Electric plucked instrument
In electric bass lessons you learn groove and timing – the foundation with which the bass holds every band together between the drums and the harmony. Cuxhaven Music School is a public, non-profit music school in Cuxhaven-Ritzebüttel, run by FeMiC e.V. Lessons are open to children, teenagers and adults – whether you are starting out or coming back to music.
Olly Lagemann has been active in Cuxhaven for many years as a bass player, guitarist and songwriter, among others with the bands Cats TV, Mont Go, WEISS and GAS. He gives lessons on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric bass and ukulele – all ages welcome.
View Olly Lagemann’s profile →Starting works well from around nine or ten years old. Short-scale basses are made for smaller hands and are easier to reach around. For practice you need a bass amplifier or a headphone solution. Anyone who already plays guitar will find their feet quickly.
Olly Lagemann welcomes students of all ages.
Whether electric bass lessons are also possible in pairs or in a group is something we are happy to discuss when you get in touch.
Individual lessons cost from 69 € a month (children and teenagers) or from 83 € (adults). You will find all fees – including 45-minute lessons and lesson blocks – on our fees page.
The easiest way to request a free trial lesson is our contact form – choose “Electric bass” as the subject. You can reach the office by phone on 04721 666868 on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12 noon; the office is closed during the school holidays. You can also contact the teachers directly – their details are in the profiles on our teachers page.
You will find us in the historic Ritzebüttler Schule building:
Cuxhaven Music School · FeMiC e.V., Grodener Chaussee 11, 27472 Cuxhaven
The electric bass joins rhythm and harmony into the load-bearing foundation of the band. Together with the drums it creates the groove on which everything else is built.
The electric bass is an electrically amplified bass instrument, usually with four strings. It supplies the low notes and binds rhythm and harmony into the foundation of a band. Together with the drums it forms what is known as the rhythm section – the backbone of virtually all popular music.
In 1951, with the “Precision Bass”, Leo Fender turned the hitherto unwieldy double bass into a manageable, fretted instrument. That changed popular music fundamentally: the electric bass was portable, easier to play and could be amplified precisely. It remains impossible to imagine rock, pop, funk and soul without it.
The electric bass resembles a large electric guitar with a long neck, but as a rule it has only four strings (more rarely five or six). Magnetic pickups convert the vibration of the strings into an electrical signal, reproduced through a bass amplifier. There are fretted models and – for a softer, more singing style — fretless ones.
The four strings are tuned in fourths: E, A, D, G – the same as the lowest four strings of the guitar, but an octave lower. The sound is deep and carrying; the tone controls and the choice of plucking position shape it from round and warm to crisp and percussive.
It is played with the fingers (index and middle), with a plectrum, or with the percussive slap technique. What matters most is the close interplay with the drums: root notes, walking bass lines and grooves together create the rhythmic foundation. A sure sense of time is particularly important on the bass.
The electric bass is the glue between rhythm and harmony. In rock, pop, funk, soul, jazz and reggae it holds the music together and drives it forward. Often unobtrusive, but indispensable – without the bass, music has no ground beneath it.
The classic electric bass has four strings. Five- and six-string models extend the range downwards or upwards and are popular in metal, jazz and the studio. Fretless basses sound soft and singing, much like a double bass, but demand – as the bowed strings do – a good ear for clean intonation.
For practice you need a bass amplifier or a headphone solution, plus a cable and a tuner. Because the bass lays its foundation together with the drums, a metronome helps in developing reliable timing. A strap for playing standing up belongs in the kit, as does a protective gig bag for transport.
The electric bass is the link between rhythm and harmony and is therefore wanted in every band – good bass players are sought after everywhere. A few notes are enough to lay down a supporting groove and to make an immediate impact alongside the drums. It is a rewarding instrument to start on, because musically meaningful results come early. A metronome and regular, unhurried practice train the timing that matters so much on the bass. Many bass players come originally from the guitar or the double bass – previous experience helps, but is not required. Anyone who enjoys holding things together from the background and has a feel for groove will find the electric bass an especially rewarding instrument.