My second bass cover - I need your feedback.

[Aleksandra]

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.

Thanks for your comment. I practiced with metronome at home, but this particular song was tricky to record because I am quite sure the original was not recorded to metronome, so it's not easy for beginner to keep good timing.

 

[dune]

You go, girl! You're doing it and that's more than half the battle. Keep at it, have fun, and lead by example.

I agree, you're already leading by example so no doubt you'll continue.

Don’t just play the notes. FEEL them. Turn the lights down low. Stand up and groove.

Great advice from @Element Zero here. If I can dance to it while I'm playing it, anyone can.

 

[Wasnex]

Before I offer any suggestions, I want to say I think you are doing great. You've done a really good job at figuring out the notes. This is something a lot of people seem to struggle with, so give yourself a pat on the back. Although you have a good macro view, there is room to improve how you are playing the individual notes. If you haven't already gone through it, you may find this video helpful:


I suggest starting at the beginning and polishing small sections of the bass line. Start with the very first note. Notice how it is shaped. Consider the attack, decay, cutoff, and any variation in pitch. At first you consider and practice all of these things separately. But eventually the goal is to integrate all of them, which takes considerable practice.

I believe you are playing the intro on the right frets, but not necessarily using the best fingering. The first note F# has a little gliss (slide) down. The last note of the phrase (E) also has the little gliss down. Take a listen to the isolated track. Do you hear the glisses?

I suggest playing the notes with the glisses using your 4th finger. Try this fingering:

F# = 4 (9) [gliss down]
C# = 1 (4)
D = 2 (5)
D = 2 (5)
E = 4 (7) [gliss down]

First number is the suggested finger. Number in parentheses is the fret.

Let's dig a little deeper into the nuances and variation of this first phrase. I believe there may be an occasional hammer on from the D to E. I think its probably easier on the hand to play the hammer on using 1 to 4 rather than 2 to 4.

I added the hammer on in bold:

F# = 4 (9) [gliss down]
C# = 1 (4)
D = 2 (5)
D = 2 (5)
D = 1 (5) [hammer on to the following E]
E = 4 (7) [gliss down]

This fingering option is a bit tricky because you play the D with two different fingers.

You may prefer to do it this way, so you don't have to switch fingers on the same fret:

F# = 4 (9) [gliss down]
C# = 1 (4)
D = 1 (5)
D = 1 (5)
D = 1 (5) [hammer on to the following E]
E = 4 (7) [gliss down]

For me it's a bit of a challenging to play the shift from C# to D without making a squeak. However, I would probably play it this way if I weren't really digging into the weeds to try and find a better way.

Ultimately the best fingering is the one that works for you. So these are just different options for you to try.

Keep in mind, the original bass part does not play the pattern consistently. For example, the first note of the phrase also seems to occasionally have a hammer on from E to F#. As a developing player you may want to try and nail the part note for note. As a gigging musician, you would probably fudge it to some extent. IMHO that is okay and most likely the original player fudged it a bit live as well. It's up to you to decide how faithfully you will stick to the original bass line. I think it's important to really nail the style and feel, but not necessarily vital to play every little nuance in the proper time and place. YMMV of course.

There are lot's of other little nuances to dig out of this song, but I will leave that to you to decide how far down the rabbit hole you want to dive.

Have fun and good luck!

 

[Aleksandra]

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.

Thanks for your comment. I am still learning how to make my bass guitar sounds good.
I'm short (only 160cm) and my hands are very small so it's quite a challenge to play bass guitar but I definitely have to play more with my pinky.

 

[Aleksandra]

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.

Thanks for your advice. It's difficult to control my pinky. It just wants to stay clenched. But I will definitely keep working on it.

 

[Aleksandra]

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)

Thank You for your advice!

 

[Aleksandra]

Not bad at all. Just tighten up on your timing. Awesome.

Thank You for your comment.

 

[Aleksandra]

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.

Thank You so much for your advice! I have to pay more attention to my wrist.

 

[Aleksandra]

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!!!

Thank You for Your advice!

 

[Aleksandra]

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.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[Aleksandra]

Good job. Just keep playing. The more you accomplish the more youll fall in love with being a musician

Thanks for your comment!

 

[Aleksandra]

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.

Thank You so much for your advice!

 

[Aleksandra]

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.

Thanks for advice!

 

[Aleksandra]

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!

Thank You for advice!

 

[Aleksandra]

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.

Thank You for your comment!

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

You get kudos from me right off top for A: Having the courage to do it and B: Being vulnerable enough to share it with all of us for feedback! So many great suggestions here. I have only one, really. Listen to how what you're playing diverges from what you are trying to play and try different ways to replicate the original. String choice, finger choice, note length, etc., all of those little subtleties. As you learn to plat the SONG, rather than the NOTES, you may discover yourself developing techniques you never had! All the best!

BBB

 

[Aleksandra]

I agree, you're already leading by example so no doubt you'll continue.

Great advice from @Element Zero here. If I can dance to it while I'm playing it, anyone can.

Thank You so much for your comment.

 

[Aleksandra]

Before I offer any suggestions, I want to say I think you are doing great. You've done a really good job at figuring out the notes. This is something a lot of people seem to struggle with, so give yourself a pat on the back. Although you have a good macro view, there is room to improve how you are playing the individual notes. If you haven't already gone through it, you may find this video helpful:


I suggest starting at the beginning and polishing small sections of the bass line. Start with the very first note. Notice how it is shaped. Consider the attack, decay, cutoff, and any variation in pitch. At first you consider and practice all of these things separately. But eventually the goal is to integrate all of them, which takes considerable practice.

I believe you are playing the intro on the right frets, but not necessarily using the best fingering. The first note F# has a little gliss (slide) down. The last note of the phrase (E) also has the little gliss down. Take a listen to the isolated track. Do you hear the glisses?

I suggest playing the notes with the glisses using your 4th finger. Try this fingering:

F# = 4 (9) [gliss down]
C# = 1 (4)
D = 2 (5)
D = 2 (5)
E = 4 (7) [gliss down]

First number is the suggested finger. Number in parentheses is the fret.

Let's dig a little deeper into the nuances and variation of this first phrase. I believe there may be an occasional hammer on from the D to E. I think its probably easier on the hand to play the hammer on using 1 to 4 rather than 2 to 4.

I added the hammer on in bold:

F# = 4 (9) [gliss down]
C# = 1 (4)
D = 2 (5)
D = 2 (5)
D = 1 (5) [hammer on to the following E]
E = 4 (7) [gliss down]

This fingering option is a bit tricky because you play the D with two different fingers.

You may prefer to do it this way, so you don't have to switch fingers on the same fret:

F# = 4 (9) [gliss down]
C# = 1 (4)
D = 1 (5)
D = 1 (5)
D = 1 (5) [hammer on to the following E]
E = 4 (7) [gliss down]

For me it's a bit of a challenging to play the shift from C# to D without making a squeak. However, I would probably play it this way if I weren't really digging into the weeds to try and find a better way.

Ultimately the best fingering is the one that works for you. So these are just different options for you to try.

Keep in mind, the original bass part does not play the pattern consistently. For example, the first note of the phrase also seems to occasionally have a hammer on from E to F#. As a developing player you may want to try and nail the part note for note. As a gigging musician, you would probably fudge it to some extent. IMHO that is okay and most likely the original player fudged it a bit live as well. It's up to you to decide how faithfully you will stick to the original bass line. I think it's important to really nail the style and feel, but not necessarily vital to play every little nuance in the proper time and place. YMMV of course.

There are lot's of other little nuances to dig out of this song, but I will leave that to you to decide how far down the rabbit hole you want to dive.

Have fun and good luck!

Thank You so much for your comment. I really appreciate that You took some time to write about so many details. That video with isolated track was very helpful. Figuring out which finger should I use is still big challenge for me.

 

[Aleksandra]

You get kudos from me right off top for A: Having the courage to do it and B: Being vulnerable enough to share it with all of us for feedback! So many great suggestions here. I have only one, really. Listen to how what you're playing diverges from what you are trying to play and try different ways to replicate the original. String choice, finger choice, note length, etc., all of those little subtleties. As you learn to plat the SONG, rather than the NOTES, you may discover yourself developing techniques you never had! All the best!

BBB

Thank You so much for your advice. And yeah, it's not easy to record myself. I'm still very nervous in front of the camera but I know that I have to go out of my comfort zone to progress and be better at playing bass. And I really like the community here because everyone seems to be very friendly and respectful, so I can learn a lot here. Many people wrote already about little things that I didn't notice before, so every single comment here is very helpful for me.