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NarkyBark posted:Nothing special really. It does depend on the band since newer and older school of thrash are a bit different, but the bass is usually in its typical role, keeping the root and locking down. Old school thrash bass tends not to go crazy, it leaves the guitars to do that. Newer thrash tends to be more creative in the bass department. learn to play the open E string a whole bunch serious advice: familiarize yourself with switching between the minor mode and parallel (same root) phrygian. Harmonic minor is really common too. That seems to be really common in thrash. A lot of thrash seems to be focusing on the root notes of the chord and sometimes playing the riff with the rhythm guitar. In fact, if you aren't sure what you want to play, you could probably get by just following the rhythm player until you come up with your own line. Huge Lady Pleaser fucked around with this message at 23:26 on Jun 1, 2010 |
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Jun 1, 2010 23:23
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What's been you guys' experience with learning basslines by ear? I'm pretty bad at hearing notes and intervals and so on, but with guitar work I can generally hear the sound at least - it's usually way less distinct with bass, because of the mixing and maybe because the frequencies are closer together? I was just wondering if other people had this problem and what you did to get around it. I have got better, but it's still a bit of a struggle with some songs
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Jun 2, 2010 00:25
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baka kaba posted:What's been you guys' experience with learning basslines by ear? I'm pretty bad at hearing notes and intervals and so on, but with guitar work I can generally hear the sound at least - it's usually way less distinct with bass, because of the mixing and maybe because the frequencies are closer together? I was just wondering if other people had this problem and what you did to get around it. I have got better, but it's still a bit of a struggle with some songs Well, if you can figure out the guitar chords then you'll at least have a place to start. Really, its just practice. There is no trick to it unless you have perfect pitch.
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Jun 2, 2010 02:55
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Polytune - free iPhone app. http://itunes.apple.com/app/polytune/id364009203?mt=8
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Jun 2, 2010 20:43
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baka kaba posted:What's been you guys' experience with learning basslines by ear? I'm pretty bad at hearing notes and intervals and so on, but with guitar work I can generally hear the sound at least - it's usually way less distinct with bass, because of the mixing and maybe because the frequencies are closer together? I was just wondering if other people had this problem and what you did to get around it. I have got better, but it's still a bit of a struggle with some songs Fire up internet radio, put in a genre you like, play along until it sounds right. Repeat for months. Worked for me!
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Jun 2, 2010 22:16
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baka kaba posted:What's been you guys' experience with learning basslines by ear? I'm pretty bad at hearing notes and intervals and so on, but with guitar work I can generally hear the sound at least - it's usually way less distinct with bass, because of the mixing and maybe because the frequencies are closer together? I was just wondering if other people had this problem and what you did to get around it. I have got better, but it's still a bit of a struggle with some songs Don't worry about the bassline alone if you're reasonably sure it's playing the root notes of the guitar part. Just listen to the overall "sound" and check to see if the bass note you're playing matches up with the guitar. Once you have the root notes you can listen more closely to see if the bassist is playing anything different.
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Jun 5, 2010 06:00
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baka kaba posted:What's been you guys' experience with learning basslines by ear? I'm pretty bad at hearing notes and intervals and so on, but with guitar work I can generally hear the sound at least - it's usually way less distinct with bass, because of the mixing and maybe because the frequencies are closer together? I was just wondering if other people had this problem and what you did to get around it. I have got better, but it's still a bit of a struggle with some songs It helps to be able to mess around with the EQ of a song to get the bass to pop out a bit better. I can usually get good results with Winamp - just turn down the treble and boost the low mids and the bass usually becomes much more audible.
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Jun 5, 2010 22:16
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Or one way to get it if you really can't isolate the sounds is unplug all the speakers except the woofer.
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Jun 6, 2010 01:22
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I bought a Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass for a bargain at a local store on Friday (thanks to all who suggested it!) and I really love it. Great instrument for such a low price! Anyways, I'm curious what would be the easiest and most comfortable way to record basslines on top of existing songs so that you also hear what you're playing. I'm mainly looking for ways to route both the background track and the bass signal to headphones. I haven't had time to test if I can get my Hoontech ST Audio DSP24 Value soundcard to repeat both the line in signal and the computer's own sounds so I my problem may be already solved but I thought I'd ask anyway. Also, what's the best thread for asking questions about soundcard tech? The Hoontech I mentioned is good for recording but for some reason, the 3,5 mm output for speakers gives out a really thin sound with only some high and middle frequencies omitting bass almost totally. Currently I have to use my Soundblaster to give out sounds and record with Hoontech.  Edit: Got it all to work. These Loving Eyes fucked around with this message at 07:35 on Jun 13, 2010 |
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Jun 6, 2010 07:55
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I've been trying to find a good sourcebook for both learning the theory/structure behind playing chords on bass (as in triads) and tying chord progressions together in an improvised manner when backing other players. I'm currently slogging through Gary Willis' Fingerboard Harmony for Bass but it's a bit too jazz oriented and doesn't really put the acquired knowledge to use (it's only about walking up and down while using passing tones). I also haven't read a thing about modes yet so I got to get into that too. It's just hard to find a book that goes beyond the most basic things. I was about to order Friedland's Bass Method but thankfully found it at a local library and noticed that only the last few pages were barely useful to me. That EADG 4 book looks interesting but I can't find a good online retailer for it in Europe. EDIT: Just noticed that I, again, left out the actual question. So, are there any good books that include both basic and in-depth bass theory and put that theory into use with examples? I'd love to buy a theory textbook that I could go back to time and time again if I've forgotten something or want to broaden my knowledge. Currently my understanding of theory is just bits here and there without a solid and comprehensive structure. I want to be able to do more than just play root, third, fifth and seventh. 
These Loving Eyes fucked around with this message at 17:41 on Jun 14, 2010 |
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Jun 14, 2010 17:21
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Unfortunately, everyone else wants you to quit playing those thirds and sevenths, dammit. Even the fifth is pushing it at times.
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Jun 15, 2010 11:11
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Live free or die, man... play any note you want! 
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Jun 15, 2010 18:36
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http://www.youtube.com/user/davemarks This guy has a whole ton of useful lessons, information, and general tips. I don't usually put much faith into "youtube teachers", but this guy's youtube channel is a goldmine. Plus, the videos from his gigs are pretty awesome.
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Jun 16, 2010 15:32
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These Loving Eyes posted:I've been trying to find a good sourcebook for both learning the theory/structure behind playing chords on bass (as in triads) and tying chord progressions together in an improvised manner when backing other players. I'm currently slogging through Gary Willis' Fingerboard Harmony for Bass but it's a bit too jazz oriented and doesn't really put the acquired knowledge to use (it's only about walking up and down while using passing tones). To answer my own question, I picked Friedland's Building Walking Bass Lines from the library and it seems to be just the thing I needed. I've only skimmed through it and read the first few pages but it seems really promising. I also found another book by him, Expanding Walking Bass Lines, which digs deeper into the subject. Thinking of buying both soon so that I don't have to worry about returning them.  Anyone gone through one of these? What did you think about them?
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Jun 17, 2010 17:45
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Geisladisk posted:http://www.youtube.com/user/davemarks Thanks for this, MY GIRLFRIEND wants to learn to play bass and I'm a lovely teacher.
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Jun 17, 2010 22:30
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These Loving Eyes posted:Anyone gone through one of these? What did you think about them? Building Walking Bass Lines is honestly one of the best books on bass, period, even if you're not looking to play jazz.
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Jun 18, 2010 05:46
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Plastic Snake posted:Building Walking Bass Lines is honestly one of the best books on bass, period, even if you're not looking to play jazz. Agree. It helps you learn how any chord progression can fit together. Also, I refer to this post constantly.
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Jun 18, 2010 16:39
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SirSlarty posted:Agree. It helps you learn how any chord progression can fit together. Thanks! Ordered Friedland's book yesterday. I wish there was some general thread for posting your own song transcriptions (that can't be found online yet) but since I don't want to clutter ML nor devise a good OP, I'll post mine here. I didn't include the amount of measures almost at all since the song structure is easy to grasp just by listening to it. My main reason for posting is if anyone could check if the transcription is anywhere near the actual song.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrXeNXKODwg code:
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Jun 19, 2010 11:41
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I have a £40 Washburn XS-2 bass that is surprisingly okay to play. 24 frets, action is pretty good and it's durable as hell. Only problem is sometimes playing with a pick it sounds a bit... weak. Will buying new pickups help make the bass sound a bit better? Ideally I'd like a Fender Jazz Bass and a decent amp but I have to make due with what I've got (and money isn't one of them).
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Jun 19, 2010 14:17
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Blah, I'm posting constantly in the thread but here it goes. So, the Squier I bought has been a great instrument except for some irritating buzzing. I was thinking of adjusting my set-up myself but since I've never done it before I'm kind of lost. The buzzing occurs from the highest frets to around the third fret so it's kind of apparent whenever I use a lot of force when picking with my fingers. It seems that my neck is quite bowed (relief is around 0,8-1 mm) but I'm still a bit puzzled if it's that that causes the buzz. I read from Willis's tutorial that if buzz happens all around the fretboard, then the problem is with action. This feels a bit strange since action seems to be quite high as it is. So, I was thinking if I should either try to tighten the truss rod myself, raise the action even more or just man up and turn to professional luthier services. I've got spare money so it wouldn't be such a big deal but on the other hand I'd rather learn how to adjust my set-up myself. So any ideas how I should proceed? My friend thought that the frets themselves might need some grounding and that I can't do at home.
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Jun 20, 2010 19:46
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These Loving Eyes posted:So, the Squier I bought has been a great instrument except for some irritating buzzing. I was thinking of adjusting my set-up myself but since I've never done it before I'm kind of lost. The buzzing occurs from the highest frets to around the third fret so it's kind of apparent whenever I use a lot of force when picking with my fingers. It seems that my neck is quite bowed (relief is around 0,8-1 mm) but I'm still a bit puzzled if it's that that causes the buzz. I read from Willis's tutorial that if buzz happens all around the fretboard, then the problem is with action. This feels a bit strange since action seems to be quite high as it is. So, I was thinking if I should either try to tighten the truss rod myself, raise the action even more or just man up and turn to professional luthier services. I've got spare money so it wouldn't be such a big deal but on the other hand I'd rather learn how to adjust my set-up myself. Learning to do setup work yourself is a good skill, but in your case I think it might be a good idea to get it professionally set up, if for no other reason than giving you a good standard to compare any future setup you do to. If your bass needs fretwork, you should definitely leave it to a professional until you can get some fret tools and an instrument you're willing to make mistakes on.
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Jun 20, 2010 22:35
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I finally took the plunge and got a teacher. Such a great decision. It took a while to find another bassist (as opposed to a guitarist who can "play bass") who shares my views on music and who could turn me into his protege. Turned out an old friend from junior high was offering lessons and we got to talking and everything just sort of clicked.
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Jun 20, 2010 23:29
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baka kaba posted:What's been you guys' experience with learning basslines by ear? I'm pretty bad at hearing notes and intervals and so on, but with guitar work I can generally hear the sound at least - it's usually way less distinct with bass, because of the mixing and maybe because the frequencies are closer together? I was just wondering if other people had this problem and what you did to get around it. I have got better, but it's still a bit of a struggle with some songs I gave some more thought to your question. You should learn to identify major, minor, diminished and augmented chords (identifying tonality) and their corresponding shapes on the fretboard. By identifying the root of the chord as well as the tonality, , and then you can guess what notes the bass is likely to move to, and then "fill in the gaps" between the chord by listening. This will just help you get in the right area on the fretboard, but ultimately everything comes down to your ear.
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Jun 21, 2010 03:21
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thegloaming posted:I finally took the plunge and got a teacher. Such a great decision. It took a while to find another bassist (as opposed to a guitarist who can "play bass") who shares my views on music and who could turn me into his protege. Turned out an old friend from junior high was offering lessons and we got to talking and everything just sort of clicked. I've been thinking of doing the same, but I got burned when I took some lessons 3 years ago from this pretty well regarded jazz bassist. He demanded I learn to read notation and play jazz or Pink Floyd. I quit after 3 lessons.
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Jun 21, 2010 08:59
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cpach posted:Learning to do setup work yourself is a good skill, but in your case I think it might be a good idea to get it professionally set up, if for no other reason than giving you a good standard to compare any future setup you do to. If your bass needs fretwork, you should definitely leave it to a professional until you can get some fret tools and an instrument you're willing to make mistakes on. Yeah, I think I'm going to contact one local luthier my friend recommended. I was thinking of swapping strings even before that so that I get the most out of my new instrument. Speaking of strings, what kind of roundwounds would you recommend getting? I was thinking something with quite a small gauge since I'm learning to slap and want a bright, punchy tone. On the other hand, I want something that doesn't snap after hard abuse.
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Jun 21, 2010 14:41
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Dyna Soar posted:I've been thinking of doing the same, but I got burned when I took some lessons 3 years ago from this pretty well regarded jazz bassist. He demanded I learn to read notation and play jazz or Pink Floyd. I quit after 3 lessons.
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Jun 21, 2010 14:54
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Schatten posted:It takes a while to find the right teacher for you. Some teachers want you to learn from the bottom up and become a great jazz bassist. But most players don't want that. Make sure the teacher you find is a fit for you, otherwise, find another one. You'll spend a few bucks going to two lessons and seeing if the teacher is one you should stick with. Yeah that's what I've been thinking of doing.
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Jun 21, 2010 19:47
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These Loving Eyes posted:Yeah, I think I'm going to contact one local luthier my friend recommended. I was thinking of swapping strings even before that so that I get the most out of my new instrument. If you snap a bass string you need to chill the gently caress out and play like a normal person.
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Jun 22, 2010 04:15
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Yeah really, let your amp do the heavy lifting!
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Jun 22, 2010 05:41
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gotly posted:If you snap a bass string you need to chill the gently caress out and play like a normal person. Doomy posted:Yeah really, let your amp do the heavy lifting! Chill out guys, chill.  I've never come even close to snapping a string - I play quite softly. I just read someone's experiences online about some thinner strings that snapped in (presumably) normal use. Just wanted to know if there are some crappy and unreliable brands that can't handle normal thumps and pops.
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Jun 22, 2010 14:03
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Not really. I've heard of a few strings breaking, but with over 20 years of playing, nada. Not one. I do favor medium and heavy strings. Guitar on the other hand... yea, it happens.
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Jun 22, 2010 15:06
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I've broken some, but it doesn't happen often. It was also always GHS brand.
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Jun 22, 2010 18:20
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I play slap with really poor form and do not play like a normal person. I've had the same set of super slinkies on for 2 years and nothing broke. Changed them for hygenic reasons. / 
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Jun 22, 2010 20:15
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Looking for a cheap bass? amazon has a Dean bass with barts for 139.99.: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00095OAB6/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER States shipping in a few months, but it is a good deal.
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Jun 24, 2010 15:32
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I've broken two E strings in the past year. Always right at the bridge. I think its cause I use tapered strings, which are a little weaker at the bridge. They sound really great though, and I'll just go ahead and recommend them to anyone that plays an extended neck bass like I do.
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Jun 26, 2010 02:24
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Wow that's a pretty sweet deal. Looks like a similar setup to my SR500, but at about 1/3rd the price, and one less EQ control. Shame I'm on the wrong continent :P
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Jun 28, 2010 05:24
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Schatten posted:Looking for a cheap bass? amazon has a Dean bass with barts for 139.99.: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00095OAB6/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER Why was this marked down over 600 dollars? Something wrong with them or is it just a crazy awesome once in a basses lifetime deal?
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Jun 28, 2010 14:48
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I r Pat posted:Why was this marked down over 600 dollars? Something wrong with them or is it just a crazy awesome once in a basses lifetime deal? $814 is just the list price. Retail is usually 30 to 40% less than list price. Its just to make it seem like you are getting a really good deal when you go to the store. A quick search I found it listed in only two other places, one at a retail of $459 (but on sale for $229) and the other at $519. $140 is still a great deal, but its not quite a 80%+ off deal that is implied. As for your second question... I've always wanted a bass just for the hell of it, and want to know the same thing. Also, how could it possibly take 2 to 5 months to get here? Are they constructing it from scratch just for me?
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Jun 29, 2010 16:10
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Just bought a cheap as all hell gibson epiphone from craigslist with a peavy amp. There's no model numbers or anything like that but it looks like this one: It was too good a price to pass up, so now I guess I'm going to learn. I already know the basics and putting itunes on random and trying to keep up is helping my ear training a lot.
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Jun 29, 2010 16:20
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shpladoinkle posted:Just bought a cheap as all hell gibson epiphone from craigslist with a peavy amp. There's no model numbers or anything like that but it looks like this one: is it a jazz clone? how is the setup and finish? this might be jpeg artifacting, but the strings look old and dirty as hell.
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Jun 30, 2010 00:40
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