A theory 'question' that I am batteling with big time.

[Gavin Hobbs]

For bass I would stick to Bass and Treble. The range of the basss guitar reaches the top of the treble clef - the double-bass significantly higher. Remember that music written for bass is written 8va, that is to say 1 octave above where it sounds. 'Cello uses Bass, Tenor and Treble clefs, but not Alto. Both Tenor and Alto are 'C' clefs - the line they are placed on represents middle C. As such, they are not transposed so you won't see them in bass music.

Another question sorted thank you , really interesting info you gave me.

 

[bigjames]

View attachment 4537431

On 4-string bass guitar and upright bass, this could be played as the open A string or 5th fret on the E string. The pitch you play is A1 which is 55hz. On a 5-string bass with a low B string, you can also play the note at the 10th fret.

If you are interested in writing music, you need to know that the pitch you play is an octave lower than written. This is because bass guitar and upright bass are transposing instruments. Because of the transposition, you read A2, but actually play A1

If you wanted to write A1 for tuba or piano, it would look like this:
View attachment 4537440

I knew this was coming, but I was avoiding posting the same thing for fear of making the OP even more confused. Hopefully the responses have sorted him out.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hey Hi.
Thank you for getting back to me and thank you for your helpful information.
Cheers.
Gavin.

You are most certainly welcome.

 

[Gavin Hobbs]

Wow! Sorry to hear about that, which does change things. I would point you in the direction of this 'playlist' of really good videos from George Martin (includes the one above):

Hi Steve.
George Martin is a fantastic Bassist and teacher his tutorials are fantastic. Aside from this site I have picked up so much helpful( and some somewhat rather confusing) content off YouTube which has helped me improve on the bow and help with the theory side of things.
I absolutely agree with all... if possible lessons with a teacher is the way to go especially with learning theory and how to play and sight read ,all these areas would be much easier to deal with with a teacher , face to face physically show how to position your bow arm , correct bow grip and all those issues ect.
Thank you again for your advice, actually I have received quit a few really helpful replies to my dumb question so much so I felt brave enough to ask another...
Cheers.
Gavin.

 

[HeadWind]

Read through the responses and was surprised to see no one pointed out that the tone varies by which string you use. The sound you here is the fundamental (i.e. 55 hz for the low A) plus a combination of harmonics (110 hz, 165 hz, etc.) Where you pluck the string (on an electric bass or pizz.) and which string you select will affect the tone.

I had a teacher tell me once that really good bassists can tell what string a note was played on by picking up on the harmonics. Sometimes you want a certain tone. Playing higher on the neck on the lower strings will give you a fatter tone, probably more due to the diameter of the string rather than the relative plucking position - lots go into what harmonics you get.

Personally, I tend to avoid open strings so I have more control over the note length. A good bassist knows how to effectively use open strings, and can vary note length with muting, but I like the positive control I get over the string with my fretting hand. Also, playing closer to the nut requires more finger pressure and I have tendon problems in my fretting fingers, so I like to play farther up the neck (meaning 4-9, not 14+!) but that is just me. I am probably sacrificing some desired tones with those decisions.

 

[SteveCS]

Read through the responses and was surprised to see no one pointed out that the tone varies by which string you use
...
.

See post #2.

 

[CaptainWally]

First up, the Bass clef, with A in the first space, is F Clef. Because it looks like an F and because it straddles the F line. The G Clef is treble clef.

As for the actual place you play, unless otherwise directed it is up to you. Context is everything. The more you play and the more exposure you get to the repertoire your musicianship will increase and with it your ability to make better informed choices. For now, I would take the advice of @mrcbass above and stick to half and 1st position, so open to 4th stop with pinky. Which puts A as open string only. For now!

Not sure why this thread continues. It was well-answered by SteveCS in the very first response

 

[Gavin Hobbs]

Not sure why this thread continues. It was well-answered by SteveCS in the very first response

Howzit CaptainWally.
Thank you for getting back to me with this helpful advice , recently I have cleared up quit a few issues and received a lot of really good advice now I am going over it .