Hi all! New member

[paisteman]

Hi I'm a drummer who is learning to play bass. My best friend and I have been playing together for about seven years. He plays guitar and I have always played the drums. We always have been able to work well together. Long story short. No bass player. So I want to learn how to play. I have at my disposal a Fender Precision 5 string running through a Line6 Pod XT. I wish it was a 4 string because I have girly drummer hands. My friend is teaching me basics but, I'm looking for something more. One on one lessons are kind of out of the question at the moment. Too much work and school right now. Is there anything on DVD that someone can recommend? Thanks!

[Guiseppe]

Originally Posted by paisteman

Hi I'm a drummer who is learning to play bass. My best friend and I have been playing together for about seven years. He plays guitar and I have always played the drums. We always have been able to work well together. Long story short. No bass player. So I want to learn how to play. I have at my disposal a Fender Precision 5 string running through a Line6 Pod XT. I wish it was a 4 string because I have girly drummer hands. My friend is teaching me basics but, I'm looking for something more. One on one lessons are kind of out of the question at the moment. Too much work and school right now. Is there anything on DVD that someone can recommend? Thanks!

Without knowing your background and innate ability, kinda hard to pick a DVD. Honestly, I'd recommend finding some music you enjoy that doesn't have a difficult bass line...pick something with 1/4 and 1/8 notes and start on getting your brain, ear, and hands working together. Most rock bass is pretty repetitive and if you need to you can "dumb it down" by sticking to the root note of whatever key you're in until you're starting to get the "vibe" of the song.

either way, welcome to TB! If you stick around, you'll find that there is literally TONS of good info, for a brand new player or someone (like me) w/ 30 years under your belt. Just make sure that you make some time to practice daily and you'll find that you're improving faster than you thought possible!

[fearceol]

I agree with the above post. Listen to some Beatles music to get the feel of where the bass fits into the music. Blues is also great for learing bass lines.

I'd also advise learing proper technique to avoid physical problems later on and to eliminate bad habits before they start. There is some stickys here on technique.

[Guiseppe]

Originally Posted by fearceol

I agree with the above post. Listen to some Beatles music to get the feel of where the bass fits into the music. Blues is also great for learing bass lines.

I'd also advise learing proper technique to avoid physical problems later on and to eliminate bad habits before they start. There is some stickys here on technique.

I'd definitely recommend keeping blues in mind, since there is so much rock that influenced by it, one way or another. The Beatles are another good one, Sir Paul has so many bass lines that are very melodic that are great to learn...and fun!

Another band that I'd recommend is U2. Adam Clayton (their bass player) plays a lot of simple, clean bass lines that you can likely pick up on with a little work.

Note: a lot of bass players will complain about Clayton's simple bass lines (1/4 and 1/8 notes, no solos to speak of) - but the bottom line IS the bottom end. While there are a LOT of more technically challenging bass players, the most important part of playing the bass is putting down the bottom end and driving the song. It DOESN'T take a flurry of 1/64 notes to make a very effective bass line.

Another tip: Get into the habit of stretching before playing...you'll save yourself the chance of getting hand/wrist/arm problems down the road. This is something I've always done, and in 30 years of playing regularly, I've never had any health problems associated with playing bass. Good luck, and enjoy yourself!