Bass Guitar

Like the electric bass the upright is also a transposing instrument as notes sound one octave lower than written. In its usual setup the upright can play a low written E2 up to a G5 although some extensions exist to hit as low as a written C2 (see below).

Using a C extension can allow the upright to hit a low written C2 although this should be checked with the player as it is a custom addition to the instrument and is not available on every instrument.

The electric bass has the same lowest written E2 as the upright although some fretted basses have a maximum on 22 frets making the highest note possible a written F5. 24 fret basses are common however which increases the range to a G5 (See below).

With a 24 fret bass the highest playable note increases to a G5 and like the guitar tuning the low E string down to a D and sometimes even lower helps extend the low range. 5 string basses are also somewhat common which in standard tuning gives the player access to a low B1.

On the bass guitar a staccato is played usually by lifting the fret hand finger up early, cutting off the length of the note. This can be done any number of times in a row; legato markings should be used for notes in a staccato passage that need to be played for their full value (see below).

Tenuto markings on the bass are best used when a note surrounded by staccato markings needs to be played for its full value. On its own this marking denotes that the note should receive some emphasis although what form that will take is contextual and may be left up to the player (unless specified otherwise).

Accenting a note on the bass guitar is achieved usually by picking the desired note harder than usual. Can be used on both single notes and double stops/chords.

As with jazz arranging in general the marcato articulation usually results in an accented note with a shorter value (about 2/3) than a standard accent. Use for short, punchy lines or shots that need some space and tightness to them.

A slur on the bass can be played in a number of ways: a hammer-on/pull-off (most common), a slide or a bend (less common). Using a slur articulation without specifying which technique to use will leave the player to decide which is best to use in the context of the song/phrase. Entire slurred phrases can also be notated with a legato marking although a slur should still be used. See below for more information on each separate technique.

A hammer-on is achieved by using the fret hand to "hammer" onto the neck of the bass, producing the desired note. Because this note is not being picked by the other hand its volume is slightly lower than that of a picked note with each successive hammer-on being slightly quieter than the previous note. Long passages of hammer-ons are almost always played by incorporating pull-offs into the playing as well (see below).

The opposite of a hammer-on, the pull-off is achieved by picking a note then "pulling off" the finger either to an open string to to another fretted note below. Long passages involving either hammer-ons or pull-offs typically incorporate both techniques to keep the volume and rhythm consistent. In a nutshell: a hammer-on is for ascending movement and a pull-off is for descending passages but expect some combination of both if the passage is longer than one or two notes.

Usually on the electric bass only, a bend is an effect where the string is pushed up or down to increase its pitch. Bends should be notated either by using a grace note if the note is bent immediately or using normal bend notation if the bend is in time. The first note of the bend should be the actual note being played with the second note being what is being bent up to; typically a whole step bend is the recommended maximum on the bass guitar.

A slide is a common bass articulation/effect that involves picking a note (or group of notes) and physically sliding the fret hand finger up or down towards the next note. As mentioned above a written slur might result in a side in certain contexts but to specify one the standard slide notation can be used.

Vibrato on the electric bass is achieved by moving/bending the fret hand finger up and down slightly to create subtle pitch fluctuations in the held note; on the upright this same effect is produced by shaking the hand in what is called a "doorknob turning motion". This can be done slowly or quickly for varying different types of vibrato; this effect should be notated either with a vibrato marking or with a vibrato expression in the case where another articulation is already being used.

A trill on the bass is accomplished by rapidly hammering-on and pulling-off between two notes in rapid succession. Unlike some other instruments a trill can be played as high as a major third without too much difficulty. Usually by default the trill will either be a whole step or the next logical note (next note in the key or altered note in the bar), accidentals can also be placed above the trill marking to specify which note is to be played.

There a few possible types of mutes on the bass but the most common in jazz and contemporary music is the fret-hand mute (sometimes called the left-hand mute but this is inaccurate as not all guitar players are right-handed). This effect is achieved by preventing the strings from producing a tone with the fret-hand and striking one or more strings with the pick hand producing the mute effect. Most common in funk rhythm playing but also seen in rock and jazz as well.

The bass guitar is able to produce natural harmonics like most other stringed instruments. The notated pitch should be the pitch struck and not necessarily the resulting harmonic produced. There are a couple ways of notating this: one is by using a diamond notehead shape (first in the example) and the second is a diamond articulation above a normal notehead (less common these days). Finale likes to use the articulation instead of the notehead but most guitar players are more used to the former way at least in contemporary music.

Tremolo picking is an effect unique to the guitar and other instruments played with a pick, commonly heard in rock, surf and heavier forms of music. This technique is best used on held notes and can be used to play extremely fast passages but arpeggios and intricate single lines can be awkward and are not recommended.