Need help on a bass solo

[TheInsane]

Lately I have been trying to write some stuff for my band in regards to basslines but also solos. However I have never had any good training at this. My first attempt ended up great but Im totally stuck now. Basically I want to incorporate a solo on one of our songs during a mellow part. It can be heard here: http://www.entercanopy.com/mp3/01-canopy_decipher.mp3 (the mellow part I talk about starts at 03:45).

Now, I think of myself as a decent bass player but only when it comes to playing what others have written. Me and making my own lines (even less improvisation) just doesnt go together at all yet.

I have been trying to do something with this for a couple of days now but it parts always seem to sound a bit off key. I dont seem to get what scale I should be using so I thought I'd give talkbass a try to get me on the right track. Now I tune C, F, A#, D#, G#. The guitar plays this (on top of a F power chord):

C ||-----------------------------------|--0-------------------------------|
G ||------------------10---------------|-------10-------------------10----|
D#||-------------8----------8----------|-------------8---------8----------|
A#||-------10--------------------10----|------------------9---------------|
F ||--0--------------------------------|----------------------------------|
C ||-----------------------------------|----------------------------------|



-----------------------------------|--0------------------------------|
------------------10---------------|-------10------------------------|
-------------8----------8----------|-------------8-------------------|
-------10--------------------10----|------------------9----L----L----|
--0--------------------------------|---------------------------------|
-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|


The original bass is really simple and it doesnt give me many hints on what I can do with it:

G#||-------------------|-----------------------------|-------------------|
D#||-------------------|-----------------------------|-------------------|
A#||-------------------|-----------------------------|-------------------|
F ||--0----------------|-----------------------------|--0----------------|
C ||-------------------|--4------------1------L------|-------------------|


H. H E E W.
-------------------------------|-------------------|
-------------------------------|-------------------|
--2----------------------------|-------------------|
---------------3--------7S--L--|--0----------------|
-------------------------------|-------------------|

I hope you can give me some good pointers on how to move forward. I think that once I know a good scale (or a couple of good scales) I can construct something that I am satisfied with. But as I said I do have a problem with creating something that doesnt sound off key in parts.

Any help is appreciated.

[Mingus]

I'm sorry, but a little training in theory will help out a lot. Even learning the actual notes you are playing will help, if you don't want to go all the way. In doing so you can prolly steal a lot of things from anywhere.

[TheInsane]

Originally Posted by Mingus

I'm sorry, but a little training in theory will help out a lot. Even learning the actual notes you are playing will help, if you don't want to go all the way. In doing so you can prolly steal a lot of things from anywhere.

I do not wish to steal anything

Of course a little bit of theory would help. I have taken lessons (in what we in Sweden call "kommunala musikskolan") and while it has been helpful I never really learned how to identify what scales that fit with what chords outsideof the standard rock/blues kind of thing.

How would I go about to recognise what fits good under (or over) what the guitar plays. Under a power chord is simple of course but under the other part I wrote of above. I just need hints really.

I do have a book on bass scales and alike ("bass guitar; total scaled, techniques and applications") but its very dry and boring. Maybe I should give it one more try though. Or if anyone has another good book to recomend.

[JimmyM]

Listen, there isn't a player alive who doesn't steal licks from others. Everyone does it, and it's a time-honored tradition with musicians. You're having trouble improvising because you have no reference point to learn from others if you refuse to steal. Listening to other players and learning from it is the best way to learn how to improvise. You can learn all the theory in the world, but unless you can hear it being applied, it's meaningless.

And don't just listen to bassists. Listen to guitars, horns, strings, whatever.