Bass Chromatic Warm-Up
Play four frets per string with one finger per fret, from the E string to the G string and back. Alternate your plucking fingers (index, middle) strictly. Start in a middle position such as fret 5, use a metronome, and work through the finger permutations on the sheet.
Chromatic, ascending (1-2-3-4)
Chromatic with position shifts
Goal
Warm up, build left-hand strength and independence, and develop an even, alternating right-hand technique.
How to practise
- If the one-finger-per-fret stretch is hard in low positions, use the 1-2-4 fingering (ring and pinky together), common for bass.
- Alternate index and middle on the right hand. Don't let one finger do double duty.
- Metronome at 60 BPM, one note per click, then eighths. Increase by 5 BPM after clean repetitions.
- Keep left-hand fingers close to the strings.
- Try permutations: 1-3-2-4, 1-4-2-3, 4-3-2-1.
- 3–5 minutes per session is enough.
Self-check
All notes should be equally loud and evenly spaced. Mute strings you're not playing with your thumb or left-hand fingers to avoid ringing.
Next steps
Continue with root–fifth patterns and octaves. Read bass basics and follow the 30-day bass beginner path.