HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR INSTRUMENT'S BASS GUITAR

THE BASS

PARTS OF THE GUITAR.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR GUITAR CLEAN Looking after your bass guitar involves keeping it in clean and working order, you can do this in various ways. For example if you guitar tends to pick up a lot of dust, wipe it down every time you play it with either a damp cloth (make sure it is not dripping wet as this could damage the guitar) or a dusting cloth and wood polish. Your guitar may start to catch dust and other small annoying things in between the frets on the neck. To clean this use a small brush or a cloth to get in to these hard to reach places. Keeping your bass looking good is a must if you perform but don’t fail to keep it in an immaculate condition even if your not performing, keeping it in a nice and clean condition will increase the working life and keep the sound crisp and new.

HOW TO KEEP A GOOD SOUNDING GUITAR Out of the factory your guitar will need tuning, and maybe even stringing. Your guitar sadly will soon need tuning again as the strings flex and contract due to heat and the conditions it is kept in. Making sure your guitar is in tune will keep it sounding good, but you must ensure that you keep the aux lead input clean and undamaged so the sound coming out of your amplifier is not distorted or effected in other ways. All in all you guitar should, if kept after, will very easily stay fresh and crisp sounding. In the guitars neck there is a long metal rod with is vital to keep your guitar sounding good. This rod is called a Truss Rod. The Truss Rod must stay in a certain tuning to ensure the guitars neck holds a suitable tension in order to get the right notes out. If there is a problem with your truss rod you must see an expert as the neck could snap if the Truss Rod is over tightened.

WHEN TRANSPORTING AND STORING YOUR BASS When moving around your bass or transporting it from gig to gig you will need some kind off case or bag to protect it from any demanding environments or dirt and dust that may damage your guitar. Depending on how often you move your guitars location depends on what protective gear you will need. If like a lot of guitar players your preform, whether it be in a band or some kind of classical piece, you would need a hard and durable case. But if you are a more casual player and only play for example for your own entertainment you may only need a softer bag to protect your guitar from any scratches that it may pick up. When storing you guitar be sure not to leave it anywhere children can fiddle with it or where it could get knocked over or damage. A good place to keep it would be on a guitar stand, whether it be a floor stand or a wall stand it will keep the guitar out of the way and safe from falling over.

HOW TO CHANGE A GUITAR STRING * VIDEO OF HOW TO CHANGE STRING.

HEALTH AND SAFETY Playing bass wouldn’t seem an health issue normally but there is actually a risk with playing a guitar. This risk is the possibility of electrocution. This risk isn’t very high but if your guitar has not been looked after properly the aux lead input may be damaged or not working properly, this problem may damage the wires inside the guitar and this could lead to them becoming open and dangerous. This is another reason to keep your guitar in mint condition. If there is a problem with your guitars wires or input go to a guitar/music store and get an expert to fix the problem, do not try to do it yourself because there is a chance you do it wrong and create a more likely possibility of electrocution. Another heath risk could be your posture when preforming or playing guitar could be damaging over a long time to your body. Weather its reppetive strain injury's or even just a bad back or neck, posture will be a key in preventing them. So when playing try and keep a straight back and do not hand your shoulders over the instrument keep your shoulders in a natural and upright position. When preforming, you will most likely be standing up, so a guitar strap will be needed. Your guitar strap will most likely stay on the guitar but occasionally they will slip off. This could damage your guitar as it may hit the floor, to prevent this professionals use strap locks to stop the straps coming off and potentially harming themselves or the guitar its self.

TYPES OF BASS GUITARS There are many different designs and models when it comes to bass, most people thing as the bass as being a four stringed instrument that only plays the deeper bass notes to a melody. Most people would be right but there’s a lot more to bass than just deeper notes. The Classic Bass: This has the usual four strings and has the classic bass sound. The Five String Bass: This has the same sound but can reach more notes than a normal bass and is often used for bass solos or more complicated pieces.

TYPES OF BASS GUITARS Eight String Bass: This bass is a little more extreme than the four/five string bass. This has a massive range off notes and is often played with a method called “slapping” where the performer slaps their thumb against the string giving the guitar a bopping sound. The Acoustic Bass: This bass has a mellow sound but it is essentially the same as a Classic style bass only this doesn’t need an amplifier or speaker. Part 2