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Drummer Picking up Bass- Need Help

DumDrummer

DumDrummer

Supporting Member
Mar 14, 2007
340
191
South OC, CA
#1
I have played the drums for many years and am looking to expand my musical ablities. I have had a bass (fender p-bass, the mexico one) for like 5 years and never learned to play it. I can play a few songs and cool riffs on the bass with the help of tabs, but I can't PLAY the bass. I want to learn how to PLAY the bass. Any books or other materials you might suggest I look into?

Thanks for the help.
 
#2
DumDrummer said:
I have played the drums for many years and am looking to expand my musical ablities. I have had a bass (fender p-bass, the mexico one) for like 5 years and never learned to play it. I can play a few songs and cool riffs on the bass with the help of tabs, but I can't PLAY the bass. I want to learn how to PLAY the bass. Any books or other materials you might suggest I look into?

Thanks for the help.
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you mean you just want to groove without a tab and play your own stuff? just learn your scales man, set a tempo and beat going with your foot or metronome and go with what feels and sounds good. gotta kinda find out what style you wanna play as well. blues, funk, rock whatever it may be

i dunno, in short, just keep jamming i guess!
 
#3
If you want to learn to really play the bass then you need to do these 3 things:

--get CD's of some of your favorite songs and play the bassline along with them, over and over, until it becomes automatic.

--join a music group as the bass player and learn to play bass in a group setting.

--make time to pick up your bass and just PLAY the thing for its own sake. explore the sounds it makes as you experiment with it and listen to what it's saying to you while you play it.



These things may sound so simplistic as to be useless, but they are often overlooked for that reason as the beginner gets distracted with reading tabs and charts and listening to everyone tell him to learn theory and scales and everything else all at once.
 
#4
learn to play the bass the same way you learned to play drums. Having played drums for many years you will know that it doesn't come overnight. I never believed in books or materials as a starting point. I always start off on my own and only refer to them when i get stuck and can't advance on my own anymore. The biggest risk this way is learning all the wrong techniques. I spent more time correcting my bad technique than learning new stuff. Which makes learning from a teacher not such a bad investment.
 
#5
Being a drummer gives you a huge advantage off the bat. You already know how to hold down a groove. I have played drums for all of my life and I picked up the bass a few years ago. First things first, get yourself a decent teacher for basic technique. I found that as a drummer I had a ton of bass parts and lines in my head just from locking into the bassist. It's just a matter of getting it under your fingers. I started out with an intro to bass type book in my lessons, which taught me pentatonic scales and 1/4/5 progressions in addition to basic technique, but as soon as you translate the music in your head onto the fretboard, you're golden.
 
#7
A teacher would be ideal, but where do I find a good teacher and how do I know if he is good or not? (i live in South Orange County CA if anyone knows any)

I was hoping there was a book or video or two that could get me going in the right direction.
 
#8
OK, you help me, I'll help you. I'm just adding drums to my Bass and Guitar. Being spoiled by PRS/Marshall and MTD/Eden, I couldn't just get a beginner set, Noooo, he goes out and gets a DW 6 piece natural satin set.
PM me questions, I'll PM you mine.:cool:
 
#9
Now that I think about it, if some one asked me where to start on drums I would have say with a teacher. Or join the school marching band and be a snare or something. Though I suppose someone with some musical backround that already new how to count and what not could prob be alright being self taught.
 
#10
DumDrummer said:
Now that I think about it, if some one asked me where to start on drums I would have say with a teacher. Or join the school marching band and be a snare or something. Though I suppose someone with some musical backround that already new how to count and what not could prob be alright being self taught.
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There are some DVD's that will get you started, the problem is the DVD can't see if you are developing bad form. I was a guitar player for many years, tried doing it with DVD's and thought I was doing OK till I started taking lessons. I was able to play the tunes but I had developed some bad habits very quickly. Hand position and arm placement mostly. I was also fingering uneven.
 
#11
Do yourself a favour and don't start with learning songs one by one.

Learn about theory, chord progression, SCALES. Heck, it's enough to know one position of one scale, playing it in one key with a drum beat. Already way more fun then just learning songs and repeating them.

Blues scale, first position in the key of F. <3 :)
 
#12
BullHorn said:
Do yourself a favour and don't start with learning songs one by one.

Learn about theory, chord progression, SCALES. Heck, it's enough to know one position of one scale, playing it in one key with a drum beat. Already way more fun then just learning songs and repeating them.

Blues scale, first position in the key of F. <3 :)
Click to expand...

That is kind of where I was thinking I should start.

How would I go about learning such things? Is there a specific book or DVD you would recomend?

I have a buddy that plays guitar and bass and he wants me to jam with him when he gets back from school this summer so I would like to have a vague idea of how a bass works.
 
#13
DumDrummer said:
That is kind of where I was thinking I should start.

How would I go about learning such things? Is there a specific book or DVD you would recomend?

I have a buddy that plays guitar and bass and he wants me to jam with him when he gets back from school this summer so I would like to have a vague idea of how a bass works.
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Any music store should have a book of scales, Stick with the minor and major to start. The blues scale is just a slight variation of the minor. You can play most things w/ those 3. Maybe Harmonic after those. You'll see a bunch of different modes. Once you learn the pattern of the minor and major you will find they are all the same just a different starting point.
Did I loose you?
 
#15
DumDrummer said:
Nah, I got it. I was gonna get "Bass for Dummies", haha. Maybe not. I will see what GC has next time I am there.
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Can't hurt, that series of books is pretty good. I'm gathering all the material I can on Drums. I'm used to a Pearl Sessions, this dw has no mounts on the Bass Drum for Toms. I have to use stands and I'm having a time of it fitting all the legs so the Drums and Cymbals are where I want them.:p

Hey, where is a good place to sell a Pearl Sessions Fusion kit w/ hardware on the web?
 
#16
AxtoOx said:
Can't hurt, that series of books is pretty good. I'm gathering all the material I can on Drums. I'm used to a Pearl Sessions, this dw has no mounts on the Bass Drum for Toms. I have to use stands and I'm having a time of it fitting all the legs so the Drums and Cymbals are where I want them.:p

Hey, where is a good place to sell a Pearl Sessions Fusion kit w/ hardware on the web?
Click to expand...

Craigs List or onlinedrummer.com maybe. Maybe try getting a rack for your toms and cymbals. Racks are a bit spendy but they are GREAT at isolating the toms and such from the kick. They are also much easier to work with as the mounting option are virtually endless. And no stand legs to deal with.
 
#17
DumDrummer said:
Craigs List or onlinedrummer.com maybe. Maybe try getting a rack for your toms and cymbals. Racks are a bit spendy but they are GREAT at isolating the toms and such from the kick. They are also much easier to work with as the mounting option are virtually endless. And no stand legs to deal with.
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I've been messing w/ it for a couple of hours and I think I got it w/ a few minor adjustments. My camera batteries are charging. I'll PM you a picture and see what you think. I don't think many people here would be interested. There are a few drummers here, but I don't think very many.

Craigs list it weak out here. That's what I used in San Diego w/ great success. I'll check out online drummer. I don't like E-bay and have no feedback so I'm affraid I would have to give them away there, and they are in perfect condition except the 16" floor tom I added for her. When we moved out here I put the legs in the SKB case and it got a bad scratch, but it was an added piece. I'm keeping the AAXs, I guess they are OK w/ dw.

I know a little, now time for the serious learning.

BTW, I downloaded a "Scale builder for Bass" from the web. I'll see if I can find the site and get you a link. It's more than you need right now, but who knows how fast you'll pick this up.
 
#20
DumDrummer said:
OK. So I have been learning some scales and there seems to be an obvious similarity between the notes, right? Now what type of book would tell me how to apply that?
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Practice the Major and Minor till you can do them in your sleep, I take it you know what arpeggios are, chords broken down to single notes. Work on them.
How to apply them is that's what you play in correspondence to what chord or note the guitar is playing. Usually Root (in red) 5th and 7th.
There are a ton of books all with the same info. Look for one that tells you what notes, or chords are used in each key, Minor and Major.
Hint, the arpeggio will tell you this also.
 

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