Playing bass without a drummer

Arganius · #1 02-27-2009, 05:46 PM

Well I'm used to playing Bass with a drummer. But when I'm at home i obviously don't have one. So i was wondering if there's any good programs for drum beats or MP3's that are solely drums. I can play them through my amp and just play with them. Cause playing bass alone gets awfully boring. Anyone?

xgator4u · #2 02-27-2009, 09:10 PM

www.dooleydrums.com/free_drum_loops.php

Try that or google free drum tracks,find one you like. I personally have a drum loop section in my multi effect pedal.

leswatts · #3 02-28-2009, 06:54 AM

here's another:

http://www.hydrogen-music.org/

Designed for linux, but has a windows version. It's a pretty powerful multilayer sampled drum program with many kits.
It's free.

Les
LM Watts Technology

Projectile · #4 02-28-2009, 07:03 AM

There is TONS of stuff out there. I wouldn't even know what to recommend I get so flustered just thinking about all the options. One of the coolest is called Jamstix. It will actually follow you and adapt to your playing like a real drummer, but it's a bit on the pricey side of things.

http://www.rayzoon.com/jamstix2.html

phektus · #5 03-01-2009, 08:18 AM

Try imagining a drum track on your head
then play bass over it
should be fun.

But don't forget practicing on your metronome/drum machine and with a real drummer!

ac1710 · #6 03-01-2009, 12:03 PM

A little trick I like to use is to program a drum machine for a 4 bar loop and play a simple line over it. Then take away the 4th bar so theres a bar of silence and play over that. gradually reduce the bars (2 of drums/2 silent, 1 of drums/3 silent) until your left with just a hit on the first beat of the first bar then the rest silent.
Whenyou can keep playing in time throughout the silence and have the drums lock in immediately when they return it's fair to say you've solved any issues with your internal clock.

I'd also recommend practicing playing nothing in the silent bars so you have no frame of reference but your internal clock. Use different tempos as well, 80BPM is so much harder than 120BPM ( I struggle at 2 bars of silence at 80)

Theres an incredible video of victor Wooten showcasing this practice technique on bass player TV (think it's the practice tips 2 vid...) He goes one step further by loosing the beat entirely and still comes in on the 1.

davecheng · #7 03-01-2009, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Theres an incredible video of victor Wooten showcasing this practice technique on bass player TV (think it's the practice tips 2 vid...) He goes one step further by loosing the beat entirely and still comes in on the 1.

Just watched it. Incredible.. Especially when Wooten is just chatting in between the downbeats, not even grooving... and the suddenly lands the 1.... ***!!