Drummer learning bass... help :S

[m_bisson]

Well, I've been drumming since I was about 14, and just yesterday I went to the store and picked up a cheap bass and amp. I have some experience with guitar, but since high school I've forgotten almost all of my theory.

What's the best way to get into playing bass? Should I buy some instructional books or just seek "free lessons" online somewhere?

I mainly want to learn back the theory stuff that I've lost, such as key signatures, chords, intervals, etc... It's amazing how much we forget over our lifetimes lol.

Thanks in advance! and no drummer jokes

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by m_bisson

Well, I've been drumming since I was about 14, and just yesterday I went to the store and picked up a cheap bass and amp. I have some experience with guitar, but since high school I've forgotten almost all of my theory. What's the best way to get into playing bass? Should I buy some instructional books or just seek "free lessons" online somewhere? I mainly want to learn back the theory stuff that I've lost, such as key signatures, chords, intervals, etc... It's amazing how much we forget over our lifetimes lol. Thanks in advance! and no drummer jokes

Lessons are always the fastest way, however, IMO theory is best learned on your own. A thirty minute music lesson has little time for a theory discussion.

Best way to get into bass playing, again IMO....
Learn your fretboard and how to play chord intervals, i.e. the 1, 3, 5 and 7 interval of the chord being used in the song.

Root nothing first, then
R-5, then
R-3-5-3 chord tones http://www.studybass.com/lessons/bas...e-major-scale/ Pay attention to placing the root note of the major scale on the 3rd and or 4th string and then being able to find your chord intervals from there.

Check out www.studybass.com and this site will give you some basic music theory, probably enough to jog your memory. http://www.ibreathemusic.com/forums/...ad.php?t=11975 The charts will be for 6 string ignore the top two strings. Google has always helped me. If you have a question see if Google can find an answer for you and of course ask specific questions here.
This should help with key signatures. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_fifths


Good luck.

[tjmdetroit]

Originally Posted by m_bisson

Well, I've been drumming since I was about 14, and just yesterday I went to the store and picked up a cheap bass and amp. I have some experience with guitar, but since high school I've forgotten almost all of my theory.

What's the best way to get into playing bass? Should I buy some instructional books or just seek "free lessons" online somewhere?

I mainly want to learn back the theory stuff that I've lost, such as key signatures, chords, intervals, etc... It's amazing how much we forget over our lifetimes lol.

Thanks in advance! and no drummer jokes

m bisson....
I was a drummer turned guitar player turned 6 string bass player....welcome to the world of harmony and chords etc....drummers don't care much about that stuff.
That ibreathemusic.com is kewl. This is kewl http://www.musictheory.net/

Check out this guy....he isn't trying to show off and is the best. He'll play something kewl, then go back and slow it down and explain what he is doing...I hope God blesses him for the effort he put forth to help us guy learn bass.

http://playbassnow.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/MarloweDK

peace
tjm

[DudeistMonk]

Check out studybass.com for a good introduction. I'm sure you have good rhythm, understand dynamic and all that.

Chords are important. In most music make sure your hitting the root of the chord on the one of every measure, unless you are are playing an inversion like an E while the guitar plays a Cmaj, or some reagea line where you hit the root on the two.

Most songs are I - IV - V progressions (C, F, G or E, A, B etc.). Listen to your rhythm guitarist/keys and you'll hear the changes. Play the 12 bar blues, it makes how chord changes work very clear and it's a form of music that you can play very easily/formulaic-ly on bass or inject a lot of walking and improvisation into.

Root - 3 - 5 - 7 are your go to notes, lots of 7's in minor keys.

You can lead into the next chord with scale or chromatic runs (where it sounds good), and part of your job description is carrying foundation of the song to the next change.

I assume you know all about fills.

Pentatonic scales are important, lots of songs are pentatonic and pretty much everything blues (that means rock too) is rooted in it. Spend some time noodling in it, or jam on it with a drummer.

[Billnc]

Originally Posted by MalcolmAmos

Lessons are always the fastest way, however, IMO theory is best learned on your own. A thirty minute music lesson has little time for a theory discussion.

Best way to get into bass playing, again IMO....
Learn your fretboard and how to play chord intervals, i.e. the 1, 3, 5 and 7 interval of the chord being used in the song.

Root nothing first, then
R-5, then
R-3-5-3 chord tones http://www.studybass.com/lessons/bas...e-major-scale/ Pay attention to placing the root note of the major scale on the 3rd and or 4th string and then being able to find your chord intervals from there.

Check out www.studybass.com and this site will give you some basic music theory, probably enough to jog your memory. http://www.ibreathemusic.com/forums/...ad.php?t=11975 The charts will be for 6 string ignore the top two strings. Google has always helped me. If you have a question see if Google can find an answer for you and of course ask specific questions here.
This should help with key signatures. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_fifths


Good luck.

Yep, armed with that and a drummers experience on rythm you have a working bass player.

[m_bisson]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll check out those sites

Edit: thought of another question. When reading tabs, what do the different symbols mean? For example: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/..._life_btab.htm
That tab has letters above the stave, (e,s, etc). Never saw those on a guitar tab before :P
Also, the 'x' on the strings. Does that mean play muted?

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by m_bisson

Thanks for the info guys. I'll check out those sites

Edit: thought of another question. When reading tabs, what do the different symbols mean? For example: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/..._life_btab.htm
That tab has letters above the stave, (e,s, etc). Never saw those on a guitar tab before :P
Also, the 'x' on the strings. Does that mean play muted?

That's some tab I've never seen before. No idea what e and s are indicating. The X I do not see any reason to mute the string in the situation shown - again never run across these markings.

Why are you wanting to use tabs? That's a No-No. Tab will become a crutch, best to not start out relying upon them. Geitards use tab we compose our bass lines based upon chord tones. It's OK to peek at some fake chord sheet music to see where the chord changes are located.


Have fun, but, leave tab alone. It will just slow you down.

[tZer]

Originally Posted by m_bisson

I mainly want to learn back the theory stuff that I've lost, such as key signatures, chords, intervals, etc... It's amazing how much we forget over our lifetimes lol.

I am not picking on you so please don't take it that way - but nowhere in your post did you say you want to play bass because you want to play bass.

The theoretical things you say you want to learn are best learned at a piano. So if it's theory you want to lean, I'd recommend piano and I've found a nice self-study (Jazz) theory book that is very much like sitting in a classroom with a teacher, homework exercises, etc...

Seeing and hearing how intervals, harmonies, chords and such work is so much easier on a piano due to it's linear presentation. Where almost all other polyphonic instruments have to obfuscate the side-by-side relationship of notes and intervals to conserve space (a bass neck can only be so long) a piano simply goes from the bottom to the top in a very easy to understand and linear fashion. Seeing the reality of how chords and their extensions work is very 1 to 1, step to step - whereas the same relationships get fuzzy on guitars and other instruments.

So - in short, if you want to lean bass to become a bass player, more power to you. Along the way you will pick up on some theory for sure. But if your goal is to learn theory, I'd suggest that bass is not the best (most efficient) instrument to use.

[StuartV]

I'm like you. Trombone player, then drummer, now learning bass.

In addition to StudyBass.com, I have really felt like I'm getting good stuff out of Ed Friedland's book Building Walking Bass Lines.

http://www.amazon.com/Building-Walki.../dp/0793542049

[m_bisson]

Well the tab was just so I'd have a "song" to practice aside from the scales and whatnot, and I'm not familiar enough with the bass yet to be able to learn by ear.

I certainly am playing bass to play bass, and I understand how what I asked before can be read differently. I just figured that having all the theory would help me pick up bass faster than if I just bought "Hal Leonard Method 1" or whatever it is. I'm nowhere near beginner, but at the same time I feel like I'm missing a few crucial components to my understanding of theory.

That Ed Friedland book seems like it may be what I'm after, but it's hard to tell just by the description

[hrodbert696]

The e and s you're seeing on the tabs are probably marking eighth and sixteenth notes. I've seen x marking a ghost note. If there are p's and h's they're pull-offs and hammer-ons. Once you're more comfortable with the bass, by the way, a good exercise is to rewrite the tab for yourself (find the same notes on different strings) or to transcribe it into full music notation (if you know how to read notation).

Why are you taking up bass? That's not meant as a challenge, just to figure out what advice to give or not. Also, are there any other instruments you play? Sounded like maybe you'd done some guitar too. Can you read sheet music? Are you in a band that needs somebody to cover bass, or is this for your own satisfaction, or what's going on?

Getting a teacher is definitely the best option. I taught myself because I was too impatient to wait until I could afford lessons (as soon as I can free up some money in the budget, I'm going, but...). But self-teaching definitely sets you up for bad habits and "blind spots" (stuff a teacher would have told you but it never occurred to you to look up for yourself).

I would say, in my unprofessional opinion, to mix learning songs by ear with some use of tabs to help work them out, and training yourself on theory. Learning to play actual songs helps keep morale up, but the theory is essential if you're going to grow. So use www.studybass.com or one of the other sites, or get a basic beginner's guide to the instrument. I'd also recommend a book of bass scales, like the Gig Bag series, and just start learning them. From there you can start learning which scales go with which keys and some standard progressions (I-IV-V, ii-V-I, etc.) and get jamming.

[m_bisson]

I moved out of my parents place for university, and had to leave my drums at home. Once I moved out my parents got a smaller house and there is currently nowhere for me to play my drums. So I guess I'm taking up bass just because I miss playing music. I'd like to get to the same level of skill with bass that I have with drumming, or at least half as good. For example, any song that you hear on the radio I am able to play on the drums just by listening to the song a few times (with the exception of some death metal stuff with insane double kick).

I can read sheet music, and actually took guitar courses in high school (yeah, my high school rocked). Since then most of my guitar work has been as rhythm, not lead, so I'm not very good at moving my fingers around the fret board quickly. I'm used to just snapping back and forth between chords as needed. At the same time I started to rely upon tabs for almost everything, hence the loss in my theory.

So, after the advice you guys have given me so far, it seems the best course of action is to get a firm grasp on the "feel" of my bass, re-teach myself some theory, and then take lessons to make sure my technique is correct. Sound good?

[tZer]

Originally Posted by m_bisson

I certainly am playing bass to play bass, and I understand how what I asked before can be read differently. I just figured that having all the theory would help me pick up bass faster than if I just bought "Hal Leonard Method 1" or whatever it is. I'm nowhere near beginner, but at the same time I feel like I'm missing a few crucial components to my understanding of theory.

Learning theory and playing bass are two separate things and combining them is probably only going to make things take much longer.

As others have suggested, get to know how to play a major and minor scale. That's just about all the theory you'll need to play bass - especially in blues, pop, rock, funk, punk, etc... Jazz will certainly require a little more theory savvy, but as for simply being able to get into the mix and start jamming, put the hard-core theory education to the side for a while. Get to know your instrument - how to pluck and fret (or stop if you're going fretless) - and use those ears. Listen to music that interests you and learn it. You don't learn songs with theory - you learn it with ears (or by reading notation or 'eek' tabs...).

Theory, on the other hand, is something you can study to gain a better understanding of how music works. It's not a system of exercises designed to make you physically play better - it's about understanding how harmony and melody works. True, the more you know, the more you can apply to what you do, but if your primary goal is to be able to jam with your friends, I'd recommend putting the theory lessons aside - or at least not thinking that theory is a 'short cut' to bass mastery.

[McKay]

I went with Vogts DVD course, so far its great!
http://www.teachmebassguitar.com/

I did have to supplement to learn how read notation as Roy dumps it about halfway through the course.

[tjmdetroit]

Originally Posted by m_bisson

I moved out of my parents place for university, and had to leave my drums at home. Once I moved out my parents got a smaller house and there is currently nowhere for me to play my drums. So I guess I'm taking up bass just because I miss playing music. I'd like to get to the same level of skill with bass that I have with drumming, or at least half as good. For example, any song that you hear on the radio I am able to play on the drums just by listening to the song a few times (with the exception of some death metal stuff with insane double kick).

I can read sheet music, and actually took guitar courses in high school (yeah, my high school rocked). Since then most of my guitar work has been as rhythm, not lead, so I'm not very good at moving my fingers around the fret board quickly. I'm used to just snapping back and forth between chords as needed. At the same time I started to rely upon tabs for almost everything, hence the loss in my theory.

So, after the advice you guys have given me so far, it seems the best course of action is to get a firm grasp on the "feel" of my bass, re-teach myself some theory, and then take lessons to make sure my technique is correct. Sound good?

like Nike say's "just do it".... get intimate with that bass...take it apart, put it back together....kiss it...lol...a soldier is issued a rifle and he gets to know it better than his mamma.....then tune it and start playing to music you dig.....that's when you start to get questions.....why does he play that there...etc..... GET IT ALL OVER YOU....LOL
peace
tjm

[pit7]

Hi,
I was a rock drummer for about twenty years before I switched to the bass five years ago.
After doing some home recording because of a baby-break - that was the reason to buy a bass and I fell in love instantly - and playing along to some favourites I started looking for a band.
Found one, took a few lessons, found a second band, got a second bass, a good rig and now I'm back on stage since late '08.

If you are a drummer, you got a strong and tight right hand. People appreciate that.
Don't worry about sports.
Find a band and make 'em sound better...

[Lambic]

This is IMO by far the best way to start (I come from a former musical background on piano and percussion too):

http://www.amazon.com/Leonard-Bass-M...0656431&sr=1-2

What Amazon doesn't mention, is that this combined edition (the three volumes in one spiral-bound book) also contains the three CD's!

What's more, Ed is regularly active on Talk Bass: search for his contributions!

[fearceol]

Seventeen posts in, and no mention of technique ( my apologies if I missed it ). In order for you to put all the great advice given so far, into practice, it's important to master good technique. In doing so, you will be able to play better and more economically, and also avoid possible physical problems later on. The bass is a different animal from the guitar, especially technique wise. A teacher would be best for this. Otherwise check out R/H and L/H technique on You Tube, or do a search here.

[MalcolmAmos]

Technique. Yep, sooner or later that does enter the picture. Nothing like sitting knee to knee with someone that has good technique. Instant feedback.

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by MalcolmAmos

Technique. Yep, sooner or later that does enter the picture.

Should definitely be the former IMO, before bad habits develop.