So, before this absolute beginning first bass lesson, relax. Take a deep breath. You’re not supposed to know any of this. You’re not supposed to be good at any of this. You are supposed to be very very bad at the bass right now.
Nat put an electric bass in my hands and asked me to play some thrash metal riffs he had written. It was impossible. The strings were too big, the riffs were too fast – it was a mess. If only there had been some easily available resource that could have gotten me over that massive new-bassist hurdle…
This First Ever Bass Lesson article and I are here to help.
When I said we were starting from the point of total newbie, that’s what I meant. I’m assuming that every single aspect of electric bass playing is new to you.
I know a whole lot of you out there aren’t using amps. You’re either using some groovy bluetooth-device plugged into your bass straight to your bluetooth headphones…

Or – you’re plugged into some sort of audio interface so that your bass can plug in to your computer, and you’re using headphones with your interface…

Or – you have yet another headphone-related setup that I don’t know about or hasn’t been invented while I write this.
So, all I can say for any technology beyond turning on an amp is – I hope it works because there are too many variations and variables for me to try and assist here. Personally, I love the sound of bass out of an amp where I can feel the air moving (even if it’s quiet). But I absolutely respect and understand the need for headphones (most of my playing is done once the kids are asleep).
So – yes, playing with a headphone setup is great if that’s what you have.
I won’t be able to walk you through it, so hopefully whatever you got came with a good customer service department.

Important note here – make sure the amplifier is PLUGGED IN, but NOT TURNED ON at this point!

Pro Tip: If you do have a bass with ACTIVE ELECTRONICS, unplug the cable from the bass when you’re not playing or else you will DRAIN the batteries and your bass won’t make any sound. Or it will make weak, fuzzy farty sounds instead of big, luscious bass sounds*…
A quick fix to set your amp to its most neutral setting would be to set all the knobs except the volume knob to 12 o’clock.
Tip #1
Sitting Position
If you’re sitting, you want to be high enough to get your hips level with or above your knees so you don’t hurt your lower back.

Tip #2
Bass Position
Tip #3
Strap On!
You should always play with a strap on, sitting or standing, because it stabilizes the bass and takes the weight off your hands so they can focus on playing.

Tip #4
Bass Neck Angle!
For most playing it’s nice to have the bass neck angled up a bit and not parallel with the floor. This is not a hard and fast rule, and you’ll see all kinds of variation here with pro players.

Tip #5
Headstock Position
Push the headstock away from your body slightly to get better access to the neck. The headstock is the part of the bass that anchors the strings and has the tuning pegs. You’ll want to create an angle with your chest of about 30-40 degrees rather than flat against your chest.
Just one more absolutely crucial step before you can start actually playing your bass.

The crucial next step is, of course, signing up for our complete beginner bass course.
If you’re not tuned up, everything you play will sound off and wrong, and you won’t match up with any song or other instrument you try to play with.

A clip on tuner

A plug-in tuner

A pedal tuner

Or even a tuning app
The names of the strings from thickest to thinnest are: E A D G.
Josh’s favorite is Eat And Drink Grapes.
I like: Every Alligator Devours Grapes… or Eve Adores Dark Green or Excellent And Delicious Gyros…
Bass Explorer bonus points: you don’t have to take my word for it. Try playing the bass in both places. You’ll find the strings much STIFFER and BRIGHTER sounding if you pluck closer to the bridge. If you like that and have the PLUCKING STAMINA to make it work, maybe that’s your spot.
This is not the only way to pluck. You could play with one finger (which is simple, but hard to keep up with faster bass lines), or you could play with three fingers (which gives you the potential for crazy speed, but is extra hard to learn).
You must (cue echoing god-like narrator voice) pull across (end god voice after one nice peal of thunder) the strings.


Many beginners will get their finger on the string and then pluck up and away from the bass. This is not the sound you want. It will be thin and wimpy, and you never want to use the words thin and wimpy when describing your sumptuous bass tone.
By pulling across and into the bass, you’re going to roll the big, meaty parts of your fingers right over that string and pull out all the biggest, lowest, juiciest tones possible. It also helps keep unwanted string ringing to a minimum.
Option 1: You can touch the strings with all the fingers on your fretting hand. Not pressing or adding any pressure, just touching the strings so the strings can’t vibrate. Like your hand is a fuzzy blanket. No weight, no pressure, just a thing to stop the vibrations.
Option 2: You can touch the E string with your plucking fingers which will do the same thing – stop those vibrations. It will also set you up for your next pluck.
Bonus Option 3: You can also do both at the same time. It never hurts to do a little extra muting when you’re trying to clean things up.

Well, it brings us to the totally free Kickstart Course. Say yes to a commitment free bass skills upgrade!
The fretting hand is, well, the one that wasn’t plucking. It’s the hand over by the neck of the bass. Fretting is pressing the strings against those little metal wires (the frets) which changes the sound your bass makes.
Tip #1

Tip #2
Tip #3
Where and How to Fret
Final fretting tip!
When you press down, aim for the end of the fret closest to the pickups.

The area between those metal wires is called a fret, but you want the part right behind that piece of metal called the fret wire.
That’ll make it easier to get clean notes that don’t buzz.
Also, you aren’t pressing the string against the wood of the bass fingerboard. You only need to create a clean, solid contact with the string against that fret wire. That’s why the space directly behind the fret you want to play is the best location for a clean, clear bass note.
Remember, the E string is the fattest one, Eat And Drink Grapes, EADG.
The most important thing as a bassist is groove – locking in with the rest of the band so that the music feels good.
If you play without feeling where that pulse is, you’ll be playing at weird times, zigging while the band is zagging, and otherwise disrupting what should be a very collective and comfortable groove.
Let’s put everything you just learned into music with the song High and Dry by Radiohead.
All the notes are on the E string, which, if you remember to Eat And Drink Grapes, is the fat one closest to your face.
Good luck, Godspeed, and know that we’re out here cheering you on and ready to help should you ever have a question.
Because, after all, we’re family now.
Got something to say? Post a comment below.
Simply superb, ive just bought a bass. I needed something to do during the winter months of retirement. LIstening to your tutorial has confirmed that I may well be able to make some really enjoyable sounds.. Thanks, looking forward to working on this and moving forward from there…
Excellent to hear this.
Congratulations on the recent bass, and I’m stoked you found the articles helpful. There’s heaps of them on the site, so if you ever need another little bunch of stuff to do, I gotcha covered!
Thank you so much! I’m going to purchase a bass next week, and this lesson will help tremendously!
Happy bass shopping, Mike!
Glad to hear it’s helpful stuff.
Gio, Josh and team — thanks for the free intro lesson! Like so many things in life, you build a strong foundation one brick at a time. I’m excited to get to the next lesson but only after knowing that I have everything here in the groove!
Hail David!
Thanks for the good word, and I wish you all the best in your bass journeys.
I started learning guitar and piano about two years ago. Today, I received my first bass (P-bass). At 68 I’m starting late but better late than never as they say!
Fantastic.
I wish you the very best of bass voyages!
Great stuff here man this helped me out a lot
This article is absolutely fantastic. Thank you!
My guitar playing husband is amazed how quickly I’ve picked this up – me too ! Radiohead wow !
Yes!
This is great to hear. Congrats, and happy playing to thee.
Thank for the first time I feel like I’m going somewhere with the instrument I’m longing to play since I was a young man
Hi Roland!
This is great to hear, and I’m so glad you can feel the progress and momentum in your bass journey!
Great job in written instructions! Bravo!! That has sold me on you for lessons 🙂
Thanks heaps, Devon!
The words and the methodology for the course is so dang good.
You’ll have a blast!