The bass guitar is a wonderful instrument and, like all other instruments, it takes time to learn how to play it and even more time to play it well. You cannot rush the process of learning to play notes and chords and only practice can cement the positions for these things in your mind. If you want to learn to play the guitar and have decided on the bass guitar as your instrument of choice, you will spend a lot of time playing walking bass lines and repetitive rhythms comprised of individual notes.

Because these things are such important features of bass guitar music it is important that you learn how to play the guitar notes properly before you move on to more complicated techniques and rhythms. The key to becoming a good bass guitarist is mastering the basics and, if you are serious about becoming a bass guitarist, you should take this endeavor seriously as well.

Before you begin to learn to play the guitar in any real capacity you should first familiarize yourself with your instrument. Spend some time plucking the strings, getting a feel for the instrument in your hands. When you are ready to learn to play notes, follow these steps. Begin by plucking the fourth string without pressing down on any of the frets - this will produce an E. Next, move on to the other strings, plucking each one to produce the A, D, and G notes. By plucking the strings without pressing down on any frets you are playing an "open" string.

Every time you pluck an open string the same note will sound so, in order to change the pitch of the resounding note, you must learn to use the frets. Begin by placing your index finger on the first fret of the fourth string, pressing down firmly as you pluck the string with your other hand. This should result in a new note one half-step higher than open E. As you move your fingers higher up along the fret board, the notes that sound will also become higher. Practice using open strings and frets to create different pitches, or notes, and begin to familiarize yourself with which frets correspond to which notes. It may take a great deal of time depending on how quickly you learn, but with practice you will learn to play the guitar and be able to strike positions on the fret board quickly.