Bass and guitarist jams

[Wlcmtothejungle]

I am an electric guitarist really but I registered to ask a question. I have been playing guitar for 5 years now and I am nearly 16. My brother, who is 20 has been playing bass for a year. He's alright I guess but he doesn't really do anything but learn songs.

I like to play things like stevie ray vaughan, eric clapton, and other jam sort of bands. The problem is, I never have anyone to play with! My brother wants to learn how to jam with me and I want him to too. How does a bassist go about learning how to improvise with a guitarist? For example, what I want to end up doing is saying, "ok, lets jam in C minor over I, IV, and V chords" and then going from there. How do we learn how to synchronize his bass line with my lead playing and making it flow?

I hope that makes sense. He knows no theory, I know a lot. So we have to start from the ground up. What do I teach him first? How to stay in key I would assume but then what do we do from there? basslines?


help please

[90k]

what you are asking of him. The one four five in minor is basic theory. it applies to many styles of music.The rest is up to what he has experienced and likes.

[90k]

time on the instrument to build confidence!

[Seussbass]

Why don't you suggest that he joins talkbass. If he's interested in expanding his knowledge of theory then this is a great place to start.

There are a lot of experienced musicians here, and whilst you yourself have a good understanding of theory, you may struggle to teach him what you know.

Just point him in the right direction and let him go at his own pace. Like 90K said, he needs time to build up confidence with the instrument.

[TheBassBetween]

Usually in a bass/guitar jam, the bass will hold down the solid groove on the downbeats, since you don't have any percussion to do so. If you're doing a blues jam, a simple pattern bass line will suffice, and when it's time for the bass solo, the guitar keeps the form using chords.

edit: Check out this video. I enjoy it a lot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8oXOVZKI4E&NR=1

[Marcury]

If your brother is learning songs, then he already knows some chord progressions whether he knows that or not. Does he know any songs you want to play. Most jams happen based on some song, if he doesn't know any songs you want to play why don't you teach him some or learn some he knows because it will make getting started easier. After playing them together for awhile get him to try to play some other lines to them. Point out that song a and song b have the same progression but different basslines, that way he will start to get the idea of how to build his own lines. Teach him some other progressions, make him aware of what progressions he already knows from the songs he's learned, show him some arpeggios and scales. And just play, play, play. Realize though that some people are natural jammers and some no matter how much theory/technique they have are much more comfortable crafting a consistent line for a song and sticking to it.

[DocBop]

Besides having your brother join TB if you know how to jam why aren't you helping him. Notes are notes, scales are scales, the fingerings with be different but not that much. Why not just take a Blues like Crossroads its simple line and progression. Then can teach him how to use pentatonic's like you probably are. Also Jeff Berlin a well known bass player has a recording of Crossroads where he does Clapton's solo on bass. Should help inspire your brother and you.

[seanm]

I play in a guitar/bass duo. The response has been very good, even though I am a "meat and potatoes" bass player.

Doesn't really answer your question, just letting you know that a guitar/bass duo can go out and gig. We basically play the sorts of venues that want solo or duo acts, no room for drums. The guitar player used to play solo. He still uses a looper on some songs.