Learning Ukulele with Curt

Bass, UBass, Bass Guitar

Everyone should be able to play a bit of bass. So, grab a bass or a UBass and get going. It's actually pretty simple to get started. And, will actually make a better ukulele player and an all around better musician.

Louis-Martin/Curt-2020-FFUF

13 October 2026

Learning Bass

Here are a few Lessons, Books, and Brands that can get you going with Bass.

Lessons

UW50

Bass for Ukulele Players

Every musician should be able to play a little bass. A bass player plays chords - just like ukulele players. However there are not strummed. They are played as individual notes - melodically.

Books

UNLB4NN

Learning the 4 String Bass Guitar Fingerboard

Learn the four string bass guitar fingerboard and finally get the names of the pesky notes under control. This is the same tuning that is used in the Kala UBass and instruments based on the original Road Toad bass created by Owen Holt and licensed by Kala.

QS1BASS4-BLUES

QuickStart Scale Fingerings for Bass Guitar - Blues Scale

The "Blues" / "Minor" Pentatonic one octave scale fingering solutions with the blues scale chords are covered in all keys.

Workshops

UW-BASS

Bass for Ukulele Players

Bass, the bottom, the low end. In music, this is one essential musician, always in demand and in short supply. All musicians should be able to play a bit of bass.

Instrument Brands

RoadToadMusic

Road Toad Music

Road Toad Music produces quality handcrafted ukulele and bass instruments. Among the ukulele that Owen makes are a line of "bass" ukes. I played a few at the 2006 New York Ukulele Festival and they are amazing. You can't believe the sound that comes from these. Owen also designed the Kala UBass.

Kala

Kala Brand Music Company

Mike Upton is the founder of Kala Brand Music Co. in northern California. Established in 2005, Kala builds 140-plus models of ukulele, including travel and bass variations.Kala and Makala brand of ukuleles.

OhanaUkuleles

Ohana Ukuleles

Welcome to "Ohana", where you will find the many hand-crafted ukulele models we offer - from soprano to baritone, mahogany to selected koa from the islands of Hawaii, conventional to vintage models, plus unique ones for those who are looking for something different.

Martin

C. F. Martin & Co., Inc.

Martin's steadfast adherence to high standards of musical excellence, mixed with experienced management, has largely accounted for the company's remarkable longevity. Marketing methods and product mix have changed at Martin over the years, but the company attitude towards guitar building has never varied. In the preface to the 1904 catalog, Frank Henry Martin explained to potential customers, “How to build a guitar to give this tone is not a secret. It takes care and patience. Care in selecting the materials, laying out the proportions, and attending to the details which add to the player's comfort. Patience in giving the necessary time to finish every part. A good guitar cannot be built for the price of a poor one, but who regrets the extra cost for a good guitar?” Almost eighty years have passed since Frank Henry Martin authored this statement of policy, but it still is an accurate expression of Martin's ongoing commitment to quality.