New bass player! Needs help!

[DeeJay98]

I'm new to the bass, new to music in general! Started taking music theory last semester! Need help with fills? I got the basics but I play in a worship band and I notice some notes are held out for a long time! Now I have learned the major scale and I can do a quick fill before I switch a note. Any ideas?

[KingRAW]

I don't know exactly what your looking for if you got the "fills" down. I would say watch your tone, keep your sound in the midrange and make sure that your bass has alot of sustain. Does your band have a good keyboardist?

[darkstorm]

Haveing a bass built well for max sustain along with haveing pups with great sustain char. (Slow and even note fade out rather then fast, uneven, or suddem note fade out) helps with them notes held for long time. As does light fretting. A little trick one can also use to further accent sustain and note fade out is to skew pup blend toward the neck pup some as note starts to fade. Since on average, a hearable signal continues a little longer with neck pup rather then bridge position one. In some cases starting to tilt pup blend toward bridge can help at first for slightly brighter tone that lets note fade out be heard more readilly in dark mixes. If these dont give you long enough long notes, an ebow can be useful. or feedback ted nugent style. Is it a rocking worship band or more conservative type? Lol.

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by DeeJay98

I'm new to the bass, new to music in general! Started taking music theory last semester! Need help with fills? I got the basics but I play in a worship band and I notice some notes are held out for a long time! Now I have learned the major scale and I can do a quick fill before I switch a note. Any ideas?

I would assume you are playing with fake chord sheet music - most praise bands use fake chord. Your 6 string guitarist I'm sure will have some on your music. Use that. http://www.guitarzonline.com/should-...om-fake-books/

Some notes being held longer than others. Sing the song under your breath when the chord change word comes up, change to that chord, i.e. let the lyrics lead you with how long to play a specific bass line. Notice I did not say scale note. We play chord tones one note at a time. If you ever get a solo, then you can play some scales. Now scales are good warm up exercises and let us learn where the notes are on our fretboard, however, we are an accompaniment instrument and accompaniment is best played using chord tones. I would suggest you play chord tones, i.e. notes of the chord being used at this specific time in the song.
Roots are good. Roots and fives are a little better, Roots, fives, eights and the correct 3 is better yet. There is a link below that talks about those fives, eights and correct 3's. Here is how roots could be played. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUK5pE5x_6A

Here is some fake chord music.

(G) O they tell me of a home where my (C) friends have (G) gone
O they tell me of that land far (D) away.
Where the (G) tree of life in (C) eternal bloom
(G) sheds it's fragrance thro the (D) unclouded (G) day.

Start off doing Roots (G notes) R-R-R-R (4/4 time do four beats to the measure) singing the song under your breath and when you get to the word "friends' change to a C note and keep doing your R-R-R-R when you get to the word "gone" change back to the G note and continue with it in the next line of the verse till you get to the word "away" where you start using the D root note. Keep going - singing the song under your breath and changing root notes as the new chords come up. Let the lyrics guide you with how long to use a note.

Play enough of the chord's tones to build a bass line that works with this song. If just roots get old try some R-5-R-5 or R-3-5-8.

Here are some things I think will help.

Bass Patterns based upon the Major Scale box.

Major Scale Box.

G|---2---|-------|---3---|---4---| 1st string
D|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---|
A|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E|-------|---R---|-------|---2---|4th string

Basic Chords
Major Triad = R-3-5
Minor Triad = R-b3-5
Diminished Chord = R-b3-b5-b7

7th Chords
Maj7 = R-3-5-7
Minor 7 = R-b3-5-b7
Dominant 7 = R-3-5-b7
½ diminished = R-b3-b5-b7
Full diminished = R-b3-b5-bb7 Harmonic minor and melodic minor will use the full bb7

Scales
Major Pentatonic = R-2-3-5-6
Minor Pentatonic = R-b3-4-5-b7
Blues = R-b3-4-b5-5-b7
Major Scale = R-2-3-4-5-6-7
Natural Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7
Harmonic Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-b6-7
Melodic Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-6-7

Major modes
Ionian same as the Major Scale.
Lydian use the major scale and sharp the 4 - yes, it’s that simple.
Mixolydian use the major scale and flat the 7.

Minor Modes
Aeolian same as the Natural Minor scale.
Dorian use the Natural Minor scale and sharp the b6 back to a natural 6.
Phrygian use the Natural Minor scale and flat the 2.
Locrian use the Natural Minor scale and flat the 2 and the 5.

Generic Notes.
The root, five and eight are generic and fit most any chord. Remember the diminished has a flatted 5.
The 3 is generic to all major chords.
The b3 is generic to all minor chords.
The 7 is generic to all maj7 chords.
The b7 is generic to all dominant seventh and minor seventh chords.
The 6 is neutral and adds color, help yourself to 6’s.
The 2 and 4 make good passing notes. Don’t linger on them or stop on them, keep them passing.
In making your bass line help yourself to those notes, just use them correctly.
Roots, fives, eights and the correct 3 will play a lot of bass.
Get some of those generic bass lines into muscle memory. Do with the generic bass lines what you have been doing with your scales.

Notes on the fretboard, cheaters?

http://www.guitarhangout.com/wp-cont...itar-notes.jpg

www.studybass.com

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

http://www.studybass.com/lessons/bas...iad/exercises/

Have fun. Ask specific questions.

[bassictraining]

If you're talking about playing the same note for more than one measure....you can always pluck the note again on the one. Another thing that makes things more interesting is to slide up an octave.or bounce back and forth between octaves. I played a song last week that rode the D for twenty measures. I ended up fingering a chord. 1, 8, 13 and strumming a guitar like piece. I hope this helps I am not entirely positive I understood the question.

[DeeJay98]

Originally Posted by bassictraining

If you're talking about playing the same note for more than one measure....you can always pluck the note again on the one. Another thing that makes things more interesting is to slide up an octave.or bounce back and forth between octaves. I played a song last week that rode the D for twenty measures. I ended up fingering a chord. 1, 8, 13 and strumming a guitar like piece. I hope this helps I am not entirely positive I understood the question.

I re read what I wrote and I see that it was confusing. The point I am at right now is playing the root of the chord. And I just started like two weeks ago adding different 8ctves in the song. A song we played just this week help a g for like 4 measures and it switch to d and right back to g. I play off a lead sheet which makes it difficult, being with no experience. So if you have any ideas of what I could add or maybe practice adding to the song?

[DeeJay98]

Originally Posted by MalcolmAmos

I would assume you are playing with fake chord sheet music - most prase bands use fake chord. Your 6 string guitarist I'm sure will have some on your music. Use that. http://www.guitarzonline.com/should-...om-fake-books/

Some notes being held longer than others. Sing the song under your breath when the chord change word comes up, change to that chord, i.e. let the lyrics lead you with how long to play a specific bass line. Notice I did not say scale note. We play chord tones one note at a time. If you ever get a solo, then you can play some scales.

I would suggest you play chord tones, i.e. notes of the chord being used at this specific time in the song.

Roots are good. Roots and fives are a little better, Roots, fives, eights and the correct 3 is better yet.

Play enough of the chord's tones to build a bass line that works with this song.

Here are some things I think will help.

Notes on the fretboard, cheaters?

http://www.guitarhangout.com/wp-cont...itar-notes.jpg

www.studybass.com

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

http://www.studybass.com/lessons/bas...iad/exercises/

Have fun.

Thank you!!! I will use this, to practice with! I have a questionAnd this may sound dumb, what should I end on(if playing chord tones) to got to the next note?

[DeeJay98]

Originally Posted by KingRAW

I don't know exactly what your looking for if you got the "fills" down. I would say watch your tone, keep your sound in the midrange and make sure that your bass has alot of sustain. Does your band have a good keyboardist?

I'm sorry, I feel dumb but what do you mean sustain?

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by DeeJay98

Thank you!!! I will use this, to practice with! I have a questionAnd this may sound dumb, what should I end on(if playing chord tones) to got to the next note?

Not real sure I understand. Well right now just follow the chords - let's use our fake chord.

(G) O they tell me of a home where my (C) friends have (G) gone
O they tell me of that land far (D) away.
Where the (G) tree of life in (C) eternal bloom
(G) sheds it's fragrance thro the (D) unclouded (G) day.

Start out with just G root notes playing G-G-G-G-G- to the beat and when you get to the word Friends you will want to change to the C root and play C-C-C-C etc.

You need not do anything special to get from the G to the C right now. Just change. As long as you are keeping the root notes with the beat of the song just going to the next root is all that is necessary.

Now if what you are asking - if you are doing something besides roots, like a R-3-5-6 and you are getting close to the chord change word - how do you time it so you get all of the R-3-5-6 in before you have to change. Good question. The chord change should happen when the chord change word appears in the song, however, in the real World, if you are a little late in the change you are probably the only one that knows you were late, it's not that structured.

Later it is a lot of fun to walk chromatically from the G to the C, for example: Give yourself some space to do this. OK you are on the G root and want to get to the C root. Target the C - see where it is - look up the fretboard or down the fretboard four frets - start there and walk each fret to the C. Be on the C when the sheet music tells you to be there. It's very simple you just have to time it. Targeting chord tones chromatically - Bass Soloing Tutorial with Scott Devine

Say you are on C and you want to get to the F Look at the fretboard C at the 8th fret. From C go to C# then D, then go up a string for the E and then land on the F for the 4th beat.

OK you are now on the F and you want to get to the G, back up to the E, then the F, F#, and land on the G for the 4th beat. OK you are now on G and want to get to the C root. Go down a string to the D#, then go to D, then C# and land on C for the 4th beat. That is not the only way to walk to those new roots, experiment by targeting the next root then look up, or down, four frets and start your walk from there.

You just did a chromatic run. Congratulations. When you can do that with out loosing the beat you can call yourself a bass player.

[bassictraining]

Wow, good old talkbass. You just got the entire crash course on music! Love this place. So many helpful and talented people. I have nothing to add other than you can hear many different versions of almost any song just by typing the name into youtube. Most of the time there are some really ingenius basslines already written for your pirating pleasure.

I have been playing in church for a long time now and it was very confusing at first because the songs are often not formatted like the music I grew up with. Follow the advice given above and I can assure that it will all come natural in time. I wouldn't worry too much about fills or playing a lot of notes. Bass is a very foundational instrument. Setting up a nice groove will allow every one else to really do what they do best.

Blessings.

[xxjazzbassist]

Just listen to your favorite worship/ christian artists and use your ear to teach you how to play fills as well as the style. you'll be a better bassist in the long run if you learn things by ear