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how u played when u first started
- Thread starter bass guy
- Start date
I started on violin, then upright in the orchestra. Orchestra-style string bass playing does not really instantly translate to electric, jazz style - so I sounded like an orchestra player (a mediocre one) playing orchestra parts on an electric. Good? nah... Bad? nah... I got a lot better a lot faster after I got a teacher!
I started playing piano in worship bands and synth bass (nobody had a bass) 4 years prior (and had 13 years of prior piano education). My biggest hurdle was finding out where the notes I wanted to play were on the neck. Then I had to learn to not overplay like crazy (which you can get away with one piano and can't really get away with on bass).
At the risk of sounding pretentious, I was good first time I picked up the bass. I had studied violin for 9 years previously with corresponding theory classes. So figuring out the notes on the neck was very simple for me, in fact they were easier to comprehend than the violin.
I had already been chastised with the violin for overplaying and I did not make the same mistake when I started playing bass.
The right hand technique strangely came very easily to me, although I had not done anything of the sort (slapping came much later).
So after about a month of playing, the phone starting ringing with requests to join bands.
I learnt a lot from many musicians and soon I understood the instrument enough to realise how big my shortcommings were and how much I needed to practice.
I had already been chastised with the violin for overplaying and I did not make the same mistake when I started playing bass.
The right hand technique strangely came very easily to me, although I had not done anything of the sort (slapping came much later).
So after about a month of playing, the phone starting ringing with requests to join bands.
I learnt a lot from many musicians and soon I understood the instrument enough to realise how big my shortcommings were and how much I needed to practice.
my jazz piano teacher at school wanted to make a band of his students who played other musical instruments - i had picked up a bass about a week previously... he named the band "chameleon" so that was our first song, and the first bass line i played! not a bad start 
it took me quite a while to understand what was going on, obviously i was a beginner, wouldnt mind if i could go back and see myself now just to see how bad i actually was.
Dave
Dave
i cant catch up when we're practicing, i'd always missed right notes and my fingers hurt badly and when non-fretting hand gets tired easily and when that happes i cant even move my fingers..., it was just a few months ago
, it was just a few months ago I had to put my poor fingers in hot water each night cause i was destroying them.
Technique wise, I used to go all around my fretboard with only my index. Thing is, I was getting pretty speedy at it lol
Technique wise, I used to go all around my fretboard with only my index. Thing is, I was getting pretty speedy at it lol
Every song we made had the potential to be a slap-o-rama
...and I said that I hated pick-players, even though I was listening to them all the time
...and I said that I hated pick-players, even though I was listening to them all the time
Kinda like everyone else I guess..
We only played covers, so it was easy to get the LP's.. yes I mean vinyl 33 1/2 RPM records
tune to pitch, and then just pick apart the song's bass riffs... note-for-note until I could sync
with the guy on the record, be it Leon Wilkeson or whomever I ripping off that month.
Later.. way down the road after the "cover daze"..I learned about walking around the root,
modes, scales and not worrying about it that much.
Then church "praise bands" and free-form, full counter-melodies.. since nobody cared about
(or knew) the recorded bass riffs anyway. Thats when playing got really interesting for me.
We only played covers, so it was easy to get the LP's.. yes I mean vinyl 33 1/2 RPM records
tune to pitch, and then just pick apart the song's bass riffs... note-for-note until I could sync
with the guy on the record, be it Leon Wilkeson or whomever I ripping off that month.
Later.. way down the road after the "cover daze"..I learned about walking around the root,
modes, scales and not worrying about it that much.
Then church "praise bands" and free-form, full counter-melodies.. since nobody cared about
(or knew) the recorded bass riffs anyway. Thats when playing got really interesting for me.
I already knew a lot of theory, having played piano for 25 years before I started on bass. I first learned from a book and it was slow going. After about 6 months, I started to gain speed. After a year, I could zip around the fretboard pretty well, but I wasn't a bass player. I played the thing like a piano (let's see how much stuff I can cram in).
Ever since then, I've studied what the role of the bass is. I try to be a bass player, which seldom involves playing as many notes as quickly as I can.
Ever since then, I've studied what the role of the bass is. I try to be a bass player, which seldom involves playing as many notes as quickly as I can.
I was a guitarist and swiched cause Chords where too hard.
I thought bass would be easier. I was kinda right and kinda wrong. I was able too make actual sounds that sounded good because of my remembering scale box paterns and a few arpegios. The physical aspect too it was terrible and I sounded bad for along time. THen I cought the dreded Slap Fever and thought everything was better when slapped... I'm glad I got out of that phase.
I thought bass would be easier. I was kinda right and kinda wrong. I was able too make actual sounds that sounded good because of my remembering scale box paterns and a few arpegios. The physical aspect too it was terrible and I sounded bad for along time. THen I cought the dreded Slap Fever and thought everything was better when slapped... I'm glad I got out of that phase.
