Writing Original Basslines?

[kebbs]

Originally Posted by DocBop

If I do then it will be original for me not you.

The key is sing lines first till you get something you think works. Singing makes it easy to edit your lines. Then transcribe what your sang. You will be more creative if you don't use your bass. Using your bass your ideas will be based on familiar fingering patterns. Singing then playing will help develop your ear and brain-ear-fretboard connection.

+1. Right on. and if I may add, if you can sing it, you can play it!

[DudeistMonk]

This is an edit from my last post....that you missed while typing your response, but it was the most important part I think so I'll make it it's own post...

In my previous post I mentioned recording yourself...This is some of the best advice I can give for your situation, record your line, leave it alone for a week and then play it back in itunes or whatever, if you want to turn it off and never listen to it again then write something new, if you find yourself grinning, wanting to tap your foot and hear it again then you know you've succeeded.

Exactly, when i play around on bass i think it sounds horrible but in the back of my mind i'm thinking this sounds good i might be on to something and i listen to a ton of music so any of the bass lines i might create are probably drawn from what i've heard over the years of listening to music and what i've learned from studying music theory and that mel bay book i have.

I've heard before from people and never got what they meant until recently...

"Playing bass is about learning a bunch of stuff and then getting behind the fretboard and forgetting it all"

It's very true, learning scales and chords and other peoples songs leaves some sort of residual pile music in your brain and when you start trying to make your own you draw from that without knowing it and your fingers go where they should even if you don't know why.

BTW, RATM is awesome...When I started playing I bought the tab/sheet music book for Rages first album....it took me months to learn it all but I did, and loved every minute of it, that album has probably effected my sense of groove more than I can comprehend.

[Dregin]

So basically what your saying is that i can learn a lot of stuff and not really try to remember all of it just combine it and make the best of it and really experiment with some things that i think might sound cool.

RATM has influenced me since i was little of course back then i didn't know how much of a beast timmy c was on bass but around 17 i realized how cool he was and at 18 i realized i wanted to be a bassist and become a musician, anywho thx guys for all your advice i think all i can is just keep learning and experimenting and gain confidence.

[DudeistMonk]

So basically what your saying is that i can learn a lot of stuff and not really try to remember all of it just combine it and make the best of it and really experiment with some things that i think might sound cool.

Umm... you still need to know and remember all the stuff. These are the kinda people that you name a key and they can run it up and down the fretboard in a flurry of notes...you say major 9 chord and they play it in every position across the fretboard like a machine...but they say when they are playing on stage they forget it all and just play...their fingers remember cause they have played that chord, that progression, that scale 3000 times before. They add to their real memory and their muscle memory by playing exorcises and stuff constantly.

When I get really into jamming with a drummer or noodling around, I don't have a clue what I'm playing until I think about it after the fact...its not as sweet as it could be, but that just means I need a lot more practice in order to add to my muscle memory banks. The point being is I see what they mean when you spend enough time with the instrument in hand you will start to treat it like an extension of you....I don't know how to walk...but I can.

[Spikeh]

Originally Posted by Dregin

RATM has influenced me since i was little of course back then i didn't know how much of a beast timmy c was on bass but around 17 i realized how cool he was and at 18 i realized i wanted to be a bassist and become a musician, anywho thx guys for all your advice i think all i can is just keep learning and experimenting and gain confidence.

Heh, Timmy C is one of my main influences too... he's not a virtuoso, and he's nothing particularly special, but he grooves man. The first songs I learned were Bullet in the Head and Take the Power Back.

It's all a learning process... if you're serious about it, you should get far. It's all about dedication to your instrument. In years to come you'll be in my position - with thousands of pounds of equipment, still wanting more, and playing bass at any opportunity. Or you could go the other way and give it up entirely of course! :P

[Dregin]

lol i know i still have to remember everything just not be so uptight about remembering everything and having so much doubt in whether or not i'm doing something right or wrong. I don't see myself giving up i've found plenty of enjoyment playing bass and making progress and i'd like to make more progress one of my goals is to play calm like a bomb perfectly.....if there is such a thing as playing it perfectly lol

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by Dregin

Hey can you guys give me some tips for writing original basslines? Like i've tried to before but i wonder if it's any good or if i repeat to much, what are some do's and dont's of writing original basslines?

I can't give you a bunch of do's and don'ts. IME, it really doesn't work that way, as the creative process isn't that rigid & regimented. But here are some suggestions that have worked for me...

For one thing, listen to lots & lots of music - preferably multiple styles/genres of music. And listen to all the parts - not just the bass. As you listen, develop your ear as well as your analytic abilities, by continually asking yourself the question: "What is it about this piece that really makes it work? (Or really makes it fail to work, as the case may be...) Could be the rhythmic feel. Could be a very catchy melody. Could be a very cool hook in the chorus. Could even be an especially groovin' bassline...

As you listen, pick out the bassline, then analyze how it works relative to the other parts in the song. Is it a very subtle, deep-in-the-pocket sort of line? Is it way out front in the song structure? Is it an especially melodic line? Then, how would changing that line in a particular way most likely change the feel of the song as a whole?

Another suggestion: Listen to the bassists whose styles you appreciate a lot. Analyze what it is about their styles that appeals to you so much. That should give you a clue regarding your own inherent musical priorities, as you (hopefully) develop your own musical voice.

Also: Learn a lot of songs, then experiment by changing around the basslines, to get a feel for how those changes affect the rest of the tune. When I was first learning to play, I would often keep the radio on for 10 hours a day or more, and would just play along with whatever song happened to come up - whether I already knew the song or not. After awhile, I got quite good at learning songs on the fly, and would often know the tune by the time it finished playing - even if I'd never heard it before. By this same process - listening analytically - I'd become quite good at recognizing a song's key signature...without even trying to play it, but just by listening to it...

That said, I've found that whenever I create a new bassline from scratch, I try to not overthink it. Instead, I listen to the other parts and try to "hear" in my mind's ear the most natural, intuitive bass part for that piece, then play it and see how it works. Even if I end up trying several different possible parts, the one I like best is usually the one that occurred to me most immediately. I think this is the result of many years of listening to and playing music, by which a lot of the principles of good musicianship have become so deeply embedded within me that I can just kind of subconsciously feel how to proceed.

If you do these kinds of things on a regular basis, I believe you'll gradually acquire and develop the compositional skills that will make you a real asset to any ensemble, as well as develop your ear and your own unique musical voice in the process. But just be aware: None of this is a "quick fix". There are no shortcuts, and it's not gonna happen overnight. If you put in the hours and learn what the music has to teach you, you'll grow...

MM