1. What key are drums tuned to? http://www.wikihow.com/Tune-Your-Drums Be sure and read the last paragraph - just before "Warnings".
2. Read somewhere that you should ALWAYS start on the root. Always? Nothing in music is always. Well except, if it sounds good it is good. Country, Rock and other dirt simple progressions do lend themselves to root something. In these cases root nothing is "always" safe. R-5 is safe, except over diminished chords. R-3-5-3 works well in 4/4 time over a major chord. R-b3-5-b3 or b7 works well with minor chords aka Cm or Cm7, etc. etc. Again in these songs we will be playing chord tones - notes of the chord and changing our bass line riff as the chord change in the Chord Progression. Take all that and then weave it into a groove. Gotta groove with the music the groove is the important thing. For more on chord tones (spelling)
http://www.smithfowler.org/music/Chord_Formulas.htm
I found this site helpful
http://www.looknohands.com/chordhous.../index_rb.html
Ask it to make a chord, then scroll the screen down a little you want to be able to see this:
Quote:
C Major a.k.a.: C, CMaj, CM
intervals: 1,3,5 .....This is what you want 1 is the Root. So our bass line riff over the C chord could be R-3-5-3. Need 4 notes to fill out 4/4 time, i.e 4 beats per bar. In 3/4 time 3 is all you need per bar.
half-steps: 4-3 .......Not that important to us. Keyboard yes stringed instruments, no.
notes: C,E,G ......C is the Root, E is the 3rd note and G is the 5th note. C, E, G are the chord tones of the C chord. So a R-3-5-3 would be a C-E-G-E riff.
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Yep it is really not all that hard or complicated. Look up the chords used in the song and then work up your bass line riff to use over them. Remember the groove - a repetitive root may groove better than R-3-5-3, perhaps R-R-3-3-5-5-6-5 whatever fits best. The specific song will dictate what is correct.
3. Do I have to learn how to slap? Not unless you want to. You could use pick, fingers, thumb whatever. It is left up to you. Every one has their own favorite way.
I see that this is your first post. Welcome. You might find
www.studybass.com helpful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUK5pE5x_6A
Try a repetitive root nothing over each chord. When that gets easy do a R-5 over each chord change. Let that chord/scale generator help you with what R-5 with an A chord would be.
Good luck. Ask specific questions.
