A guitarist's guide to playing bass: 20 tips to help you think like a bassist

Prince performs live on stage at the Brabathallen in Breda, Holland on March 24 1995. The Ultimate Live Experience Tour.
(Image credit: Paul Bergen / Redferns)

Bass is more than just a guitar with two fewer strings. It has a different tone, scale length, feel and musical role, and in many cases it requires a different conceptual and technical approach.

Guitarists who are new to playing bass will often double the guitar part one octave lower. There is certainly a place for lockstep octave doubling - just listen to Aerosmith’s Sweet Emotion, Led Zeppelin’s The Ocean and Pantera’s I’m Broken.

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