Bass FAQ

Straight Answers

4, 5, or 6 strings?

Start on four. EADG covers almost all of the music you will be asked to play, and everything you learn transfers upward: a 5-string adds a low B below the E, a 6-string adds a high C above the G — the middle four strings never change.

What is a Bass VI?

A six-string instrument tuned EADGBE exactly one octave below a guitar — closer to a baritone guitar’s big sibling than to a 6-string bass (which is tuned in fourths, BEADGC). Its pages here treat it as what it is: guitar geometry at bass depth.

Is a double bass the same as an upright?

Same instrument, many names: double bass, upright, contrabass, bass fiddle. It is fretless and usually bowed or played pizzicato, tuned EADG like a bass guitar but an octave of physical size bigger — so its pages here speak in positions on a fingerboard, not frets.

Do bassists even play chords?

Constantly — one note at a time. A bassline is a chord spelled out horizontally, which is why our chord pages lead with the arpeggio and the chord tones, and treat strummable grips as the seasoning rather than the meal.

Pick or fingers?

Both are legitimate; they are different sounds, not different skill levels. Fingerstyle gives you the round, vocal thump; a pick gives attack and evenness at speed. Learn alternating index-middle first — the drills assume it — and add the pick when a song wants that edge.

Is any of this paid?

No. Every map, drill, and tool on Bass Warrior is free, with no ads and no account.