rootnotes?

[Bayonet]

I am a newbie at bass... i bought mine just a week ago and 3 days ago i joined a "band"(not really a band.. we don't have vocals yet) and the drummer sugested i should stick to the rootnotes while i learn,but he couldnt explain me what that meant and how should i do it,so,can any of you tell me what that means and how should i do it?

[jabsys]

Roots To Chords that explains it much better than I could.

[Bayonet]

wow.. that surely helped a lot.. but how am i supposed to know wich notes to play? i must ask the guitarist what he is playing?
btw,can i play covers but instead of playing the original basslines play only the rootnotes or it will sound very bad?

[Jazz Ad]

You will realize that many, many basslines consist of nothing but root notes.

[chuck3]

Originally Posted by Bayonet

wow.. that surely helped a lot.. but how am i supposed to know wich notes to play? i must ask the guitarist what he is playing?
btw,can i play covers but instead of playing the original basslines play only the rootnotes or it will sound very bad?

1. You have to know the chords to the song. Ask the guitarist and, if you need to, make and use a chart (although for most rock songs a chart shouldn't be necessary for long).

2. It depends whether the bass player in the original played mostly the root notes or not. It might work for "Powderfinger" but not "All My Lovin'."

[hrodbert696]

Originally Posted by Bayonet

wow.. that surely helped a lot.. but how am i supposed to know wich notes to play? i must ask the guitarist what he is playing?

Depends on what you're playing. If it's covers, you can usually get chord charts from the internet. If it's saying the chord is an E minor, your root note is E, etc. If it's originals, then you'll have to ask the writer what the chord progression is. Or if it's just jamming, listen and figure it out by ear.

btw,can i play covers but instead of playing the original basslines play only the rootnotes or it will sound very bad?

Depends on the song. Some songs, all the bass line IS will be root notes. YouTube - U2 - With or Without you - lyrics

Some songs you can simplify down to roots or close to it, without the various fills etc., and it will sound fine. This song, I didn't even realize there WERE fills (mostly in the chorus) until I saw a transcription: YouTube - Lit - My own worst enemy - with Lyrics

Other songs, the bass line makes the song and it will sound like crap if you don't play the bass line as it was recorded. YouTube - Duran Duran - Rio

Obviously, start simple, read a lot, practice even more, and have fun.

[BassmanSBK]

Originally Posted by Bayonet

wow.. that surely helped a lot.. but how am i supposed to know wich notes to play? i must ask the guitarist what he is playing?
btw,can i play covers but instead of playing the original basslines play only the rootnotes or it will sound very bad?

I noticed that in your other post you are experiencing hand pain after one week. This should just not be. Something is very wrong here.

You need a teacher. You need to learn the basics of:

1. The physical production of sound on the instrument, and how to play without causing pain or injury.

2. Where the notes are on the fretboard.

3. Music theory. (The chromatic, major and minor scales, the forms of the most basic chords [major, minor, dominant], basic rhythm.)

With these under your belt, you can then sart playing the simplest base lines possible--the root of the chord that the rest of the group is playing.

[Bayonet]

hmm now i get it

yeah BassmanSBK,i solved that other problem but i'm having some trouble finding teachers where i live.. i only found one bass teacher and he lives too far from me,so i'm learning from a friend who plays,but i don't see him very often.. anyway,i'm still looking for a teacher,can't be that they're all hiding

[MalcolmAmos]

Little theory first. Just a little something on how music thinks. Just keep this in the back of your mind. What you want to do is harmonize the melody line with the notes you play on your bass. If you do that your bass line and the melody line are going to sound good together. Wish someone would have told me that right at first. We play harmony, the other guys play melody. Harmony comes from the chords. Root notes of the chords is a pretty good place to start.....

Not hard if you use fake chord sheet music, and I bet the guitarist will have fake chord on everything your band will be playing. Hopefully the person that wrote that fake chord sheet music figured out what chord would harmonize the melody line at this specific point in the song. So -- all we have to do is sing the lyrics under our breath so we can keep up with where the song is -- and change chords when the fake chord sheet music goes to another chord. Yep, that's it. Not a step for a stepper. Speaking of steppers here is an old stepper, see how he does it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obFcsEtFIKA

Chord shown is a Cmaj7 chord. The Cmaj7's root is C so you play some C's with the beat of the song until the song moves to another chord, like the F chord. Yep, the root of the F chord is the F note, so start sounding some F notes to the beat of the song. Keep going singing the song under your breath and changing chords as the music tells you to.

Little more on that harmonizing thing. All you really need is one like note in your bass line. The chord has three or four notes in it, but, to harmonize all you need is one. Every chord has a root, makes since to start out playing roots.

Get some fake chord sheet music and give it a try. When that gets comfortable ask about root, fives.
Here is how to play from fake chord. http://www.guitarzonline.com/free-be...ongs-to-learn/ The 6 string guys strum and we play chord tones one note at a time. Right now just play roots, i.e. R-R-R-R. Later we will get into R-5-R-5 and one of my favorites R-3-5-6 or what the heck I also like R-3-5-8.

Have fun.

Here is some more stuff.

Notes on the fretboard, cheaters?

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

http://www.smithfowler.org/music/Chord_Formulas.htm

http://www.looknohands.com/chordhous.../index_rb.html
Ask it for the Cmaj7 chord and it will give you this:
C maj7, a.k.a.: CMaj7, CM7
intervals: 1,3,5,7
half-steps: 4-3-4 - important to keyboard not really all that important for the bass.
notes: C,E,G,B --- The notes C, E, G, B are the 1-3-5-7 intervals of the C major scale. Put that with the major scale box pattern I gave you. R on the E string 8th fret gives you a C note - where is your 3, 5 and 7? Work on getting that into muscle memory.

Have fun.

Major scale box with interval numbers shown
G-|----|--2-|----|--3-|--4-|----|----|
D-|----|--6-|----|--7-|--8-|----|----|
A-|----|--3-|--4-|----|--5-|----|----|
E-|----|-----|-R-|----|--2-|----|----|

See what you can do with this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUK5pE5x_6A

Enough here to keep you busy for 6 months. Copy or bookmark this and take it one step at a time.

Have fun.

[southgabass]

First mistake..... taking music related questions from the drummer....

But all that taken into account without going into super detail for a beginner.... if you look at the guitarists hands and what he is playing... play the lowest (pitch) note, it will be the fretted note on the fattest string.... so say he's playing a C chord... play the 3rd fret on the A string (string 3)

I know I know I know.... but that's not technically right and I agree... but for a beginner this may be the best way to learn... without a ton of theory... thats plug-n-play.....

[tangentmusic]

Mirror the barre chords the guitar player plays. Their the root notes.

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by southgabass

But all that taken into account without going into super detail for a beginner.... if you look at the guitarists hands and what he is playing... play the lowest (pitch) note, it will be the fretted note on the fattest string.... so say he's playing a C chord... play the 3rd fret on the A string (string 3)

I know I know I know.... but that's not technically right and I agree... but for a beginner this may be the best way to learn... without a ton of theory... thats plug-n-play.....

A beginner has to start learning basic theory at some stage. So why not now ?

OP : The link you were given in post #2 by "jabsys" is a great site, which explains things in an easy to understand way. It even gives you the sounds of the notes if you put the cursor arrow over the notes in the exercises. In the absence of a good teacher, my advice is to spend maybe half an hour to an hour each day on this site, with your bass. Start with the lessons contained within the link. IMO, there is no better tutorial site than "studybass".

With a little time and patience, things will start to make sense.

[Bayonet]

Originally Posted by fearceol

A beginner has to start learning basic theory at some stage. So why not now ?

OP : The link you were given in post #2 by "jabsys" is a great site, which explains things in an easy to understand way. It even gives you the sounds of the notes if you put the cursor arrow over the notes in the exercises. In the absence of a good teacher, my advice is to spend maybe half an hour to an hour each day on this site, with your bass. Start with the lessons contained within the link. IMO, there is no better tutorial site than "studybass".

With a little time and patience, things will start to make sense.

Since i got that link i've been learning from there 2h a day.. maybe more =D
thanks guys

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by Bayonet

Since i got that link i've been learning from there 2h a day.. maybe more =D
thanks guys

Good for you At that rate it wont be long before you have a good basic grounding in theory. Your time and patience wont be wasted.

[southgabass]

Good deal, welcome to your demise lol (theory is a never ending debate lol).... not saying its not a good time to learn theory... but "newer" players just want to get basics down first... USUALLY... lol

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by southgabass

but "newer" players just want to get basics down first... USUALLY... lol

The OP has been working on, and getting advice on other basic important things, like technique as in this thread. Besides, what could be more basic than learning about root notes ?



Fretting Hand(Left),and wrist pain.Please Help!