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General Practice Questions

N

newstrings86

Oct 26, 2012
5
0
#1
Hey all, some of you may remember me from my thread questioning if I was too late to develop a decent level of dexterity in my fretting hand, and the response I received there was immensely encouraging, so I've decided to ask a new question since I am VERY new to playing bass.

As stated in my previous thread, I was asked a month ago to learn how to play for my band, and we had a small gig last night which I played for. However, to get ready for the gig, one song we did was a cover so all I did to learn that was learn the tabs from the band who originally did the song. The other song we did was an original, so all I did was learn where the root notes for the chords where plus a few accent notes (not sure if that's the proper term, but it seems fitting?), so that it sounded like I had kind of a bass line.

Anyways, I'm curious now (read hooked), and want to know, what should I really be learning? I mean, I know scales are an important part of playing, but I know the formulas to create both Major and Natural Minor scales (I know there's more then that, but those are the two I'm focused on since I already know how to create them). So I intend on working on memorizing all of them, but what else should a beginning bassist be focused on learning? I know there's teachers around that I probably should be looking for, but the thing is, I'm currently unemployed, and have been for a year now ever since I got out of the Army, so I can't easily afford a teacher. :scowl: So, until I can afford to pay someone to teach me, or at very least get lesson books, I'm hoping for some ideas. I tried looking on YouTube, but well, none of the lessons I found seemed to be in any particular order, so I'm not really sure where to start. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
#3
catcauphonic said:
http://www.studybass.com/.
Click to expand...

Hey, WOW! Thank you for that link, I've googled other "Free beginner bass lesson" Websites, and they all so far have seemed very "disorganized". Or they didn't really seem to have a clear "start here if you're an FNG" point. I've kind of been scanning this site for a little bit now, and I must say, I think this might be exactly what I've been looking for to get by until I can afford an actual teacher.

I mean, my band's lead guitarist has been great so far, because he started out with playing bass, but he's not always able to just sit and teach, and he even admits he doesn't feel like playing guitar and bass are one/the same so he doesn't feel he's a good teacher in reality. But he has helped with learning where the notes are and such. But back to this site, I really appreciate you mentioning it, I think that will be a huge help. And, of course, I do plan on spending LOTS of time here as well!
 
#4
The very first thing you need to learn, to spend months on it, just the one thing is...total relaxation of your hands, which will enable you to effortlessly mute the lower strings. Just spend at least thirty minutes a day on this one thing, until your fingers as you fret are relaxed and useful, not flying up and useless. There is a pattern to work on where you play 5th fret 2nd string, while solidly muting the A string below it, then move to fretting with your second finger the G# while muting the A with your first and third finger as well as the pinkie, then the next. Get to where you can do this drill, concentrate on muting the A string with a relaxed useful hand. And relax your right and do string crossing drills as well.
 
#6
And learn the incredible, immediate value of using and abiding by a timer on your practice sessions! This is so you don't spend twenty minutes just noddling. Nooodling is not practice. Use a timer.
 
#7
catcauphonic said:
I highly recommend the Hal Leonard Bass Method Book 1 (or books 1, 2, & 3 can also be found together in one volume) by Ed Friedland.
Click to expand...

As a teacher with around 20 weekly students, I concur with this recommendation. Great mix of the technical and practical, it will get you playing and understanding why and what you are playing quickly. Interesting examples and play-along songs, lots of variety, well done professional backing tracks on the included CD's. Very little TAB, you need to be willing to develop your reading skills, but the pace is gentle.
 
#10
I'm looking to purchase a practice tool that plugs into a wall outlet, that loops, that has a usb port, and a metronome, under $180.00 Any suggestions? I currently practice using a yamaha mix board when my computer is on, but looking for a practice tool to practice away from the computer.Thxs in advance!!
 
#11
The given studybass.com is good, been there myself, in relearning. I also tend to inhabit the local second hand stores, and often find good bass books. Some of them are older, but the basics of bass haven't changed, and those basics are the most important to get down for being a solid bass player.

Something else I do is buy old non-tab songbooks ,the kind that just give the guitar chords and structure, along with a melody line. Then I work out my own bass lines based on the chord changes, using the right chord tones on the beat and doing walks and fills between, based on root/fifth, root/octave, etc... or some scale knowledge.

Really gets me thinking about how to fit bass into the overall structure of the song while staying solid. If you know your root/other note combos and some scale construction, it might help you to try this as well.

As much as I love complexity, I've completely forgone it this time around, for now, in order to get right back to the fundamentals.
 
#12
Another vote for Hal Leonard or some other method book. Not sure what kind of music you are interested in, but the best thing that you can do is start with the basics and practice and advance methodically. And learn to read, not tabs. Its easy if you start with a basic method book.

Oh, and don't forget to have fun - build in a little "noodling" time into your practice to cut loose. My loose ratio is 75% focused (scales, method, etudes, etc) and 20-25% free-form practice/noodling to try out ideas.

But the structured work is really important if you want to become a solid bass player. As someone who's been playing for 40+ years, I can usually tell by listening to someone (or more importantly, watching them play) if they spend any time on fundamentals. Keep in mind also, that what you are interested in playing now, will likely change in the future - so starting with a good foundation will give you that flexibilty in the future to do whatever you want, and not be limited by your knowledge or chops.
 

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