Looking for some inspiration

[massahwahl]

First and foremost I would like to say 'hello' to everyone. I looked around at a lot of bass forums and this one seemed to be the only one with an active user base so Im looking forward to meeting you guys!

Heres my situation...

Ive 'played' bass for about 8 years. I say 'played' because I use the term very loosely. I played with a band when I first started but that only lasted a year or so and since then I would tinker around with it and have learned a fair amount and can play but not to any degree of personal satisfaction. I know a lot of bits and pieces but not how to formulate those bits and pieces into anything substantial.

I recently started playing again with a guy from work and we layed down some guitar parts and drum parts and every time it comes back to the bass I just feel like a lost puppy. I know what I want the riff to sound like but can never find it on the neck.

Basically what Im looking for is some advice or direction that can help me get back into playing seriously and use the scraps of knowledge that Ive learned to form a solid foundation. I read a post someone made about playing scales and I am going to start doing that everyday.

[fearceol]

I know it's the stock answer here on TB, but in your case I think that getting a few lessons from a good teacher, would be money well invested. A teacher can assess your level, then advise and direct you accordingly.

If you decide to go it alone, then learning scales, while it is important to know them, will only get you so far. IMO, and I am by no means an expert, the best way to go is learning about chords, chord tones, and their inversions. The latter especially, will get you thinking in a whole new way about playing. For example, not always starting on the root of a chord, can make it sound different. Below are links to some lessons that I have found helpful.

YouTube - Dave marks walking bass lessons

This one, while about walking bass lines, is good all round as it gets you thinking about inversions later in the series. I think there are nine lessons in all.



How to practice bass arpeggios | Scott's Bass Lessons


This one is from the site of a fellow TB'r

[massahwahl]

The Scott's bass lessons looks interesting but it says the link is broken Would love to read it. Ill be checking out the youtube videos too!

[Chris K]

To study scales and arpeggios I basically used two approaches:
1. the box method (major scale in one position, starting on middle, one finger per fret, figure it out yourself, it's a great study); for arpeggios, use the fingerings you discovered for the major scale; for minor (and some other) scales, shift one position down when going up, sift one position up when going down.
2. the 3-3-2 -method; start on the index finger (f.e. on G, E-string 3rd fret), play g a b (3 notes) on the E-string, c d e (3 notes) on the A-string, f# g (2 notes) on the D-string. Then play a b c d e f# g a starting on E-string, 5th fret (again starting with the index finger and using the 3-3-2 pattern), then b c d e f# g a b starting on E-string, 7th fret, etc. (index as starting finger and 3-3-2 each time). When going down, start every run with your little finger, also using 3-3-2 (so not 2-3-3-!!).

Once you know the scales up and down, start on arpeggios.

Especially this last method will develop your capacities to play by ear, knowing where to find the notes you want to hear (as opposed to knowing the names of the notes on each fret/string)

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by massahwahl

The Scott's bass lessons looks interesting but it says the link is broken Would love to read it.

There seems to be a problem alright. They worked previously for me. See if this You Tube link to the lessons works.





YouTube - scott's bass lessons how to practice arpeggios




Here is a great site for theory. It deals with chords in this link :

http://www.studybass.com/lessons/bass-chord-patterns/


If you put the cursor arrow over the notes in the exercise diagrams,, it sounds that note.