I just recorded my second bass cover. I am still very nervous in front of camera, so I think it's far from perfect, but I tried my best. What do You think? I would appreciate if you leave a comment with your opinion here and on youtube. All advices and critics are welcome.
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My second bass cover - I need your feedback.
- Thread starter Aleksandra
- Start date
You go, girl! You're doing it and that's more than half the battle. Keep at it, have fun, and lead by example.
Nice job!
One suggestion. Your playing is smoother when you alternate the fingers on your right hand. At times you are just using your index finger. Try to remember to alternate.
One suggestion. Your playing is smoother when you alternate the fingers on your right hand. At times you are just using your index finger. Try to remember to alternate.
Really nice! 
I agree with @greggster59’s suggestion to alternate fingers on the right hand a bit more (which I note you’re doing at the end of the guitar solo). Your playing will continue to get more smooth and polished as you get more experience. Keep going, keep posting.
I agree with @greggster59’s suggestion to alternate fingers on the right hand a bit more (which I note you’re doing at the end of the guitar solo). Your playing will continue to get more smooth and polished as you get more experience. Keep going, keep posting.
Overall good, but listen back without the music playing in the background. You are either rushing or dragging in spots. Play along with a metronome (no music) and record it. That makes it real easy to see where your timing needs work.
Great playing!
Playing along to records can be hard - following a songs tempo and getting distracted by the song at least for me messes me up.
Just keep playing and you'll get there! Unsure of your gear but don't be afriaid to mess with the tone.
I know for covers sometimes getting your bass sound in can be annoying - for me I may use something like gain or something similiar to the pre-amp Sansamp to just give myself more gain - treble for me I find kind of cuts into the song too much unless the song is treble-ish
I am no pro so just my opinions - great playing!
ALSO - just to add, I am unsure of your size - as someone with small hands the 1 2 4 finger method is much more better on bass even if you never play Upright. Using your first, second and pinkie finger instead of the third is much easier if you ask me and feels more right. For me the third finger is weak in my opinion.
Playing along to records can be hard - following a songs tempo and getting distracted by the song at least for me messes me up.
Just keep playing and you'll get there! Unsure of your gear but don't be afriaid to mess with the tone.
I know for covers sometimes getting your bass sound in can be annoying - for me I may use something like gain or something similiar to the pre-amp Sansamp to just give myself more gain - treble for me I find kind of cuts into the song too much unless the song is treble-ish
I am no pro so just my opinions - great playing!
ALSO - just to add, I am unsure of your size - as someone with small hands the 1 2 4 finger method is much more better on bass even if you never play Upright. Using your first, second and pinkie finger instead of the third is much easier if you ask me and feels more right. For me the third finger is weak in my opinion.
Keep going! You are to be encouraged! I agree with the salmon, consciously relax and use that pinky. Yours reverts to a clench when not being used, that's involuntary for some people. Look at how double bass players hold all their fingers. On double bass they also block out space for intonation on no frets.
A slow bass line like that doesn't require alternate plucking fingering, it's when you get into straight eighth-sixteenths that you need it.
A slow bass line like that doesn't require alternate plucking fingering, it's when you get into straight eighth-sixteenths that you need it.
This is great!! Some great articulation in there. Only advice is best left to Carol Kaye and her notes about grooving to the metronome, as you get more comfortable with the recording, you'll relax and your left hand will 'feel' where that song needs a slide down at the end of a phrase or a hold into the next one.
Scroll to 10:00 (also worth watching the entire thing because it's Carol Kaye)
Scroll to 10:00 (also worth watching the entire thing because it's Carol Kaye)
Just relax and enjoy it. Listen to the music and join in. Maybe try standing up and moving, just to release some of the tension.
I'd watch the angle of your left wrist. As you move up the fretboard, the angle is getting a bit sharp - by far not the worst Ive seen, but its a big red flag personally. Ideally your wrist should be as straight as possible. You're young enough to get away with it for a while, but that means you should have 50 years of gigging ahead of you and as many of the old guys on here can tell you, one day in the (hopefully) distant future you'll get a pain in your wrist, and that's a very bad day. With treatment (up to and including surgery!) the pain can go away, but keeping your wrists straight and comfortable now is a much better solution.
I'd watch the angle of your left wrist. As you move up the fretboard, the angle is getting a bit sharp - by far not the worst Ive seen, but its a big red flag personally. Ideally your wrist should be as straight as possible. You're young enough to get away with it for a while, but that means you should have 50 years of gigging ahead of you and as many of the old guys on here can tell you, one day in the (hopefully) distant future you'll get a pain in your wrist, and that's a very bad day. With treatment (up to and including surgery!) the pain can go away, but keeping your wrists straight and comfortable now is a much better solution.
Awesome job. Your timing has issues here and there but it’s not horrible. The more you play the better you’ll get. Nervous in front of the camera? I get that. Again, over time you’ll be more comfortable and not so worried you’re going to mess up.
The main thing I’ll tell you is…
RELAX!
I can see your head bobbing so I know you feel the groove of the tune. I’m not saying you should straight up headbang, but don’t be afraid to let the groove of the down beat and the snare pop take over your body. I find it’s incredibly freeing when I focus on the groove of the drums and not necessarily the notes I’m supposed to play, but the actual chord progression. There’s movement in the beat. There’s a bounce. There’s a lazy kind of bounce. Like a basketball that’s a few pounds under-inflated. It’s not springy it’s, spongy.
Don’t just play the notes. FEEL them. Turn the lights down low. Stand up and groove. Buy some cheap multi colored LED rope lights and hang them around your room and play the song again in that type of environment and see what happens.
Keep up the good work!!!
The main thing I’ll tell you is…
RELAX!
I can see your head bobbing so I know you feel the groove of the tune. I’m not saying you should straight up headbang, but don’t be afraid to let the groove of the down beat and the snare pop take over your body. I find it’s incredibly freeing when I focus on the groove of the drums and not necessarily the notes I’m supposed to play, but the actual chord progression. There’s movement in the beat. There’s a bounce. There’s a lazy kind of bounce. Like a basketball that’s a few pounds under-inflated. It’s not springy it’s, spongy.
Don’t just play the notes. FEEL them. Turn the lights down low. Stand up and groove. Buy some cheap multi colored LED rope lights and hang them around your room and play the song again in that type of environment and see what happens.
Keep up the good work!!!
I learned to play by playing along with the radio - not knowing what song was coming, up, you had to figure out the key and what the line was pretty fast to be able to play along - the skills you need for an audition or jam session are precisely those. Yes, that's a bit beyond where you are now, but if you want a strategy that will develop your ear quickly, that's a really good one. Nowadays, maybe play a bunch of songs with the "random" feature of your phone or computer.
Good job. Just keep playing. The more you accomplish the more youll fall in love with being a musician
Your left hand seems to have a lot of tension in it and your pinky needs to be up and available for use , not curled down and away. I had both of these issues when starting out but I worked on that religiously. When you have some spare moments (even when just watching tv) pick a string and go up and down it fretting with all 4 fingers. Eventually you’ll want to include hammer ons and pull offs and alternate finger patterns like 1234, 1324,1423 etc to build up your left hand.
Very good. My only suggestion would be to keep your hand in one position as you play the C#-D-E. Then move your hand up the neck during the pause.
Well done!
The feel in that tune is built around the triplets. You hear them obviously in the piano but if you listen closely they are everywhere.
They’re in Hungate’s bass part, too. There are probably hardly any quarter notes in the bass part, rather notes that are the length of one or two of the triplets. For instance in the latter case, the chromatic descent from C# to B - those notes are two tier triplets.
If you keep that triplet feel in your mind as you hear the song (TA-ta-ta-TA-ta-ta-TA-ta-ta-TA-ta-ta) and play the bass notes within that feel, it will sound even better!
Keep it up!
The feel in that tune is built around the triplets. You hear them obviously in the piano but if you listen closely they are everywhere.
They’re in Hungate’s bass part, too. There are probably hardly any quarter notes in the bass part, rather notes that are the length of one or two of the triplets. For instance in the latter case, the chromatic descent from C# to B - those notes are two tier triplets.
If you keep that triplet feel in your mind as you hear the song (TA-ta-ta-TA-ta-ta-TA-ta-ta-TA-ta-ta) and play the bass notes within that feel, it will sound even better!
Keep it up!
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Thank You for advice.Really nice!
Nicely done, keep it up. My only inputs would be to be sure to tap something (foot for most people) to keep time. I couldn't tell if you were or not. Second would be for you to investigate the "floating thumb" method of string muting. If you start it early its very easy to master. But still..... overall .... nice job.
