practice every day and minimally once a week.
Part of your practice should focus on slowly playing through songs and gradually increasing the speed to reach the correct tempo. Go slowly enough that you don’t mess up or stop. If you do, start that section over until you get it down, then move on.
When you first start learning a song, you can listen to it while you read the bass tab and listen for the bass line. This will give you a feel for how the song fits together, how the bassline sounds, and the rhythms involved.
3. Use Technology
You can also take advantage of online tutorials to help you learn. Many excellent bassists have videos to teach everything from learning bass tabs to learning how to handle the guitar or perform particular sounds and movements.
This is especially helpful when you are just starting out and need to learn basic guitar techniques, such as picking, strumming, and finger placement.
As you advance, you will find tutorials on bending, tapping, alternative tuning methods, and advanced fingering.
4. Ask for Help
If things still seem overwhelming and you’re having difficulty learning to read bass tabs, you can always look for a teacher to help. Or, if you’re uncomfortable with that or unable to hire a teacher, you can always ask a more advanced bassist to help you out.
Reaching Your Goals
The more willing you are to be consistent, to use available resources, and to ask for help, the more quickly you will be able to progress in your bass guitar journey and reach your goals. Set goals for yourself to help measure your progress and do whatever it takes to get them.
