Piano/Keyboard technique on bass ("Peanuts)

[bmsrv311]

Hey all,
I'm having a very hard time using what I'd call a piano technique on the bass. What i mean is: Playing a bassline by hammering, sliding, pulling off, etc. with my left hand, and playing a melody line over it by tapping with my right hand. Think of Stu Hamm's version of "peanuts". I find it extremely hard to play 2 different things at once. It's frustrating because this technique impresses me a great deal, and I'd love to have it down. I've been practicing "Peanuts" for what seems to be an eternity. The bassline itself is very easy, and the melody is very easy, but when i try to put them together, I just cant do it very well. I've never really been able to sing and play at the same time (except for very basic songs). Like i said, i practice this technique quite a bit, but can't seem to get it down. I'm begining to think that I just don't have it in me, and only naturally gifted musicians can do it. Has anyone out there had this problem, and were you able to overcome it?

[lemur821]

It's tricky on the piano too. The trick, after you learn both lines well enough to play them in your sleep, is to discover the rhythm they make when played together. At that point it's just like playing the bongos.

[liltommyg]

I've been tapping my left foot with the bass line (left hand)
and singing/humming(really off key but it dosen't matter) with my right hand (melody).It helps me to keep the two different rhythms going at the same time.

[hbarcat]

I assume the song you're referring to is "Linus and Lucy" written for piano by Vince Guaraldi.

I think the best way to learn to play that on bass is to use the same learning technique that fingerstyle guitar players like Chet Atkins or Tommy Emmanuel used to play bass lines and melody at the same time. They learned to play the bass part on the low E with their thumb and only when they had gotten that down then then they started to slowly add the melody a little bit at a time always making sure the bass line remained intact.

I'm able to use this technique on only a few songs that I've spent a LOT of time practicing. I've tried to apply this to "Linus and Lucy" berfore but haven't been able to make much headway because it's just too fast for me to even be close to keeping up.

[bmsrv311]

Thanks for your tips!! I seem to have the best results when I play the bassline for a LONG time, and then slowly add the melody, one note at a time, and eventually, im able to do it. It's still very frustrating, just gotta keep practicing.....

[bmsrv311]

BUMP! any other tips for me out there??