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Guys, help a brother out. I'm stuck.

#21
Try working on articulation for awhile instead of scales and the like. You can say a lot by "how" you say it rather than just what the notes are, and how many. Sometimes it's the guys who just sound good that get the gigs, as opposed to the super technical guys.
 
#23
Captain Ahab said:
Hey everybody, how's it going? So I've got my scales down and my question is exactly how do I get better at bass? I've hit a road block. I'm not saying I'm a boss of the bass but everyone tells me practice your scales and to be honest, it's not getting me anywhere and learning songs can only do so much. So what can I do to get better at solos, moving up and down the fret board faster and bass stuff in general? :bassist:
Click to expand...


Coincidentally I just came across this article, hope it helps

Cheers

http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2013/05/15/the-bass-solo-a-guide-to-soloing-more-freely/
 
#25
IMO playing scales will make you a hell of a scale player. I never bought into that way of studying bass. I study moreso how to play bass, than all the academic stuff which is nothing but an afterthought. That is a documentation of what someone else played and discovered. And there are so many modes and accompanying scale degrees and arpeggios it gets mind boggling. Find a few bass players you like and isolate what it is you like about their syle. Find out how to play like them but don;t get into the cloning type deal. Capture the essence of what it is they're playing and try to make it your own or pull it off in your own style. Sight reading will get a you a gig where you have to sight read. If you can sight read but still don't play bass well, you still won't get called back. What I am trying to get at is there is a science to physically playing the bass. What kind of music do you like and what players are you listening too?
 
#26
phillybass101 said:
IMO playing scales will make you a hell of a scale player. I never bought into that way of studying bass. I study moreso how to play bass, than all the academic stuff which is nothing but an afterthought. That is a documentation of what someone else played and discovered. And there are so many modes and accompanying scale degrees and arpeggios it gets mind boggling. Find a few bass players you like and isolate what it is you like about their syle. Find out how to play like them but don;t get into the cloning type deal. Capture the essence of what it is they're playing and try to make it your own or pull it off in your own style. Sight reading will get a you a gig where you have to sight read. If you can sight read but still don't play bass well, you still won't get called back. What I am trying to get at is there is a science to physically playing the bass. What kind of music do you like and what players are you listening too?
Click to expand...


Knowing your scales and theory will get you to understanding your favorite players, what they're doing and how they're doing it much faster. And you'll understand the reasons behind it.
 
#27
That's exactly why all bass players are starting to sound alike. They're drinking the same Kool Aid. I'm not. I've been self taught since I was 18 and I pick and choose what I want to study and not study. If I had to learn anything scale or theory related I'd learn the melody of a song with the chord changes underneath. I would not waste time trying to figure the scale out. I'd study chord theory before memorzing any scale. As there is always another scale and an exlplanation for breaking that other rule that applied to the previous scale. And another thing the scales and theory you refer to are just Western Music. learn Music from another place in the world and that scale knowledge etc goes out the window. Like I said before memorizing all those scales will make you a hell of a scale player. And when you play, your thinking and playing will be quite linear. want to be a hell of bass player. learn to play and think chordally. Add to that the detroit way of playing notes and everybody will be jocking you and trying to figure out what you're doing. Or keep playing those scales.
 
#28
If that's the way you want to look at it, cool - whatever's working for you.

Just know that there's a whole list of cats (with great credits) who disagree with you. And they're selling a lot records.
 

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