Slides

[druidwitch]

Hi all

My wife is teaching herself to play bass through a few instructional books, but she is struggling to get her head round one thing at the moment. She has been workingon slides and has grasped the idea of sliding along the string to the end note as defined onthe tablature, but some of the music is showing a slide running from, to give an example out of the book, 4th string 5th fret sliding to 3rd string 7th fret. Just how is this done? There is no instruction in any of the books she has on sliding across different strings, and I cant seem to find anything anywhere else on the internet so thought I would try these forums.

Many thanks in advance for any help.

Daniel

[Beta]

Originally Posted by druidwitch

Hi all

My wife is teaching herself to play bass through a few instructional books, but she is struggling to get her head round one thing at the moment. She has been workingon slides and has grasped the idea of sliding along the string to the end note as defined onthe tablature, but some of the music is showing a slide running from, to give an example out of the book, 4th string 5th fret sliding to 3rd string 7th fret. Just how is this done? There is no instruction in any of the books she has on sliding across different strings, and I cant seem to find anything anywhere else on the internet so thought I would try these forums.

Many thanks in advance for any help.

Daniel

This warrants more description from you. If it's a slide between two notes, the line will connect the numbers directly.

Now, if the notes are tabbed on two different strings, the first note should be played normally, and the next note has a slide up to it on the same string (a slide up from "nowhere," meaning it doesn't matter where you start, but you need to stop at the 7th fret).

I'm going to assume the book you're referring to has the E as the 4th string, and the A as the third (like in my ancient Mel Bay books).

If you were supposed to slide on the same string, it should probably be 5(A) to 12(E), with the line directly connecting.

If you were supposed to play the A normally then the E on the 3rd string, 7th fret, it should probably have the 5 on one line, then 7 on the next, with a short, diagonal line next to the 7 on the left side. Here's an example.

If you hit one of the arrows to go forward a few pages in this Amazon preview, you should see a page with "3: Take the 5th (for improv)" at the top.

Look at the tab of the first measure. Play the 5th fret on the second string normally, then slide up to 7 on the 1st string. All you have to do is lay the finger you fretted the first note with on the other string, pluck and slide (swiftly and smoothly, of course).

If that's not what the tab looks like, can you go into a little more detail, especially if there's standard notation accompanying the tab?

[druidwitch]

Yup, that amazon book had the same thing. Ive shown the missus and the great big light bulb has sufficiently appeared for me to think job done!

Many thanks for your help.

Daniel

[druidwitch]

Hi, ive been asked to hrow another question into the pot.

How does one slide from one note, for example 2nd 5th fret to the 3rd string 5th fret (directly below). These book shave been good so far but are lacking in instruction on sliding it seems.

Thanks again in advance

Daniel

[Beta]

I'll modify what I said before.

It depends where you need to be before and after the slide. Use a finger other than the one you're fretting the first note with.

Say, for example, you fret that note on the 2nd string, 5th fret with your index finger. You can use your ring finger (or pinky) to slide down to the 3rd string, 5th fret. It's a slide down, from "nowhere." If there's a note to start that slide from specified, reaching it with the finger closest to that fret may be the way to go.

The books don't have much instruction in sliding, I think, because what finger you use depends on where you need to be before and after the slide (or, rather, what you're playing before and after the slide- rests included), and every one has different physical capabilities, so you have to be able to find your own way to play what's notated. Once you get to that point, it's kind of assumed that you've grasped the concept of positions.