This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he introduces a beginner’s guide to ghost notes, with a video lesson included.
Contents
An Intro to Ghost Notes
I recently posted a video of myself playing a J-pop bass line with a vocalist, and that performance actually uses quite a few ghost notes.
A ghost note is a technique where you mute the string with your fretting hand instead of letting a note actually ring out.
On their own, ghost notes don’t sound very musical. But combine them with real, ringing notes, and they add a real sense of depth to your groove.
How to Fret a Ghost Note
There are a few different ways to fret a ghost note, but let’s start with what normal fretting looks like:
For a ghost note, lift your fretting hand slightly — but keep your fingers in contact with the strings.
If you lift your whole hand off the strings completely like this, the string isn’t muted anymore, so you won’t get a ghost note at all.
I’ve also put together a video walking through all of this, so check that out too if you want to see it in action.
Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?
Ghost notes are subtle — it’s easy to either mute too much (so nothing comes through) or not enough (so it just sounds like a missed note), and that’s a tricky balance to judge in your own playing.
This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.
At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.
Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.