Decoding the Bass Guitar - Bass Guitar Theory

The first time I ever picked up a bass guitar, a big grin slid instantly across my face… I’m sure you can probably relate to that feeling – just loving that deep, rich tone of a great sounding bass.

Now, to be fair, I already knew how to play guitar fairly well, so I at least knew where the notes were… but most of the songs I played ended up sounding remarkably the same.

I honestly remember being surprised that I couldn’t play the bass well, considering I knew how to play guitar already! I figured it should be easy as falling off a log…

Shortly after, someone showed me the octave trick, but it wasn’t until I really dug in and started to understand the theory that my bass playing really took off.

In fact, classical music theory is so boring I’d rather watch paint dry in the middle of a snowstorm!

Terms like “hemidemisemiquaver” and “quindicesima bassa” just about make my eyes jump out of my head! (and yes – those are real terms… you can look them up if you don’t believe me!)

And this is exactly why music theory has gotten such a bad rap: well-meaning but completely misguided music teachers have been teaching people for years all of this arcane theory that only about one-tenth of one percent of the population would ever have a use for.

Am I right? Very few people ever go on to become truly professional musicians, and most who do, STILL don’t understand, let alone use, all that mumbo-jumbo!

So how can I say that theory is what made such a tremendous difference in my playing? Well, perhaps I should replace the word ‘theory’ with something a bit less misunderstood… like ‘basic principles...