Where do I stand?

[powellmacaque]

I don't have contact with many bassists my age (under 21) in my area, although I've stumbled upon quite a few You Tube videos where I see kids ripping it up with funk and slap styles that I am grasping considerably less...

So I need an assessment. Tell me, as brutally honest as possible, how advanced, or backward, I am with my bass playing.

I've been playing for 3½ years, and I am comfortable playing finger, pickstyle, and slap. I know my circle of fifths, key signatures, major and minor scales, and I am trying to memorize my modes (although I do understand the concept behind modes). I don't a very good ear as far as hearing a pitch and playing it, but I do have a good ear for where a progression is going.

I play mostly ska, reggae, and punk, but thats just because it's what I play best. I really want to get as good as I can be with all styles, but I want to try to get better at funk techniques. As of right now, I am teaching myself some Jaco songs (Opus Pocus, Come On Come Over, and Portrait of Tracy) and I am having a decent time with them. I can get the main refrain phrases, but I have a tough time conquering the finger funk runs and fills, and with Portrait of Tracy I'm having a hard time playing the regular notes with the harmonics.

I am also working on double thump technique, I can get it, but not to a point where it's usable.

I also have trouble with improv, part of it has to do with the fact that I played with a blues guitarist for so long, that I'm kind of trained in this box pattern that I can't seem to break out of, in my slapping and everything. Right now, Improv to me means find the key, and play notes in that scale that fit. I'm having trouble creating runs to go with chord changes.

I'm sorry if that was too autobiographical, but I was wondering if there was some technique or something that other could recommend that could help me improve my overall technique. I also want to know how good I am in other bass players' eyes, because I know if I can strive to impress you guys, it will be easier impressing an audience of non-bassists.

[user101]

if you want to know how good you are as a bass player, don't ask another bass player. Ask a drummer. Serious

But that aside, many of the pros would probably tell you to be yourself. Don't compare yourself to others because then you'd just be striving to be like them and play like them and you'll end up just being...well them. Focus less on impressing people and more on your music. The impressing people part will come by itself

[0175westwood29]

your way past me and im 23! ive been playing 3 years! can't slap! am average with a pick and am just getting back to grips with my fingers after an injury. so as you can see your alot further on than me.

[tswd]

Nothing you mentioned says how well your bass lines fit with the songs you're playing. No matter what spiffy technique you're throwing out, if it makes the song sound like crap then it's horrible. Focus on that and you'll be much better off than just trying to pick up every technique known to man. At the end of the day, the goal is simply to make music. Techniques are merely a means to that end. Don't lose sight of the goal.

As far as what makes you a good bassist, it pretty much comes down to how well you lock with the rest of the band. If it sounds like you're not playing the same song as them, then you suck. No matter what crazy, cool, awesome technique you're using to do it.

With improvising, just keep trying. "Do it until you can do it." Pretty much the only way to get there.

[meev992]

My measure of a good bassist, is one who's willing to learn, and push themselves everyday, to advance their technique.

As long as you're continually making progress, you are a good bass player. There are plenty of musicians that "peak" really early. This is often found on guitar. I play guitar for my own enrichment, and have found that I'm constantly running into walls, and not making improvement, like I do on bass.

[fhodshon]

I also have trouble with improv, part of it has to do with the fact that I played with a blues guitarist for so long, that I'm kind of trained in this box pattern that I can't seem to break out of, in my slapping and everything. Right now, Improv to me means find the key, and play notes in that scale that fit. I'm having trouble creating runs to go with chord changes.


think phrasing most of all - don't think runs.

f

[thesteve]

Originally Posted by tswd

Nothing you mentioned says how well your bass lines fit with the songs you're playing. No matter what spiffy technique you're throwing out, if it makes the song sound like crap then it's horrible. Focus on that and you'll be much better off than just trying to pick up every technique known to man. At the end of the day, the goal is simply to make music. Techniques are merely a means to that end. Don't lose sight of the goal.

As far as what makes you a good bassist, it pretty much comes down to how well you lock with the rest of the band. If it sounds like you're not playing the same song as them, then you suck. No matter what crazy, cool, awesome technique you're using to do it.

With improvising, just keep trying. "Do it until you can do it." Pretty much the only way to get there.

+1111111

this is huge...I consider myself to be a mediocre at best bass player...at least as far as "flashy" stuff goes, but I always do my best to fit my playing to what is needed for my band.

[powellmacaque]

as far as in a song or band situation, i try to play melodically. not so much to make a catchy bassline, but to add that foreshadowing to what my songs are about. i would have to say that a bassline closest to what i would normally play (and this was done accidentally) would be the bass part to London Calling by the Clash.

i know i can hold my own as a band member, but the motive behind my asking was i was trying to see how much more i could express myself without overwhelming myself with new tricks. i strongly believe in keeping the groove tight and that comes first and foremost, but i would really like to have every option available to me in order to express the reason for the groove.

[southshoreconor]

sounds like you're a lot better than me in the formal sense. i'm 21 and have been playing since i was 13 and i can't read a note of music (played trumpet before i picked up bass, couldn't read the treble clef either). i just know what sounds good and what feels right. i play every day and tour several months out of the year. the spectrum of musical talent isn't an exact science, but IMO you're probably doing fine.

[TrevorOfDoom]

i'm 25, i've been playing for 8 years. i pretty much suck with a pick, i can't slap, i don't dig the funk, Jaco seems so far ahead of me. i just play fingerstyle, but i do it well. my strength lies in my ability to lock in with a drummer and rock the pocket. whether i overplay or apply a less-is-more mentality, i hit the pocket and i hit it hard. never had a disappointed drummer in my life.

now, if i were to judge myself against those other dudes who slap, pop, funkify, pick style like pro's, i'd be waaaaay down there. but a lot of those guys on youtube can memorize slap lines and play 'em like aces, but can't lock in with a drummer to save their lives. YouTube isn't a great indicator of one's style or skill.

my brother is a great example. he plays in a speed/death metal band. 6 string bass. just wanks and riffs. crazy, technical, awesome stuff. great for what he does, for that band. but put him in with a drummer, on a 4 string, fingerstyle, just to hold the pocket, he'll crap his pants before he nails the 1.

be yourself. assess your strengths and weaknesses. work on the weaknesses and be confident in your strengths. confidence will get you jobs more than your ability to two hand tap Ave Marie in three part harmony.

[Jazzdogg]

I'm not trying to be harsh, but here are a few things I've learned after 40-odd years as a bassist:

Turn on your metronome. Play a song. While you're playing, have someone mute your metronome for a few minutes; then have them turn it on again. Are you still in the pocket? Record yourself.

Play in a band with a drummer who rushes. Can you hold the tempo in place, or does everyone else in the band follow the drummer and speed up? Do you follow the drummer and speed up?

Play in a jazz combo where each soloist takes about 40 choruses. How steady is your time? Are you able to function as a bridge between the rhythmic and harmonic needs of the band, chorus after chorus, without repeating licks and phrases ad nauseum? How are your chops holding up? Are you still listening to every chord the pianist plays, or have you gone on "autopilot?" The song's been churning for about 20 minutes and it's finally time for your solo: ready? Chops holding up OK? When it's time for your solo, do you have something to say?

Host a jam session with a chick singer who knows neither the key nor the lyrics, a harmonica player who thinks "time" is a magazine, a guitarist who takes 13-bar solos, and a drummer who drinks a little too much. If there's going to be a groove or a pocket, it'll be up to you. Ready?

Don't worry. Work on your time, playing harmonically sound lines, and melodic solos and you'll be fine. Every time you learn a new song, learn it in every key. Learning to transcribe your solos is the first step toward improving them.

The flashy stuff may be what attracts attention on YouTube, but it isn't what gets you hired.

Your primary job as a bassist is to manage other people's expectations: if you want to be a working bassist, professional musicians have to consider you solid as a rock. Work you @$$ off on the fundamentals; that's what ultimately gets, and keeps, gigs.

[meev992]

Originally Posted by Jazzdogg

Host a jam session with a chick singer who knows neither the key nor the lyrics, a harmonica player who thinks "time" is a magazine, a guitarist who takes 13-bar solos, and a drummer who drinks a little too much. If there's going to be a groove or a pocket, it'll be up to you. Ready?

I actually had to play with these type of people before...it's actually very frustrating, when trying to keep 2/3rds of the band in time

[rmrf]

Originally Posted by user101

if you want to know how good you are as a bass player, don't ask another bass player. Ask a drummer. Serious

Agree!

Ask a good drummer

This Friday I saw a band. Nice bassist with nice technique without any taste and without any groove. Band was without bassist, but with another 4-string guitar. Add to this no kick drum in PA and you will get lifeless gig.