bass players

im not new to playing an instrument, but i am new to playing the bass guitar. its a little awkward trying not to overplay or get too complicated. i still use a pick because its more comfortable. tapping and slapping are in development, but are there any other technique tips a fellow bass player might have. im brand new to playing in a band too, but its a blast and they are being patient with me developing technique. suggestions would be appreciated

Originally Posted by: solo bass manim not new to playing an instrument, but i am new to playing the bass guitar. its a little awkward trying not to overplay or get too complicated. i still use a pick because its more comfortable. tapping and slapping are in development, but are there any other technique tips a fellow bass player might have. im brand new to playing in a band too, but its a blast and they are being patient with me developing technique. suggestions would be appreciated

It's gonna make it super hard for you to slap and pop if you still use a pick. You could try doing arpeggios' but that's for more advanced players and I dont think you billy sheehan quite yet. The key word is not too OVER COMPLICATE your bass line! The bass USUALLY but not always, isn't the focus of the band. Your job is first and foremost keep good rhythm, play a simple root note, or 5th, 7th etc. and keep it simple so you dont get it the way of your other band mates. Once you get used to the basics and are more comfortable with a band type setting, then you can start adding a little extra flavor to your basslines with some slappin , arp's , or whatever you have in the works.

Yeah, if you want to slap, a pick will do you more harm than good. Personally I prefer the natural feeling, sound, and control of fingerstyle anyway, but to each his own.

Check out this site, it has some good bass lessons, including how to build bass lines: http://www.cyberfretbass.com

i still play with a pick because thats what im used to with a guitar. guitar fingerpicking includes using the thumb on the bottom strings, but that doesnt work well for the bass. i have a good understanding of music and want to show for it. i usually try to keep the bassline simple with some occasional comlication. but the whole band, including me, want a little more than just keeping the rhythm for the bassline. more of a show of unique talent, rather than the whole band just backing up the singer. we all want to be able to have a lead role in some way, which i think is the way it should be. i want to contribute the ability i have, even though the bass role can be limited. this is the delemma i have. i may end up pulling off a George Harrison, meaning i can play many different instruments in different songs, but that doesnt help with the bass problem. any thoughts?

ONE WORD! EFFECTS. :p

Well bass fingerpicking is not much like guitar fingerpicking. On guitar the thumb plays the bottom string while the other fingers play notes within a chord shape on the high strings. On bass you generally play one note at a time, no chords or anything like that, because that isn't what bass is about. And you don't usually use your thumb, since you have better control using your fingers. Try resting your thumb on your pickup (or on acoustic, just anchor it on the soundboard) while playing the E and A strings, rest your thumb on the E string while playing the D string, and rest it on the D string while playing the G string. This will help prevent playing notes you don't want by muting them and let you reach the strings easier.

some of the riffs i play go back and forth from one string to the next, and even skip strings i.e. e to d or a to g. resting my thumb on a string wouldnt work in that case. i try not to overcomplicate the riff, but the other band members like the complexity of it. i also do have a wah effect for my bass and have experimented with a delay. my guitarist keeps trying to convince me to get a bass whammy pedal, but at this point im not leaning towards it. does anyone listen to incubus? it could be debated that their bassist overcomplicates the basslines but i think it adds to the listening experience

is bass really a hell of a lot easier then guitar? or is that just a myth? I guess starting out on bass mite be easier because you can concentrate on basic bass stuff which mite be easy then say learnin guitar where u start by learning all the major, minor , seventh, and powerchordes (lol powerchords more of a case of repetition). but ive neva picked up a bass so i wanted to know whether the rumors were true.

its possible that the bass is easier, but it still depends on a couple things. if you are just playing the rhythm with 1sts and maybe some 5ths, it really is boringly simple. chords arent really played with the bass because the sound gets very "muddy". i like to come up with a bassline very different than the guitar riff is, but obviously still following the rhythm pattern and timing. i like to think of the style i use as a simple solo style. there are many parts in our songs where the guitar plays rhythm chords and i will play a more complicated riff. all members are lead instruments at different times. plus i have been putting some effects in the basslines like the wah and delay, which takes a little more coordination. if i had to answer your question with yes or no, i would say no, playing the bass is not more simple than the guitar. they are equally difficult depending on the person i believe. i have only been playing for a couple months too, so im sure there is plenty more to learn.

I get more invitations to jam bass than 6-string. There's just too many string-slingers around, but not so many bass players. I like it. I get to noodle around instead of grinding away at chords all the time.

I use a pick. I like the attack, and I'm not ready yet to experiment with slapping, or FX either, for that matter. I'm just having fun. That's the goal, innit?

Originally Posted by: LordathestringsI get more invitations to jam bass than 6-string. There's just too many string-slingers around, but not so many bass players. I like it. I get to noodle around instead of grinding away at chords all the time.

I use a pick. I like the attack, and I'm not ready yet to experiment with slapping, or FX either, for that matter. I'm just having fun. That's the goal, innit?

how long have you been playing?

playing the bass is a blast. it can be somewhat limiting in having to keep rhythm for the guitar, but very liberating in not having to stay within certain expectations or norms as the guitar is.

even with the guitar, i always had a hard time fingerpicking, i could never go as fast, as is with the bass

I bought my first guitar in 1968.

I bought my bass in 2004.

Getting into bass is like getting into a totally different mentality, especailly if youa re like me and am just coming out og guitar. At first i wa haveing serious problems in terms of technique and playing. I was just sounding like a lead guitar player and i had no basslines so to speak. I just kept getting in the way of the lead guitarist and it was getting quite annoying. Then i stuck to playing roots (BORING). Now its better one you learn those arp shapes and get a good groove going. Bass is really fun and im glad ive left guitar cuz a lot of stress of having to worry about chord shapes, scales and stuff is gone gone GONE :D

I started off playing bass, and I thought it was brilliant. Once I started playing guitar, though, I forgot all about that - in fact, I'd go so far as to say that I now hate playing bass! :rolleyes: Don't get me wrong - I have the utmost respect for a good bassist. And that's WHY I don't like bass anymore - it's so hard to get back into once you've tasted the forbidden fruit of the chord! :D

yer i guess guitar is a lot "nicer" to learn, prolly depends on who you are too. I might learn a bit of bass guitar next year, just the simple parts, i'm more in to singin whilst playin and kinda followed the trends with the guitar. Would it be possible to have 2 bassists in a band (like 2 guitarists, but 2 basists lol, 1 rythm and 1 solo).

I guess anything is possible. It would risk making a muddy bottom to the mix, but ya never know 'til ya try.

My model for bass tone is Mel Schacker of Grand Funk. My least favourite bass sound is the soft, mushy tone exemplified by the early Santana albums. Great bass lines that disappear when anyone else is playing! My favourite player to learn style from is John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin.

I'm Olde-Skool, y'know? :D

Originally Posted by: LordathestringsI guess anything is possible. It would risk making a muddy bottom to the mix, but ya never know 'til ya try.

My model for bass tone is Mel Schacker of Grand Funk. My least favourite bass sound is the soft, mushy tone exemplified by the early Santana albums. Great bass lines that disappear when anyone else is playing! My favourite player to learn style from is John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin.

I'm Olde-Skool, y'know? :D

hey, im a younger guy and i think john paul jones is my favorite too. i prefer the old 60's and 70's music to the modern, but two very good modern bassists come from tool and incubus.

i think the traditional bass function was almost meant to not be heard, just keep rhythm. i dont see why the bassist cant show a little talent with higher tones and a little solo here and there.

the only advantage i personally see with playing the guitar over the bass is the fact that the bassist normally isnt in the spotlight or get as much attention.

i also was having a very hard time in the transition from bass to guitar, but technique is beginning to come around. one thing that helped was playing along with some of john paul jones riffs. i was sounding too much like a lead guitar and had to slow down.

ive said this before, but switching to bass has been very liberating. im anti mainstream, and other than that, there really are no other expectations for the bassist. i feel i can freely experiment with music now. i bet if i ended up going back to the guitar, i would have progressed quite a bit. it has been a great experience

My favourite bassist is Tim Commerford from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. He was my biggest influence and my hero when I was playing bass; he's not a virtuosic player by any means, but the way he can set up such a solid groove in such an expressive style is amazing, and he's one of the few rock bassists brave enough to use double-stops.

I played bass for 4 years before picking up a six string, and I have to say I love both! Biggest thing with bass is the space between the notes! Sounds silly but listen so some of the modern "rock" bassist like flea (RHCP) and Tim Commerford (Rage against the machine) and the key to their groove is the space. As a bass player you have the power to totally change the dynamics of a song so dont be afraid to experiment! If you are listening to incubus, check out "are you in". The bassline in this song has a great groove and its not complicated just a great example of using ghost notes and "space"! I cannot stress how important it is to listen to your drummer, once you find your groove together its an amazng feeling! Hope that makes sense! :eek: Keep at it man, even though i play more guitar atm, i love bass and once you get it sussed its very rewarding!

its crazy how under appreciated bassists generally are, but many are also very under talented also. most just sound like the guitar, minimizing themselves from recognition.