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Once two beginner players, guitarist and a bass player, get together for practice, it can easily end up in disaster. I would like to know how to make it workable, with which easy songs, maybe backing tracks, metronome, articles, videos, techniques, anything that could make it. There must be some processes out there that would help small bands of beginners to start practicing together, I just can't find any resources.

Background

  • Guitar player knows chords, scales, can solo, play in "key", keep the rhythm, but still not on any advanced level, very little experience of playing with other people.

  • Bass player is a total beginner.

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4
  • What genre(s) will you be playing?
    – Todd Wilcox
    Commented Jul 20, 2018 at 14:25
  • Easy to learn rock songs.
    – Ska
    Commented Jul 20, 2018 at 14:26
  • Not a very well posed question
    – user50691
    Commented Nov 13, 2020 at 2:41
  • Pick a song you both like, learn it at home, then get together
    – user50691
    Commented Apr 24, 2021 at 3:00

5 Answers 5

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If the type of music you're playing normally has drums, then I highly suggest getting a drum machine or beginning drummer to play with (or an experienced drummer if you can find one). Learning to be on time together is very important.

Along the same lines, getting an affordable PA system so someone can sing along would help also. Having the vocals really helps keep track of where you are in the song.

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  • There will be drum machine, yes.
    – Ska
    Commented Jul 20, 2018 at 14:27
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Pick a song in a style that the guitarist can play. Teach the bass player the roots of each chord. Play. As the bass player improves work on playing an actually bass part. If the bass player can learn a few bass parts to a few songs play those songs.

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  • What is the easiest way to track where we are in the song, not to wander off the chords that we're supposed to play? What are some of the basic bass 'progressions' after playing the single note?
    – Ska
    Commented Jul 20, 2018 at 11:48
  • 2
    Maybe make a chart. Do you know how to do that? Just write out each section with the chord names in each measure with bar lines. Label each section. Write out the verse, chorus, bridge once each. Then you just need to know the song form and can use the chart for reference.
    – b3ko
    Commented Jul 20, 2018 at 12:20
  • Will try, should be doable at least for easy songs. I wonder how the real bands can practice in an improvised way, where there are no charts, and you don't know who's going to switch to which chord and when.
    – Ska
    Commented Jul 20, 2018 at 12:26
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    well, if you are playing a well know song, everyone will know it. if you are writing new material you build the song up piece by piece. if you are just jamming....well....ear training comes in handy and sometimes wrong notes/chords are hit. the more you learn about music, the more ear training you do, the more experience you have, the easier it becomes.
    – b3ko
    Commented Jul 20, 2018 at 12:53
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The most important, by far, thing to learn is to listen more to the other player than you do to yourself. Learn to adjust your meter, volume, tuning, etc. to match the other player.

Everything else follows from that (and from practicing on your own, of course).

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Try some eazy Blues key of E is easy to learn also Key of A This will help new players to keep to a Beat and there is only 3 chords your new players will have to deal with actualy 4 chords but the 2,3,4 chords are just slideing the same chord up or down.

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Practice every day and enjoy it, have fun playing the guitar Start learning the guitar chords by playing easy chords songs for beginners! Then learn the guitar scales, starting with the pentatonic!

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2
  • Then learn the <a href="fender.com/articles/how-to/… scales</a>, starting with the pentatonic! Once you learn these, you will able to say that you know to play the guitar.
    – Toto
    Commented Apr 24, 2021 at 2:48
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    It's not clear you read the question, which is about how a guitar and bass player should go about practicing together. Perhaps you could edit your answer to reflect that aspect.
    – Aaron
    Commented Apr 24, 2021 at 3:02

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