Need Help

[Midgar]

I've been playing bass for about 4 years. I want to exceed these skills, But I don't know where to start.

I play both Double bass and Bass guitar and would like to learn slap bass on guitar and use the Double bass for orchestral stuff.
I know some music theory.

Can someone lead me somewhere?

Where can I get music to practice?

[Andrew McGregor]

For the DB, if you want to play in an orchestra, there is only one answer: get lessons. A good teacher can point you to any music you will need, and more to the point can figure out what it is you need to be doing to improve. Also they can help you figure out the physical issues so you don't injure yourself, which is a big factor with an orchestral workload.

Tell us where you are and someone should be able to point you to a teacher or school. It's the only answer.

Oh, and learning DB properly will improve your BG playing a lot too. After a while you'll find BG really very easy (you still have to practice, nothing gets around that).

[joel kelsey]

Originally Posted by Andrew McGregor

After a while you'll find BG really very easy (you still have to practice, nothing gets around that).

I complete and totally agree with everything you said except the above statement. Playing bass guitar well is just as difficult as playing any instrument. There is a lot that goes into getting a good sound. The right and left hand technique is different. Any double bass player can play some stuff on the electric, but playing the electric well presents it's own set of challenges. Saying it's "quite easy" compared to the double bass seems uninformed to me. Sorry bout the OT rant. Once again, I quite agree with everything else you said.

[Midgar]

i live in texas but bad thing is the closest bass teacher i believe is 2 hours away....im hoping to try out for all state and ill be practicing that all summer

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by joel kelsey

Playing bass guitar well is just as difficult as playing any instrument.

True. It's different. I play both and will say that DB is generally more demanding on your hands/wrists/arms/shoulders/ect.... definitely get a good teacher, at least for DB, certainly. You really don't want to go down that road alone-that leads to tears. Seriously. You can easily create a career-ending injury attempting DB on your own. Really.
Electric is a whole different beast, where you play your amp as much as your bass. It's totally different- different skills are needed. But both instruments require great musicianship, if you are to succeed.

[joel kelsey]

Originally Posted by dmusic148

Electric is a whole different beast, where you play your amp as much as your bass.

Again, I have to disagree. You play the amp a lot more, but the majority of it is in your hands. I had no idea how much of the sound was in your hands and not the guitar/amp until I got a lesson from a heavy electric player. I went into the lesson blaming my middle of the road gear for me not sounding as good as I could. I felt like a dumbass after the lesson, but my electric playing immediatley got better. The whole experience really humbled me. At the OP, teachers are VERY IMPORTANT. Drive the two hours and get a long lesson and record it to help get you started. Trust me, it will be worth it in the long run. Teachers make learning fun! Knowledge is power! Good luck.

[Andrew McGregor]

Originally Posted by joel kelsey

I complete and totally agree with everything you said except the above statement. Playing bass guitar well is just as difficult as playing any instrument. There is a lot that goes into getting a good sound. The right and left hand technique is different. Any double bass player can play some stuff on the electric, but playing the electric well presents it's own set of challenges. Saying it's "quite easy" compared to the double bass seems uninformed to me. Sorry bout the OT rant. Once again, I quite agree with everything else you said.

Well, that's how I feel about it, based on quite a bit of playing of both instruments. Yes, it does take a deal of skill and quite a bit of practice, no question. But BG isn't going to bust your hands while you figure it out. DB, on the other hand, will.

All instruments are difficult to play well, don't get me wrong. But some are in a whole different category of difficult; French Horn, the orchestral strings including the DB, Oboe, to name a few. All those have technical issues that you can't figure out for yourself (unless you're one of those one-a-century geniuses).

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by Andrew McGregor

All instruments are difficult to play well, don't get me wrong. But some are in a whole different category of difficult; French Horn, the orchestral strings including the DB, Oboe, to name a few. All those have technical issues that you can't figure out for yourself (unless you're one of those one-a-century geniuses).

A very generalized statement, at best.

[Andrew McGregor]

Well, of course it is. Never mind. I don't intend to be running anyone down by any of this.

[Gearhead43]

After playing the DB for a year and a half now, I find playing the bass guitar to be extremely easy to play in comparison.

I don't think saying bass guitar is "easier to play" to be that far off base. It is alot less physically demanding, for one.

[Bass]

Originally Posted by Gearhead43

After playing the DB for a year and a half now, I find playing the bass guitar to be extremely easy to play in comparison.

I don't think saying bass guitar is "easier to play" to be that far off base. It is alot less physically demanding, for one.

I agree with Gearhead, I find the e-bass much much easier to play after having played the double bass for a couple years.

[Bass Barrister]

Somewhere lost in all this back and forth over the relative difficulties in playing DB vs. BG was the OP's question about acquiring orchestral skills.

First off, this is best done with the aid of a teacher. Have you checked with your school, the local community orchestra, or a local college with a music program to see if they offer bass instruction or know of someone who does? Even if you need to travel a bit (with the help of a parent, sibling, of friend) you should take some basic lessons regarding bowing technique and use of the left hand, and then try to get a lesson at least every two or three weeks to guide your efforts.

While trying to do this, pick up the Essential Elements 2000 series of books for DB. They have the basics and contain a DVD you can watch and CDs that you can play along with. Although these books are designed for class use, they can help individual study. You also might want to try the Suzuki books for DB. They start out real simple and move along progressively. The "bible" here is the Simandl book but I'm not sure I'd recommend this without a teacher.

I must tell you, though, that I, like many here, tried to learn DB on our own. IMHO, it does not work. A teacher will show you the proper technique, work with you on learning the repetoire, and give you honest feedback as to how you are progressing.

Good luck.