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I'm tired of lying.

T

TortillaChip520

Jun 3, 2008
1,066
63
AZ
#1
when i'm playing, i kind of noodle around with notes and make bass lines on the fly, but i have no idea what i'm playing. i might know, for example, that i'm in the key of C, and the song might change to A then G and back again, but i can keep playing random things that relate to C and still sound good, but it's 90% guesswork, and 10% luck: bassically "lying", because it still works but doesn't follow any music theory or any such thing (but hey, that's why it's music theory and not music fact ;)). are there any websites that lay out all the individual NOTES of each chord (rather than tabs or these: Link Removed)
i want to be able to use this wanking to it's full potential and actually KNOW what i'm doing, and actually do something productive with it :) :bassist:
 
#4
Knowing theory is totally unnecessary in most forms of popular music.

I don't ever know what key we're in or what scale I should use or anything. I do it completely by ear. There are millions of musicians who operate this way.
 
#5
adamrobertt said:
I don't ever know what key we're in or what scale I should use or anything. I do it completely by ear. There are millions of musicians who operate this way.
Click to expand...

i do too, but i want to know what i'm doing to use it more effectively, you know?

and i've been googling it, and only seem to get those fretted chord charts, and i know there's somebody out there that knows a buttload of sites already who would looove to help me out :D
 
#7
The way I think about the "theory vs. by ear" debate is like a fight. Knowing theory is
like taking an arsenal of weapons into the fight and knowing how each one functions.
Going by ear is like going into a fight with a couple of your trusty homemade weapons.

One thing that I've figured out while learning theory is that the more I learn the more I
know how to bend the theory to fit my style. Yeah there are keys and modes and
chords and scales but there is so much in between. The people who go by ear play
without any limits so they find these "in between" things and end up sounding unique.
This isn't bad at all but I would rather play these things and know why the are the way
they are so I can repeat it in different places and for different situations.

I guess for me knowing the theory just means that I can make up stuff quicker and with
a purpose rather than just coming up with a couple shapes or runs and using them over
and over. I know now when playing "out" and "in" is tasteful and how to make it work
for my style. I also know how to improv. things that I couldn't before I learned the
theory.

I guess it's best not to learn just a little theory because you'll just end up tying yourself
down with very limited shapes and ideas. Learning the ins and outs of it all is the key
to knowing what your doing and why. I think playing with a purpose and with
confidence is key to making good music whether it's by ear or with theory.

That's my opinion anyways. TortillaChip520, I've been writing down my process of
learning theory so if your interested in it just PM me I would be happy to help.
 
#8
TortillaChip520 said:
i do too, but i want to know what i'm doing to use it more effectively, you know?

and i've been googling it, and only seem to get those fretted chord charts, and i know there's somebody out there that knows a buttload of sites already who would looove to help me out :D
Click to expand...

I'm being nice today. http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/ just click on the guitar scales link on the top of the page. The site is based on a guitar fretboard, bur just ignore the two thinny strings.
 
#11
Dude, learn theory. don't listen to any of the guys talking about ear only. it's ******** to know only one. Theory can't and won't hurt your playing. If you don't have one get a teacher, doesn't need to be a bass teacher, just someone who can teach you theory. it's not hard. however theory is invaluable. Knowing exactly HOW a chord works is way funner than knowing it's notes. so is having a grip on mode's. mode's are great.
 
#13
Get a good teacher and get them to explain some of the basic elements of music theory then get some good (recommended on here) books. There is so much info on this website that will get you started and you can ask questions to iron out problems once you're up and running.

Theory and ear feed off each other once you get the ball rolling. I played rock professionally for years with no real grip of theory. That worked fine but once I started playing jazz, I needed to hit the books...I also find know that I've ingested a lot of theory and more understanding of rhythm, my straight ahead playing is simpler, much more distilled and simply light years ahead of where it was...

Good luck!
 
#19
Whole tone scales sound amazing as well - when used in context! :)

Theory is great for learning about things that you would never come up with when playing by ear in a million years!! :eek:

So - I played by ear for several decades and got really bored with playing the same type of bass lines over and over...:(

Then I took up studying Jazz and started learning theory - it opened up a whole new world of scales and chords that I would never have come across on my own and would never have thought of playing!

The Jazz Theory Book opens up whole new worlds of how to construct lines and chords...:)
 

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