Learn to play the bass guitar, the one that brings all other instruments together

I remember speaking with David, one of Shine’s best teachers about the bass guitar. He said proudly that the bass guitar is for real music lovers, for those who don’t want leadership or to stand out from the rest of the group, but become the body of the group, bringing all of the other instruments together. “This is why bass guitar players have to be really passionate about it, because they become both body and soul of any band”, he said.

The pedagogy and training for the bass varies widely by genre and country. Rock and pop bass has a history of pedagogy dating back to the 1950s and 1960s, when method books were developed to help students learn the instrument. One notable method book was Carol Kaye’s How to Play the Electric Bass. Although the best way to learn is always learning from a good bass teacher. You can find excellent teachers at Shine Music School in Barcelona.

Very often people ask themselves what’s the real difference between a guitar and a bass. If you are an absolute newbie to music you may not even understand the basic differences between guitar and bass. The two instruments are more similar than you probably realize. The electric guitar is a six-stringed instrument, and standard tuning is: EADGBE. That means the lowest string is tuned to the note E, the next to the note A, the next to D and so on. But knowing the notes isn’t really important right now, as much as understanding how the guitar and bass are related.

The standard bass guitar has only four strings, and is a slightly larger instrument. The tuning of a bass guitar is the same as the lowest four strings of a regular guitar, except one whole octave down in pitch. Therefore, the strings of bass guitar are tuned EADG, just like the lowest four strings on a regular guitar. In many ways, the bass is exactly the same as the guitar, except with two fewer strings and lower tuning. The same scales, chords and music theory you might learn on one carries over to the other. The two instruments are directly related. This is important to realize, because many players think they have to learn one or the other when first starting out. Realizing there is a direct correlation between the two might make your choice seem a bit less stressful. What you learn on guitar will apply to bass and vice versa. You can make the switch at any time.

Keep in mind, there are all kinds of different tunings used on both instruments, and all kinds of variations of each instrument. There are 7- and 8-string guitars, and 5- and 6-string basses. Don’t let any of that worry you. Once you understand the basics of one instrument, the rest is easy to figure out.

One thing many young musicians wonder is why a rock band ever needs a bassist. They’re just in the background, and many bands are so drum and guitar-heavy on their albums that you can’t even hear the bass. This is especially true now that so many guitarists are detuning down to the frequencies once occupied only by the bassist. In truth, while average bass players may be content with taking a backseat, a good bassist knows that his or her job is to carry the band. They provide the backbone that holds up the other instruments. In genres like jazz and blues, this means settling into a groove and working with the drummer. In metal and hard rock, it means supplying the meat of the guitar riff, that part of the sound that puts the audience through the back wall.

Good bassists are indeed very valuable, so if bass is the path you decide on, then wear your choice proudly!

Ok, let’s be honest. It’s actually pretty easy to play bass. You only have to play one note at a time, you can just stand in the back and chill, and if you make a mistake, you just call it a “passing tone.” But the insider trick to know is that if you play in-time and play the right notes most of the time, you are keeping the song moving melodically and rhythmically. You, my friend, are the most important part of the song. The bass player is the perfect mediator in the band. He (or she) keeps the other players in line and holds everything in place. Without the bass player, everything would fall apart and be a big mess.

I’ve heard many musicians say that one of the hardest things to do is to find a good bass player. So if you’re a good bass player, you’ll get work. You don’t even need to be great. You just need to play the right notes in time.

Electric bass guitar, when played acoustically, is probably the quietest instrument that exists. A bass player can plug in headphones through a Bass Pod™ and mixer and sound like he’s playing in a stadium in his ears, but to the people around him, pretty much nothing is happening.

Can you think of a quieter instrument? Right. Bass is it.

Also, a bass player will always be a great friend. A bass player is patient. A bass player loves what he does, and knows that the most important job is to ensure that people feel something. That they dance. That they lose themselves in the groove.

If you decide to give it a try, you can contact Shine Music School for face to face lessons or online lessons.

You can also come down to The Music Room and rent a bass for a couple of months to see how it goes or visit our instrument rental page.

You might want to listen to some of the best bass players of all times and see what they sound like : Flea, John Entwistle, Cliff Burton and Victor Wooten.

“When I heard BB King’s ‘Sweet Sixteen, I knew I wanted to play bass because that was the thing that made that record: the bass player.”

Donal Dunn

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Come rent your favorite instrument at The Music Room

Ever dreamed of being a little bit like Bob Dylan, Beethoven or Janis Joplin? I believe most of us have, but find it difficult to know which instrument will suit us best. Yes, that’s the tough part for all amateur musicians. Sometimes you start out with an ukelele, then move on to a guitar, but end up singing or playing the piano. That’s what makes music magical, fresh and immensely creative. So many options, so many instruments, so many sounds. This is also why renting an instrument is usually the best way to find out if you finally found that “treasure” you where looking for. We always have time to experiment, try new things and change if we feel deep inside there might be another instrument that will fill our heart with joy.

If you find yourself at this point, wondering which instrument might bring a little sunshine into your life, you are more than welcome to come around The Music Room and try different instruments until you say “hey, I’ve found it!”.

Luckily, The Music Room has managed to keep reasonable prices, and you can also have a cup of hot sweet coffee or tea while you decide which one you want to take home. The price is the same for 3 days or 30 days, so why not take one home and give it a try!

We are now located at Pere Serafi 23 in the heart of Gracia, with a full range of instruments starting from guitars, acoustic guitars, guitaleles, ukeleles, pianos and more.

As Plato once said : “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything”

Find more information at shinemusicrental.com

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Performing on the streets of Barcelona 

Barcelona is a city filled with the echoes of history. Embedded in the Roman walls or beneath the cobbled streets. Music has been performed on these streets for centuries and the buskers that play in the shadow of the cathedral or amid the hustle and bustle of the Ramblas continue the tradition. The notes bouncing amid the gargoyles may be different but the atmosphere remains the same. People stop to listen and a coin is tossed or a cd bought as singers pour out their souls and the music drifts up over the rooftops. 

A busker playing his guitar in an alleyway of the Gotic quarter paints such a romantic picture that it has left a profound impression on many people visiting the city. So much so, that performers the world over both amateur  and professional dream of playing live in the streets of Barcelona. Did you know that the word busker actually comes from the Spanish word “buscar” which means to search or explore. And indeed the craft invites people to find new places to play.
So what does it take to play your instrument in Barcelona. What do you need to perform on the streets of Barcelona? Really only a little bit of pluck!  Your instrument of choice, a great place where plenty of people pass by and some courage! 

To play a guitar is easy. Simply pick a spot and start. If you need more sound, perhaps ask a friendly bar or restaurant if you can plug in your amp and turn the volume up! But is it really that easy? 

Street performances are regulated in Barcelona and you may have the bad luck of being issued a spot fine or having your instruments confiscated. If you are willing to risk it, and many do, the streets of Barcelona are your oyster. You could actually end up making some money, according to an article in the Barcelona Metropolitan, artists could earn over 60€ an hour, and this was in 2014!

The Barcelona government issues coveted licenses for street musicians and if you are serious you could look into obtaining one which allows you to perform at the many spots specifically allocated to buskers. 

The shine school of music in Barcelona can rent you a guitar, an amp, cables or a piano even, send us an email to find out more! 
Find more info via these Useful links courtesy the Barcelona Metropolitan Magazine. Read their article on busking in Barcelona here

Associación de Músicos de la Calle (AMUC)

Tel. 93 310 3732 / 660 674 656

www.amuc.galeon.com

The AMUC website has a list of the current regulations regarding playing on the metro and in open public spaces.

Licences to play in a public space in Ciutat Vella are managed at the Centre Cívic Convent Sant Agustí. Details on how to apply can be found at: www.bcn.cat/centrecivicsantagusti

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Study in Spain

Study holidays have long been popular in Barcelona, where many people visit the city for longer periods of time on student visas. Barcelona boasts some of the top business schools, a respected Erasmus program and plenty of choices for studying Spanish. Study abroad is both a daunting and exciting prospect for young people, and often a right of passage.

Immersive study is a valuable way to learn and a good way to get to know the history, culture and people of Catalunya and Spain.

Shine school of music offers both extracurricular music lessons in Barcelona to students already in the city looking to expand their knowledge base and students wanting to do intensive courses on flamenco or classical Spanish guitar. Our guitar courses can be taught in Spanish, Catalan or English offering an alternative approach to learning the language. And we offer a host of other instrument courses from piano lessons to singing.

Barcelona is well suited as city for students. It’s generally safe with a large international community. The city is small enough to navigate easily and there are plenty of affordable accommodation options for students from home stays to shared apartments. Students can become involved in the vibrant meetup groups, and there are plenty of free, cheap and fun activities that won’t break the bank. Yoga in the park, jam sessions, exercise on the beach, the list goes on. Besides this, Barcelona has an action packed cultural calendar with festivals and fiestas planned throughout the year.

At shine music school we accept students of any age and welcome the chance to share our love and knowledge of music with the discerning learner. Why not study music in Barcelona with us. We offer tailored courses for individual study as well as group music lessons.

Posted in Barcelona, Guitar, music school, piano | 2 Comments

BUYING GUIDE FOR YOUR FIRST UKULELE

Has the ukulele just caught your attention? Are you considering taking lessons to learn the basic chords of the trending instrument? Do you want to be the fun friend who starts the happy-go-lucky sing-alongs at parties? First you’ll need to know which one to buy.

The Sizes

There are four main ukulele sizes, but the smallest, the soprano, is the most iconic. The soprano is the size that most people associate with the ukulele. A few practice strums will immediately produce that classic ukulele sound and bring a smile to your face.

Sopranos can feel very small to many adults, however, with their traditional tininess making them a bit trickier to play than concerts or tenors. A concert or tenor size uke are good middle-of-the-road sizes that work well for beginners and give off a warmer, more resonant sound than the sopranos.

Try not to obsess about choosing the right size. Chances are you’ll find yourself starting a collection and owning ukes of every size before long.

The Woods

There are a ton of different woods used to craft ukuleles. The most common is koa, a type of wood from Hawaii. Thus, most ukuleles that come from their birthplace are made from koa. It has a beautiful grain and generates a very warm sound, but note that koa is used on more expensive ukuleles. If you’re not looking to break the bank, but still want a uke that will stay tuned, you’re probably going to get one made of mahogany. A mahogany ukulele sounds a little bit softer than one made of koa, but it’s still a good wood choice.

The Brands

There’s a bewildering range of ukulele brands available today. The brand you choose really depends on what your local music store has to offer, and your personal preferences and budget. Some brands that come to mind are:

Ashbury—good quality, entry-level ukes from a UK company

Kala—hugely popular in the islands and elsewhere, but generally with a big price tag

Kamaka—the oldest surviving ukulele maker, family-owned and Hawaii-based

Lanikai—one of the best ukuleles for a beginner

Mahalo—the ukulele every uke player started with

Pono—the brand Ko’olau’s less expensive ukuleles

The Places to Purchase in Barcelona

As always with instruments, it’s best to try them out before making a purchase decision. Here’s our favourite music store in Barcelona where you can do a test run to find the perfect uke for you.

SHINE SCHOOL OF MUSIC. Montseny 3.
shinemusicschool.es

When it opened in 2008, the Barcelona branch of the Shine School of Music was the first specialised guitar school in the city, offering classes in all styles of guitar—from classic to flamenco to electric—with qualified and experienced teachers in English, Spanish and Catalan. Today, they continue to provide guitar lessons to all ages and levels, but have also begun training students on a variety of other instruments including piano, ukulele, cavaquinho, accordion, clarinet, saxophone and more. Understanding that most people study music for enjoyment, as a hobby, the school delivers a simultaneously structured, creative and fun approach to learning an instrument. At Shine, people feel comfortable socialising, collaborating with other musicians and showcasing their progress.

Shine is also one of two music schools in Barcelona that offer intensive flamenco/guitar/piano courses to tourists looking for an educational holiday, along with being one of the few music schools worldwide to give private online music classes in a coherent and organised fashion for you tech-savvy musicians out there.

When it comes to the ukulele, Shine is keeping up with that trend, too. Not only can their teachers melt your heart with a few joyous chords and teach you how to delight friends and family with some melodies of your own, but the school in Gràcia sells ukes, as well. They sell mostly sopranos because “it’s the most popular,” said Shine’s owner Miloš. “The soprano is what everyone plays, what’s all over YouTube these days.” You can also rent a dynamic ukulele from Shine for 30 euros a month.

Once you’ve bought your first (or maybe your tenth!) ukulele, go to our list of top 12 ukulele songs to play, some time-honoured classics but others you may not have previously associated with the uke.

Posted in Guitar, music school, ukulele | 5 Comments