General Music Chat

I knew about it a long time, but i have only just tapped into the beauty of playing any root and adding a 10th. I go gaga everytime I play it. it just sounds wonderful.

I was just curious about other peoples discoveries with playing their instruments?

The 10 huh, I've added the 9 and the 11
to chords to get a sweeter sound(on piano).
but no 10 unless I'm justing wandering thru the tones.
Next time I'll add the 10 maybe a chord like 1,3,7,10
or maybe a 1,5,7,10
I always think those big chords sound cool.

I've been playing bass for 30 years. I don't know anything about theory. For me it's all patterns, sort of like doing math on an abacus. I can't tell you if I'm adding the 10, 9, 5, etc. All I know is it sounds good. Just keep experimenting with the position of your fingers. If you play something that sounds good remember it. Theory may explain WHY that particular chord sounds good, but the bottom line is LEARN the pattern and what it sounds like and you'll eventually automatically play it where it fits. I consider bass a PERCUSSION instrument with tone. In different band situations I adjust my playing to fit the drummer more than fitting the guitarist. Keep that philosophy in mind and you'll become a potent rhythm force any good band will want.

A big thing for me was switching to a five string bass. It took more getting used to than i thought it would but it paid off. Plus it has a full two octave neck which opened up quite a bit more maneuver room.

Another big plateau was finally getting at least a notion of how modes, traids and chords fit with major scales. I haven't mastered it but I've learned a great deal from it on both bass and guitar. It's more than just identifying patterns you're already playing - it suggests variations that I at least, might not have thought of.

I'm trying to understand how muscle memory ties in to one's understanding of the patterns on the neck - because Bob is right - in the end it is all about patterns.

Talbot

Bob those patterns could probably be called scales,
bottomline learn the major scale, and you can play any
'pattern that's been thought up over the last 500 years.

Talbot, there must be something said for muscle memory.
For years any guitar I picked up my fingers,
would take off on the 1st mode of the blues scale,
and then slide into the 2nd mode maybe.

To really understand the 'patterns' on the neck,
you need to put the notes on the fretboard in your memory.
Then put the major scale in your memory:
W W H W W W H
All patterns are derived from this, you can,
sharpen, flatten, augement, or diminish any of the notes,
to give yo a different 'pattern'
This really has helped my lead playing lately,
knowing that any note my fingers on I can count the
whole steps and the half steps and use any pattern
It's just what I've been into lately
and it's been around a long time
But I absquabulate

I love to play bass but my bass player is so much better than me. It's a different animal no doubt.

I've not touched a bass since the early 80's.
And with Eric around there would be little point.

Thank goodness.

lynard

Learn the notes on the fretboard. Yeah - done that a long time ago. But I realized Wed (had a day off) that by that eveing I'd played a guitar tuned natural, a guitar tuned to drop C, and a five string bass.

A lot of fun but by the end of the day I wasn't even sure what note was what anywhere! But the patterns are pretty much the same on all of 'em.

You are also spot on with learning the major intervals. It all starts there. Still getting there - as an exercise I'll play a riff then try to figure out what it was constructed of, what scale it lived in, etc.

Talbot

I started on cello, then guitar... and one day I was standing in front of an ampeg 810 at over 2000 watts with a bass guitar in my hands, and from the very first note I hit, I knew exactly where I wanted to be...

Right now I'm having a secret little love affair with the 7's... what a smooth sound

I looked at your profile to see what that bass is. Carvin? maybe just the photo but looks like a neck long enough to please anyone.

After decades of Fender i have switched to a five string Hohner Bass V and find I'm liking it quite a bit. Sound is good, neck is sweet.

btw - the bass in my profile pic is an old Ampeg Violin neck and how i wish I still had it.

Talbot

I used to play a Warwick Corvette Standard 5 string. That thing was beautiful, but the problem was the warwick neck was to fat for my small hands. I miss that Musical Beast of a bass. Now I have a Fender Jazz 4 string, and I love its sound just as much.

One day Ill come back to you Warwick my darling.

One thing Ive finally learned is that chromatics can be great, just use every fret, this has opened me up on guitar and it could relate back to bass.

its so much fun to pick up a guitar after you've been tooling around on a bass for a few years, you learn a few more odd tricks, scales, progressions patterns and picking techniques and then you start obliterating your bass when you play it

Ted_lord

Exactly! I just spent two years teaching myself to play lead guitar plus all that theory stuff (some of which I'm starting to actually understand). But man, when I pick up a bass now it's like pulling the pin on a grenade.

I actually started playing lead because my bass only had five strings and i was doing all this theory work with scales, apreggios, chords etc and needed more. It all works out and you never lose by working hard.

Talbot