I'm a bit lost

Ladyland

Ladyland

Dec 13, 2011
30
1
#1
Hello,

I know there's lots of threads about practicing so sorry if this post bothers you. Now I'm really struggling to play bass the way I want. Here's my story. I've been playing bass for about 2,5 years and all this time I was doing various covers, finger strengthening and stretching exercises. Now I've realized I'm going nowhere with this kind of learning. Playing covers only helped to improve my ear but I'm not growing as a bassist. My goal is to be able to improvise. Now I can't even create my own bass lines or play with a drum backing track. I've started thinking that I don't have sense of rhythm and I'm not creative but it's not time to give up yet. I know I need to find a good teacher but the biggest problem is my lifestyle. I can't get out the house and invite people in (personal matters, don't ask) so I've got two choices: find an online teacher or get a book. Or maybe both? How about learning bass from a guitarist? Is it better than nothing?
Any advise? :help:
 
#4
I know notes on a fretboard and started learning C major scale. Nothing else. I watch videos on youtube but it seems all lessons are for those who already know some theory.
 
#5
My teacher was a blues guitarist who had lessons over at his place. So...
-No harm in learning from a guitarist with a decent ability to teach bass.
-There are teachers who you can meet elsewhere besides your own home.

Learning some theory is important - I was a classical violist before switching to bass and learning that, and having some knowledge of music was really helpful, if not directly related to the bass itself.

Don't be discouraged!
 
#8
Get this book: Hal Leonard Bass Method - Complete Edition
http://www.amazon.com/Leonard-Bass-Method-Easy---Use/dp/0793563836

Don't be intimidated by the music notation. There are CDs so you can learn by ear as well. Just work your way through it. Notation may not be important for the style of music you want to play, but it will open up a world of learning opportunities.

If the best teacher available to you is a guitarist, consider learning the guitar! Do you have one or can you borrow one? You don't have to be a shredder, but it won't hurt you to learn the chord shapes and scales, especially the movable chords. When you're playing with guitarists, it's very useful to be able to glance at their hands and know what they are playing.
 
#9
Start with the pentatonic scale (major and minor pentatonic are the same notes, they just start at a different note)

Major pentatonic in C: C, D, E, G, A, C
Minor pentatonic in A: A, C, D, E, G, A

Use these with your drum track to improvise. Be sure to do them in different keys. You should come up with something musical and you'll also come up with bass lines that you've already heard. The other thing is to work on rhythmic variations.

I do agree that learning theory should be in your path. This is just an interim step.

Listen to the line in "My Girl" and see which of these you hear.
 
#10
There's so much information and I don't know where to start. Let's say I know C major scale and I hit the right notes but my bass lines don't sound groovy because I can't think of new interesting rhythms. How good is that? All I can do is play 4th and 8th notes... :bawl:
I've started using a metronome hoping it will help. Also thinking of making a studying plan/map and monitor what I learn every day. Would it be a waste of time? I've got ~3hours a day for bass. It would be nice to spend it usefully.

Neon Scribe, unfortunately, I don't have a guitar. It's good to learn other instrument. It must help to understand how music works.
 
#11
Ladyland said:
Hello,

I know there's lots of threads about practicing so sorry if this post bothers you. Now I'm really struggling to play bass the way I want. Here's my story. I've been playing bass for about 2,5 years and all this time I was doing various covers, finger strengthening and stretching exercises. Now I've realized I'm going nowhere with this kind of learning. Playing covers only helped to improve my ear but I'm not growing as a bassist. My goal is to be able to improvise. Now I can't even create my own bass lines or play with a drum backing track. I've started thinking that I don't have sense of rhythm and I'm not creative but it's not time to give up yet. I know I need to find a good teacher but the biggest problem is my lifestyle. I can't get out the house and invite people in (personal matters, don't ask) so I've got two choices: find an online teacher or get a book. Or maybe both? How about learning bass from a guitarist? Is it better than nothing?
Any advise? :help:
Click to expand...

Hi Ladyland,
Along with being a bass guitarist, I am a hypnotist. I,ve learned to take negatives out of my language. The subconscious mind responds to positive input. So if you say you (can't); you (can't). But if you say you will, you will; unless external factors exist.

You say: "I'm going nowhere"; You should say: Now I realize I need to learn a new way. You say: "Now I can't even create my own bass lines". You should say: I,m having trouble creating my own bass lines.

Ok, enough about that. On to the circle of fifths. It is a diagram showing the relationship of notes in a chord and will help you create bass riffs, based on the chord. You can find this circle of fifths online. I use it to practice my scales going around the circle to the right. Major C, G, D, A, E ect. Each section of the pie is five steps apart.

In your remarks you mentioned practicing the major C scale.
if you know the sequence 24 124 134 you can play any major scale. So practice all of them, unless you are all ready.

Stay positive and good luck.
Keep hitting the bottom; you'll rise to the top.:hyper:
 
#12
ancientrocker, that's an inspiring attitude! I'll have your words in mind.

One more question. Is it important to be able to name all the notes of each scale? If yes, what good does it do?
 
#13
What type of music are you interested in playing?

Listen to recordings of that type of music on the internet......turn up the bass on the comp EQ and listen to what they're doing to get a sense of "bass rhythm".

Finger placements and "grids" on the bass frets tend to be identical up and down the neck........so if you can play C major scale off the C on the E string....you will be able to play just about every scale off the E because the finger placements are the same.

Theory helps a lot .......but theory doesn't play the bass for you....

Take a song like The Beatles "Tax man" or "Come Together".......listen to the opening.....

see what they're doing there? bass riffs are a "foundation" for the song.

Listen to some simple "walking" bass lines......try playing some "walking" lines to tempo.......easy to do....you can "walk" off of any major or minor scale.
 
#14
Ladyland said:
One more question. Is it important to be able to name all the notes of each scale? If yes, what good does it do?
Click to expand...

It is not required to know the names of the notes in a scale/chord/key, but I find it to be advantageous. Music is a language, and all the abstractions we make of sound serve to facilitate our communication. If I say "Am/C F/A B7 E", and the musicians around me know the same language, we can very easily make music on the fly. It's the difference between wasting an hour of rehearsal with "show me that riff again" and being able to improvise (express) freely.

More important than notes is intervals. If you immerse yourself in learning to play, hear, write, sing, and recognize intervals for a few months, you'll be miles beyond most self-taughts (and, indeed, many 'taughts'). They are simple, extremely finite, and a small effort will expand your musicianship exponentially.

www.musictheory.net
 
#15
You do not have to know the names, but, you need to know where the notes are. That is why I use the major scale pattern. It places the correct notes under my finger automatically. Check the link in post # 6. That will take you to a post # 3 which will give you the chord/scale spellings you need to use with the Major scale patterns.

If you can count to 8 you can play bass guitar.
 
#16
ZenG, I like almost every style of music. I'd like to play entertaining music that people could dance. Funk would be great but every time I create something it sounds sad. If I compose something to express myself it's always sad and melodic not rhythmic. Sounds like post-rock maybe.
Today I watched a video about building walking bass lines, found some chord charts and practice on my own walking bass lines. It was hard.

MalcolmAmos, I had Bass Guitar for Dummies. It's good but I haven't studied a lot because English is my second language and it was quite hard to understand everything. Probably I'm just a very dumb dummy.
 
#17
The first thing to do is stop trying to be a"bassist" per se. Start learning to be a "musician".

You can relatively quickly learn how chords are built, scales, Chord scale relationships, western modes. Learn music structure (you can do this at home with your I-Pod and favorite tunes. How many vocal verses and choruses? Is there a bridge? Intro/outro. Compare to other tunes, is it the same or different? Write it down using your own shorthand.) This will help immensely and you will not have to be a speed reader of music to begin accomplishing what you want. Although it is always a good idea to learn the language of music.

The phrase "music theory" is scary. All mysterious and all. Don't let it be.

You are not stupid or dumb. You have to remember that, as we speak, there are thousands of middle schoolers learning this stuff. If you have a desire you will learn and you should push that to the limit of your capability or inherent potential. You will probably surprise yourself.

2.5 years is really not very long in the world of music. You have many years to go before you will be as accomplished as you want to be. Frustration is part of the game. Use it to help you push forward.

"The more you know, the more you know you don't know"-T.O.P. One door opens and you are looking at 6 more to open. In any discipline that requires study you will always face this reality. Embrace it.
 
#18
You have learned lots of cover songs by ear, and now you want to learn to improvise. You are in luck, because you already know the most important musical skill: listening!

A fantastic exercise I recommend for you to begin improvising is: see if you can take licks from one song and insert them into another song to make them "fit." For example, if you know two songs in the key of E Minor, can you insert a quick hint or musical reference from Song A into Song B?

When pro's improvise, they are not playing random crazy notes that nobody has ever played before. Rather, they are taking musical ideas they already know (their "vocabulary") and having a conversation with the other musicians.

So all you need is a good ear to hear when it is appropriate or tasteful to embellish a song with licks you already know from other songs.

You can learn theory if you want (I think you should) but it is also 100% entirely possible to learn to improvise using only your ears.

It's that easy, good luck! :)
 
#20
Ladyland,

In Washington D. C. there is a statue of General George C. McClellen. His statue of him on his horse is situated in a triangle of land bordered by Avenues. He is facing dead center down an avenue with two other roads to either side of him. The plaque on the bass of the statue reads, "Here stands the only General who needs one avenue for attack and two for retreat" So even in retreat it's better to have two rather than one. And that is why you want to learn the placement of and the name of each note on your fretboard. Your ears are great; but only one Avenue.
 
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