There are several methods you can use for tuning a bass guitar. In this first post we discuss two methods: how to tune to a piano and relative tuning. We will also talk about the pros and cons of each method. Read more »

You have brought your shiny new bass guitar home and the first thing you should learn is how to tune it. Even if it was tuned perfectly before you left the music store, chances are it will be out of tune slightly by the time you get it home. Tuning will be affected by many things such as temperature, humidity and the chances are that sliding it in and out of the case or gig bag will disturb one or more of the tuning pegs. Read more »

Bass guitar lessons available on the Internet are growing in popularity for a number of reasons:

• there may not be a suitable teacher in your area;
• your schedule may make it difficult to make appointments at a set time;
• private tuition can be very expensive.

Consequently, there are a growing number of instructional videos, CDs, and books now available on the Internet. Unfortunately, these products are not all created equal and while some are great, others are not worth bothering with. Read more »

If you have been playing bass guitar for a while, you may be thinking about spicing up your sound. The easiest way to do this is by using bass guitar effects. Although effects units can be rack-mounted, the most popular ones are pedals or Stomp Boxes. They have the advantage for live playing as you can switch them on and off with your feet while playing. Apart from helping to shape your sound and make it distinctive, you will also improve your tap-dancing skills. Read more »

In this article we look at modulation. The effects units in this article modulate or manipulate the original sound in some way to produce a different sound. We will look at the three most common types of effects in this category: Chorus, Phase Shifters and Flangers. Read more »