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Originally Posted by vincentpghpa I have decided that after owning one for more than 10 years I am finally going to learn how to play it.
I need some pointers for a beginner. How do you tune? |
You can tune by ear, or use an electronic tuner. The strings should be tuned E-A-D-G from lowest to highest. For electronic tuners I suggest
Korg's chromatic guitar/bass tuner model #CA-30. Simply plug your bass into the tuner, and adjust the tuning machines for each string until you're all set.
This is kind of a vague question. You want a well-rounded program. Musicianship isn't about being able to play really fast, or play all the Megadeath tunes, or have all of Miles Davis' CDs. Musicianship is about being able to translate the sounds in your head onto an instrument. You need to built a diverse a vast vocabulary of sounds, so that you may call upon them, demonstrating the facility on your instrument.
First, check out a thread of mine, stuck at the top of GI, called "Practice Practice Practice." Learn some basics and solid pointers there.
Then, check out my homepage, (by clicking on my username, here in this post), and gauge where you're at with that information.
A practice routine should be well rounded. It should include theory like scales and arpeggios, ear training, technical exercises, sight reading, and much more.
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Do you start with other songs (which I really don't want to but will)?
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You can, but you don't have to. You can't just randomly pluck at the bass forever though. You, at some point, will need to do something musical on the bass, whether it's playing a tune that someone else wrote, or playing scales or arpeggios, or creating things on your own. Learning songs of others will open up concepts or ideas that you may not have thought of on your own. While you don't sound excited about learning songs, for many it's a fun and rewarding aspect of being a musician. (It only becomes bad, I think, when the only thing you do is play others' lines, and dismiss bettering yourself). You don't
have to start with anything in particular.
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What are some beginner exercises to get fast fingers.
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Play the bass. Your goal should never be faster fingers. Never. Just play the bass. By playing scales, arpeggios, etudes, by sight reading material, by doing all of these things, you increase your faculty on the instrument, and with time, your fingers will become more flexible, more dextrous, more able. As you play, anything, you increase finger independence. You increase finger strength. These things lead to the ability to play faster passagers or pieces. Playing faster shouldn't ever be your goal. Playing faster will simply become a byproduct of playing more. It simply comes with experience.
That being said, here are some things that you can do on the bass to increase your tecnical abilities on the left and right hand.
Play chromatics. This is something I did for a long time, and helped stress the importance of the left hand concept where it is one finger per fret, (with your thumb resting on the neck behind the middle finger). Start on the lowest string, lowest note, and play F-F#-G-G#, then up to the next string, playing, A#-B-C-C#, then up to the next string, D#-E-F-F#, then up again, playing G#-A-A#-B. Reverse the entire thing once you hit the last note, so that you play chromatically, lower, until you hit the note you started on, F, then start the whole sequence again on the next fret, F#. Play this all the way up the neck, and then all the way back down.
A variation on that one, has you crossing strings. So, you're still playing a pattern where you're stressing the importance of one finger per fret, and you'll still play this passage all the way up the fretboard, then back down. So, you start on the F of the E string, the lowest fretted note on the board. Then, you climb to the next fret, next string, B on the A string. Then climb up again to the next fret, next string, F on the D string, and finishing with the B on the G string. Then reversing it to head back lower, by playing, immediately, the G# on the G string, the E on the D string, the C on the A string, and the G# on the E string. Then, shift up a fret, and play the pattern again.
John Pattitucci has his "spider" technique, which he derived from an exercise his brother did on electric guitar. This exercise is great for finger independence. (And by the way, it's insanely hard to fully grasp what I'm describing here, but I'll address that later. If you're going to attempt these drills, take the time to go extremely slowly at first, and fully grasp what I'm trying to convey. Getting it right from the start is important). So, start on the D string, on the G. You're going to play two 5ths, and then two minor 3rds. It works like this. Remember, again, one finger per fret. Play the G on the D string with your first finger, then it's fifth, the D on the G string, with your third finger. Then, without shifting, your second finger will play the G# on the D string, and it's fifth, the D# on the G string, with your fourth finger. Then, using your third finger, play the A on the D string, and it's minor 3rd, the C on the G string, with your first finger. Then, the A# on the D string with your fourth finger, and it's minor 3rd, the C# on the G string, with your second finger.
Play the exercise fluidly, let each note ring into the next, clearly. Control the strings and fret cleanly. You would continue this exercise by climbing lower on the strings. Like so: After playing this routine over and over, (and really
hear the notes), this is what you'll do. Play the D on the A string, then the octave D on the G string. THen the D# on the A string, and D# on the G string. Then the E on the A string, and it's minor 6th, the C on the G string, then the F on the A string, and it's minor 6th, the C# on the G string.
Then, after playing that for a while, it follows to: Play the A on the E string, then D on the G string. The A# on the E string, and D# on the G string. Next the B on the E string, then C on the G string. Then the C on the E string, to the C# on the G string.
That spider exercise will become more and more difficult as you descend string, stretching finally from the E string to the G string.
All of the above-mentioned exercises should
always be played with a metronome, at slow speeds, gradually increasing the speed as you get better. The right hand should employ an alternating first and second finger pattern, with the finger plucking the string confidently, following through to the lower string, to get a full, round sound.
These exercises should be done while really listening to what you're doing. The sounds. Do not do them while watching TV. Musical is auditory, why would you shut that part of the equation off?
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What are some beginner exercises to get fast fingers.
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Tell me that you really don't expect me to answer that question again!
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I thought about lessons but really can't afford them at the moment.
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Yes, you can. Don't give me that line. 99% of the time it's BS. Skip the trip to McDonald's and have a PBJ at home. Skip that new CD, or new Keanu Reeves movie. If something is a priority to you, you'll find the money by saving on other things, that aren't priorites. What's a vente carmel macchiato cost these days? 20 bucks! Whatever, 3 or 4 dollars. Skip it. Skip it several time and you've bought a lesson. Look, if you can't afford a lesson each week, that's fine. But, you need two or three lessons at the onset to build a foundation. If you are doing things wrong, a good teacher can show you what to do differently, and trust me, you'll actually save money in the long run.
You can't afford not to get a teacher.
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Plus I took lessons when I was around 14 (I am 29 now) and all I really learned was how to read tab. I am pretty leary of teachers because of that.
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I saw a basketball game once where the players rushed into the crowd and started fights, so I'm never gonna watch basketball again. Look, I'll be the first to admit, there's plenty of bad teachers out there. But, there are also plenty of good teachers. Go to a jazz show and ask the upright player who he/she suggests. Go to a college campus and ask the music department chair who he/she suggests. Then, sit down openly and honestly with the teacher, and say, "Hey, I can only swing two or three lessons right now, but I'm just starting out. I want to learn, in those three lessons, the basics I need to know, to build a foundation, so that I know that I'm doing things correctly, and won't injure myself, or waste pressure hours. Bring something along to record the lessons.
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And just for ****s and giggles Who is your favorite bass Players
Mine: Jaco, Billy Sheehan, Geddy Lee, Les Claypool.
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I don't know, maybe Jamerson.
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Any other pointers and tips are welcome too.
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Avoid tabs.
Enjoy playing.
Play with others that are better than you are.
Listen to a lot of music.
Don't worry about hi-tech gear right away.
Don't watch TV while you practice.
Music is a journey, not a destination.
Don't ever ignore any genre of music.
Learn about the history of music and musicians.
Play like you mean it.
Don't limit yourself.
Understand, right away, that many musicians are flakey.
Learn to sight read.
Use your metronome.
Jam with others, as often as possible.
Learn your theory.
Be easy-going.
Have fun.
