- 1). Prepare to play. Make sure your left hand (the hand that moves along the fingerboard when playing right-handed) is at about eye level when the hand is in first position--first position is when your hand is at the top of the fingerboard, closest to the tuning pegs. You must learn how to be comfortable when you are playing, and you can consult with a teacher to establish proper hand technique.
- 2). Tune your instrument. The easiest way is to use a tuner.
- 3). Bass music is written on a bass clef staff. The bass clef staff has five lines and four spaces in between. The notes on a bass clef staff are represented by large dots superimposed on the lines and the spaces. The lines, going from the bottom to the top, are: G, B, D, F and A. Use "Good Boys Deserve Fudge Always" to help you remember. The spaces, going from the bottom to the top, are A, C, E and G. The A (bottom space in the staff) represents the A string played open (no fingers on the fingerboard), while the higher A (the top line in the staff) represents the A played on the G string (one octave higher than the open A string).
- 4). Practice learning the nine notes on the bass clef staff (the 5 lines and 4 spaces). To improve your playing and ability to read music, seek out simple, beginner-level sheet music to read and play. Try it on your own, and if you cannot get the hang of it after a few weeks, seek help by taking a lesson from a professional upright bass player.
- 5). Expand your repertoire by adding notes outside of the nine main notes on the staff and learning about sharps and flats. A sharp sign means to play the written note one half step higher than the note. For example, a G sharp is played one half step higher than the G, so it is a note between G and A. A flat sign means to play the written note one half step lower than the note. For example, an E flat is played one half step lower than the E and so it is a note between E and D.
previous post
next post