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Metal(, doom, for white) Trash

Discussion in 'Technique [BG]' started by H.P. Lovesauce, Nov 15, 2005.

  1. Nov 15, 2005 #1
    H.P. Lovesauce

    H.P. Lovesauce Guest

    Nov 15, 2005
    I'll be clear from the start: I'm not a bloody musician. I shall illustrate my irreverent attitude with a smiley: :spit:

    Learning bass the "proper" way would be very tedious, with all those letter...things...notes. Learning guitar, I stopped absorbing knowledge when someone showed me bar chords, the Rosetta Stone of rock 'n' roll.

    The question: are there bar chords for the bass? Or is there a similar radioactive key that can be put in the hand of an impatient idiot so that he's able to make organized noise in a minimum of time?

    HPL
     
  2. Nov 15, 2005 #2
    The_Ryst

    The_Ryst Guest

    Feb 21, 2005
    Goldsboro / Raleigh NC
    Step 1: Go back to the 80s
    Step 2: Grow your hair out long, perm it if you please
    Step 3: Join a mediocre hair metal band
    Step 4: Play Open E's and A's

    :p







    (I do love much hair metal so chill.)
     
  3. Nov 15, 2005 #3
    H.P. Lovesauce

    H.P. Lovesauce Guest

    Nov 15, 2005
    Darn you, Ryst! Darn you all to heck!

    You immediately start busting out your jargon: E's, A's. "Open" ones, yet.

    Okay. I'll meet you halfway.

    E = big fat string?

    Open = no monkey paws on the little squares on the long stretchy part? Frets, whatever. Neck. The long bit before the knobs (no snickering, you).

    I mean, what the hell did Lemmy do at first?

    HPL
     
  4. Nov 15, 2005 #4
    WillBuckingham

    WillBuckingham Guest

    Mar 30, 2005
    Who's Lemmy?

    Why don't you just play the bass . . . you'll figure out something that you like.

    Rock rock on!
     
  5. Nov 15, 2005 #5
    Verbannter

    Verbannter Guest

    Nov 15, 2005
    Seething flames of Hatred.
    This is a response to the thread starter. If you have seen some of my posts on this forum (I am new to this forum) then you have seen that I am admittedly not a great bassist. However, are you just playing for the sake of trying to impress people or fit in... or are you actually interested in music? Even though you refuse to call yourself a "Bloody musician"; why do you want to learn these bar chords in the first place if you don't wish to actually sit down and actually learn how to properly play bass?

    Sorry, I had to say it =/.
     
  6. Nov 15, 2005 #6
    WalterBush

    WalterBush

    Feb 27, 2005
    Yuma, Az
    Full disclosure, I'm a certified Fender technician working in a music store that carries Fender, Yamaha, and Ibanez products among others.

    Lemmy has repeatedly stated in interviews that he started on guitar, and still plays rhythm guitar, he just happens to use the bass to do it.
     
  7. Nov 15, 2005 #7
    H.P. Lovesauce

    H.P. Lovesauce Guest

    Nov 15, 2005
    Ah, see, Mr. jabberwock, we're getting warmer! Playing rhythm guitar on the bass is exactly what I want to be able to do. Since the easiest and most effective way to throw up a wall of sound was to use bar chords on a distorted guitar, I figured a bass might be able to accomplish the same thing.

    Can it?

    (Thank you WillBuckingham for the advice, and Verbannter for the pointed questions. I want to be able to physically manipulate a bass guitar into making a certain range and sequence of sounds. I did it with a guitar and was in a band whose first gig was opening for DOA, so I figure it's possible.)
     
  8. Nov 15, 2005 #8
    lemur821

    lemur821 Guest

    May 4, 2004
    St. Louis, MO, U.S.
    Just pound roots I guess. Since they fall exactly where the root of the barre chord does you don't even need to do any learning!
     
  9. Nov 15, 2005 #9
    Verbannter

    Verbannter Guest

    Nov 15, 2005
    Seething flames of Hatred.
    In no way was I really trying to flame you if that's what you were thinking. It's just a great instrument (Not a tool as some people put it) and I really think you should sit down and make full use of it. Sorry if I came off a tad harsh.
     
  10. Nov 16, 2005 #10
    H.P. Lovesauce

    H.P. Lovesauce Guest

    Nov 15, 2005
    Thanks! Um...what am a "root?"

    Verbannter: No, you weren't being flame-y, you were expressing a perfectly legitimate perspective. I'm like a monkey with a motorcycle: I like pushing it off a hill and riding it as it coasts down, then pushing it back up. If anyone suggests I learn to turn it on, shift gears, and all that--much less try to explain the underlying principles of internal combustion--I'll likely just throw feces at them.

    You're right the bass has gotten short shrift. But mostly from wankers who are drawn to the other thingy, the one with the skinny strings.
     
  11. Nov 16, 2005 #11
    Flipside

    Flipside Guest

    Nov 14, 2005
    Montreal
    Alright well what he means by root is this (I hope you can read tabs ><)

    lets say the guitarist is play this on his first 3 strings, E A and D.

    D|---7----7----5-----3-
    A|---7----7----5-----3-
    E|-5----5----3-----1---

    The ROOT of the chord is the note he's playing on the lowest string of the chord. In this case its the 5th fret on the E string then the 3rd fret, then the 1st fret. (yeah the E string is the big fat one). So all you have to do is match his rythm with a 5 a 3 and a 1 which are the roots of the chords he's playing. All you'd have to do is play this:

    D|------------------------
    A|------------------------
    E|-5----5-----3-----1-----

    pretty simple really if you wanna start jamming with you're friends. I do it when I dunno what else to play and I follow along easily once you get the hang of it. :hyper:
     
  12. Nov 16, 2005 #12
    The Clap

    The Clap Guest

    Jan 5, 2004
    Scottsdale, AZ
    Barre chords are played on the guitar. Bar chords... get played in pubs I guess.
     
  13. Nov 16, 2005 #13
    velvetkevorkian

    velvetkevorkian

    Aug 23, 2004
    Glasgow, Scotland
    BOOM BOOM. get yer coat ;)

    as someone else said, just hammer the lowest note of what you would do on the guitar. if you were feeling particularly taxed, take the top 3 strings off and just play the "big fat string" :p
     
  14. Nov 16, 2005 #14
    lemur821

    lemur821 Guest

    May 4, 2004
    St. Louis, MO, U.S.
    Essentially, take away every note from the chord but the one closest to your face, and play that one a lot. :cool:
     
  15. Nov 16, 2005 #15
    WalterBush

    WalterBush

    Feb 27, 2005
    Yuma, Az
    Full disclosure, I'm a certified Fender technician working in a music store that carries Fender, Yamaha, and Ibanez products among others.
    At this point I'll be a bit of a smartarse--I just had this conversation with a pianist this afternoon. Technically, as a bass player, you decide what the root of the chord is for your band. You're the lowest note, so whatever you play is the root. Neat, huh? Not helpful, though. :)