Guitarist wants to add bass to home studio tracks

[joe187]

Hi Everybody,

I am sure this is a pretty common question. I am a guitarist, I can read charts and know a reasonable amount about harmony and chord structure. I just went out and bought a Spector Legend 5 string bass so I could lay down some scratch tracks to work on guitar parts. (BTW - I bought it off Craigslist - I don't know much about Spector's reputation but it is a gorgeous instrument. I own many high end guitars and the fit and finish on this bass equals far more expensive axes).

I don't mean to diminish studying bass, I am a huge fan of many great bassists. Jaco is my god (yeah I'm a little older...). I would like to know a quick and dirty means to play over charts. Is there a general rule for playing bass over 4 part chords - i.e. play the root, fifth and 7th? Also, is there a general idea to "walking" bass lines? I am sure it is a huge world, but a nudge in the right direction would be really appreciated.

Lastly, what is the conventional wisdom for small bass amps? Is a large speaker better than a couple of 10's and a tweeter? What would you guys recommend for a small amp? I am playing right into thee board into Pro Tools. Any suggestions for doing this? Preamps maybe?

Thanks. I really appreciate the help.

Joe

[spudmaster34]

bigger speakers have a "beefier" sound with more low end. John-Paul Jones talks about how his favorite cab he ever played through had a 30" speaker, unfourtunately, it didn't last for a full concert. Most bass recording is done with a line in for beter sound, so you probably don't want to worry about speakers to much anyways

[Introvox]

Originally Posted by spudmaster34

bigger speakers have a "beefier" sound with more low end. John-Paul Jones talks about how his favorite cab he ever played through had a 30" speaker, unfourtunately, it didn't last for a full concert. Most bass recording is done with a line in for beter sound, so you probably don't want to worry about speakers to much anyways

+1....almost every bass line I ever recorded, was line in

[scottbass]

Yep, you will be happiest if you record bass direct in through a decent DI box or, even better, a tube preamp. Add effects later if you think you need them.

As far as constructing bass lines, there really isn't any shortcut to learning and practicing. You sound like a smart guy; listen to bass lines you like in the genre you're recording and go from there. Can't play them the way you want? Then you need to develop better bass technique. Get a video, or get a teacher. Videos are quicker and cheaper, teachers are better.

Yeah, conventional wisdom is if you don't have a good reason to do otherwise, then you should hit the root on the downbeat most of the time. Throw some fifths, thirds and/or sevenths in to fill out the measure and be ready to hit the root on the next downbeat. That advice doesn't really explain much of what it takes to create a good bass line, however.

[MichaelScott]

Originally Posted by scottbass

Yep, you will be happiest if you record bass direct in through a decent DI box or, even better, a tube preamp. Add effects later if you think you need them.

As far as constructing bass lines, there really isn't any shortcut to learning and practicing. You sound like a smart guy; listen to bass lines you like in the genre you're recording and go from there. Can't play them the way you want? Then you need to develop better bass technique. Get a video, or get a teacher. Videos are quicker and cheaper, teachers are better.

Yeah, conventional wisdom is if you don't have a good reason to do otherwise, then you should hit the root on the downbeat most of the time. Throw some fifths, thirds and/or sevenths in to fill out the measure and be ready to hit the root on the next downbeat. That advice doesn't really explain much of what it takes to create a good bass line, however.

+1 to this. There isn't really a quick and dirty way to get walking down. Most bass players spend many years and countless hours getting a "vocabulary" of walking lines for key transitions so we can apply them easily.

If you already have the song composed and the basic media format you can just write down the chord progression, play the chords of the songs, and then slowly transcribe something that sounds cool for you. It will take a long time but you'll get it done- and it will be far quicker then trying to learn how to walk a line.

Also, you might want to think of hiring a pro. What might take you a few hours to come up with they will probably do better... in 10 minutes.

[beyondhairy]

what i do is run my bass throug my effects chain and into my amp, and then use the preamp-out to DI directly into my line 6 tone port ux2, it works great i record both bass and guitar this way... its a much cleaner signal then going directly into the tone port.

[mellofello]

well, playing quarter notes root, 3rd, 5th, 6th is a pretty good place to start.