Choosing the neck of the bass that fits you best is just as important as the body of a bass guitar.

Neck Knowledge

bass guitar lessons

Tuning Pegs: located on the headstock, at the furthest end of the guitar from the body. Function: anchor the strings and tuning the bass.

Nut: located at the very top of the fretboard. Function: contains grooves to hold the strings in place and evenly spaced.

Fretboard: extends from the nut all the way to the body of the bass. Function: contains the frets, where fingers are placed to change the pitch of the strings. Most bass guitars have between 20 and 24 frets.

Beginner Tips

The type of wood used for the neck will affect the sound of the bass guitar, just like it does in the body of the bass. If all of this wood talk has you confused, focus on this: choose a bass made of real wood instead of plywood, and get hands on with different makes and models. How well the player's hand fits the neck is imperative for successful practices and performances. We all have different hand sizes, finger and thumb lengths, etc; this is not One Size Fits All. Similarly, the contour of each bass body may be different. Hold the bass and really make sure the one chosen is the one that will be most comfortable to the musician, keeping both the neck and the body in mind.

cc license from Symic on Flickr as of 5/31/2011

Lessons with Matt Burk Music Studio

Our studio offers bass lessons from a thorough and well versed bass guitarist, Art Struck (learn more about Art here). Not only is he available for private and group lessons, soon, at home bass guitar lessons and Skype lessons will be available to our students as well!

In preparing to enroll in lessons, many prospective students need a one-on-one interview with an instructor to answer specific questions, learn more about lesson plans and student progression, commit to a practice schedule, and more. We offer complementary interviews for all prospective students and are happy to meet with you as soon as your schedule allows. Simply click here to schedule a time. We can't wait to watch your musical talent blossom!

<--Part 1

Thanks to Fern R and Symic for the bass photos!