The bass guitar plays a sublime and intricate role in music. More than any other instrument in a band, the bass plays an integral role in keeping the band together both harmonically and rhythmically. Bass is not just an instrument it’s a way of thinking. As students at STL Rock School build their skills and knowledge of theory, they also learn the importance of fitting their own sound into the group’s sound.
Students in bass lessons learn how to read both standard music notation and bass tablature. This helps them to learn all types of music, as many rock songs might be written in tablature, while jazz lines are written in standard notation. Students quickly learn different kick drum rhythms, walking bass lines, and melodic bass lines. Teachers introduce them to several of the common intervals that bass lines feature, such as fifths and octaves, before introducing different scales, such as the major, minor and blues scale. As students progress, they are introduced to a variety of bass styles, such as funk, blues, hard rock, and reggae.