What do you do when you get really frustrated?

[WarPhalange]

Reasons why I get frustrated are because when I try to learn a new song, I can't figure out what is going on. My first choice is tabs, but of course they tend to be garbage. I try to tab things out by myself, but I either fail miserably or it takes forever, so I notice that I just spent nearly all the time I set aside to play bass just transcribing things.

The second reason is I seem to be stuck in Limbo. There are only two types of songs out there, I've found. Song that are very easy to play and incidentally they are very boring, and songs that I would like to play that are way out of my league. How do I bridge this gap?

This just never seemed to be an issue with guitar, because just because there are so many more resources available for guitarists. Many more lessons on how to play songs, and of course the guitar is much easier to pick out in a song than the bass, so even when I have to transcribe parts on my own, they tend to be fairly easy to pick out.



For example, I just wanted to try to learn Sanitarium by Metallica. Here are the tabs:

http://www.bassmasta.net/m/metallica/126803.html

Here is the isolated bass track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vM0ao_f498

Completely different, yeah? In this case I'm lucky because it doesn't get easier when it comes to transcribing. Only hard part will be to sync it up to the rest of the song. But it will still take a lot of time to just sit down and transcribe. Time I would rather use just having fun playing along. I'm a busy man. I have things to see and people to do. =/

[lowfreq33]

It can be difficult to learn basslines from albums, especially metal, because it's usually buried in the mix.

[Chris K]

Work together with other metal bass players and trade your tabs.

[Mike Shevlin]

fart

[monroe55]

When Im frustrated I tend to mastrb8 first. Then, if I was you, Id learn ORION from Metallica. Its not that hard to play and the bass solo is very attainable and sounds so sweet. Once I learned ORION, my friends would always call for the bass solo during a gig, even if I was playing a Jazz/Funk gig. Folks love the Orion bass solo and it aint that hard to learn.

[Setebos]

I suggest to keep on trying to learn songs by ear.
If while trying to do so you get to a point where you feel frustrated, stop there. Do something else and come back to it later.
I have had the experience several times of getting to parts of the songs where I cant get it and start to think I never will. I stop and get back to it later. And then I get that enlightment moment when everything becomes clear and I figure it out. But I wouldnt get to that moment without keep on trying.

[HeadyVan Halen]

Keep Trying..
There is a misconception about music and work ethic/effort. There isn't a human on here that wasn't/isn't in the same place your in now. Keep doing it...wear out the pause--reverse button on your CD player. Don't fall into the feeling of 'having to get it in a certain amount of time' to feel good..
Once you grasp what's going on, it will become WAY easier because you'll be able to predict and 'feel' where it's going next.
Listen to the vocals..Many times if I get lost, I'll just try to see where the vocals are at....not a sure fire method, and many times vocals and bass aren't playing the same note, but it can give you a reference point.

and spending time transcribing, is NEVER wasted practice...in fact once your ear gets good, you'll probably do what alot of us do, learn the structure and say, "I'll just improv the rest.."

[lowendfriend]

Make sure you have the basics of music theory down.....you don't need a degree from Berklee to get that. Work through the lessons on www.studybass.com and learn arpeggiated chords....major and minor chords and the variations.

Then get BestPractice software (its free from sourceforge.net) and slow down the tracks. It will help you pull out the lines by ear. Practice them till you get 'e right at say 66% speed and then slowly move the speed up until you've got it at each speed level til you are at 100% or maybe even higher for a little skill margin.

THere is also a "karaoke" mode that supresses the vocals and higher frquencies so you can isolate the basslines better.

After that, it's just practice, practice, practice.

[musicelectronix]

I go back to fundamentals and search for the answer in there.

[oldcatfish]

Do you have a computer transcription program such as "Amazing Slow Downer" or "Transcribe?"

With these you can do the following helpful things: loop a small section over and over, slow it down, adjust the eq so that the bass is easier to hear, and when you are ready--reduce the bass part to make a sort of play along track.

Tascam also makes a portable device that does the same thing.

I personally have the Transcribe program, and it's very helpful for figuring out difficult bass lines.

[KingRazor]

You know, I felt the same way, so what I did was just picked up chord charts or tabs, whatever I could find, and try to play as close as possible to the song.

After about 2 years of playing I've finally started to be able to pick out some notes by ear, and I'm hoping that will just get easier and easier as time goes on.

[oldcatfish]

Another thing that I'd like to add. I have a pretty decent ear, but there are days that I can't figure out even simple songs. On those days, I just give up and work on something else...like technique, scales, etc. Then I try again on another day. Usually, I can then figure it out.

[MonkeyBass]

Learning any refined skill such as music and a musical instrument takes years and years of hard work. That's what's so great about it.

Keep working and you'll make improvements. It won't happen fast.

Good luck.

[WarPhalange]

Originally Posted by oldcatfish

Do you have a computer transcription program such as "Amazing Slow Downer" or "Transcribe?"

With these you can do the following helpful things: loop a small section over and over, slow it down, adjust the eq so that the bass is easier to hear, and when you are ready--reduce the bass part to make a sort of play along track.

Tascam also makes a portable device that does the same thing.

I personally have the Transcribe program, and it's very helpful for figuring out difficult bass lines.

Been using Audacity. It really is helpful. It just makes me more amazed how people could learn an instrument on their own some twenty or thirty years ago, where the best you had was a tape player and that's it.

[KingRazor]

Originally Posted by WarPhalange

Been using Audacity. It really is helpful. It just makes me more amazed how people could learn an instrument on their own some twenty or thirty years ago, where the best you had was a tape player and that's it.

I have audacity, I'm curious as to what you do with it to help you learn songs. I've tried boosting the bass but that just makes it sound like mud.

I've found using nice headphones has really helped though with picking out the bass.

[Infidelity]

take a break then try again..

[WarPhalange]

Originally Posted by lowendfriend

Make sure you have the basics of music theory down.....you don't need a degree from Berklee to get that. Work through the lessons on www.studybass.com and learn arpeggiated chords....major and minor chords and the variations.

I know stuff like chords, modes, and keys. Just that little knowledge helps a LOT, but then you get songs that don't fit into a single key or that have key signature changes and it makes me cry. An example is Black Sabbath's "After All":

http://www.911tabs.com/link/?3705246

Originally Posted by KingRazor

I have audacity, I'm curious as to what you do with it to help you learn songs. I've tried boosting the bass but that just makes it sound like mud.

I only use Audacity to slow the tempo of songs. Musical instruments have complex frequency spectra. Boosting lower frequencies also boosts the low end of the guitar, the drums, and even the voice. Bass "cuts through" mainly in the mid-range too, so trying to boost that will boost the voice and guitar as well. You really can't isolate any instrument that way. It doesn't help that different notes have different frequency spectra, so what helped you pick out the bass when it was playing low on the neck won't necessarily help you when it is playing higher on the neck.


Incidentally, I think this is a large part of why people thing Cliff Burton is so amazing. They can't actually hear him and attribute the low end of the guitar to him. If you listen to some of the isolated bass tracks on Youtube, you'll hear that he doesn't actually do as much as it sounds like. Or in the case of Sanitarium, he actually does much MORE than what it sounds like... but songs like "Battery" or "Fight Fire with Fire" show that he didn't play as blazing fast as people think.

I've found using nice headphones has really helped though with picking out the bass.

I've been using headphones and only headphones for years now for all music and on my computer, so I can't really say otherwise. I do know that it definitely sounds better than when played through my crappy car stereo. :P

[Stumbo]

Originally Posted by oldcatfish

Do you have a computer transcription program such as "Amazing Slow Downer" or "Transcribe?"

With these you can do the following helpful things: loop a small section over and over, slow it down, adjust the eq so that the bass is easier to hear, and when you are ready--reduce the bass part to make a sort of play along track.

Tascam also makes a portable device that does the same thing.

I personally have the Transcribe program, and it's very helpful for figuring out difficult bass lines.

Sometimes after you isolate the bass and slow it down, it gets muddy. Raising the pitch an octave can make the bass line much easier to hear when it's slowed down.

[Stumbo]

Originally Posted by WarPhalange

Reasons why I get frustrated are because when I try to learn a new song, I can't figure out what is going on.

Maybe getting a bass instructor would help.

But it will still take a lot of time to just sit down and transcribe.

IME, when you're new to something, everything takes time. Learning to read and write took each of us years to get it down.
Why would you think music is any different?

Time I would rather use just having fun playing along.

Don't we all.

IME, there's no magic about this stuff. Basically, your learning skills are what they are.

If you're not making the progress you think you should then possibly rethinking your approach to learning bass (or anything else) may need to be revised. Possibly you're underestimating the difficulty of the task.

Maybe learning to play the blues would help develop your ear. Most blues bass lines are fairly easy to pick out. Lots of backing tracks available.

I'm a busy man. I have things to see and people to do.

Something to think about since you're so busy: how about getting another hobby? Something that doesn't require daily practice over years to become proficient.

IMO, unless you become a patient man and are able to practice more and on a daily basis, learning the bass may always be frustrating to you.

Good luck.

[WarPhalange]

Originally Posted by Stumbo

Sometimes after you isolate the bass and slow it down, it gets muddy. Raising the pitch an octave can make the bass line much easier to hear when it's slowed down.

Hmm... I never thought about this. Sounds like a good idea. You could start off by raising everything an octave. Then by cutting out the highest frequencies, you get rid of a lot more at once.

Originally Posted by Stumbo

Something to think about since you're so busy: how about getting another hobby?

But that's why I'm so busy!