Do you ever pull out pencil, paper and eraser and write?

[XIbanez4lifeX]

From what I gather from other forums is that a majority of bass players "memorize" all of thier bass lines. I have done a great deal of memorizing bass lines when I record on my digital 8 track.

Many say they never write anything down on paper, I would say that 85% of what I do is from memory. At some point however it seems that you will hit a wall by using memory only. I read a poll that asked bass players if they memorize or physically write down bass lines and it was somethimg like 33 said memorize and 1 or 2 said they write.


So basically I am curious on this forum do you memorize or actually write out pieces of work?

[NKVD]

both

i write something random out then play it or i just start playing something over and over. Then if its good i write it down.

[JimmyM]

The only time I ever write down a bassline is if it's really hard and in a weird time signature. Like when Dave LaRue had me learn the Dregs song "Odyssey," which is in 13/4 for the first half, I had to chart it out.

[lemur821]

If I make up something I like then I write it down. To me, that's just common sense. After all, don't we usually make a note of things we don't want to forget? I can glance at a piece of paper faster than I can listen to a recording.

[gsys]

I'm not as good at memorization as I used to be, so I have to write down things that I come up with out of the blue, but usually only do it when my band's guitarist makes me (because he knows I'll forget).

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

I seldom write a bassline unless I need it as a teaching material. One of the few times I remember doing it was when I was learning that long guitar-bass duet from Extreme's "Cupid's Dead", but I didn't write it to follow the chart when playing the song. Just because the exercise of writing it down greatly helped me to memorize it.

[Tash]

I write basslines all the time, its how I see them work in the context of the rest of the music. My apartment, car, studio are all littered with composition notebooks and bits of pencil. People I jam with look at me weird when i whip out a notebook and sit down in the corner. They ask "what the heck are you doing?" "Writing a bassline." "Ummm...don't you need your...holy crap! How the hell did you write that????"

Its just the way I work.

[Petary791]

Nah, I never really write stuff out. I occasionally write out chord progressions, but never a whole line.

[Figjam]

Memorize.

[Alan Vorse]

I write everything out. Bass lines, melodies, chord progerssions, even drum parts. Not only is it a good document, but transcribing anything, whether its someone elses or yours makes you a better musician.

[SteveC]

I will sometimes write out certain licks or progressions as I am learning them - good tool. It helps me learn the part. I have my students do it as well. Even if it's your own "shorthand" it a good learning tool.

[metalguy2]

I write my songs best in sheet music. But if I am constructing a line I usually don't.. Contemplating starting though. Then my lines would be sick.. I could then put way more thought into my groove

[P RicanWITaBASS]

I write down anything I feel is decent, because, IMO, that's just common sense!

[lawrens]

when I get a riff or line idea, I write it down in standard notation, then I work with my own parts, sometimes finding new ideas...

most of the time I better memorize if I can read the part

[Erlendur Már]

I have written down basslines, but I usually just memorize.