Behringer Ultrabass User manual

2
ULTRABASS BASS GUITAR PACK
High-quality electric bass guitar
Adjustable bass guitar strap
High-quality lead (approx. 3 m)
3 plectrums Beginners book or the bass guitar
Padded gig bag
BASS PACK CONTENTS

3
ULTRABASS BASS GUITAR PACK
CONTENTS
THE PARTS OF THE BASS .............................................................................................................................................................................. 4
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Left hand .................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Holding the bass properly ........................................................................................................................................ 5
TUNING THE BASS ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Electronic tuning device ............................................................................................................................................ 5
Relative tuning method ............................................................................................................................................. 6
Keyboard instruments .............................................................................................................................................. 6
PLAYING TECHNIQUES ................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Picks ..........................................................................................................................................................................
Playing with a pick .....................................................................................................................................................
Playing with your fingers ...........................................................................................................................................
Slap bass technique ................................................................................................................................................. 8
NOTATION .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Fingering diagrams .................................................................................................................................................. 9
Tablature.................................................................................................................................................................... 9
EXAMPLES OF MUSICAL STYLES ............................................................................................................................................................. 10
Blues........................................................................................................................................................................ 10
Fast Rock ................................................................................................................................................................ 10
Shuffle Blues ........................................................................................................................................................... 10
Slap Blues ............................................................................................................................................................... 10
Walking Bass .......................................................................................................................................................... 11
RHYTHM ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Note values ............................................................................................................................................................. 11
Dotted notes ............................................................................................................................................................ 11
Rhythm exercise 1 .................................................................................................................................................. 12
Triplets..................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Rhythm exercise 2 .................................................................................................................................................. 13
Rests ....................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Rhythm exercise 3 .................................................................................................................................................. 13
Shuffle ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14
SCALES ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 14
Intervals ................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Major and minor ...................................................................................................................................................... 14
The major scale ...................................................................................................................................................... 14
The minor scale ...................................................................................................................................................... 15
The major pentatonic scale .................................................................................................................................... 15
The minor pentatonic scale .................................................................................................................................... 15
The chromatic scale ............................................................................................................................................... 15
Positioning the left hand ......................................................................................................................................... 15
Scale practice 1 ....................................................................................................................................................... 16
Scale practice 2 ....................................................................................................................................................... 16
D major scale .......................................................................................................................................................... 16
G minor scale .......................................................................................................................................................... 16
Scale practice 3 ....................................................................................................................................................... 16
Scale practice 4 ....................................................................................................................................................... 16
CHORDS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 17
C major (C) .............................................................................................................................................................. 18
D minor (Dm) .......................................................................................................................................................... 18
E minor (Em) ........................................................................................................................................................... 18
F major (F) ............................................................................................................................................................... 18
G major (G) .............................................................................................................................................................. 18
A minor (Am) ............................................................................................................................................................ 18
B minor diminished (Bm) ....................................................................................................................................... 18
CARE AND MAINTENANCE .......................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Cleaning your bass ................................................................................................................................................ 19
Taking care of your bass ......................................................................................................................................... 19
Changing strings ..................................................................................................................................................... 19

4
ULTRABASS BASS GUITAR PACK
THE PARTS OF THE BASS
Regardless of the type of bass guitar you play, the basic component parts are always the same. The following illustration shows you
what the parts are called. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with them.

5
ULTRABASS BASS GUITAR PACK
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the BE RINGER family! This beginners book for the bass guitar will show you how much fun you can have playing a
musical instrument. First we want to make you acquainted with the important basics about your instrument, various playing
techniques and some other things. Then were going to show you some examples of styles, rhythm exercises and scales that will
make it easy for you to start playing the bass. Dont let all this information put you off, even if it does seem like a lot at first. Take a
relaxed approach and youll soon see that youre making progress. ave fun!
Le t hand
The fingers of the left hand are numbered from 1 to 4, beginning with the index finger. Always press down the strings with your
fingertips. Tip: Youll find it a lot easier with short fingernails.
Holding the bass properly
Rest the bass on your right thigh and hold it between your chest and your right arm. But dont forget to relax while you do so! Use
your bodynot your handsto stabilize the position of the bass. The neck of the guitar should be pointing slightly upwards. If you
cross your legs you can hold the neck higher, which makes playing easier.
A few general tips:
* Check your posture and the position of your arms and legs at regular intervals to avoid tenseness.
* Experiment with your posture until you feel comfortable.
* Try to keep your head straight; otherwise you will develop tenseness in your back.
If your bass is hanging too low when youre playing standing up, it might put too much strain on your left wrist. Or it might put too much
strain on your right hand when you strike or pluck the strings. Adjust the strap to give yourself a comfortable posture, enabling your
hands to remain completely relaxed in their playing positions.
SITTING POSTURE STANDING POSTURE
TUNING THE BASS
Tuning the bass means precisely adjusting the tone of each string. There are various methods you can use to tune your bass, but
first you have to know what notes the four bass strings are:
String 1: G (the thinnest, bottom string)
String 2: D
String 3: A
String 4: E (the thickest, topmost string)
Electronic tuning device
You can buy electronic tuning devices at any music store. They offer you the simplest method for tuning your bass. A tuning device
analyzes the pitch of each string when it is played individually. A display shows you if the note played is too high or too low. You can
find a virtual tuning device on our website (www.behringer.com). Go and get it!