Going To the Wrong Direction ?~~

[madsky]

Ok. I'm just a newbie bass player. I get tabs for my favorite songs and play along with them. [i know tabs are bad for you] I can read notes in the Treble Clef [i have and Eb Instrument Yamaha AS100 Saxophone] but I'm not sure how it works in the Bass Clef with the electric bass. Now all I do is play along using the tabs I got. I am still seeking a teacherto help me. Am I going the correct direction?

[snyderz]

I'd say if you are playing your bass, you are going in the right direction.
Doc

[Boplicity]

Getting a teacher is the single best thing you can do for yourself to help you re-orient yourself to bass guitar after playing saxophone.

As you already read trebel clef, it probably won't be very hard to adapt to bass clef. The only way tabs will help you is to tell you what string and fret to play the notes...in other words fretboard familiarization. But there are better ways to go about learning the fretboard. Tabs are too "catch-as-catch can."

Playing scales and chord arpeggios starting with the first five frets on each string and adding one fret on each string at a time until you work your way up to the twelth fret is more systematic. After the twelth fret, it all starts over.

JO

[jazzbo]

So is that sax a tenor? Alto's are Bb if I remember, right? Are baritones and sopranos the same?

I think you're on the right track. Your treble clef knowledge is going to be a wonderful asset as you already understand how to read music. Now you just have to translate that to bass clef.

I commend you on trying to find a teacher. This is never a bad idea.

You will hear a lot of people telling you tabs are bad. All I will say is that if you can learn a song by playing tab, which is very difficult considering the errors and lack of important information, then you have learned one song. By developing your ear and learning from ear, or from written page, or from lead charts, you are developing the skills that will teach you how to play every song, ever written. Ever.

[air_leech]

welcome Madsky!

I also started on Alto Sax (still play and learn it) and I have to say going from sax to bass has its pros and cons, the theory you learned surely will help you and also the fingerboard layout will make much sense than playing the sax (I never heard of anyone who learned sax by books) but the overall feeling is completely different, anyway sound you are in the right way, I'll just back the saying: "get a teacher" it does help.

[Boplicity]

One serious handicap a new bass player has who just plays with tabs is that he will not learn the names of the notes. In other words, all-important fretboard familiarization is compromised.

With tabs, you know what string and fret to play, but if you don't know what notes they represent, you are just playing numbers. Then if you do decide to learn standard notation, you are forced to sit down and learn what notes are on what strings and at what frets.

Or, you can continue to use tabs, but discipline yourself to learn the names of the notes at each fret and string, so when you use tabs, you need to do a three-step mental process. See the fret number, see the string, then name the note. That is burdensome and slow.

If you want to be serious about playing bass guitar, and you already know trebel clef, switch to bass clef and master the fretboard.

[madsky]

I'm not sure because I forget stuff easily. But I think it is either Eb or Bb. My sax condition is quite bad. Since my friend attacked it once. I ended up busting his clarinet. But let's not talk about that.

Ok. I'm finding scales to practice now. And also finding a teacher. Thanks for the advice.

[Pacman]

Alto and Bari sax = Eb
Tenor and Soprano = Bb