Bass Help Please!!

[Mrsimplesticks]

alright, so i am 14 and i play the drummer for a two piece band with my brother. He sings and plays guitar. we needed a bassist so i decided to pick up bass. I have been playing for a month. iI have baselines in my head, but i have a problem figuring out how to play them on my bass. Can you guys give me some advice?

[prd004]

I would start by learning the names of the notes on your fretboard, it's not hard there are only twelve of them and they repeat the same pattern all over the neck.

Then I would learn the major scale. This is pretty much the building block for all music and again it's really easy!

Once you have those down you'll start to know which notes go with witch chord and those bass lines in your head will be easier to figure out.

Good luck, hope this helps

[prd004]

Oh, and take a few professional lessons!

Even if you can't continue to take them, a few will help you start off with proper technique. It's easier to learn correctly than to try and change bad habits later.

[levonrocks]

Practicing scales and simple melodies is very helpful for developing an ear. When i hear a bass line in my head, I try to think about other bass patterns that sound similar to the one in my head. I can usually figure it out just by relating back to other patterns and scales that I am already familiar with.

Also, I suggest practicing tetra chords. They are actually very easy, and they are very useful when you are playing with others. Start with the tetra chords that come from the basic major and minor scales.

Lastly, practice whenever you get a chance. Play what comes naturally, and don't force a bass line to fit into a song if its not meant to be.

I hope that this advice is helpful, and that you will enjoy playing the bass. Don't get stressed about learning complicated stuff. Just have fun and let the music come naturally.

[Jason Wilson]

All really good advise above.
I'd also state, start with basic music, don't try to play along, learn anything too complicated to start with (baby steps).
Learning even some basic blues bass lines, even if you don't want to play blues, may help you tune your ear in. I only suggest this as the lines are usually fairly simple. But if not blues, something that hasn't got a really tricky bass line, start simple & build up.

Also, quite helpful to sing along with the lines you play & or scales. THis can help tune your ear into what you are playing. So when you hear something in your head, you may have a better idea of what scale/key pattern it could be, or at least close to it.

Again, hope this helps

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by Mrsimplesticks

alright, so i am 14 and i play the drummer for a two piece band with my brother. He sings and plays guitar. we needed a bassist so i decided to pick up bass. I have been playing for a month. iI have baselines in my head, but i have a problem figuring out how to play them on my bass. Can you guys give me some advice?

If you can hear bass lines in your head you are one of the lucky ones. I'll give you a major scale box pattern. Play a note and find it in the box. When you do write down the scale degree it was. Go to the next note, find it within the box and write down what scale degree this one is. After you get all the notes to your bass line check it out with some of the generic bass lines I've listed below and see what it fits with - or how you could use it in a song. Now back to some basic fundamentals...........

The book, Bass Guitar for Dummies will have all the how to stuff you need, i.e. how to hold it, how to tune it, how to make sound come from it, etc. Then www.studybass.com is perhaps the best free lesson site for beginners out there. Of course IMO.

The major scale box pattern I've listed below will be a friend. Yes to an instructor sitting knee to knee with you will save you a bunch of time.

What your brother does on his 6 string guitar do the same with your bass, except we do not strum, we play the chord's notes one note at a time - augmenting what he is doing. Get some fake chord sheet music and play from it the same way he is playing from it on his rhythm guitar, but, with the bass play chord tones, notes of the chord, one note at a time - keeping the beat as you did on the drums. When I play bass with a drummer I lock in with the drummer's kick drum beat. See if that throws some lite on how you will now play your bass. Let him give you a quick lesson on what he is doing with his 6 string and how he plays from fake chord sheet music.

Mess around with the following and see what you can do with it. This video put everything into focus for me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g35zS1tVO3o Generic groove. Simple, but, effective.

Bass Patterns based upon the Major Scale box.

Major Scale Box.
Code:
G|---2---|-------|---3---|---4---| 1st string
D|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---|
A|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E|-------|---R---|-------|---2---|4th string
Want a bass line for a C major chord. Place the major scale box's R on the C note 4th string 8th fret and play the R-3-5-3 degrees within the box. That makes a good bass line for a C major chord. Want a bass line for a Dm chord. Place the R on the 3rd string, 5th fret - just move the box up to the 3rd string - and play the R-b3-5-b3 degrees of the box. The b3 is a flatted 3rd or one fret back toward the nut. I get my b3 the next fret after the 2. You may like your b3 to be on the A string, one fret back toward the nut from the 3. The b7 is right above the 4. Put to memory where the notes are on your A and E string so you can place your box over the note you need. Nut to 12th fret after that they just repeat. Why did I go to the A string for that Dm chord? The D note on the E string was at the 10th fret, I decided that was a little too high, so used the D on the A string. Just a matter of convince.

Basic Chords
• Major Triad = R-3-5
• Minor Triad = R-b3-5
• Diminished Chord = R-b3-b5

7th Chords
• Maj7 = R-3-5-7
• Minor 7 = R-b3-5-b7
• Dominant 7 = R-3-5-b7
• ½ diminished = R-b3-b5-b7
• Full diminished = R-b3-b5-bb7
See a chord and play it's chord tones. As every key will have three major, three minor and one diminished chord it's a good idea to get your major, minor and diminished bass line chord tones into muscle memory so when you see a chord your fingers just know what will work. Now the song may only give you enough room for the root, or root five - adapt and get as many chord tones into your bass line as needed. Root on the first beat (1, 2, 3, 4) and a steady groove from the other chord tones plus something to call attention to the chord change is our primary job.

Scales - Gotta do your scales. Why? So your fingers get to know where the notes are and how the good notes sound.
• Major Scale = R-2-3-4-5-6-7 Home base
• Major Pentatonic = R-2-3-5-6 Leave out the 4 & 7
• Natural Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7 Major scale with the 3, 6 & 7 flatted.
• Minor Pentatonic = R-b3-4-5-b7 Leave out the 2 & 6.
• Blues = R-b3-4-b5-5-b7 Minor pentatonic with the blue note b5 added.
• Harmonic Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-b6-7 Natural minor with a natural 7.
• Melodic Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-6-7 Major scale with a b3.
Let the major scale be your home base then change a few notes and you have something different. No need to memorize a zillion patterns. Let the major scale pattern be your go to pattern - then adapt/adjust from there.


Generic Notes - for your bass line. Have these generic bass lines in muscle memory. See a chord coming up in the fake chord sheet music - reach into your memory bank and bring up a bass line that will fit for that chord.
• The root, five and eight are generic and fit most any chord. Remember the diminished has a flatted 5.
• The 3 is generic to all major chords. So R-3-5-3 will fit under any major chord.
• The b3 is generic to all minor chords. And R-b3-5-8 will fit under any minor chord. Why the 8? Well the 8 is just another root in the next octave.
• The 7 is generic to all maj7 chords. Yep, R-3-5-7 fits nicely.
• The b7 is generic to all dominant seventh and minor seventh chords. G7 = R-3-5-b7 or Gm7 = R-b3-5-b7.
• The 6 is neutral and adds color, help yourself to 6’s. Love the sound of R-3-5-6 with a major chord.
• The 2 and 4 make good passing notes. Don’t linger on them or stop on them, keep them passing.
• In making your bass line help yourself to those notes, just use them correctly.
• Roots, fives, eights and the correct 3 & 7 will play a lot of bass.

That's enough stuff to keep you busy for 6 months.
Bass guitar for dummies. www.studybass.com make friends with the major scale box and ask questions here.

[Mrsimplesticks]

thanks a lot for all the advice!! this will help a lot!

[Mrsimplesticks]

thanks a lot for all the advice!!! This will help a lot!