Learn how to play the bass?
-Yes, please!
Virtually every known culture produces music in some form. Scientists do not fully understand why it is so common, but numerous studies prove the benefits of music. Music stimulates the brain, extends expected life-length, helps to deal with depression, reduces stress, and is good for your heart!*
Now more than ever is a great time to pick up an instrument and learn how to play and benefit your well being. And the bass guitar is an excellent choice.
Even if it takes years to master the bass, you can reach a level when you can jam along to your favorite songs, get inspired, and enjoy the fun much faster.
Here’s how to get started:
- Find a bass guitar. Start with a decent 4-string model with passive electronics, which usually gives you the best bang for the buck. We’d recommend starting looking at basses around $300, but you can find one for under $200 as well.
- Get a bass combo amplifier. A bass combo is a device that includes an amplifier and a speaker in the same box. There are a lot of affordable bass combos on the market. Make sure you invest in one that provide an authentic bass tone and not just making noise. Sometimes a lot of extra features is a cover-up for the lack of tone quality, so don’t fall for that unless it’s features that will actually help you to become a better bass player. The EBS Session 30 is a great choice that will reveal what you need to practice and reward progress. It sounds great and will cover your essential needs when you practice. A simple but effective tone control, an input for music to play along to, and a headphone output to be able to practice late at night without waking up the neighbors. It even has a high-quality recording output, when you are ready for that. All in a compact box.
- Find an online course to learn the basics. There are a lot of great online courses that will help you learn the basics of bass playing. One is Stuart Clayton’s online Bassline courses that you may find helpful no matter what level of player you are.
- Play along with your favorite music. Once you get a grip on the most basic scales and techniques, a great and fun way to develop is to just play along to recorded music. Listen to what the bass does and try to imitate that with your instrument.
If you get hooked on bass, you will never be bored as long as there’s a bass around. It is great for your well-being too! If you need to expand and develop your setup, EBS makes great tools to play with and we encourage you to explore our website to find what you need.
* Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/music-and-health
