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Beginner in training Need some help

I

icebolt99

May 22, 2013
15
0
#1
Hello can anyone help me in learning how to the bass guitar. I want to teach my self but I don't know where to start so if you guys can send me tips and things like recommendations about some books and other things like website that can help me or the things I need to learn that would be great.
 
#3
icebolt99 said:
Hello can anyone help me in learning how to the bass guitar. I want to teach my self but I don't know where to start so if you guys can send me tips and things like recommendations about some books and other things like website that can help me or the things I need to learn that would be great.
Click to expand...

If you are teaching yourself, the following information will get you started. Good luck and have fun. I should mention, we play chord tones 95% of the time so when playing a song follow the chords and gather your bass line from the chord's notes. Now with that in mind...............
I too found Online Bass Lessons at StudyBass.com to have value. I also found Ed's book "Building Walking Bass Lines" to be on track and have great value. There is one more bass line book I would recommend, "Bass lines in minutes" by Kris Berg. "Bass Guitar for Dummies" is a good get started book, as it has a little bit of everything you will need to know right at first; like how to hold the bass, how to tune it, etc. Your public library will probably have a copy.

My old standby chart of generic bass lines using the major scale box as a Rosetta stone may help:
Code: 
Bass Patterns based upon the Major Scale box.

Major Scale Box. 
Code:
G|---2---|-------|---3---|---4---| 1st string
D|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---|
A|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E|-------|---R---|-------|---2---|4th string
Want to play over the Cmaj7 chord? Find a C on the 3rd or 4th string, lets use the C @ the 4th string 8th fret, place the box's R over it and play the R-3-5-7 scales degrees within the box. You just played a bass line for the Cmaj7 chord. Print the box's pattern and use it with this. http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=u...e=W3i_YT,191,8_4,Search,20111251,18370,0,18,0 I like the second chart shown.

Basic Chords
• Major Triad = R-3-5
• Minor Triad = R-b3-5
• Diminished Chord = R-b3-b5

7th Chords
• Maj7 = R-3-5-7
• Minor 7 = R-b3-5-b7
• Dominant 7 = R-3-5-b7
• ½ diminished = R-b3-b5-b7
• Full diminished = R-b3-b5-bb7

A large part of the music we play will be in 4/4 time, i.e. four quarter notes per measure. Those 7th chords listed above fit a 4/4 time very nicely. Root on the 1st beat to start with. Yes that is boring, so put something on the 3rd beat. The 8 will always fit. I use both the 8 or the 5 most of the time, R-5-8-5 is an easy fingering and does make a generic bass line that fits most anything. The 3 and the 7 fit into the 2 and 4 beats nicely. Keep reading...

See a chord and play it's chord tones. As every key will have three major, three minor and one diminished chord it's a good idea to get your major, minor and diminished bass line chord tones into muscle memory so when you see a chord your fingers just know what will work. Now the song may only give you enough room for the root, or root five - adapt and get as many chord tones into your bass line as needed. Root on 1 and a steady groove from the other chord tones plus something to call attention to the chord change is what we do.

Generic Notes - for your bass line.
• The root, five and eight are generic and fit most any chord. Remember the diminished has a flatted 5.
• The 3 is generic to all major chords. So R-3-5-3 will fit under any major chord.
• The b3 is generic to all minor chords. And R-b3-5-8 will fit under any minor chord. Why the 8? Well the 8 is just another root in the next octave.
• The 7 is generic to all maj7 chords. Yep, R-3-5-7 fits nicely.
• The b7 is generic to all dominant seventh and minor seventh chords. G7 = R-3-5-b7 or Gm7 = R-b3-5-b7.
• The 6 is neutral and adds color, help yourself to 6’s. Love the sound of R-3-5-6 with a major chord.
• The 2 and 4 make good passing notes. Don’t linger on them or stop on them, keep them passing.
• In making your bass line help yourself to those notes, just use them correctly.
• Roots, fives, eights and the correct 3 & 7 will play a lot of bass.

Screen # 2 on this will help. Invalid Link Removed Now on this video -- http://www.activebass.com/v597--Using-Simple-Shapes-To-Create-Bass-Lines-Lesson-With-Scott-Devine Scott Devine talks about using shapes or patterns. On the video Scott will show a different pattern than the major scale pattern I listed above, do not let that throw you. Point being YOUR shape, which ever one you use, can help you know how to get to the notes you want.

Scales
• Major Scale = R-2-3-4-5-6-7 Home base
• Major Pentatonic = R-2-3-5-6 Leave out the 4 & 7
• Natural Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-b6-b7 Major scale with the 3, 6 & 7 flatted.
• Minor Pentatonic = R-b3-4-5-b7 Leave out the 2 & 6.
• Blues = R-b3-4-b5-5-b7 Minor pentatonic with the blue note b5 added.
• Harmonic Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-b6-7 Natural minor with a natural 7.
• Melodic Minor Scale = R-2-b3-4-5-6-7 Major scale with a b3.

Let the major scale be your home base then change a few notes and you have something different. No need to memorize a zillion patterns. Let the major scale pattern be your go to pattern - then adapt/adjust from there.

Why scales? I do not know of any instrument that you can skip over learning your scales. Because running your scales let your fingers know where the good notes are and your ear gets to recognizing the sound of the good notes from the sound of the bad notes. Scales to get your fingers going to the right note. Now do the same with the chord tones, see a Cmaj7 chord and your fingers just know what to do. Next chord coming up is the G7, there is a G note up a string and over two frets move your box there.... That's kinda important, from your root, where are the other notes? Memory work.

Print this off and keep it handy, too much to digest in one reading. Next thing to do? Use the above to play songs. Find some sheet music. I use fake chord sheet music? Why fake chord? Finding standard notation bass clef (piano music) on the Country or Praise music I play is hard to do, however, finding fake chord on a song is easy. That and the bands I play with pass fake chord among themselves - so I am expected to be able to play from fake chord. Next step is to find standard notation, lead sheet, or fake chord sheet music. Notice I did not list tabs. Tabs for a specific riff, etc. is OK, but for a whole song, it's a dead end. Don't waste your time. Find your sheet music and start using all of the "stuff" I listed above to help you play some songs.
Click to expand...

Get a copy of Dummies, most of the R-3-5 stuff I listed came right out of dummies and www.studybass.com will be time well spent.

Some sites you will want to bookmark:
Link Removed The first 30 pages to start with.
Now here is over an hour of theory presented in a way you may like better.

Have fun and welcome to the bottom end. I've given you enough stuff to keep you busy for a year. Pick one thing and work on that, eat this moster one bite at a time. Scales first, and when those notes are sounding good, move to chord tones and get those under your fingers. See a chord and your fingers just know how to play a bass line for that chord. Then you are ready to play some songs.
 
#6
icebolt99 said:
thank you for your answers but what does r mean in r-3-5, and in the major scale box?
Click to expand...
Code: 
Major Scale Box. 

G|---2---|-------|---3---|---4---| 1st string
D|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---|
A|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E|-------|---R---|-------|---2---|4th string

R is the root of the chord or scale, i.e. the name of the chord or scale. The lowest note of the chord or scale - The R, or root of, is also known as the tonic note of the chord or scale. Little more. What is the 2? The 2 is the second note in the scale, the 3 is the 3rd note in the scale, etc. etc.

Want to play a bass line over the Cmaj7 chord. Visualize the major scale box's pattern. Find a C on the 3rd or 4th string and place the box's R on that C note then play the scale degree notes of the Cmaj7 chord found within the box's pattern. The Cmaj7 chord's notes are the root-3-5-7 notes of the C major scale. So the R-3-5-7 notes within the box plays the chord notes of the Cmaj7 chord. Fmaj7 chord coming up next; move the R of the box over a F note on your fretboard - how about the F right over the C note - on your fretboard - and play the R-3-5-7 scale degrees notes again as both are maj7 chords. G7 coming up next, yep find a G note and this time play the R-3-5-b7 (different spelling) for your bass line over the G7 chord. The b7 and b3 notes are flatted notes, i.e. one fret back toward the nut. Sharp (# notes) would be one fret toward the bridge. Flatted notes one fret back toward the nut, and sharped notes one fret ahead toward the bridge.

Place the box's R (root) note over the root note (name of) the chord or scale you want to play and then play the spelling of that item. Major chord R-3-5. Major 7 chord R-3-5-7. Minor chord R-b3-5. Minor seven chord R-b3-5-b7.

On my first post I gave you the spelling on just about anything you will be playing.

Have fun.
 
#7
I've been playing self-taught for a year now. I start off just learning simple songs I like. After a while, I learnt chords and about shapes and notes on the fretboard. In increasing my technical knowledge, it meant that I could expand my repertoire of songs.
 
#14
I followed studybass.com to the end of the lessons. A year later I started getting actual lessons, which is the best decision I ever made. It probably would have been best to start going to lessons right away, but studybass was very helpful.
 
#17
We are working on a project to connect teachers and learners.
The idea is to find a cool, independent (not a school) teacher, for a lessons or a course, or some randon tips, or whatever... And be able to learn regardless of location.
Take a look here, you might find something that suits you...
Cheers
Link Removed
Good luck and keep it up
 
#18
I used bass guitar primer DVD and study bass.com for 6 months and joined the Praise and Worship band at church. When I reach a learning plateau I go for a month of lessons and that will get me over the hump. I also recommend Scottsbasslessons. He has some great stuff on youtube and on his website.
 

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