General Music Chat

Hey guys i just got a bass and i aint as good as i thought i was. Yall got anything like a tip or trick? it would probably help. thanx yall

ROCKER 22,
Hmmm - how about learning a basic blues pattern, in E, to start?
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Then do it in A.
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Then do it in G.
Alan

Alan's idea sounds good. I let my 12 year old grandson play bass and I would turn on the liquid drummer (drum machine) and I would play in E so he could feel like he could get something right and let him get some confidence in playing in time and note. Then I moved him to playing an E and into a G for example... I like the idea of finding and playing all the E's on the board and running from one E to another. Then do that in A, etc... A drum machine is a great tool for learning also.

Octives learn octives, and its all in the groove , good luck

Mostly Rocker it's just picking up the thing and playing it. If you enjoy it and practice you will improve. Some improve quicker than others. Some just have the "gift". For me it has always been putting the time in practicing, practicing, practicing...

music is not about being better than others, it's not about good and bad...it's about expression. Try looking at things in a nontraditional way if you can. For instance start with how you tune your bass, don't feel the need to be locked into EADG, tune it in ways that let you grow and understand music and apply that musical knowledge to your bass playing. On other forums I often use the sig "The true measure of ones talent is not a measure against the talents of others, but a measure of ones own growth as an artist". Try looking at it that way instead, to say I'm not that good is negative, perhaps by many peoples standards you are not. But that matters not, the truth is if you're even slightly better today (by your standards, not the masses) than yesterday, that in itself is a reason to celebrate...

find a good drummer and work with him....drums and bass go close together in a bands sound......if you play bass and got a good drummer behind you......you can rock it out

Some rudimentary theory and ear training can't hurt.
Plenty of free online resources available.
Learn your intervals and how they lay out on the fretboard.
Listen al LOT to the style of music you want to play.
Most of all:
Time On Instrument.

Rootsy's dead on.

One thing to know about theory is, once you got it, you can apply it to any instrument. So you can pick up new instruments very very quickly. Would suggest taking lessons, since my music teachers in school used to put me in a coma. If not, pay real good attention to the one at school, and apply it as soon as you can to your instrument.

It's a great choice as a drummer to grab the bass. One of the first things I always suggest is for a bassist to learn how to play drums at a moderate level, and at least know the basic chords for guitar, so you can spot 'em and hear 'em easily.

Being 13, and noting the music you're into, well. No picks. No no no. Step away from the picks.

Ska's a good place to start, since bass is the melodic/thematic instrument in most of it. Another place to go for the same process of bass thought is motown. Good guy to listen to is James Jamerson.

But, if you seriously want to bite down on the bass, hard, you have to learn how to play jazz. If you can play jazz, you can play anything. But, we won't get into that.

Here's the best left hand exercise I got. The fingering matches the frets:

G-1---2---3---4---|
D---3---4---1---2-|

Then walk it up slowly:

|-2--3--4--5--|-3--4--5--6--|
|--4--5--2--3-|--5--6--3--4-| etc etc

Walk it up the neck like that until you get to the 12th fret at least. Take it slow, takes time, it trains all your fingers on the left hand, and makes you use proper fingering position (thumb behind middle finger on the neck, not curled over the edge). Muscle memory, just like drums. Practice right, play right. And the slower you practice, the faster you'll be able to play. Seeeeriously.

Once you get really good at that, skip strings (G-A), then G-E, G-B if you got a 5, C-B if you have a 6, and so on. Never tried on a 7. 6 nearly dislocates my fingers as is.

Been doing that every time before I play to warm up for 23 years, I think. That, and stretching out my finger webs. Yeah, sounds wierd. But gets all your fingers working, so you don't favor the evil index-ring.

And there's probably a whole chunk of instructional videos on Youtube. Just stay away from any crazy techniques (sweep tapping, triple thump etc) until you're real comfy on that piece of wood there.

Best of luck, man!

-johnl

stay away from picks???......sorry pal I been usin picks for over 20 years and aint nothin wrong with em I can more on bass with a pick than with fingers....well....to each his own i guess

Not likely that I'll convince you otherwise, and launching into this whole discussion is usually the powder keg that starts the flame war, but. There's a LOT you can do with your fingers that you can't with a pick. You'd just have to practice it :)

Basics - slap, tap, speed, maneuverability.

In most of the american music out there, you're really not going to need any of those. Playing classic rock, or modern rock & roll, you'll be fine with a pick. And since you'll probably be playing in that genre for the rest of your days, you're set. Meanwhile, when I was 13, my tastes were changing.

I started out with a pick (bowed french in orchestra, didn't know anything about electric, made sense initially). Played a lot of classic rock, blues, metal. Then my tastes grew towards funk, motown, jazz, soon enough to include everything I could get my hands on. Retraining myself after a couple years of pick playing was TOUGH. Already was pretty confident in my playing, I had to relearn everything.

Now I use every finger I have. I'm an aerobic player when it calls for it, but I can play whatever style or technique I want, which leaves me nothing but options. I can grab a pick if I have to, but haven't had a reason to in years.

The only thing you get with a pick that I don't get with my fingers is that specific pick tone. I can EQ myself some more mids and angle so my fingernails hit the strings on each stroke, and it sorta does it, but it's not the same. I still haven't touched any of my basses with a pick in forever.

In the meantime, I have a whole range of tones that's unavailable to a pick player by using my fingers, double-thump, flamenco trills, and so on.

It is a style choice. But when you can do the same thing with your fingers and then some...it's worth it. Takes the same amount of practice to get it, with much a larger payoff.

Bass playing is changing. With the range of new techniques we have to play with now (mostly thanks to Wooten), the average player is WAY better now than they were fifteen years ago. Fifteen years ago, I could make a whole music store in Manhattan stop what they were doing and poke their heads over to see who the hell was playing. Now? They got fourteen year olds who can do what I did.

They got soccer moms who can sweep tap on a 7 string.

Well, not quite. But give it 10 more years :)

Sure, fine. You don't really NEED theory. Or to sight read. Or to train your ear. Or play with your fingers.

You'll be exceptionally happy you did it in the long run, and be a more rounded, capable player for it. It's nice when you can sit in on any gig, anywhere, anytime, and instantly make like you belong there.

But hey, that's just what I like to do :)

-john

Well i am sure this has already been covered but i didn't take the time to read everybody elses replies(some were pretty long winded).

Learn your major and minor modes(google if your not sure what they are). That will give you a good foundation

Learn songs you want to learn, the ones that you enjoy listening too. If they're too hard at first try picking an easy one. Tablature helps a lot.

And as far as picks and fingers go.......don't listen to everyone else trying to argue over which one is better. Try both and use which ever one suits you best. But i will say this, learn them both, equally. You will be more versitale in your playing,.

hours and hours of practice dude

Right. Get that 1-4-5 pattern down in octaves...Its like an L basically, but learn those notes, man.