Essential Things for Online Bass Guitar Lessons: Expert Lessons Await!

The bass guitar is the heartbeat of a band. It might not be the flashiest instrument, but it provides the essential pulse that drives the music and keeps everything grounded. It is a fun instrument to play and provides the foundation for harmony and rhythm in a band. Many people think that a bass guitar is limited to a few genres; however, the truth is that musicians from different genres like pop, jazz, country, rock, hip hop, and R&B are now putting the bass guitar to work in crafting some of the greatest music of all time. 

If you are an aspiring bassist and wish to learn to play the bass guitar and reach your full potential, you are at the right place. Torrins can be your ultimate learning buddy, with comprehensive bass guitar lessons that pave the way for you to become the skilled bassist you’ve always envisioned to be. Moreover, this article will discuss the essential bass guitar tools you need for online lessons to make your learning smoother. So, let us begin!

Benefits of learning bass guitar online

We believe that the distance between you and your music guru shouldn’t come in the way of your instrument excellence. Therefore, we highly vouch for online lessons and do our part by offering top-quality online bass lessons on our platform, Torrins. It is a privilege to learn your favourite instruments from instructors across the globe, and online learning makes this possible. Moreover, carrying around instruments comes with the risk of theft and breakage, and online classes eliminate all such risks. Thus, taking online lessons is a great alternative to the standard offline lessons that restrict you to limited resources and fewer opportunities to explore. 

Online lessons are especially beneficial if you are yet unsure of your musical abilities and don’t want to spend large sums of money enrolling in music schools or taking private classes at home. The good news is that we offer free bass guitar lessons on Torrins to ease your decision-making process. By taking our demo lessons, you can explore the intricacies of the instrument and decide for yourself if it is something you’re keen on taking up as a hobby or a career path. Given below is a sneak peek of our lessons by one of the Torrins’ experts, KC Kelly.

Things you need for online bass guitar tutorials

Many bass guitar tools can make your online learning experience smoother and more efficient. Let us discuss them. 

Step 1: Choosing a Bass Guitar

It goes without saying that you need to buy a good quality bass guitar before you commence your musical journey of rock and roll with this instrument. There are many factors to consider before choosing your first bass guitar. Here are a few:

Define Your Budget:

Consider how much you are comfortable spending. You must consider points like whether you are learning bass guitar as a hobby or are keen to take it up professionally. If you are serious about having a career as a bassist, then spending a little extra would not harm you, otherwise, it’s fine to opt for an entry-level model. Even renowned brands like Yamaha and Epiphone have affordable options, making good quality bass guitars accessible at a cost that won’t burn a hole in your pocket. 

Consider Your Playing Style:

Next, think about the genres and styles of music you want to play. Which band or artist inspired you to enter the world of bass? Was it Paul McCartney or Willie Dixon that made you pick up the instrument? The genre that you’re drawn to might be the genre you enjoy playing the most. If you’re more drawn to warmer sounds of folk and world music, acoustic bass guitars can be the right choice for you. However, if you want to explore a multitude of styles and play low-end rumbles, electric guitars can be your friend. Electric guitars, exclusively popular for rock and pop, can play almost everything from jazz to metal, allowing you to experiment freely. If you are still confused about which genre you would enjoy more, you can take advantage of free guitar lessons on jazz bass and blues bass on Torrins. Once you’ve decided which genre you will play, you can choose your bass guitar accordingly. 

Decide on the Number of Strings: 

Standard bass guitars have four strings. However, some models also have five and six strings. Bass guitars with four strings are ideal for beginners and people with smaller hands since they are easier to hold due to their smaller necks. Additionally, if you are a beginner, a four-string bass guitar is ideal for you because most tablatures represent four lines for the four strings of the bass, helping you learn the basics efficiently. However, as you progress in your journey and plan on streamlining to one particular genre, you may consider opting for a five-string bass guitar to play heavy metal, hard rock, fusion, and jazz. Jazz players also favour six-string bass guitars as they leave more room for improvisation. 

Once you have bought your “perfect” bass guitar, you can move on to buying some accessories to elevate your bass playing and learning experience.

Step 2: Amplifier and cables: Shaping Your Sonic Journey

The amplifier is one of the most crucial bass guitar setup tools that helps a bassist channel the voice of their guitar to every corner of the room. The amp is especially important for electric bass guitars since they produce a faint sound on their own. So, an electric bass guitar will need an amplifier to increase its sounds to make it audible to the audience. If you are starting to play, you don’t require something expensive; begin with a small amplifier with 100-200 watts until you become comfortable playing at a much higher volume. 

Apart from this, you also need an instrument cable that will transfer the sound of your bass guitar to the amplifier. You need to look for the perfect length cable which does not tangle and or fall short when you connect it to your amplifier. A 2-meter cable is fine in most cases. Having a loud enough sound will help your tutor across the screen hear you playing and analyse your mistakes better. You must have an amp even in the case of asynchronous classes because the sound produced by electric guitars alone is too faint to be heard even by the player.

Step 3: A Guitar Case: Safeguarding Your Musical Companion

As you may have already read in our Top 12 Must-Have Guitar Accessories For Every Guitarist blog, a guitar case is one of the essential bass guitar tools to have as a musician. The foundation of online learning lies in the fact that you can learn whenever and wherever you want. So, when you’re taking online lessons away from home, you can carry your bass guitars safely in a guitar case. Moreover, a guitar case protects your bass guitar from the dirt and dust that can accumulate on your instrument if left otherwise.

Step 4: Guitar Strap: Providing Essential Support for Your Playing Journey

A lot of bass guitars may already come with a basic strap, but there’s a possibility that yours doesn’t come with one or isn’t as comfortable. In that case, you should definitely purchase a suitable guitar strap. A guitar strap will add a certain comfort to your long bass guitar lessons and practice sessions. Additionally, guitar straps protect your guitars from falling and prevent damage in any way possible. 

Step 5: Music Sheets and Tabs for Virtual Bass Guitar Lessons

A crucial aspect of learning any instrument is being able to read music. When you’re taking online lessons, it’s always better to have music sheets with you to practice what you’ve learned. Playing songs is an important part of learning any instrument; therefore, we have lessons on bass guitar songs on our platform, accompanied by music sheets to help you learn songs quicker and better. 

Step 6: A Digital tuner: Ensuring the consistent tuning of your bass

Tuning your guitar before you begin practising or performing is of utmost importance and needs to be done without fail. If it sounds slightly off when you are playing or if it just doesn’t sound right when playing along with recordings, it is a good idea to check your standard tuning for a bass guitar. On our website, you can find detailed lessons on bass guitar tuning and basic exercises for the bass guitar and ensure you’re always in tune! Nowadays, digital tuners are a big hit since they hardly cost anything and are very convenient. We are soon introducing a Guitar Tuner feature on Torrins to ensure our learners find all necessary resources at their fingertips. Till then, you can check out our lesson on Intro to Tune Bass Guitar for a better understanding of tuning your bass guitar. 

Digital tuners use the built-in microphone of the mobile to hear the pitch of the strings. As you adjust the tuning peg for each bass string, the display on your device will tell you when you are in tune. Easy-peasy!

These are some essential bass guitar setup tools you must have before you begin your online bass guitar lessons. These bass guitar tools will not only help you learn faster but also help you learn to play the instrument the right way.

Wrapping up: 

I hope reading this article gave you a better insight into how your musical journey with online bass guitar lessons will pan out. Now you know the essential things you need for a bass guitar learning journey. 

1. So, after buying your “perfect” bass guitar, you must also purchase bass guitar setup tools like amplifiers, cables, straps, etc, to have a seamless experience learning your instrument. 
2. One thing worth mentioning is that the bass has a much smoother learning curve than the guitar – you can learn a few patterns and be on your way on the bass. 
3. With bass guitar, you can play many songs by learning fewer notes. And by no means is a bass guitar any less important than other instruments; every band needs a bass guitar to give those low-hitting thumps, so a bass guitar can be your gateway to becoming a rockstar. 
4. With bass, you can hold down your rhythm and groove consistently. It is so because the bass is mainly a melodic instrument, where you can play just one note at a time. 

It won’t be wrong to say that the bass is definitely a very cool and super versatile instrument. Also, it can open up the world of gigs for you, so what are you waiting for? Join Torrins and commence your bass learning journey today to make your world all the more musical.