General Music Chat

Any advice for a 50 yr old man trying to learn Bass. Saw where Fisherman Bob said he went from harmonica to bass. Said he took a crash course. Tell me about it Bob or anyone else too. I also play a little Harp. plus strum guitar. I'm a lefty playing righty. I've got a couple of drummers at my disposal when ever we have something going on but the Bass player I had acess to took over the youth group at his church so that he's usually not available.
I would enjoy being not proficent at 3 instruments and vocals.

Any advice would be great.
Thanks,
Blair

If you can play a guitar, you can play a bass. More freedom in bass.

If you play a lefty guitar, you will need a lefty bass as well. (remember the muscle learning process)

Otherwise, a quick way to pick up is to play with a pick. (solves the picking hand technique that is different that a guitar)

vaya con dios.

Self taught guy that I am, I started with the basic scales, & worked around them until I found stuff that worked for me, blair.

Basic blues box stuff in A:

G--------------------------------------
D----------------4----7-----4------------
A------4----7--------------------7------4----
E----5--------------------------------------5

Move it down 1 string for D, & then up 2 frets for the E. Then drop the high note back 2 frets for that dominant 7th effect.

That's the 1st lesson I give anyone, other than the chromatic scale 1-2-3-4 on every string, for hand strength.

Country bass used to be all about 1-5-1-5. That's okay for the older stuff like Johnny Cash. Newer things are much more like rock bass.

Good luck, man. It's fun.

Thanks, great info so far. I'm lefty but I play right handed. Guitar and bass. Never used a pick with guitar till 3 years ago. so I'm using thumb and 2 fingers on the bass. On guitar strumed with thumb or finger pick thumb and 3 fingers. now strum with a pick. On guitar I do lead better with my thumb than with a pick . so doing same with bass. Seems like I have to use Blues or minor scales instead of major scale. Yea the Scale you got there Phylbymon. now to just practice practice practice.


Chili con carny

I wish I could help you Blair. Honestly I was given about a one hour lesson by the lead guitarist way back in 1980. Literally about two months later we were gigging with Kent Miller (aka Jersey Slim) on harmonica. He showed my a few basic patterns and which fingers to use in those patterns. I went home and practiced for hours and hours until I had blisters on just about every finger. I don't use a pick. I use my thunb and first two fingers to pluck the strings. Some people have better luck with a pick. There was one awesome bass player in town years ago (Ed Toller, God rest his soul) who played with a pick BLINDING fast. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to get a few rudimentary bass lessons from a seasoned pro. Technically I really don't know the exact notes I'm playing, I don't know squat about music theory. I just know patterns and what I play usually sounds good. (I can't play anything too complicated, I have to also sing). My philosophy on bass is that it is a relatively easy instrument to learn, but a hard instrument to master. Most of all you have to GET IN SYNCH WITH THE DRUMMER. Bass is almost a pecussion instrument with pitch. I've had some great guitarists compliment me on my tone. I've got strong wrists and I get max tone out of the strings. And I also concentrate on the deeper notes. I don't play a lot of bass on the high notes. Bass to me should be low end, the guitar and harmonica players are paid to play higher register, I'm paid to play LOW (and sing a little). Just practice as much as possible. I'm sure you'll get it quick.. Good luck.

I'm with you, Bob. They handed me a bass one day & said "just play the roots until you get it."

Nothing wrong with using your thumb, Blair, if that's what you feel comfortable with. I usually use a pick, but on some things the softer attack of my thumb & fingers work better, & there's times I have to play the 1st & 4th strings at the same time & it's harder to do with a pick.

For me it was easier to start with the walking bass patterns & roots until I felt more at ease stretching out to play counterpoint melodies & such. Go with your heart & your head as you work with the drummer.

Listen to his accents, & try to match them as you play with an accent of your own on a root or on the 5th of the scale. The closer you can get to his style of playing, the better the overall sound usually becomes.

Bass is a lot more complicated than most ppl believe, in any genre of music. Even the oompah oompah tuba-like bass in polka or bluegrass can get tough in places (it's tough to make it interesting, anyway!).

blair, there's all kinds of learning sites out there.
Depending on what you want to do, how far you want to go, etc...
if you like visual type learning, http://www.expertvillage.com/information_780_bass.htm

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=298410

Good learning sites: http://www.activebass.com/
http://www.cyberfretbass.com/

http://www.cyberschoolofbass.com/lessons.html
http://www.studybass.com/
http://wheatsbassbook.org/
http://www.angelfire.com/id/bass/
http://www.gazzbass.com/home.html
Ha...the Libster's back...http://thelibster.com/bass/index.php

If you want interactive lessons (you have to pay) this guy and his instructors are world class level musicians.
http://www.musicdojo.com/

Thanks everyone, and I plan to check some of those sites franny.

if you can play guitar you can play bass no problem



checkout my band
CHAOS THEORY
heavy guitars/funky beats
singer that sounds like
everlast

http://www.myspace.com/fudgingcompost

Only if you want to sound like a guitar player with a bass.

There's an entirely different approach to bass vs. guitar...or do you think it's a guitar with less strings?







that would be a Ukulele

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9mEKMz2Pvo

Only if you want to sound like a guitar player with a bass.

There's an entirely different approach to bass vs. guitar...or do you think it's a guitar with less strings?

Too true-

Even Rhythm guitar and bass are 2 different worlds, which is one of the reasons my band has been having such a hard time finding a "good" bassist.

Few people realize how much different the style and mentality of playing a truly good bass line is.

I look at it from the difference of a tuba vs. a trumpet... both are brass instruments, yet nobody would be so presumptuous as to believe that a trumpet player will pick up the tuba and be great.

Only if you want to sound like a guitar player with a bass.

There's an entirely different approach to bass vs. guitar...or do you think it's a guitar with less strings?

Too true-

Even Rhythm guitar and bass are 2 different worlds, which is one of the reasons my band has been having such a hard time finding a "good" bassist.

Few people realize how much different the style and mentality of playing a truly good bass line is.

I look at it from the difference of a tuba vs. a trumpet... both are brass instruments, yet nobody would be so presumptuous as to believe that a trumpet player will pick up the tuba and be great.

Could you pass that on to the rest of the guitarists?

Actually, my bass has the same amount of strings as the guitar...yeah, I just had to throw that in there...

Don't get the natives antsy or you'll wish ya didn't. lol

I think everyone has a different idea of what and how people play anything and everything.

What did I hear recently? oh yeah.. "Don't limit yourself to the standards of old America, man." lol

Hey Gang,

Yeah, I remember seeing on the back of Aerosmiths Rocks album in 76, Tom Hamilton on the 6 String Bass, I thought WHY was that bass needed for "sick as a dog".. I think...Thought it was odd and just NOT RIGHT back then...I stick to the ole 4 thank you...


John