Not just a Bass

[DeadNoMore]

OK, so this may not belong here but you all seem to be so good with advice I thought I would ask.

My daughter wants to learn the guitar, I just bought my first Bass. I am doing what everyone has recommended her to learn the Bass but want to encourage my daughter. I thought it might help if we both learned together. Is there anything that anyone could recommend that would be a good way for us to learn at the same time. Mainly focused on her. I thought it might be neat if there was something that I could play a basic Bass line and she play the guitar.

If this sound totally crazy and you think we should just learn apart, please let me know. I do not want to mess her or myself up when learning. any tips would be great but if the answer is don't even try I will respect that. I just thought it might be beneficial to both of us to work together and learn a new instrument. I realize this could be a train wreck but thought everyone here would have the best advice.

Thanks in advance for any input and thanks for such a great site.

New to the 5 string,

DeadNoMore

[funk generator]

i say go for it it should be really fun, and itll be some father daughter bonding. You should be able to learn some stuff playing with someone else too.

[blendermassacre]

Maybe you can find a guitar teacher in your area willing to accommodate..

[GianGian]

You could learn some easy songs together and then practise. Playing with other musicians is great for learning a lot of things, but don't stop practising by yourselves, it is also very important.

[LaklandBass]

To answer your questiion ill just say that I wish someone in my family would have done that for me. You absolutely have the right idea for having a good time and making memories with your daughter. You'll both have fun and learn something that you'll carry with you for life.

[MalcolmAmos]

I do what you are talking about every Thursday so yes what you have in mind works. My friend sings and accompanies himself on rhythm guitar. I play bass and provide the beat.

You both can play from the same fake chord sheet music. Now one of you will have to sing and play at the same time - that takes some time.....

Both using the same fake chord sheet music - she strums the chord progression and sings and you furnish generic bass riffs over the chords. Right at first keep your riffs dirt simple - don't over power her efforts. A basic repetitive Root-5 and change with the chord changes should be enough.

Might be a good idea for your both to work on the same songs, however, the learning curve on the rhythm guitar is going to take longer than your bass riffs will. You two work that out.

http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/ww...es/166681.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g35zS1tVO3o
I think he is using R-2-3-5-6, the major pentatonic scale, and changing as the chords change. Just to give you an idea of what could happen.

Have fun.

[DeadNoMore]

Thanks for all the input. I found a neat learning write up about the Major Scales and how to learn them on the internet last night. Tonight, my daughter and I are starting to use the information to understand how these scales work and what they are on the instruments. I just wanted her to understand that you need to dive in deeper than just some tab in order to understand what you are trying to learn.

We are going to discuss the scales and how they are found without using tab on both instruments. I know just enough to be able to find the notes so this should be a learning experience. I think that if she realizes how to find what she wants to play, she will be a better player in the long run.

If anyone thinks this is a bad idea, please let me know before I go down this path too far. I fear I may overwhelm her and myself but at some point we need to understand this part of music.

Again, thanks for all the replies. I am soooooo glad I found this site.

Dead

[MalcolmAmos]

Good idea. No matter what instrument we have to do our scales. Gets our fingers doing what they need to do and gets our ears tuned to recognize the good and bad notes. Move quickly into chords, she will be playing chord progressions way before she will be playing melody (tunes).

Sometime a chart or two helps.

Major Scale Chart
C D E F G A B...............Notice the C scale has no Sharps
G A B C D E F#.............and the G scale has one, the F#
D E F# G A B C#...........and the D scale keeps the F# and
A B C# D E F# G#.........adds the C#. Then the A scale keeps
E F# G# A B C# D#.......everything and adds the G#. See how
B C# D# E F# G# A#.....it builds on it's self.
F# G# A# B C# D# E#
C# D# E# F# G# A# B#
F G A Bb C D E.............Look what happens with the flat scales
Bb C D Eb F G A...........F has one the Bb, then the Bb scale keeps
Eb F G Ab Bb C D.........it's self and adds the the Eb. Same thing
Ab Bb C Db Eb F G.......the sharp scales did...
Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C
Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F
Cb Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb

Memory Pegs:
See God Destroy All Earth By F#irey C#haos - Order of the scales with sharps. C has none, G has one the F#, D has two the F# and the C#, etc.
Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Birds - The order of the sharps - C has none, G has one the FAT F#, the D keeps the F# and adds the CATS C#, etc.
Farmer Brown Eats Apple Dumplings Greasley Cooked - Order of the scales with flats AND the order of the flats. Same concept as the sharp scales.

Natural Minor Scale Chart
A B C D E F G ................Notice how the 6th column of the
E F# G A B C D................Major scale becomes the 1st column
B C# D E F# G A..............in the minor scale and how the 7th
F# G# A B C# D E............column of the Major scale is now the
C# D# E F# G# A B..........2nd column in the minor scale. And
G# A# B C# D# E F#........yep, the 1st column in the Major scale
D# E# F# G# A# B C#......is now the 3rd column, etc. etc.
A# B# C# D# E# F# G#....Ask your self why?
D E F G A Bb C
G A Bb C D Eb F
C D Eb F G Ab Bb
F G Ab Bb C Db Eb
Bb C Db Eb F Gb Ab
Eb F Gb Ab Bb Cb Db
Ab Bb Cb Db Eb Fb Gb

Have fun.

[DeadNoMore]

Thanks so much for the info. This will really help. We only got through the C and G right now. This will be great to help her and me with the others.

I still need to learn and understand the Major and Minor scales and the theory behind them but this is a great tool to have.

Thanks again,

Dead

[MalcolmAmos]

Notice the notes in the C major scale.
Notice the notes in the A minor scale.

They are the same. So are the chords. Three major, three minor and one diminished chord. If you base your harmony (chord progression) around the three major chords, C F & G the melody notes will sound major.

If you base your chord progression around the three minor chords, Am, Dm & Em the notes will sound minor.

What is different in a major chord and a minor chord? The minor chord has a b3. All minor chords have a b3 and that gives the piece a minor sound. All major chords have a natural 3 and that gives the piece a major sound.

Looking at the key signature on a piece of sheet music. You see three flat signs, i.e. bbb what key is the piece in?

Good ole memory pegs - Farmer Brown Eats -- your in Eb or - big OR - C minor. See the notes are the same in both of these. C minor is the relative minor of Eb. How do you know which? Look to the chords used that's the give-a-way.

It's really not all that complicated. Country, Rock, Gospel will be major 95% of the time.

Have fun.

[DudeistMonk]

I have a buddy who is a beginner at rhythm guitar and the other day we where slamming a few beers and he wanted to jam so I said can you play "C minor and G7" or "A minor and D minor" or something like that and he says yeah. I said "Okay then, give me 2 bars of a Am and 2 bars of Dm over and over." and he looks at me kinda confused but he starts at it, I come in and start doing some groove (using notes from each chord respectively) with some little lead ins from chord to chord and about 30 seconds in he starts to add some rhythm and a minute in you see this little smile of knowing and he goes, "Dude it suddenly makes so much sense."

Point of that story is keep it simple and practical, its hard to understand your roll when your trying to remember a ton of changes but start with some easy 2 bar progression and you can have a lot of fun and that learning together is a very good idea...seemed to work for U2 (not that I'm a huge fan but they are decent)

[Mark Wilson]

Holy Theory lesson...

Learn songs together! Easy(ish) stuff like the Beatles, songs she likes. Songs you can sing together, etc etc.

In my (slight) teaching experience, it's gotta be fun.

Write a tune together with chords you know!