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Hello From Arizona

Sky71

Sky71

Guest
May 11, 2014
27
1
Arizona
#1
Hello! I am a long time lurker, first time poster,

I'm a (wannabe) Guitardist, whom after all these years decided to give the bass a go. So last week, I happened to have found an Ibanez Mikro on the GC used page for $59.99 after a couple weeks of lurking there and kicking myself for not snagging up a Yamaha RBX170 when it was up for $59.99 (or $69.99, I forgot which)! But I think this was for the better since I am a beginner with the bass (not counting having just fooled around on a friends bass in the past). I have read on the forums here that people can usually tell when a bassist has come from being a guitar player. So being aware of that, I am approaching the bass completely open, leaving the guitard part of me behind.

Having the bass only a few days, I am still learning with it and am currently working on the Seinfeld theme as it is obligatory, mandatory and cliché. Also I have learned the first few notes to Pink Floyd's Money and am working on smoothing out my playing to Garbage's Stupid Girl and Spinnerette's Ghetto Love (as simple and basic as can be, it helps me work on timing, technique, rhythm and consistency). And for the fun of it, I am working on Infectious Groove's Punk It up.

So thats where I stand with playing the bass currently, and hopefully I will make good progress with the bass, and most importantly, make it out alive!
 
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#6
Sky71 said:
That could be very possible. We will have to see how well I get the basic techniques down. Though I think for only having the bass for 4 day, im off to a good start. Or so I hope.
Click to expand...
I too came over from 6 string rhythm guitar. Everything you learned on rhythm guitar comes over, however, we do play it a little different, strumming perhaps later, right now chord tones; The notes of the chord played one note per beat. Root on one and then as many other of the chord's notes as the song dictates. Grooving the root, five and eight notes of the chord will play a lot of bass.

For accompaniment bass, i.e. following the chords from a chord chart (fake chord) root on the first beat and if more is needed grab the 5, then the 8 and if you still need more bring in the correct 3 & 7. Here is a little something on all that R-5-8-5 stuff......

Bass Patterns based upon the Major Scale box.

Major Scale Box.
G~~|---2---|-------|---3---|---4---| 1st string
D~~|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---|
A~~|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E~~|-------|---R---|-------|---2---|4th string
Cmaj7 chord coming up in the song. Find a C note on your 3rd or 4th string. Place the box's R on that note then play as many of the Cmaj7's notes as YOU think need to be in the bass line. Using that thinking; you, along with some fake chord sheet music, can play accompaniment bass to hundreds of songs.

Basic Chords have the following notes:
  • Major Triad = R-3-5
  • Minor Triad = R-b3-5
  • Diminished Chord = R-b3-b5
7th Chords have the following notes:
  • 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

That and locking with the kick drum. Play the bass line you think best to the beat of the kick drum. More than the bpm....... To his drum track. If he is doing boom, boom de boom, your chord tones are played boom, boom de boom. You and the drummer are a team - augmenting each other.

http://search.tb.ask.com/search/vid...0558&pn=1&ss=sub&st=hp&tpr=sc&vid=sGOF-7JyggA


Offered for what it is worth. I wish someone would have told me this when I came over, would have saved me a lot of time.

Good luck and welcome to the bottom end.

P.S. For what to put into your bass line. Walking Bass Lines by Ed Friedland.
For how to hold the beast and how to get noise from it. Plus some of the best patterns - Bass Guitar for Dummies.
 
Last edited:
#7
On the plus side, I do know that the bassist is supposed to follow the drummer and not the rhythm guitarist. Which is why I leave that guitar part of me behind when I pick up my bass. Sadly though, one of my problems is that I don't know my chords and never been able to read sheet music. I'm strictly a tablature reader. And yes, I do know thats limiting, but for some reason I never could understand how to read sheet music even. Never was able to take guitar lessons either. But tabs do seem to do me well. I do know that many tab can be and are wrong, which is why I always check several different tabs for just one song as tablature A could vary a bit from tablature B.

For me, tablature is more of a framework of the song. And I do mostly follow the tablature straight through (when its correct). But if I know it doesn't sound right when I play it, I take it upon myself to make the necessary adjustments to make it proper. But I digress as tablature discussion is for another part of the forum and not the welcome area.

I do appreciate you typing out that major scale box and explanation for me, that is very helpful. Thank you
 

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