Hey everybody...this is my second post, as my first post was on the Newbie board. :)

OK, as of right now, I'm an intermediate level drummer, but I have always loved the sound of bass guitar. Now, I finally have one, but know nothing about playing it. I'm mostly into rock , extreme rock, and some Punk/Hardcore type stuff, and have been into it for about 20 years.

My cousin is a drummer, and he jams with a couple of real cool guys who play guitar, so they want me to help them out with the bass. I'm totally cool with that, but I can't afford lessons, so I have no idea where to start. Should I even try jamming with them, or do I have to wait for like....a whole frakkin' year while I try to learn the basics!??

:help:

Learn the basics mate

What would you rather be - an essential, valuable sound or a poser!

Im sick of going to gigs and seeing/hearing the bassist be the weekest link in the band!

Im really fed up of it! - the bass is simple to start but after that its a complex piece of machinery - if you want to sound bass then i suggest learn!

:bassist:

you should know the fretboard - or some of it!

a whole frakkin' year is not what'll you'll need to get started bro' . I started a bit over 2 months ago , and can hold my own for any form of mid-level Alternative Rock , Punk , Blues and some simple Funk . Just keep at it , learn the RIGHT stuff , practice the right stuff , including scales , finger tech's , keeping in time , and all of that stuff you might not find that interesting daily , and you'll be fine .

It's goes very similar to that old saying for Comercial artists : The first 10,000 drawings are going to be horrible , so better get them out of the way as fast as possible....;)

Learn the basics mate

+ 1

If you REALLY want to play bass then this is a must. You give the impression of being in a big hurry. Slow down and learn from the bas(s)ics up. It will pay dividends in the long run. A good start might be to listen closely to the bass lines in the music you are interested in to get an idea and a feel for where the bass fits in. Then you could try playing along to some of the simpler songs. There are some good websites for teaching the basics e.g. www.studybass.com

Thanx alot guys, I really, really appreciate all your advice. :)

Yeah, I must admit that I'm a bit impatient, which is one of my bigger downfalls. I guess I just hate to go from knowing how to sit down at the drum set and kick out a decent beat, to knowing pretty much nothing.

A lot of the stuff I listen to has good 'standout' basslines, yet is fairly simple and repetetive, so I have a lot of stuff to practice to. On the plus side, we don't really play fast Hardcore/Thrash type stuff, so I don't have to worry about being hyper fast. It's kinda just basic, hard/alternative rock, much of it just made up right on the spot.

I think I'm going to start by having my dad show me some really basic stuff. Heck....he played guitar before I was even born, and I'm in my 30's now.