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http://www.activebass.com/Default.asp has good lessons that are free. A teacher is great, but I would recommend learning on your own for a year or so before hiring one so that you'll get the most out of it. I'm sure you're aware, but the music theory that you learn for guitar (or any instrument for that matter) is equally valid and valuable on bass. As far as buying a bass to start on goes, Fender Mexican J or P Bass. It will last you forever and you can always upgrade things on it. I wouldn't get a Squire because it's likely that if you stick with it you'll want to get rid of that bass in a year. I don't know if you're willing to drop an extra $100-$200 bucks, but I'd also recommend buying a practice amp. Since the electric bass emits such low frequencies, it takes a lot of wood to amplify it unlike a guitar, so when you're practicing you'll get in the habit of playing as hard as you can with you're right hand. If you do that, whenever you do get an amp it'll be tough to have good dynamics. Plus, if you're tensing up your muscles all the time just to hear a note, it'll be tough to relax, which is key to learning to play fast on the bass. As far as practicing goes, learning scales, progressions, and proper fingering/picking/slapping technique are all important. But also, jam out to your favorite tracks. This will allow you to develop a groove (probably the most important aspect of bass) and a feel for the genres you like, since your favorite music often dictates what kind of stuff you'll end up playing. In addition to tracks you like, go out there and listen/learn styles that you would never seek out normally. In my opinion, a versatile bass player is a good bass player and the fact that you can play many styles will mean that more people are willing to play with you. Lastly, metronome metronome metronome. With bass, rhythm the most important aspect, even more than the notes you play. Remember, this is the instrument that makes booties shake, so if you're off time, people will not only hear it, they'll feel it. Anyways, hope that helps. P.S. I've played bass for about 8 or 9 years now for what it's worth.
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Dec 12, 2007 18:41
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 15:02 |
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Slapping is fun and all, but some many people tend to be such douche bags about it. There seems to be this stigma amongst (typically) really young players that if you can't slap like Victor Wooten then you suck at bass. I mean seriously, walk into a Guitar Center and walk by the bass room. 11 out of 10 times there is some young kid trying his hardest to play Higher Ground or pull off a super-mega-ultra rad slap solo. It used to drive me insane when someone would come up to me and be like "hey dude play the theme to Seinfeld," because it's all super cool slapping and that poo poo. It pissed me off not only because it's a dumb request, but also the fact that it reinforces the idea that a good bass player is one that can slap like a goofball. thegloaming, if I have but one piece of advice to guide you into bass excellence for the rest of your life this is it: it doesn't matter if you can play Teen Town with one hand, Tommy the Cat with your feet, or Classical Thump with your dick, if you can't make a groove or at least play in tune at nearly any tempo in any key for whatever style you fall into, then your playing will never amount to anything worthwhile. Also, if you ever talk with other bass player in real life or on the internet, ignore all the stupid commentary that gets brought up about picks vs fingers and 4-strings vs X-strings. None of those makes you a "real" bass player in and of themselves. Each are good for their own thing.
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Dec 13, 2007 21:36
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