The Versatility of the Bass Guitar
The beautiful thing about the bass is its versatility. You don’t just have to play root notes of chords, and you don’t even have to play one note at a time. There are tons of techniques to get interesting sounds out of your bass. In this blog and the accompanying tabs and video, I’ll show you how to turn the bass into an almost percussive instrument.
What Are Ghost Notes?
Ghost Notes are created by plucking a bass string, but your fingers are positioned as such so no tone comes from the string. It’s what is also known as a dead note. You can think of this, to an extent, as playing drums on the bass! This style of playing was popularized by the great Jaco Pastorius. See the chorus of “Come On, Come Over” for a notable example of how Ghost Notes can be applied.
The Importance of Timing: Incorporating Ghost Notes
Ghost Notes are best utilized when interspersing them while playing 16th notes. Playing a Ghost Note or dead note as a full, half, quarter, or even 8th note doesn’t really give us the percussive feel we’re going for, but by incorporating them in faster playing, you’ll really get that percussive groove.
Example 1: Getting Started with Ghost Notes
In the below Example 1, I’ve notated a basic exercise for getting started playing Ghost Notes. The Ghost Notes are notated with “X” in the tablature. In the first half of the exercise, the Ghost Notes are played on the same strings as the normal notes. For example, you start on the 5th fret on the A string (a D note). Hit that twice, then lift your fingers slightly to mute the string, and then hit the string twice, and so on. There is your Ghost Notes! In the second half of the exercise, you’re playing the same normal notes, but then playing the Ghost Notes on different strings. While at first glance it may seem that it doesn’t matter what string you play the Ghost Note on, it does. You’ll notice that the sound of the Ghost Note differs on each string.
Example 2: Incorporating Ghost Notes into Your Groove
Example 1 is a simple exercise to get used to playing Ghost Notes. Example 2 is a little bass groove that should give you a better idea of how to incorporate Ghost Notes into your everyday playing. This is a little tricky, so the accompanying video needs to be watched for an explanation of how to play this.
Mastering Ghost Notes: Dedication and Practice
By now, assuming you’ve watched the videos and looked at the corresponding tabs, you can see that this is more of an advanced technique. It takes time and practice to become adept at playing Ghost Notes. However, the dedication will pay off. In addition to allowing for deeper grooves, practicing this technique is a terrific way to get your chops up. I do the Example 1 exercise before gigs to warm my fingers up. I hope this helps you on your bass journey!
Embrace the Percussive Groove with Ghost Notes
Unlocking the percussive potential of the bass guitar is an exciting journey. Ghost Notes offer a unique way to add depth and rhythm to your playing. By incorporating this technique into your repertoire, you can create grooves that captivate and engage your listeners. Take your time, practice diligently, and enjoy the process of mastering Ghost Notes. Your dedication will undoubtedly pay off, opening new avenues of expression on the bass guitar.
