Good bass guitar players are always in demand. The bass is pretty simple to play yet extremely difficult to master. You have the option of playing a fretted or a fretless bass. It's recommended that you start with a fretted bass guitar because if you don't, in the beginning especially, you can't be sure you're playing the right notes. You can choose a bass with anywhere from 4-7 or more strings but don't let this scare you because bass guitar players rarely have to play more than one note at a time.
A bass player's first objective is to play each note with clarity and good tone. This is something that can't be taught, you just have to practice and practice until all the buzzing and muted notes are gone. You should be holding the bass with the neck in your left hand with your thumb over top of it and your fingers coming out from beneath it. Looking at your strings from top (thickest) to bottom (thinnest) they are named E, A, D, G or 4, 3, 2, 1.
Now to get started, you should find a quiet place to sit in, place the bass resting on your right thigh and get comfortable. Start by playing an "open" string or a string without putting your fingers of the left hand on any frets. You can use your finger, your thumb or a pick to start making sounds. It would actually be in your best interest to try and get comfortable with all three ways to pick. Now don't go plucking sideways or out away from the bass. The way to pluck which will give you the richest and clearest sound is to pluck straight up towards the ceiling. This may take a little practice to accomplish accurately and consistently. Even though any of the fingers can be used to pluck, usually the index and middle finger will be used.
The frets, or spaces created by raised vertical lines, are used to create different notes out of these four strings. Take your left index finger and place it on the 1st fret of the fourth string, the string at the top of the neck or the lowest note. Now use the index finger of your right hand to pluck that string upwards making a sound that's ½ step higher than the fourth string alone. Experiment with this by plucking the string open, holding the 1st fret and moving on to holding the 2nd fret. Notice the differences in the sounds!
The bass guitar is a unique instrument that can provide a lot of enjoyment to you and your band! You've only just touched on the basics of how to play the bass. Besides being proud of yourself, learning to play any instrument can be a very rewarding experience.