Understanding the Score Symbols

Lesson 3/41 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Beginner Bass

Understanding the Score Symbols

Metronome Symbol

This is the symbol for a metronome. It appears beneath the staff, next to the 'count' numbers, which indicate how to count the time. Large blue numbers represent a count or beat where a note is to be played, while smaller grey numbers are used when notes are either held or not played at all.

Fingering Symbol

This is the symbol for fingering. It appears beneath the staff or tablature and indicates the most practical finger to use for picking each note.

Pick Symbol

This is the symbol for pick motion. It appears beneath the staff along with a series of a and s symbols that indicate the direction you should pick the notes.

Playing with the pick - when using a pick, play quarter notes with a downward pick motion as indicated by the symbol a.
Playing with the fingers - when playing the strings with your right hand fingers, anchor your thumb on the pickup and strike the A note with your index finger (i). As soon as it comes to rest on the 2nd string, pick the A note again, this time using your middle finger (m). Maintain this alternating movement between i and m. Make sure one of the two fingers is always resting on the 2nd string while the other is picking the 1st string and vice versa. Always use this alternating finger style as it will give you more possibilities when changing between notes and strings. It is important to be equally comfortable starting with either the i finger or m finger. Practice each example starting with i and alternating, and then with m and alternating.

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Class Sessions

1- INTRODUCTION 2- The Eighth Note 3- The Dotted Quarter Note 4- Notes on the 3rd String (A String) 5- Sharp Signs 6- The C Major Scale 7- Notes on the 1st String (G String) 8- The Sixteenth Note 9- The Tie 10- Eighth Note Triplets 11- Creating Your Own Bass Line 12- Tuning Your Bass 13- Rests 14- The Hammer-On (H) 15- The Octave 16- Shuffle Rhythm 17- Arpeggio Playing 18- Turnaround Progressions 19- Tuning the Bass to Itself 20- Approach to Practice 21- Alternate Picking 22- Notes on the 4th String (E String) 23- Understanding the Score Symbols 24- 12 Bar Blues 25- More titles by LearnToPlayMusic.com 26- Bass Guitars 27- Syncopation 28- The Chromatic Scale 29- Notes on the 2nd String (D String) 30- Notes on the Bass Fretboard 31- Amplifiers 32- The G Major Scale 33- Strings 34- Tuning Your Instrument 35- Playing Position 36- The Right Hand 37- The Left Hand 38- How to Read Music 39- Music Notation 40- Fretboard Diagram 41- Using a Metronome

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Understanding the Score Symbols