The Mediocre Bassist Club, pt. 4 - We can count to four!

[caeman]

Merry Christmas, brothers and sisters of mediocrity.

[Adam Bomb]

Merry Christmas, Caeman. Happy holidays, errbody! May your 2013 be free from unwanted solos and GC pwnage.

--Bomb

Numbers this year!

[Nellarecneps]

Hello im a youngin. played double bass for three years 4th to 7th grade starting. quit. picked up electric bass once in a while and didnt get serious till last year.
I have played in a band that only lasted two months due to the guitar player trying to write my parts. Every song he wrote with us playing background was three power chords for two measures then he would break into 4 minutes of fretboard fitness. He said that was our verse. so basically all of our songs wouldve been like 12 min long had we have had a regular structure. so we would've been the rock version of metallica. In these past 6 months i decided to pick up guitar and start demoing the music i wanted to play and form a band that way.
Im mediocre at bass but i still play it better then guitar. trying to pick up slap bass atm. but my P bass is terrible tone for that. i might get a flea bass or something for that.
Can i join?

[Holdsg]

young-uns, old-uns, as long as you pledge to mediocrity, you're in. Bomb will be by later with your number.

[rust_preacher]

The penultimate rehearsal before the birthday bash. Went through all but the easiest songs on the set list and my forearm feels swollen. I'm thinking it is the muscles building up to the task.

I was able to play Beatles' "Birthday" without a pick this time, but I needed to lift the bass neck up just a tad. The rock songs at the end of the set list did not go so well, I needed to ease off on the 1/8 notes a bit, and all the rock licks didn't quite land squarely, but I figured, at that point of the set, everyone's going to be so plastered as to not notice anyway.

We worked out some of the logistics and moved songs around so now I manage to do the whole gig with my 1974 Tele bass, 1980s SB-2 tuned to D (2 songs only) and my mandolin. I also heard that our backstage is going to be the dressing room of the women's sauna.

[Holdsg]

the Finns know how to party!

[Nellarecneps]

Mediocre theory question.
Working on a demo currently and in the guitar part at this point i am playing an A5 Chord.
So on the bass part im playing the 5th root, of the 5th root of the A5 chord. (9th fret on the d string or a... B?) is that a correct note? or is that not gonna work.
Its an 8th note regular punk rhythm and on the first time through the riff i play the root, then on the second part im walking up the fretboard and it just ended up like that while i was jamming earlier. and i realised i wasnt playing an octave i was playing that...

[BayStateBass]

Originally Posted by Nellarecneps

Mediocre theory question.
Working on a demo currently and in the guitar part at this point i am playing an A5 Chord.
So on the bass part im playing the 5th root, of the 5th root of the A5 chord. (9th fret on the d string or a... B?) is that a correct note? or is that not gonna work.
Its an 8th note regular punk rhythm and on the first time through the riff i play the root, then on the second part im walking up the fretboard and it just ended up like that while i was jamming earlier. and i realised i wasnt playing an octave i was playing that...

A little confusing.....but I think I know what you're asking.

B is the 2nd in the key of A. It falls in the scale. But may sound odd. Typically your chord tones are root, third, fifth, octave. If you're playing an A5 chord it's raw and lacks full chord tones.

If I wanted to play a basic bassline with that chord I'd do something like A on the E string (fifth fret), C# on the A string (fourth fret), E on the A string (7th fret) and jump up to the octave (A on the D string, 7th fret). A "semi-walking" pattern that fits.

Of course, you could also try out something in the F#minor scale and see how you like it. F# is the relative minor for A major. Kinda funky and might be cool.

But then again, it's music. So make it what your ears like.

[Nellarecneps]

thanks! i will take that into consideration!

[ewe2]

Well this mediocre bassist had his first gig in 20 years, and thoroughly enjoyed it even if there were mistakes because most of it went so well. I forgot how much fun this was! We've already decided to do another one in July for the next major birthday. So I can't stop practising now.

[Adam Bomb]

Originally Posted by michaelandrew

After playing mediocre piano for...a long time, I "inherited" a Yamaha 765A from my son who switched to guitar (more chicks, I assume). I decided to learn bass and thought it would be easy. That was about 18 months ago and I hereby request a number.

LOOOL!!!

Originally Posted by cinnabar

Mediocre bassist club. Sign me up.

Done!

Originally Posted by Glorfindel

Number please! I am only beginning bass, but I gotta admit I'm a pretty mediocre begginer!

You have just acquired a very fun habit.

Originally Posted by chienmort

How did I miss this for so long. I am a bassist and I am mediocre. Started playing bass when there were 4 guitarist in the band. I figured when the "split" occurred it would be one or two of the guitars that would leave. Ended up being bass, drums, guitar and vocals.

Never had a bass lesson but watched some you tube. Got a bent pinky (hereditary and it bends towards the other fingers) meaning that i have a short span and can't do one finger per fret. Then after reading some posts on hear realised that it was playing the right note at the right time that mattered (still working on that) not which finger you used.

I need a number and would love 1515 if its available.

Yes! Yes. It’s what note you play when. Love it.
You could come back in 4 years, or maybe take (1515-890)?

Originally Posted by PipeRain

Hmmm, I wonder if I qualify. As the sig says, I don't play so much as operate a bass. Although on the plus side I can play a root like nobodies business. I know a major scale, a minor scale and am working on a pentatonic. Played (Or rather "Operated") in a band about 20 years ago then put the bass down. Picked it up a few weeks ago and yup, mediocrity has some serious staying power. I play with a pick, I like four on a side headstocks and pointy basses and have no use for more than four strings. If your mediocrity can't shine on four strings, what makes you think five (Or God forbid six or even eight) will do you even better? I play gladly through a Behringer BX1200 and actually like the tone, in my band days I played and liked Crate.

On the plus side I own three times as many fedoras as basses, two felts and a straw. I also own a pretty sharp drovers hat. A possible negative may be my staggering collection of ballcaps.

Do I qualify for a number, or do I need to raise my personal bar to achieve mediocrity?

I like to front and say “there are unlimited possibilities on just four strings” but really I mean that the 4-string baffles me enough and I suspect that people know that’s what I mean. Yay hats

Originally Posted by Nellarecneps

Hello im a youngin. played double bass for three years 4th to 7th grade starting. quit. picked up electric bass once in a while and didnt get serious till last year.
I have played in a band that only lasted two months due to the guitar player trying to write my parts. Every song he wrote with us playing background was three power chords for two measures then he would break into 4 minutes of fretboard fitness. He said that was our verse. so basically all of our songs wouldve been like 12 min long had we have had a regular structure. so we would've been the rock version of metallica. In these past 6 months i decided to pick up guitar and start demoing the music i wanted to play and form a band that way.
Im mediocre at bass but i still play it better then guitar. trying to pick up slap bass atm. but my P bass is terrible tone for that. i might get a flea bass or something for that.
Can i join?

Sure! We don’t discriminate against youngins.

michaelandrew - #887

cinnabar - #888

Glorfindel - #889

chienmort - #890

PipeRain - #891

Nellarecneps - #892

Welcome!!!

--Bomb

[ewe2]

Moody action shot with mediocre bassist in gig hat and fuzzy strings:



edit: and happy early New Year from the Aussies

[Nellarecneps]

This morning i decided i wanted to learn longview by greenday.
Needless to say it took about twenty minutes to get it down.
I thought that song was supposed to be hard lol.

[ShowLow]

Originally Posted by Nellarecneps

This morning i decided i wanted to learn longview by greenday.
Needless to say it took about twenty minutes to get it down.
I thought that song was supposed to be hard lol.

Alert!

Talking about music theory AND learning a new song in 20 minutes? Bomb, are you sure this member is really mediocre? We may have an infiltrator here! LOL

[Lambic]

[tomnomnom91]

This seems like the club for me! I've recently come to the realisation that I'm nowhere near as good as I should be. I've been playing for 8 years, and I like nothing more than bashing out root notes and playing Blink-182 songs. I can't really slap, I can do fingerstyle but I don't have a great deal of stamina, and it doesn't really bother me. I did recently learn YYZ in full, but it's taken me 6 years to get it down. I'm good in my band, but I can't solo, nor would I particularly want to. Can I have a number please?

Happy new year!

[darrellj]

Originally Posted by ShowLow

Alert!

Talking about music theory AND learning a new song in 20 minutes? Bomb, are you sure this member is really mediocre? We may have an infiltrator here! LOL

I'm believing that Nellarecneps has done what I do: figure out the main riff, then fudge the rest, right???
Just kidding. I know it feels good when I approach a song thinking it's going to be challenging, then finding out the original artist probably should have belonged to this club also...

[Adam Bomb]

Originally Posted by Nellarecneps

Mediocre theory question.
Working on a demo currently and in the guitar part at this point i am playing an A5 Chord.
So on the bass part im playing the 5th root, of the 5th root of the A5 chord. (9th fret on the d string or a... B?) is that a correct note? or is that not gonna work.
Its an 8th note regular punk rhythm and on the first time through the riff i play the root, then on the second part im walking up the fretboard and it just ended up like that while i was jamming earlier. and i realised i wasnt playing an octave i was playing that...

Originally Posted by Nellarecneps

This morning i decided i wanted to learn longview by greenday.
Needless to say it took about twenty minutes to get it down.
I thought that song was supposed to be hard lol.

Originally Posted by ShowLow

Alert!

Talking about music theory AND learning a new song in 20 minutes? Bomb, are you sure this member is really mediocre? We may have an infiltrator here! LOL

Agreed. I've got my eye on you...


--Bomb

[Nellarecneps]

That's quite flattering
I'm mediocre nonetheless. Although I picked up slap bass :/ . Maybe I'm better then I thought lmao.
I don't know scales though. One of you has to know scales or something.

Edit: to prove my mediocrity I re learned the song by ear in 5 min in standard tuning so I don't have to tune down now.
Oh wait...

[BayStateBass]

Well, the key to my mediocrity is hanging with major and minor pentatonics. They will serve you very well so if you don't know them it's a great plce to start. Once you get the basic first pattern down then learn the other four (they are the same notes just played in a different order each time). Leave the modes to the guitarists. They tend to like those things.

And rock on my mediocre brother!