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The Will posted:Hi guys, I'd really like some advice on where to proceed next with my learning, if that's OK - thanks to your advice so far I've been having great fun, but I feel a little directionless. I'm pretty new too but https://www.studybass.com has been really helpful to me, and the guy who makes it is constantly emphasising chord tones - that you're meant to outline the main notes of the chord everyone's playing, and how you can use other notes from the scale to add colour and move from one chord to the next. Definitely learn about keys and scales and how chords are formed! As far as composition goes, I think it really depends on how you personally write. If you prefer to come up with a chord progression and build a bassline around that, that's cool. If you work out a nice bassline and want to flesh it out, that works too - it's all a creative process really. They're all linked though, playing a certain bassline will imply certain chords, so knowing what notes you're playing will help you work out what key you're in and what chords you should try
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Dec 10, 2010 16:53
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The Will, You know the 12 bar blues? Learn some blues patterns, shuffle it, and then learn to "accent" the V for lack of better terms. I can shoot you some resources on this if youd like. Learn the blues scales/patterns, and grab some backing tracks and jam along. Practice scales up and down the neck; learn about key signatures and the circle of fifths. Know where all the notes on the fretboard lie. Know the Root / Fifth / Octave / Major 3rd / Minor 3rd relationships. Learn what makes a minor chord vs a major chords (hint: the third). Practice rhythm with a metronome clicking on the 2 and 4 only. You play the 1, 2, 3, and 4. Grab Bass Fitness (PM me) and practice those exercises for 15min+ per day. Theyre very good. And kinda fun if you hate yourself like I do. I've been enjoying the gently caress out of the bass. Seriously; poo poo. I am lucky too as the bass instructor in my area is the poo poo and runs a statewide organization that hosts clinics and poo poo. Monday night I've got a clinic with Adam Nitti and he's supposed to be pretty rad - looking forward to it. edit: I'm still super new too; so that all may be totally off. But I think its pretty accurate. Walked fucked around with this message at 17:35 on Dec 10, 2010 |
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Dec 10, 2010 17:23
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Thanks for that guys, I've been practising like a mofo. I was looking at BB King's "Thrill is Gone" and associated guides and tablature and I really am having a hard time figuring it out (the link is here:http://betweenthelicks.com/blues-guitar/blues-bass-lines under 'minor straight blues') The song is a I-IV-V in Am, Dm, and Em. It uses the root and fifth, but flatted root and flatted fifth as bump notes up and down. When playing over the IV-chord (Dm) of the progression instead of going 'up' to a higher A, it goes down to the A that's played as the root of the I-chord. Why? It sounds right but I don't understand. When the progression moves from the V back to the IV, the bump note down is the flatted root of the IV (going from an E to a D, so the flatted root is a Db), and again - this makes sense. But why? Is it a function of the rhythm that transcends the bar/measure and allows the flatted root of the next bar to sneak into the current one?
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Dec 13, 2010 00:42
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Stop worrying about it. If it sounds right, it is right. The answer to "Why" is "because it sounds good." What you're talking about is an upper and lower chromatic approach. It emphasizes the nice feeling of getting back to the root by adding a little dissonance. I really really recommend "Building Walking Bass Lines" by Ed Friedland. ~60 pages and explains everything you'r confused about.
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Dec 13, 2010 01:09
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I guess that did come over a bit overly concerned - I'll check out that book, my reason for asking was that everything's made total sense up until that bloody step down, Ha! Thanks for the tip 
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Dec 13, 2010 01:15
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The most common chord tones for a bassist to play are the one and five, so on a Dm chord, you can play both the D and the A. It doesn't matter what octave you play them in, it's still the five of the Dm chord. Even if Jerry Jemmott always played the low A on "The Thrill Is Gone", it's still the five of the Dm chord regardless. As far as the Db is concerned, approaching a chord by a semitone is very common in blues, r & b, and funk. It doesn't really matter too much if you approach it from a semitone above or below, it still creates the desired tension that resolves when you hit the root. This is just the way Jerry decided to play it...you could just as easily approach the Dm chord with an Eb if you wanted. Speaking of this legendary bassist, he also has a book of his own that you might find useful.
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Dec 13, 2010 01:42
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What's the best way to go about fingering a R-8-5-8 or R-8-8-5 set of notes? My pinky and ring fingers fretting both strings up from the root note's string (i.e. G on the bottom string with my index, D with my ring on the A string and G with my pinky on the D string?) - it feels really awkward to do.
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Dec 16, 2010 23:08
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So, I finally found it. My birthday is Sunday and I found a used bass at my admittedly bottom-feeder budget level that I can feel good about purchasing. But state law says I can't have it until next month. In other words, the man is preventing me from rocking out.
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Dec 17, 2010 04:46
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Are they doing a background check or something?
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Dec 17, 2010 06:01
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manic mike posted:Are they doing a background check or something? No...I just don't get to buy a used instrument within 30 days of it being sold to such a reputable establishment as GC. But I think they should probably avoid putting such things on display. It's unseemly.
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Dec 17, 2010 06:54
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Any suggestions on a lower end 5 string for dabbling with? Looking at the SR305; fits the budget reasonably well. Also Rondo's offerings dont look too bad. But very open to suggestions. Or I can save and spend $500 - 700 next month.
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Dec 17, 2010 15:22
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Walked posted:Any suggestions on a lower end 5 string for dabbling with? I'd suggest waiting or buying something used. Head over to TalkBass and see what's floating around in the For Sale forum. You could probably find a used Lakland 55-01 (which is a 35" scale length)*, Tribute G&L 2500, SBMM Ray35 (you could actually get one of those new for $600 I think). But yeah, there's nothing wrong with the Ibanez. *I am an endorsing artist/whore for Lakland Basses
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Dec 17, 2010 15:40
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Hey guys, how much do you pull your arm back to exert fretting pressure? Is it a bad thing to do it at all? It sure as hell makes it easier to fret with my ring and pinky without having to aim my thumb at them
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Dec 17, 2010 18:56
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baka kaba posted:Hey guys, how much do you pull your arm back to exert fretting pressure? Is it a bad thing to do it at all? It sure as hell makes it easier to fret with my ring and pinky without having to aim my thumb at them None? Where is your thumb placed? How is it placed? Flat, pointed, aligned with a particular finger? Wrapped around? The key is finger strength and thumb placement. Nothing to do with the arm itself.
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Dec 17, 2010 19:31
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The Will posted:What's the best way to go about fingering a R-8-5-8 or R-8-8-5 set of notes? My pinky and ring fingers fretting both strings up from the root note's string (i.e. G on the bottom string with my index, D with my ring on the A string and G with my pinky on the D string?) - it feels really awkward to do. Maybe it's because I started on upright, but I'd fret the G with my first finger, and then use my pinky for the D and the octave G.
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Dec 17, 2010 19:34
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I tend to play a root, fifth, and octave with: Root: Index (or middle depending on preceding notes) Fifth: Ring finger (or pinky; same story) Octave: Same as fifth; just roll between the strings. Works well for me; but I'm also new. My instructor hasnt taken issue with this habit though.
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Dec 17, 2010 19:51
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Schatten posted:None? Where is your thumb placed? How is it placed? Flat, pointed, aligned with a particular finger? Wrapped around? The key is finger strength and thumb placement. Nothing to do with the arm itself. I have it flat against the back of the neck pretty much level with my second finger, but if I'm doing one finger per fret (especially at the stretchy end of the neck) I find it hard to exert pressure with my fingers extended over there and my thumb over here. Those two fingers end up coming in at a diagonal instead of straight down onto the fretboard, and my thumb naturally rolls to the side. Is this just a normal sign of weak fingers?
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Dec 17, 2010 22:07
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Maybe your action is too high
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Dec 17, 2010 22:20
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baka kaba posted:Hey guys, how much do you pull your arm back to exert fretting pressure? Is it a bad thing to do it at all? It sure as hell makes it easier to fret with my ring and pinky without having to aim my thumb at them Your arm should be completely relaxed when fretting. All the exertion should be in the fingers. Hold the bass so it's not touching your body. Fret a note. If the bass moved more than like an inch, you're doing it wrong. I'd get your action checked out and/or see a teacher for a couple intro lessons. It's really really really hard to break bad form once you've developed a habit of it.
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Dec 18, 2010 00:36
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Hi bass thread; been a while  My gear acquisition syndrome kicked in when I saw an Ampeg 806E and I wound up buying it. Two weeks later, it's in the shop for the second time because I've blown the drivers, even the new ones. Even if all of the drivers were fixed, I don't trust the cabinet anymore. I want something that will maximize my 800RB's 300 watts (so 4 ohm would be nice), but since I play mainly bar gigs, I don't need an 8x10. I really WANT and 8x10, but it's not practical. I'm not sure how much more practical a 2x15 would be, but I wanna give it a shot. My old Avatar 2x12 sorta did the trick, but I need some more volume to compete with a super-loud drummer and a nearly wide-open 50w half-stack. Replacing the amp with anything at this point is sorta silly, since I love the thing to pieces and would be very unhappy with any other amp. There's an Eden D215XLT available locally that I'm itching to try, but I'm wondering if anyone has any helpful anecdotes or cabinet suggestions. If it helps, my playing style is pretty fast at times (16th notes at ~100 bpm), I have a very fuzzy pedal (think the opening of Black Sabbath's NIB), and I use a pick if any of that sort of thing helps. Oh, I really like mid-range frequencies; the EQ on the 800RB is (in o'clock positions from treble to bass) noon, 3, 3, and 2. Thanks guys
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Dec 18, 2010 09:08
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gotly posted:Your arm should be completely relaxed when fretting. All the exertion should be in the fingers. Hold the bass so it's not touching your body. Fret a note. If the bass moved more than like an inch, you're doing it wrong. Yeahhhh I did mean to, but I never got around to really looking for a decent teacher (so I wouldn't just pick someone and end up with 'dude who owns a bass'). I've always had aches in my thumb when I play bar chords for any extended length of time, so it could be that I just suck. Gonna at least try harder at keeping my fingers as straight as possible though
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Dec 18, 2010 19:48
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scuz posted:Hi bass thread; been a while 300 solid state watts just isn't a whole lot, and you're going to blow up just about everything routinely if you're playing with a loud band because you'll be severely clipping your head. Hell, I'm not even sure you wouldn't nuke an 8x10 eventually. I think your minimum is going to be a 6x10, but if you really want to hang onto that head you need the biggest most efficient speaker cab you can find. A 2x15 is substantially less efficient than an 8x10, will have slower response, and less midrange. I don't think it's what you want. Honestly man, with a loud band 300 solid state watts just isn't going to cut it.
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Dec 19, 2010 00:23
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:Honestly man, with a loud band 300 solid state watts just isn't going to cut it.
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Dec 19, 2010 01:01
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scuz posted:Seriously? It took me a long time and 4 different kinds of amps to finally find one that I really like, and now it's not gonna cut it. poo poo. Should I just go with the next loudest that GK has to offer? I've never been impressed with the solid state Ampeg offerings, and I've been meaning to take a look at Eden things but haven't the foggiest where to start with them. If nothing besides an 800RB sounds right, you could always just get a second one and run them both. But, I really think what you need is decent PA support.
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Dec 19, 2010 01:14
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DrChu posted:If nothing besides an 800RB sounds right, you could always just get a second one and run them both.
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Dec 19, 2010 01:15
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How do you deal with not getting PA support? I went to a local band festival when I was in college and none of the bassists were ran through the PA.
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Dec 19, 2010 01:49
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scuz posted:Seriously? It took me a long time and 4 different kinds of amps to finally find one that I really like, and now it's not gonna cut it. poo poo. Should I just go with the next loudest that GK has to offer? I've never been impressed with the solid state Ampeg offerings, and I've been meaning to take a look at Eden things but haven't the foggiest where to start with them. You either need more watts or more speakers (or more money for repairs.) If you like the 800RB, what about the 1001RB? Minto Took posted:How do you deal with not getting PA support? I went to a local band festival when I was in college and none of the bassists were ran through the PA. I have a 4x12, that's how. DEUCE SLUICE fucked around with this message at 03:07 on Dec 19, 2010 |
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Dec 19, 2010 03:01
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Minto Took posted:How do you deal with not getting PA support? I went to a local band festival when I was in college and none of the bassists were ran through the PA.  Click here for the full 634x845 image. Hi, I'm 6 foot 5 and my stack is taller than I am. Completely and utterly impractical and I've never brought both cabinets to a gig (the smaller one is way louder than most gigs need), but I got the drat thing for such a loving amazing price I just couldn't not buy it. Anyway, bass thread, can someone recommend me a overdrive that sounds rad and won't turn my definition into poop? I want something that is thick and heavy, but still maintains a tight sound and cuts through a mix. Lately I've been using a rather bizarre overdrive setup; I hook my bass into my Roland Bass Cube with a neutral EQ, and put the gain up to 8-10. I then run that into my Marshall DBS 7400. It sounds ridiculous, but the result is that I get that sweet sound of a tiny amp being driven way farther than it has any business going, and the volume and punch of a big stack. So I've turned my tiny practice amp into the biggest effects pedal in the universe.
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Dec 19, 2010 21:31
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Geisladisk posted:Anyway, bass thread, can someone recommend me a overdrive that sounds rad and won't turn my definition into poop? I want something that is thick and heavy, but still maintains a tight sound and cuts through a mix. What overdrives have you tried out? I've found that I hate how most overdrives sound (especially those that try to blend in dry signal to maintain low end), unless I'm running them into something like a Sansamp afterward. Years ago I did this with a Bass Driver DI, now I use a VT Bass, but the result is basically the same. The speaker emulation in the Sansamp strips all the harsh high frequency content the overdrive produces that would just go right to the tweeter, and leaves the thicker low part of the signal. Plus they got EQ on them in case you need to modify the sound more.
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Dec 19, 2010 22:46
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Geisladisk posted:
I am quite fond of the Fulltone Bass Drive. I have been using one for about three years now, and it does exactly what you are looking for. Check one out! Overdrives are one of those things that seem to be very susceptible to the "flavor of the month" phenomenon, and folks are constantly hunting for the best one. I played this one and stopped searching, I think it's a fine unit. Also, they are a lot easier to come by than they were a few years back and they are quite a bit cheaper now, too. Find one used! http://www.fulltone.com/BD.asp
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Dec 20, 2010 02:34
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:If you like the 800RB, what about the 1001RB? DEUCE SLUICE posted:Honestly man, with a loud band 300 solid state watts just isn't going to cut it.
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Dec 20, 2010 06:20
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Juaguocio posted:They sound nothing alike. The 800 is warm and gritty while the 1001 is super loud and clean. I think that the 800 sounds better than any of GK's newer amps. One of my bass heroes uses an 8x10 Ampeg with his 800RB and he does just fine, but he's obviously got some good PA support going. I think if I decided to go ahead and straight-up murder myself, that would be the way to go. We have the means of transporting it, so the only problem is moving the drat thing. I'll just go to town and custom-build some runners or something, I dunno.
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Dec 20, 2010 06:28
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What about that GK Neo 810? It's only 111 lbs, and as long as you can tilt it back dolly-style it should be quite easy to manage, provided you don't have to take it up the stairs of your fourth floor walkup every night. I use an Aguilar GS412, and while it's 8x10 sized, being only 110lbs makes it really easy to manage. I can leverage it in and out of my car no problem, wheel it around and get it up curbs and onto stages by myself, and if there's a huge set of stairs two-manning it is a breeze. Don't fight the big cab. Accept it. One of us.
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Dec 20, 2010 06:38
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:What about that GK Neo 810? It's only 111 lbs, and as long as you can tilt it back dolly-style it should be quite easy to manage, provided you don't have to take it up the stairs of your fourth floor walkup every night.
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Dec 20, 2010 06:46
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Does anyone have any experience with the Ibanez JTKB200? I might buy one if I can find it in black, only because I love the look.
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Dec 20, 2010 10:29
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How dreadful! posted:Does anyone have any experience with the Ibanez JTKB200? I might buy one if I can find it in black, only because I love the look. Yeah, I've played one and drat near bought one at Guitar Center after trying it out. Like most Ibanez basses it felt solidly built and had some good tones. The sound was geared more towards rock, but I was able to dial in a few different sounds. Definitely reminded me of my old Thunderbird. I don't know if they make it in black or not. I think just burst and red.
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Dec 20, 2010 14:16
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http://www.giggear.co.uk/p/Ibanez-JTKB200-Black/ I've seen it in black in a couple of online stores, for as low as €280. 
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Dec 20, 2010 16:03
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Walked posted:Any suggestions on a lower end 5 string for dabbling with? http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Squier-Deluxe-Jazz-Bass-Active-V-5String-Bass-?sku=512618 This is an amazing 5 string for the money. Don't be afraid of the Squier brand on it, it's a solid well built bass, looks good, sounds great. Only issue I have with it is that it is a total battery muncher, but I've seen them modified with a switch to kill the eq, so that you can play it passive, I've not done the mod to mine yet, but it seems relatively easy. She's HEAVY, but feels solid enough to smash some stage climbing punk's brain matter out with. membranoid fucked around with this message at 21:33 on Dec 20, 2010 |
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Dec 20, 2010 21:18
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How dreadful! posted:Does anyone have any experience with the Ibanez JTKB200? I might buy one if I can find it in black, only because I love the look. I thought it had a nice feel to it but the tone was a bit too muddy and undefined for my tastes.
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Dec 21, 2010 00:54
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scuz posted:These are two reasons why I don't wanna bail on my 800RB. It used to be that looking for new amps was sorta fun, but it's such a chore now. 8x10s actually aren't as hard to move as you might think. It takes a couple people to lift one but if it has a good set of tilt-back casters one person can roll it around with ease. I like the way Traynor does their 8x10s - they have a set of handles on the bottom as well as the top so two people can easily carry one up a flight of stairs.
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Dec 21, 2010 02:31
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