Learning an instrument - bass guitar?

[Sway]

Am going to try...

Just paid for the talking bass beginners course - quite liked the first lesson, so should get me started.

[Evangelion]

I attended my usual Shadows Cub meeting on Sunday, and had taken my Rick 4003 just to show people. Then when the regular bass player (Alan Jones who was actually with the real Shadows for 12 years) failed to turn up, I was asked to play instead. So I ended up being onstage twice as long as I normally would!

Surprised everybody, as they didn't know I played bass. In fact professionally, I've played bass longer than lead. I started for two reasons, 1 - my purchase of home recording equipment, which would mean I'd need to learn more instruments, 2 - realising I'd get into a band more easily if I could play bass as well as lead.

Bass is great because you actually get to play all the time, which a lead guitarist sometimes doesn't. Trouble is, because there are only four strings, and you only play one at a time, people think it's easy ... but it's not

[whippy930]

Evangelion said:

....... you actually get to play all the time, which a lead guitarist sometimes doesn't......

......how I wish many of them would actually subscribe to this!!!

[Amused2death]

Evangelion said:

Trouble is, because there are only four strings, and you only play one at a time, people think it's easy ... but it's not

My rational for playing Bass was simple....Four strings- four fingers-should be able to manage that

Have since found out my little finger is crooked and slowly getting worse so can't use it with the Bass....So it's four strings-three fingers- still not so easy, but I manage

[IainT]

Evangelion said:

and you only play one at a time, people think it's easy ... but it's not

Lemmy!

You're spot on though about not being as easy as many think. Getting the groove on with your drummist is critical and you're massively influential on the feel of a song. It might not be the hook people remember but it's the part of the song that bypasses brain and goes to emotion.

[whippy930]

IainT said:

Lemmy!

You're spot on though about not being as easy as many think. Getting the groove on with your drummist is critical and you're massively influential on the feel of a song. It might not be the hook people remember but it's the part of the song that bypasses brain and goes to emotion.

You said it.... "groove" - the most important element of music for me by far!

'Pocket' bass playing is a magical art form!

[Sway]

Now five online lessons in, played my first (poorly timed!) bassline...



Really enjoying it, although I do dislike the tiny little headphone amp I got with the guitar.

Depending on how much this weekend's shopping is for the wife's birthday, I'm thinking of either the cheap zoom preamp pedal, or a pjb bighead/double four 2nd hand.

Reckon another month and I'll be learning songs I actually know - very, very simple songs I actually know!

[whippy930]

Sway said:

although I do dislike the tiny little headphone amp I got with the guitar.

• ** trying very hard not to say "I told you so"

[Turn7]

For quiet time playing, have a look at the Boss JS10, Im pretty sure that does Bass...

[GetCarter]

Sway said:

Now five online lessons in, played my first (poorly timed!) bassline...



Really enjoying it, although I do dislike the tiny little headphone amp I got with the guitar.

Depending on how much this weekend's shopping is for the wife's birthday, I'm thinking of either the cheap zoom preamp pedal, or a pjb bighead/double four 2nd hand.

Reckon another month and I'll be learning songs I actually know - very, very simple songs I actually know!

I used to teach Bass... Might not be your bag, but 'MONEY' by Pink Floyd is a really good tune to learn early on. It's pretty simple but gets you to use all four strings in a very typical scale. It'll stand you in good stead.

And if you really want to learn properly. Play 'doe a deer a female deer' in the key of 'A' (I know, I know) but honestly .... start on fret 5 of the bottom E string. The essential bit being:

On fret 4 (of all strings) only use index finger of left hand, on fret 5 only finger 2, fret 6 only finger 3, fret 7 only the pinky!

So you start the first note with finger 2 on fret 5 of the E string... and then play the tune.

If you manage that, you will be MILES ahead of most rock & pop bass players, who (believe me) couldn't do it for love nor money.

If you are not tone deaf (so can hear what you are doing), and practice this one exercise for 15 minutes every day for a month, you will have a really good technical grounding. You can then never play anything from The Sound of Music ever again.

ETA... first time you try this it's a bd to do with the right fingers. That's the point. Don't give up.

Edited by GetCarter on Friday 15th January 19:13

[Sway]

Whippy, I know, but it was effectively free... It'll do for now whilst I've the rhythm of Bambi on acid!

GC, cheers, will give that a try - next lesson is gonna teach me to use more than the index finger on the fretboard, so after I've practiced those exercises I'll give doe a deer a go.

Money is exactly the sort of thing I like - and is the sort of chill out and get in the groove stuff I want to play in the evenings to de-stress. Plenty of cool rock, metal and hip hop tracks I love too that are posted on the online tutor's pages for free.

[Evangelion]

I just picked up a bass, and played Doe A deer an the way Get Carter suggested, and wondered why I shot straight through it at the first attempt ... then I realise it's the way I've always played, naturally. I say naturally because I've never had a lesson. Uncanny

I'm going to try Edelweiss next ... that should sort out the men from the boys.

[Amused2death]

Attn Sway.....Sent you a PM

[Sway]

Amused2death said:

Attn Sway.....Sent you a PM

Nothing has come through - try 'slackeratworkATgooglemail.com'

Lesson yesterday used one finger per fret, a chord progression and a really simple blues riff. First time I've played something "musical", and really got into it - other half took the piss out of me, nodding my head and tapping my foot while playing the simplest four bar riff over and over again!

[Amused2death]

Sway said:

Nothing has come through - try 'slackeratworkATgooglemail.com'

Lesson yesterday used one finger per fret, a chord progression and a really simple blues riff. First time I've played something "musical", and really got into it - other half took the piss out of me, nodding my head and tapping my foot while playing the simplest four bar riff over and over again!

Done

[PurpleTurtle]

Amused2death said:

Evangelion said:

Trouble is, because there are only four strings, and you only play one at a time, people think it's easy ... but it's not

My rational for playing Bass was simple....Four strings- four fingers-should be able to manage that

Have since found out my little finger is crooked and slowly getting worse so can't use it with the Bass....So it's four strings-three fingers- still not so easy, but I manage

Same here, I dislocated the little finger on my left hand playing football, and despite an op to reset it I don't have much bend all in it, so I struggle with some of my chords at lead guitar. I'm thinking of trying the bass, on the basis of less strings to play.

[kev b]

Turtle and Amused - don't give up guitar, Google Django Reinhardt, he did alright with two and a bit fingers!

[IainT]

Sway said:

whilst I've the rhythm of Bambi on acid!

It's dull, very dull, but simple practice of scales to a metronome is essential to develop the ability to play in time. It's not fun and it won't impress anyone but it's critical. So many of us bedroom musicians have horrendous timing because we play with ourselves and speed up the easy bits, slow for the hard ones and skip back a beat if we miss a note and then carry on.

I play a lot to clicks and, despite the transcription being iffy at times, midi tracks (songsterr and guitarpro) - they don't wander around much. I tend to get the basics of a song in place there, look at what I'm playing and move it around the fretboard to make more sense (keeping movement down) and then play along to live versions of track on youtube. That's with the goal of learning tracks for my covers bands.

All that said - do what you find natural - putting in rules and restrictions might hamper your motivation. When you feel confident enough playing with others will bring you on leaps and bounds if you get the right people who nurture your growing talent.

[GetCarter]

IainT said:

It's dull, very dull, but simple practice of scales to a metronome is essential to develop the ability to play in time. It's not fun and it won't impress anyone but it's critical. So many of us bedroom musicians have horrendous timing because we play with ourselves and speed up the easy bits, slow for the hard ones and skip back a beat if we miss a note and then carry on.

I play a lot to clicks and, despite the transcription being iffy at times, midi tracks (songsterr and guitarpro) - they don't wander around much. I tend to get the basics of a song in place there, look at what I'm playing and move it around the fretboard to make more sense (keeping movement down) and then play along to live versions of track on youtube. That's with the goal of learning tracks for my covers bands.

All that said - do what you find natural - putting in rules and restrictions might hamper your motivation. When you feel confident enough playing with others will bring you on leaps and bounds if you get the right people who nurture your growing talent.

Good advice.

A good trick (if you have any sort of computer prog that can do this) is to programme 8 bars of click in 4/4 - 4 to the bar. Play along with whatever riff/tune you are learning.

Then at bar 9 the click changes to 2 to the bar - keep playing the same thing

At bar 17, 1 click to the bar

At bar 25, 1 every 2 bars

At bar 33, 1 every 4 bars

At Bar 41, 1 click every 8 bars. See if you can keep in time with the click!

A drummer taught me that. (They have their uses).

[Sway]

Cheers chaps.

Coincidentally, I downloaded a free android app yesterday that seems to do a similar job - it's a metronome with 'rhythm trainer', where it drops clicks im and out at ever increasing periods.

My general rhythm is actually pretty good, it's just the noob issue of sometimes (fairly often!) having to look at the fretboard or check my plucking finger positions, which despite my best efforts sometimes endures a brief blip in holding time.

It's getting better - I'm conscious that I'm currently only perhaps ten hours into learning!

Bloody good fun though, and a great way to unwind after a day at work..