I've got a bunch of bass questions

Pete528 · #1 09-09-2007, 05:34 PM

hey everyone, i am kind of a beginning bassist and i have a bunch of questions. it'd be awesome if you guys could help me out.

1. i want to learn how to do a little walking bass. what books and/or websites would you suggest to help me start?

2. i need help improvising. like, i can't really jam or anything. if a guitarist just starts playing on the fly and drums kick in, what can i do to blend?

3. overall, i need help with playing with a band and just creating basslines, do i just mess around with scales or something?

thanks a lot to anyone who helps

johncg · #2 09-09-2007, 05:51 PM

Your curiosity about the bass is a wonderful.

My advice is this:

listen, listen, listen

and

practice, practice, practice.

Listen to as many recordings as you can. Things you like nd things you HATE. Don't just listen to the notes, those are the easy part. There is an overwhelming amount of information to be found out there about what notes to play. There are many books, teachers, classes, online forums(!), and etc. where you can learn this information. Learn as much as you think you can use and PLAY with that information. Have fun with it, EXPLORE. Make it your own. Music is a language, after all, and our goal is to speak it with our own voice.

But pay careful attention to the RHYTHM, the FEEL, the STYLE, the PHRASING. ARTICULATION can make the most mundane ideas soar. Feel the essence of music's beauty and make the practice room, the jam session, and the gig, your altar of its divine presence.

Above all else, my advice is this, go inside your SELF. That is where the power, the majesty, the beauty, the creativity, and the GENIUS lies. Seek answers from within. Books, lessons, other musicians, and other teachers can only show you things. YOU are the one who must learn them.

YOU are the teacher, the student, the master...

meev992 · #3 09-09-2007, 05:58 PM

1. Learning by imitation is one of the more enjoyable methods...(suzuki method?). Find a bass guru that'll have the patience to impart u with wisdom.

2. Keep things simple at first. Play with the drum, and pay attention to what the drummer is doing. It helps to be able to play guitar, and drums, so you get a feel for how improvisation is done on each instrument. If you want the quick and dirty way, find a drummer friend, and get them to teach you drums. After that, play along with their kick drum, and add notes when the drummer is doing cymbal accents, etc.

...to hell with the guitarist, he should be paying attention to the rhthym section

...just kidding, sort of.

3. You have everything you need, in you. U decided to play bass for a reason, so just feel the groove. Familiarity, and a certain comfort level with the bass is what some beginners lack. Just relax a little and let it flow....

and just to add, lots of reading and listening will help. Music/instructional videos do wonders. A lot of things in life can be learned by imitation. Ever watch two bass players, chill with one another? They trade phrases, and teach.

but most of all, patience is the key. You'll get there eventually.

steve66 · #4 09-09-2007, 06:05 PM

There is a ton of information on this site. It would be difficult to recommend a specific book without knowing anything about your playing or musical knowledge.

Think about taking some bass lessons with a good teacher to get you started and make sure you dont pick up any bad habits with technique.

Look for Todd Johnson and Dave Overthrow in the Ask a Pro section of this forum. Check out the posts there

Also Dave Marks has some pretty good walking bass line videos and PDF on his website and YouTube http://www.davemarks.com/

chasfr · #5 09-09-2007, 07:15 PM

1. Nobody's mentioned it yet, so I'll throw in Ed Friedland's "Building Walking Bass Lines" as a good place to start with... well, walking bass lines.

2. Improvising: You can't write words before you know the alphabet, and you can't make sentences until you can write words. Improvising is sentences. Sounds like you're still at alphabet stage, where everybody starts. Be patient, stick with it, you'll get to sentences before you know it.

3. Fastest route is to find a good teacher. Otherwise, keep reading this forum, listen to lots of music, get books, listen to more music and steal the basslines. ;-)

Always remember, if you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong!

Good luck.
Chas