|
Alright, good to know. Are the lesson sites in the OP still the go to? Is there anything that's like, the Justin equivalent for bass in terms of near-universal recognition as the place to start if you're going to self teach with vids?
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2018 23:09
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 28, 2024 09:35 |
|
|
I found StudyBass real helpful! It's good because it covers a lot of what the bass is actually doing in a song, why you're hitting those notes. And then it gives you songs to listen to and play that cover the same concepts from the lesson As far as videos go, I don't know about a one-stop full course like Justin's, but these were handy Basic posture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsDbh0buYHE How to pluck a string and mute the others (important!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDSAd29kJ0o Fingerstyle techniques + an exercise (raking is like economy picking) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNAYIfITgpw Some handy tips to keep in mind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y57-2eaTBwc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXkxu_7Tn48 that last one is really helpful to keep in mind - bass is a more physically demanding instrument than guitar I think, just because of the size of it and the effort involved in fretting and playing those big strings. So you need to make your life as easy as possible, and being smart about how you approach the fretboard is a good idea. Some of this transferred over to guitar for me too - I used to play octave shapes with my 1st and 3rd fingers, now a lot of the time I'll use 1st and 4th because why not?
|
|
#
?
Mar 14, 2018 23:58
|
|
|
Yeah, it does seem more demanding. That's why at first I was considering a short scale like an Ibanez Mikro, or even a Ubass. But, ultimately, I feel like if I do that at first I'd be limiting myself. If someone was like "hey play bass with me" I don't want to have to be like "OK but if it's 34 inch scale I can't do it, gotta be 28." Might as well adjust to a "normal" bass first. Again, this is all kind of speculative for the next 5 weeks [christ almighty I've still got 5 weeks :/] when I'm finished some stuff for work including travel. But I'm excited about the idea. It looks like studybass teaches theory as it goes along which might also help my guitar playing. I'm already studying the notes on the neck so that will be a help since it's the same bottom 4 strings just an octave up (as far as note names are concerned).
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2018 00:25
|
|
|
Hellblazer187 posted:I know I'm not supposed to use a guitar amp, but what about a guitar headphone amp? I've got an AC30 flavored Vox Amplug. There's no speaker for it to blow. I could plug that into either headphones or computer speakers for a start. I did play guitar with it through speakers for a week when I was traveling and it was decent enough. I suppose the volume will be low. This would probably be fine, but if you're going to do that, why not just get the bass headphone amp? They're cheap. Well, if $40 is cheap. They have an aux input that I often use to hook up to my computer when I'm learning a song, a 3-step input adjustment so it can be used with weak or strong signal-producing basses without overloading the circuit, they work with any headphones (though I recommend over-the-ear phones), and they're really keen and all the cool kids have them.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2018 00:54
|
|
|
Bass is fun as heck, and honestly the "bigness" is part of that - it feels like this substantial instrument you play in a more physical way, and a lot of the time you're focusing on the nuances of that interaction, kinda magnified compared to guitar. Even things like sliding up the neck feel like something you do with your body, instead of just moving your hand. So yeah, I wouldn't worry about the size unless you have a specific reason to want a small, low-tension instrument. Just try and get one with a neck that feels good to you Also studybass has a really good fretboard memorisation exercise (kinda hard to find things with the new site design but hey) which will transfer to guitar too - there's only one extra string to learn! (Since the other one is just another E string)
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2018 00:54
|
|
|
i love the bass, i love the fact that it's percussive as well as melodic and your job is to both find the fundemental hits of the beat as well as the fundamental notes of the melody (or notes that support it the best) and try to hit both
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2018 00:57
|
|
|
Bass players are underappreciated, but we like it that way. It gives us something to be quietly smug about.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2018 01:05
|
|
|
...to ourselves
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2018 02:12
|
|
|
Hellblazer187 posted:I know I'm not supposed to use a guitar amp, but what about a guitar headphone amp? I've got an AC30 flavored Vox Amplug. There's no speaker for it to blow. I could plug that into either headphones or computer speakers for a start. I did play guitar with it through speakers for a week when I was traveling and it was decent enough. I suppose the volume will be low. Using a guitar amp is fine. I do it all the time. The reason people run into trouble is because it takes more power to amplify bass frequencies to the same apparent volume as a guitar. This results in them pushing the amp and speaker (in particular) way harder than they should. If you're playing at normal bedroom levels then you're gonna be fine.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2018 02:14
|
|
|
tarlibone posted:Well, if $40 is cheap. $40 US. It'd be $70+ for me here.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2018 02:16
|
|
|
Just jumped into it a couple of months ago with a Fender Rumble & a Yamaha TRBX. I really wanna get lessons but right now my schedule doesn't allow a ton of free time; time which I've already got a ton of (necessary) things crammed into. Anyway, I quickly learned that it's pretty to easy to get overwhelmed with all of the available information online and soon found myself at a loss on how to structure my practice time (30-60 minutes on a good day; 10 minutes on a hectic day). I stumbled across a video by Mark Michell where he espoused an approach called the "difficulty sandwich". Essentially, given enough time, you'd divide your practice into 3 equal sections. The first and the last being material or exercises that you can complete fairly successfully; working on improving timing or consistency in left/right hand technique. Between these two mini-sessions, you should endeavor to tackle something that you are in the infant stages of learning. For me, that would include sight reading, quick note identification on the fretboard, and working on learning chord tones. His main point was that while you should certainly challenge yourself on your ability, you don't want to put the bass away feeling disappointed by having failed miserably on the last thing you practiced. So far, at least, it's making practice more fun and keeps me looking forward to the next one. I don't know if this approach is applicable to folks who are pretty proficient at the instrument but it seems like a good regimen for someone who is green as hell (ME!!!) I also have apps for fretboard/stave note practice on my phone which helps me pass the time on the streetcar or during lulls at work. Whelp, that's my intro I guess. PS - What's up, Agreed!!! Huge smile on my face when I noticed you were a thread regular!
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2018 03:20
|
|
|
Does anyone have some tips with approaching bass NOT as a guitarist? As in, I play guitar but I'm often laying down bass tracks (that were meant to be rerecorded by my bassist but aren't now) to the point that I'm looking at purchasing a "gets the job done" bass. One of my favourite parts recently is writing guitar riffs and stuff and then spending time trying to come up with a bassline that's rooted in the rhythm but with some melodic elements. It's challenging because I want the bass to stand on its own yet I don't want the "bass riff" to compete with the "guitar riff".
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2018 10:10
|
|
|
Try to approach bass lines as a counter melody or harmonize the guitar line a la Flea. Some of my favorite bassists have that approach and it makes for a lot of interesting a fun lines. Listen to Motown for plenty of great rythymically and harmonicly interesting stuff. Jamerson was a prophet and a pillar for bass in modern music. Bottom Liner fucked around with this message at 18:47 on Mar 18, 2018 |
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2018 11:32
|
|
|
Or follow the vocals and drums, not the guitar.
|
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2018 11:35
|
|
|
Dyna Soar posted:If you want to play directly into a DAW, you need both an interface and a DI box (interface to transfer the signal to your computer and a DI box to "balance" the signal, essentially to compress it a bit to make it stable. Those two will set you back 50-100 euros in minimum. 99% of interfaces have an "Instrument" input which removes the need for a standalone DI. baka kaba posted:
I took a lesson from someone last year and 30 seconds in to me playing for him for the first time he says "you started on upright, didn't you?" Which, I did! I subconsciously do 1-2-4 up until past the fifth fret because on upright you don't have an option other than to use your pinky for a fifth interval in the positions close to the nut. On electric, with your hand far away from your head, I think trying to force 1234 in first position is a recipe for wrist pain if you have smaller hands or aren't stretched out.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2018 18:35
|
|
|
Bottom Liner posted:Listen to Motown for plenty of great rythymically and harmonicly interesting stuff. Jamerson was a profit and a pillar for bass in modern music. There is no better exercise for learning to write great baselines than learning & analyzing Motown & Stax basslines note-for-note. James Jamerson, Bob Babbitt and Duck Dunn were all absolute monsters.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2018 18:45
|
|
|
If you can really, really get your head around Motown arrangements (not just the bass lines) you can tear through just about any pop music. They usually had two drummers, three guitarists, piano and organ, and the obvious horns, strings and backing vocals. That two drummers/three guitarist thing is certainly not common these days, but drummer/drum machine and rhythm guitar/plucky synth/lead line shows up everywhere and is usually doing something similar. Once you figure out what role everything is filling it makes it really easy to pick up and remember songs.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2018 19:40
|
|
|
Yeah, learning a song should absolutely be about learning the entire piece, not just the bass line. Having some jazz theory education taught me a lot about how to really learn music. Here's how I learn a song: Form (verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus etc) Harmony - Key and chord progression in numeral form for easy memorization and transposition ( I–V–vi–IV, etc) Melody - singing and playing (crucial to understanding the role the bassline plays to support it) Bass line - this will come pretty naturally after you've done the above, and you'll have a much better understanding of how it functions in the song All of this is done from the recording, NOT a lead sheet or tab. Developing your ear will do more for your playing than any other effort in your bass playing. The technology we have today (https://www.tunetranscriber.com/) makes this so much easier than past generations had it, but it's still far and away the best way to develop your song bank.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2018 19:58
|
|
|
CheesyDog posted:They usually had two drummers, What was the point to the two drummers?
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2018 20:34
|
|
|
It was more dubbing in parts, not that they would play at the same time barring a few rare circumstances. Heard it Through the Grapevine used three.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2018 20:37
|
|
|
Bottom Liner posted:Yeah, learning a song should absolutely be about learning the entire piece, not just the bass line. Having some jazz theory education taught me a lot about how to really learn music. Here's how I learn a song: I wonder how good of a musician I would be if I had this kind of dedication.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2018 20:37
|
|
|
Kilometers Davis posted:I wonder how good of a musician I would be if I had this kind of dedication. Like any skill, it gets easier and faster the more you do it! Transcribing (learning a song, doesn't have to mean writing out note for note) really should be part of your practice routine and you'll be amazed how quickly you can learn 99% of songs after doing it a bit. Speaking of practice routines, here's what I've gone back to for upright and electric since getting back into things hard this year: stretch fingers/wrists/arms warm up exercises (chromatic, string skipping, other left/right hand stuff) scale practice - 1 key all over the fretboard in blocks of 5 frets lowest to highest and back. play straight scalar stuff and intervals (3s, 6s, arpeggios, etc) arpeggio practice - 1 key, 2 octave in maj, min, dom, dim (this is great for electric fingerboard maneuvering and pitch on upright) technique practice - bowing upright, slapping or tapping electric, etc. use rhythmic or melodic exercises, don't just noodle. play along with a few songs (mostly jazz standards for me) improv practice over the same songs to work on melody and soloing learn new song transcribing/ear training for 1 new song and making a lead sheet for it in my notebook play along with new song solo with new song playing with melody and improving on chords This is usually about an hour for me, which I try to block out and plan and keep distraction free in the afternoons. Keeping it structured helps me really get the most out of my time. Also, here's a great article breaking down some of the Motown conventions, most of which are still directly present in today's pop music http://www.bluemorris.com/music-and-jazz/280-motown-sound Bottom Liner fucked around with this message at 20:53 on Mar 18, 2018 |
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2018 20:51
|
|
|
Gorgar posted:What was the point to the two drummers? Good example is the bongos + kit from this clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppvBWIzvPvU Even during fills there's always a steady backing beat.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2018 20:57
|
|
|
I love this clip, it's a perfect demonstration of how a live band playing a modern pop song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcFvt1sLpis
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2018 21:05
|
|
|
I think I asked this before but I don't think I got a real answer. I have a bass now (hooray!) that I'm borrowing from my friend. It's an OLP MM2 (I think), Stingray clone. It sounds pretty good and stuff through my interface and Amplitube and stuff. But I'm chasing this tone specifically: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6ADv8N82YU That deep, middy (?) boom. So heavy but with loads of definition. I know Billy used an Ampeg stack around that time but I can't find any solid information. I'm not caring to slavishly recreate it but I'd love a similar sound. If someone wants I can record something with the bass I have so people know what I'm starting from? Thanks y'all.
|
|
#
?
Mar 22, 2018 02:50
|
|
|
Try the Green BA250, which is supposed to simulate a Trace Elliot AH250. D'Arcy used a AH400, also a P-Bass, but beggars can't be choosers. Just roll the treble back on the guitar, crank the gain knob and fiddle with the EQ until it sounds like something close.
|
|
#
?
Mar 22, 2018 05:44
|
|
|
baka kaba posted:
I wish I knew about this before finding out what the hell "trigger finger" was.
|
|
#
?
Mar 22, 2018 22:21
|
|
|
A good method book for understanding using 1 2 4 fingerings is Simandl book 1. It has been used for such a long time with upright players because of its efficiency and that kind of fingering comes directly from upright bass so even though it was written way before electric bass was a thing it is very worth checking out if you don’t have an upright bass background.
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2018 01:05
|
|
|
This dude has a really cool slap/flamenco style. I remember seeing this back before Youtube was around but just came across it again. Need to do a breakdown of his technique. Ignore the super cheesy lyrics and vocals  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXImi2etl7I
|
|
#
?
Mar 30, 2018 17:59
|
|
|
All I could think about was Sling Blade.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2018 08:15
|
|
|
That is seriously some of the worst music I've heard in years
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2018 14:32
|
|
|
So are the lyrics of that song about a “nice guy” who is mad that some girl doesn’t want to go out with him and just wants to be friends?
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2018 16:40
|
|
|
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2018 17:04
|
|
|
rio posted:So are the lyrics of that song about a “nice guy” who is mad that some girl doesn’t want to go out with him and just wants to be friends? That and many more dumb things, yes
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2018 19:50
|
|
|
The video is from 2001 which explains the style a bit more. The guy still is alive but seems to have stopped making music around the time Myspace was popular.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2018 09:36
|
|
|
I told you guys to ignore the lyrics for a reason 😄 still good bass work
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2018 12:28
|
|
|
Technically proficient but zero style. So not good bass work
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2018 12:51
|
|
|
I like the music a lot. The rest, yikes.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2018 14:00
|
|
|
Yeah, he fully fleshed out a simple two chord structure for the verses with percussive sounds, a groove bass line, and strummed chords all at once. That’s impressive.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2018 14:19
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 28, 2024 09:35 |
|
|
I don’t really like bass as a solo instrument unless it’s Victor Wooten, tbh. That style is kinda impressive in the sense that I can’t do it, but I wouldn’t spend time learning to do it because I can’t imagine ever doing that in a band.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2018 22:19
|
|