Potpourri Blog

Playing the electric bass guitar may not be as popular as playing the six-stringed guitar, beating the drums, or playing the piano, but it is a significant piece of instrument for a band to be called a band.  All famous rock bands old or new all have bass guitarists.  Some of which are Paul McCartney, Flea, and Gene Simmons.

The purpose of the bass guitar is mostly for giving out a noticeable low sound that gives all types of music.  For anyone who wishes to learn how to play the bass guitar, this article is for you.  Mastering any instrument requires time, dedication and enthusiasm.  Reading this article will supply you an idea of the essential parts and functions of a bass guitar.

In order to play the bass guitar, one should know the parts and their respective functions.  If you already have some idea on how to play the bass guitar, then you may by now know every nook and cranny of the instrument.  For those who are just beginning, however, here’s what you should know.

Strings

Much like a regular guitar, the bass guitar creates sound when strings are plucked and vibrated.  The only distinction between a regular guitar and bass guitar is the total number of strings.  Regular guitars have six strings while bass guitars only have four.  These four strings also differ in thickness and are positioned in order.  The thinner the string, the higher the sound it gives off.

For that reason, the thickest string is positioned at the top, followed by the less thicker, followed by the lesser-thicker, with the less thickest string at the very bottom.

Tuning pegs located at the headstock tuned the guitar’s strings.  Tuning pegs hold the string in place and makes it possible to adjust the pitch of each string.  There is a standard in the position of the pegs and how much tension every string should bear.  If you do not know how to fine-tune the instrument, let someone who knows adjust it for you.

Frets

Frets are divided by metal strips on the guitar’s neck.  The function of these frets is for the player to produce different notes by pressing the strings against a corresponding fret.  The nearer you get to the guitar’s body, the higher the tone.

Amplification

The part of the bass guitar that is the most technical and sophisticated is/are the pickups.  These are the ones that picks-up and translate the sound generated from the strings and turn it into electrical signals to be passed on to an amplifier which convert the same electrical signal into sound.  Just like a telephone, the guitar’s pickups is the transducer.