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How To SHRED on a bass??

U

User364378

Guest
Jan 22, 2009
413
2
#1
hi, ive been playing bass for 'bout 2 years and practice 2 hours a day and blah blah blah,
since im into metal/rock, and i watched some angra, billy sheehan videos, my question is:
how can you learn to shred on a bass? i play fingerstyle only and can play with 3 fingers where needed, what scales are good for shredding and how to use the left hand (right hand for me, im lefty :p) ?? thx
 
#2
Most shredders I've talked to have earned their skills by selling their souls to Satan and eating live kittens for breakfast.

Uh, some of the guys you've listed do have instructional videos out, some of which are on youTube. Just take apart some of your favorite 'shred' songs and learn them part by part, starting slowly and building speed over time.
 
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#3
minimize motion, practice slow, relax everything, tension will kill speed.


however (IMO) there's a time and a place for "shredding" and that's never and on Mars ...this goes for every instrument
 
#5
search "sweep" in this forum, as that will get some good threads with good advice and good youtube links to pop up.

im not so sure sheehan does the sweeping thing (i recall more of the really fast hammer on type stuff, but may be wrong), but thats definitely the most shred/metal technique i can think of. people seem to like arpeggios, and metal typically means minor, so theres a start. as for minor modes, i prefer phrygian to aeolian, as it sounds cooler/darker. minor harmonic modes also sound pretty metal, though they are less intuitive.

start slow. it is 100% about timing. you can get away with slurring notes at high speed, but patience will pay off.
 
#6
I found an interesting way of shredding - I hate the technique though, I just like being able to do it :D - by using the backs of my first and middle fingers. I use the pad on my middle, the pad of my index, then back of my middle, and end with the back of my index, and repeat. I can get well over 250 bpm this way and once you practice enough left hand technique comes very easily. Just think of it as going as fast as you can on two fingers and then doubling the speed that you would for yout left hand.
 
#7
Grayson C. said:
I found an interesting way of shredding - I hate the technique though, I just like being able to do it :D - by using the backs of my first and middle fingers. I use the pad on my middle, the pad of my index, then back of my middle, and end with the back of my index, and repeat. I can get well over 250 bpm this way and once you practice enough left hand technique comes very easily. Just think of it as going as fast as you can on two fingers and then doubling the speed that you would for yout left hand.
Click to expand...

I've tried doing that once - it didn't work, as the sound of plucking with flesh and nails differed a lot. What did you do exactely?
 
#8
TOOL460002 said:
search "sweep" in this forum, as that will get some good threads with good advice and good youtube links to pop up.

im not so sure sheehan does the sweeping thing (i recall more of the really fast hammer on type stuff, but may be wrong), but thats definitely the most shred/metal technique i can think of. people seem to like arpeggios, and metal typically means minor, so theres a start. as for minor modes, i prefer phrygian to aeolian, as it sounds cooler/darker. minor harmonic modes also sound pretty metal, though they are less intuitive.

start slow. it is 100% about timing. you can get away with slurring notes at high speed, but patience will pay off.
Click to expand...

You could even do a Phyrgian with a Major 7th to make it sound like both :D
 
#9
josbroek said:
hi, ive been playing bass for 'bout 2 years and practice 2 hours a day and blah blah blah,
since im into metal/rock, and i watched some angra, billy sheehan videos, my question is:
how can you learn to shred on a bass? i play fingerstyle only and can play with 3 fingers where needed, what scales are good for shredding and how to use the left hand (right hand for me, im lefty :p) ?? thx
Click to expand...

check out kevin glasgow you'd like his playing
 
#10
Grayson C. said:
I found an interesting way of shredding - I hate the technique though, I just like being able to do it :D - by using the backs of my first and middle fingers. I use the pad on my middle, the pad of my index, then back of my middle, and end with the back of my index, and repeat. I can get well over 250 bpm this way and once you practice enough left hand technique comes very easily. Just think of it as going as fast as you can on two fingers and then doubling the speed that you would for yout left hand.
Click to expand...

at one point i was convinced that using three fingers on both the up and down stroke (both nail and pad) was the best way to go really fast, but i never got it up to speed, or consistent in any way. i really did put some time into it, but ultimately gave up. the difference in finger length makes for weird angles or something. in any case, i fear that the mechanics of it all just doesnt work, or maybe i didnt put enough time into it.

anyway, i eventually settled on something that works better for me: three fingers with a geddy-style flamenco upstroke on just the index (ring down, middle down, index down, index up, repeat). you can keep or leave out the index upstroke if needed, and just have the normal three finger speed, but the upstroke really adds an edge, and the nail changes the tone a bit, which can be good for emphasis in some situations.

im no master, but i am quite pleased with this technique, especially the ability to go from quadruplets to triplets to just index finger flamenco. i also like odd time a lot, so if you wanted to run off a group of seven really quick, you could do the first section of four with the upstroke, and then leave it out and just go with three downstrokes (or three and then four, as the nail will emphasize the last note a bit). obviously you can do this with just three fingers, but i find myself throwing in the upstroke out of habit now, so its got to be easier in some regard.
 
#13
try phrygian, minor, and harmonic minor they are your basic metal scales and they help with playing fast if that's what your going for, but even if you practice running up and down the blues scale. also practice arpegios they help with hand strength and get that pinkey working.
 
#14
josbroek said:
hi, ive been playing bass for 'bout 2 years and practice 2 hours a day and blah blah blah,
since im into metal/rock, and i watched some angra, billy sheehan videos, my question is:
how can you learn to shred on a bass? i play fingerstyle only and can play with 3 fingers where needed, what scales are good for shredding and how to use the left hand (right hand for me, im lefty :p) ?? thx
Click to expand...

I guess someone had to be the fly in the ointment here... :rolleyes:

Kid, you're only 14 years old. Ever heard of "first things first"? Unless you're some kind of virtuoso, it's highly unlikely that you've already mastered pocket playing, ear training, etc. So why not focus first on the foundational skills that are always in demand and that will help you to actually become a good musician - instead of trying to skip ahead straight to the wankery?

Billy Sheehan can shred like nobody's business...because he first learned how to groove like nobody's business - not the other way around. If you really want to learn how to shred, you should take the same path... :hmm:

MM
 
#15
MysticMichael said:
I guess someone had to be the fly in the ointment here... :rolleyes:

Kid, you're only 14 years old. Ever heard of "first things first"? Unless you're some kind of virtuoso, it's highly unlikely that you've already mastered pocket playing, ear training, etc. So why not focus first on the foundational skills that are always in demand and that will help you to actually become a good musician - instead of trying to skip ahead straight to the wankery?

Billy Sheehan can shred like nobody's business...because he first learned how to groove like nobody's business - not the other way around. If you really want to learn how to shred, you should take the same path... :hmm:

MM
Click to expand...

+1
 
#16
MysticMichael said:
I guess someone had to be the fly in the ointment here... :rolleyes:

Kid, you're only 14 years old. Ever heard of "first things first"? Unless you're some kind of virtuoso, it's highly unlikely that you've already mastered pocket playing, ear training, etc. So why not focus first on the foundational skills that are always in demand and that will help you to actually become a good musician - instead of trying to skip ahead straight to the wankery?

Billy Sheehan can shred like nobody's business...because he first learned how to groove like nobody's business - not the other way around. If you really want to learn how to shred, you should take the same path... :hmm:

MM
Click to expand...

+3.14
 
#17
MysticMichael said:
I guess someone had to be the fly in the ointment here... :rolleyes:

Kid, you're only 14 years old. Ever heard of "first things first"? Unless you're some kind of virtuoso, it's highly unlikely that you've already mastered pocket playing, ear training, etc. So why not focus first on the foundational skills that are always in demand and that will help you to actually become a good musician - instead of trying to skip ahead straight to the wankery?

Billy Sheehan can shred like nobody's business...because he first learned how to groove like nobody's business - not the other way around. If you really want to learn how to shred, you should take the same path... :hmm:

MM
Click to expand...
im going to play orion with solo next month for my exam bass, my teacher is sure of it i can do that, im only playing 2 years but i played 7 years of piano since i was 5 or something, so i think im quite musical :hmm:
 

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