Why do bass guitars even exist?

Why do bass guitars even exist? Why not just use an electric guitar and just use the lowest four notes?

This has been answered pretty well on Quora but I wanted to add my two cents.

A while ago, a friend was kind enough to loan me (thanks Chuck!) a Schecter Diamond Series (pictured here) electric bass.

I have been playing guitar for most of my life but this thing is just magical. You have to listen so much more closely when playing bass than guitar, I think partly because of all the frequencies under your hand. It seems like so much more is available than on a guitar string, typically.

You’ll hear “start with the 1 and 5” and that works fine but if you listen to a bassist who really knows the neck, they carve up chords like a horn player. You could spend a LOT of time getting this under control. It’s really only nominally a guitar if you think about it, in the same way that a ukulele is, imho.

I hope this is helpful and I highly recommend, if you’re a guitar player, putting your hands on a bass guitar if you get the chance. Or even if you’re not a guitar player!

How many bass players does it take to change a lightbulb? Only one, but the […]

Paul2026-06-16T10:22:50-04:00

Why are all the strings used if you only need three notes?

When all the strings of the guitar are played at once, why does it form a harmonious chord even though only 3-4 of the strings make up the original chord?

It’s because of the voicing. “Voicing” is how chords are organized, as they sound different depending on which notes are on the bottom and which are above.

For instance if you play a hand-friendly, top-of-the-neck E major chord, you’ve got two open E strings and a finger on the second fret of the D string, so that’s three E’s! Plus your G# which you need for the 3rd and 2 Bs (the 5th), That voicing for an E major sounds so full and rich because that voicing has a bunch of overtones from playing the root note (the E). and one of the amazing, beautiful things about a guitar is that you can play the same chord in a ton of different places! You can take advantage of the different voicing each position can offer.

Keep experimenting & have fun!

“I believe every guitar player inherently has something unique about their playing. They just have to identify what makes them different and develop it.” – B.B. King

Paul2026-06-07T13:11:41-04:00

What are the 4 types of musical instruments?

These are the four types of musical instruments, as far as I can tell:

First comes Guitar. That is the first and primary category of musical instruments, of course, and the only one that a reasonable person should consider.

Following that there are things that are not guitars but sort of guitar-ish. Ukuleles and basses, banjos, dulcimers, lutes, etc., all fall in this category.

Third would be instruments that have strings but are otherwise, not at all guitar-like. You could lump pianos, kalimbas, harps and all that sort of non-guitar foolishness in that category.

Lastly comes instruments that are not remotely like guitars at all. They have no strings and they rely on, if you can believe it, having air blown into them, being plugged into an electrical outlet or being pounded on with wooden sticks to produce “music”. As far as categories of instruments, well, the last three sets of “instruments” are hardly worth a reasonable person’s attention at all.

‘course, I maybe a bit biased.

Paul2026-06-06T11:57:37-04:00

Why don’t folk songs have key changes?

Why do folk songs not change the key signature?

Well I dunno for sure, but my guess is, to keep them fairly simple. A musically simple song, more people can enjoy it. They can sing them or hear the song’s story without being distracted by unnecessary musical ornamentation (like a key change).

Think about holiday songs like “joy to the world”: that goes “do te la so fa me re do” which is just “do re me” backward. It’s a generality but I’d say folk songs are not musically nuanced on purpose so more folks can enjoy them. Just my opinion, I’d be interested to hear somebody else’s.

“The song tells me what to play.” – Joe Walsh

Paul2026-06-02T17:37:12-04:00

Guitar Hat

A hat makes quite a statement! Be prepared though for beratement. You'll be strumming' behind bars mate, If the rest of you is bare.

Paul2026-06-03T10:28:32-04:00

Common Chord Progressions

common_chord_progressions

Here are some common chord progressions you can use to experiment with chord changes and strumming patterns. These are fairly “hand-friendly”, meaning they are no too difficult to get your fingers in the right places to play ’em. The tricky part is to make the changes smoothly in time.

The smart money’s on the guitar student who practices these changes sloooooooooowly.

Use this sheet in conjunction with the “simple strumming patterns sheet” here:

https://paulelwood.com/simple-strumming-patterns/

Paul2026-06-02T17:15:44-04:00

What should I do if my neighbor plays loud music?

What should I do if my neighbor plays guitar and sometimes has his band mates over to play (loud bluegrass/folk) music for hours each week? I’m doing my MBA and work from home when I’m not traveling for work, and it’s very distracting.

If your neighbor and his mates are playing guitar music loudly
and bluegrass music (ugh) is the style of tune they play so proudly
You could ask him (real polite like) for his lads to turn it down-
between say, 10 o’clock and 6 a.m. when you’re not out of town.

You could tell him of your studies and your serious intent.
How an MBA requires – no- demands! – long hours spent
in quiet contemplation, focused solely on the task.
Perhaps he’ll see your side! (you know, it doesn’t hurt to ask)

But barring that my friend, there are two other choices.
One light, one dark. One heaven-sent,
one spawned by hellish voices. So:

Purchase a guitar and knock politely on his door.
And when that door is opened, well- that’s a metaphor
for expanding your horizons, enjoying life – l’chaim!
(the MBA work might wait a bit, for just a little time)

My alternate suggestion’s simply horrifying, mate.
Not for the faint-of-heart. In fact, it’s difficult to state.
There is one sound that most all humans dread;
whether Verdi floats your boat or your thing’s the Grateful Dead.

Purchase one of these.
And when the time is ripe –
Crush your neighbor’s sanity…
practice […]

Paul2026-06-04T07:14:54-04:00

How hard is it to learn the acoustic guitar?

How hard is it to learn the acoustic guitar and how much time will it take learning it on your own (I mean to be able to play full length songs including riffs, strumming, etc.)?

It depends! :-)

Start with hand-friendly chords, a simple 3-chord song and a patient friend who already knows how to do this part pretty well. Mix in a little determination, a standard portion of hand-eye coordination and a reasonably good “ear” (meaning you can hear when the notes sound correct. Bake for 2 to 3 hours. Et voila!

One serious thing though- the process is more important than the result. Although this is hard to imagine when you’re starting out, it’s true. Enjoy your adventure!!!

For a guitar student, All obstacles become stepping stones

Paul2026-06-02T07:52:17-04:00

Stand By Your Man

Stand By Your Man lead sheet with lyrics

“Stand by Your Man” is a song recorded by the American country music artist Tammy Wynette, co-written by Wynette and Billy Sherrill. It was released on September 20, 1968, as the first single and title track from the album Stand by Your Man. It proved to be the most successful record of Wynette’s career, and is one of the most familiar songs in country music. The song was placed at number one on CMT’s list of the Top 100 Country Music Songs.

Released as a 7-inch 45 rpm single, it was reported added to some jukeboxes and receiving airplay on select American R&B and country radio stations by October 12, and it entered the Billboard charts on October 19. The song stayed number 1 on the U.S. country charts for three weeks. “Stand by Your Man” crossed over to the U.S. pop charts, peaking at number 19. It elevated Wynette—then one of many somewhat successful female country recording artists—to superstar status. It reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart when the record was released in the United Kingdom in 1975, and also reached number 1 in the Netherlands. An album of the same name—which was also quite successful—was released in 1968. The song earned Wynette […]

Paul2026-06-01T11:05:59-04:00

armadillo

Armadillo lead sheet and lyrics

In the Navy, I knew a fella who noticed that roadkill was different, depending on what part of the country you were in. He proposed that a road trip in a car with a trunk and backseat full of coolers full of roadkill might be fun from say, west Texas to Flushing New York, depositing armadillo roadkill that didn’t belong there at points east of the Mississippi and north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Was this art? Stupid, weed-and-testosterone-fueled idiocy? Biological terrorism? I don’t know. But his proposition resulted in this song… and I should point out that for your own good, I’d strongly caution you not to take any of the culinary advice I’m offering here seriously. If you’ve never tasted this particular kind of animal that’s a good thing and you can google-confirm the reason for that if you like, but in a nutshell: Besides humans, Nine-banded armadillos are the only known natural reservoir of “Mycobacterium Leprae”. In the southern United States, particularly in Texas and Louisiana, the disease caused by M. leprae is present in armadillos and has been linked to human cases of “Hansons disease”- also called – does anybody know? Yep, that’s leprosy, ladies and gents. So if you see a roadside taco stand featuring […]

Paul2026-05-31T08:25:16-04:00

About Paul

These are the four types of musical instruments, as far as I can tell:

Why do folk songs not change the key signature?