UNPLANNED DOWNTIME: 12th Oct 23:45
The low frequency conspiracy... and playing with yourself...
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Hi All,
Don't come in here much, but have discovered across recent jams that I really rather love picking up a bass, certainly beats being "rhythm guitar #3"... and there is a lot of hidden fun involved, like you are part of a low frequency conspiracy, nobody notices you are there... but they would notice when you are gone... like the band illuminati
I've also noticed the bass lines more on songs, pop songs ironically, where the bass can vary from simple root notes but reinforces chord sequences with climbing bass notes (like on George Michael's "Praying for Time", which I'm a bit obsessed with at the minute) or whacks in nifty passing notes, and so on.
I should note, I'm a very poor bassist, I play with a plectrum, and mostly will happily busk with some root notes, rather than try to be clever... but I do enjoy working out where you can slip in a fifth, or a passing note... I probably get it wrong, but it's fun.
So apart from sharing the fact I've "discovered" that bass is pretty cool as an instrument for ME (should note I've been fortunate enough to play with bassists off of this parish, who are fantastic musicians, and I was aware of this before!)...
How do you try to play with yourself? (snigger), - sometimes you can pick up a guitar and just widdle pentatonics for ages and have a ball - though I suppose it can be the same on a bass - do you all play along with recordings? Is it worth investing in a bass amp, or are headphone solutions (like the nux mighty plug, wot my mrs got me for xmas, and the Vox bass amplug, which I also have) good enough?
Thanks all
We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.
I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.
Occasionally, I come up with a bass part that works against the chords, taking the whole composition to another level.
I'm not limited to just bass guitar music then. Loads of great stuff for the left hand of the piano works really well, but if I want to effectively play solos over a backing then Trombone parts are fantastic. Quite a lot of trombone jazz tunes out there, with backing tracks available.
There's also a fair amount of YT bass people with large libraries of bass playalongs
Constantine is a bit of a legend - massive variety of stuff from Dolly Parton to Bryan Adams to Hendrix etc etc - all with tab available. Some very easy at genuine beginner levels, and some more difficult.
Then there's Cover Solutions too
Again - tab available.
Just between those 2 you could build a really good cover band repertoire.
PS - there are always people complaining about plectrums on basses. Ignore them. I'm 99% finger style but there are many excellent bassists in all genres who prefer a pick.
Ideally - pick / fingers / Slap / thumb plucking etc as it's all part of the tool kit, but don't worry too much about what you think you should prefer.
It's only ever Dave Mustaine who puts "must play with a plectrum" in his adverts for bass players. So do what you like!
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I play in a punk-ish band, and I use a pick - it's a deliberate choice, I prefer to play bass with my fingers for my own stuff, but it doesn't sound right for that kind of material.
Busking with root notes is the foundation of good bass playing - you need to be able to do that well *before* you move on to more adventurous stuff. If you play accurately in time with the right feel and confidence, that's often all you need to do.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson
the thing I loved about bass when I first picked it up is how much it got me listening to other forms of music... I'm not sure I'd have ever really listened to a lot of soul and funk if not for the bass... even just the other day I heard "Express Yourself" on the radio and thought to myself "what a fun little line," got home and picked up an acoustic bass and worked it out (almost certainly in the wrong key, but hey ho)
What I've found really enjoyable recently is noticing the bass on classic pop songs, the bassist on "Last Christmas" is enjoying himself, clearly, but also adds to the general "bounciness" of the whole song through they way the bass line weaves through it.
More recently, when not noticing that she's a rather attractive young woman, I've noticed Dua Lipa's Physical and Don't Stop Now are topped with fantastic funky bass lines.
Also I'm now incurably an old man having used the phrase "rather an attractive young woman" like I'm in a mid-ranking carry on movie.
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But I love a good bit of bass - get yourself a good soul compilation
Phwoar! I say. Ding-dong! Left hand down a bit, CPO Pertwee.
When recording potential new tracks for the band, i get the drums from a midilfile and then play all the parts starting with bass.
The ‘pro’ tabs on my Tabs Pro app allow same,
When I started I practised for hours each day and was in at least two bands at any given point. Most of them rarely gigged but I was playing in a band.
I got to a point in 2004 where I never played at home but I was playing in 3 bands.
Imho playing bass gives you so much opportunity to drive the band. Take an average band with a decent drummer, you can make that band a lot better. You are a step away playing guitar.
My advice would be to play along with YouTube, get some recording gear, pester bridge house to play bass at jams and maybe form a little jam band. You've already got bass covered, there's loads of guitarists. Look out for someone who says I used to play drums...
There's a couple of youtube channels I have subscribed to in order to go over basics. These are:
Scott Whitley Bass
Scotts Bass Lessons
The latter has a whole fee paying academy section which I haven't got into. He also has a free "Groove Trainer App" available to download, which is basically lots of drum loops, and other cool features. I can groove and jam to some of those for ages.
Scott Whitley has some great free lessons on things like blues bass, walking bass etc. Very easy to follow, sometimes a little bit slow actually, but you can fast forward if you think you've got that bit nailed.
I've bought a Fender Rumble 15 for the lounge. It has an input for my iPad, so I can play the drums loops through it. There's also a headphone out (which I haven't used).
Rob
Even if you think you have nailed something, it is worth playing it a while longer to build stamina and prove that you can sustain a groove for as long as a musical director requires you to.
Good advice re building stamina and sustaining the groove. It's what us feeble guitarists struggle with when picking up a bass. It's a much more physical experience.
Actually, Scott Whitley is an old mate of mine. I think we did our first gig together in about 1995, and we've done hundreds since in multiple different bands. His overall approach and style are not what I'm aiming for, but the basics stuff he presents on his channel are really useful.
Put it this way, I'll never slap.....ooerrr
Rob
Also, learn major & minor scales, but never be afraid to just play simple root notes, it often works best. Use your ears.