Problems With Improving

[Iplaynow]

Hello i have been on this form for a little while and found alot of great information but i am still stumped as how to go on something. I have been playing with tabs for a couple months now but have had some trouble trying to improvise, as for the fact it feels unnatural and i just recently learned about getting notes from scales. But my problem is finding a way to get just a song with no bass and getting the key in order to try to improve a bass line. Am i going about it the wrong way? Also would there be a way to do it the method i am thinking any advice would be greatly appreciated and i thank you in advance.

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by Iplaynow

Hello i have been on this form for a little while and found alot of great information but i am still stumped as how to go on something. I have been playing with tabs for a couple months now but have had some trouble trying to improvise, as for the fact it feels unnatural and i just recently learned about getting notes from scales. But my problem is finding a way to get just a song with no bass and getting the key in order to try to improve a bass line. Am i going about it the wrong way? Also would there be a way to do it the method i am thinking any advice would be greatly appreciated and i thank you in advance.

Move away from tab and try some fake chord or lead sheet music. That will give you the chord name and leave how to use that chord in your bass line to you.

Knowing what notes to put in your bass line will involve some theory. This will help. http://www.smithfowler.org/music/Chord_Formulas.htm
I have certain generic chord tones in memory so when I see a chord name I can automatically have a generic bass line in mind. For example:
C = R-3-5-3
Cm - R-b3-5-b3
C7 = R-3-5-b7
Cm7 = R-b3-5-b7
Cmaj7 = R-3-5-7
Cm7b5 = R-b3-b5-b7

I think that would be step one. Step two is knowing how much of that to use in the bass line, i.e. just roots have written a bunch of bass lines. Knowing which notes to put into the bass line is recognizing what is needed for the groove - perhaps R-R-5-8 or R-5-R-5 or will a major pentatonic R-2-3-5-6 or the minor pentatonic R-b3-4-5-b7 fit in this groove - that comes from practice. Try playing with this backing track. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4x0u...eature=related
Just roots first, then start adding chord tones till you get what you think is enough. That backing track will have a couple of measures with two chords per measure - you've got two beats per chord so you only have room for two notes per chord, which ones to use ---- you decide.


Come back with specific questions.

[hrodbert696]

If I understand what you're asking correctly --

Instead of going to tabs first, see if you can figure out a song by ear. Just listen and try to find the root notes by trial and error. Do this with simple, basic songs to start, like some U2.

Besides that, as MalcolmAmos says, again instead of tabs, get the chords for the song and a book of bass scales. Find the scale that matches the chord and learn how the song moves through the changes. A little time and you'll start getting the feel for building your own bass lines rather than just reproducing a tab.

edit: oh, when you say "get just a song with no bass," do you mean how to play to a recording of the song with the bass taken out? Or do you mean how to create a line for a song that never did have a bass in it? If the former, you can get CDs in music stores that will do that -- kind of bass karaoke discs, usually in the back of a tab book. But you can also just try playing the CD with your player's bass knob turned way down so that the existing bass line gets muted out. You'll lose some of the kick drum too, though, depending on the song.