Need some "know how" help from fellow bass players

[Mafioso]

Hi guys,

I am new at this beautiful instrument that i found out to love more than any other I have tried.
Started playing 6 months ago at a jam session with some friends and destiny made that group turn the jam into a real band and funny enough we are having quite a lot of success, even with agencies contacting us and a big festival upcoming as well.

My problem is on my composition, I am pretty basic and feel stuck on the root notes so many times and this is where I wanted to ask your help guys. Our songs are actually quite simple and a mix between hip-hop, rock and reggae. We are recording our demo right now and there is one song that I really would love some help because i am not being able to get it better.

The chord sequence is: B-G-A
I needed some inputs on what can I do to make it more appealing and not allways on the root note
Here's the song:


Here's the other two songs we are recording, this two we produced them already and we dont want to touch them but I guess that every opinion is good and valid

Wellcome & Freedom:


Rock and Roll:



I am not asking for anyone to do my job, but I am a noobie on the bass and I am getting a lot of responsability with this band as a lot of gigs and opportunities are coming for us, I just need some help to get better.

Thank you guys

 

[MalcolmAmos]

Knee to knee with a live instructor is my recommendation.

 

[Mafioso]

Knee to knee with a live instructor is my recommendation.

Definitly, and I agree 100%...but what if I dont have a chance to have an instructor now?

 

[MalcolmAmos]

Telling you to add some 5ths or bring in some 9's would do no good with you in Portugal and me in Texas. You and a live bassists need to be sitting together going over your sheet music measure by measure.

If that is out of the question. Roots to the beat do work.

 

[samson3382]

Yeah, work on roots, 5ths, and octaves. Work on the first 3:10 of this..

 

[samson3382]

Hi guys,

I am new at this beautiful instrument that i found out to love more than any other I have tried.
Started playing 6 months ago at a jam session with some friends and destiny made that group turn the jam into a real band and funny enough we are having quite a lot of success, even with agencies contacting us and a big festival upcoming as well.

My problem is on my composition, I am pretty basic and feel stuck on the root notes so many times and this is where I wanted to ask your help guys. Our songs are actually quite simple and a mix between hip-hop, rock and reggae. We are recording our demo right now and there is one song that I really would love some help because i am not being able to get it better.

The chord sequence is: B-G-A
I needed some inputs on what can I do to make it more appealing and not allways on the root note
Here's the song:


Here's the other two songs we are recording, this two we produced them already and we dont want to touch them but I guess that every opinion is good and valid

Wellcome & Freedom:


Rock and Roll:



I am not asking for anyone to do my job, but I am a noobie on the bass and I am getting a lot of responsability with this band as a lot of gigs and opportunities are coming for us, I just need some help to get better.

Thank you guys

I dig the tunes by the way.

 

[Joe Nerve]

As Malcolm just said... well kinda what he said , I'd start with adding octaves and 5ths.

The other 2 things I'd do is jam as much as you possibly could, with your band if they're willing to do that. If not, I just found out there's a ton of bass jamming backing tracks on you tube. If you do it on your own you're free to screw up all you want without any concern.

The other thing, which is something I did in my early playing, was I found bassists with licks I really liked... and I learned them. I then started incorporating their stuff into my playing, and it eventually became my own. There was this one local funk band I saw about 25 years ago, where I was blown away by the bass player. They were selling cassettes of their music and I jumped all over that. Ran home and started learning as much as I could from what that guy did. Opened me up quite a bit.

Wow... just realized that guy was a huge influence on me, and doesn't even know I exist . And I don't have a clue who he is - might actually be some famous dude at this point. The name of that band was Peanut Funker and Jam. If anyone ever heard of them, please pass along info. Imma gonna do a quick search now. Last time I did a while back I came up empty handed.

What were we talking about...?

Oh yeah. That's my $.02.

[edit] Found PF&J instantly this time. Don't think that's the same bass dude though. Will have to dig a little deeper, and then thank the right guy for his contribution to my life .

 

[Mushroo]

I watched the video, sounds good to me! You have a good rhythmic feel and are locked in with the other musicians. And the audience loves you and is singing along; what could be better?

I think your "roots" style fits the song well, because the song is a repetitive "loop" type of chord progression.

My only two suggestions, things I might have done a little different: 1) Play the B on the E string, so my hand is moving up and down the neck in synch with the guitarist, this is strictly optional but sometimes looks cool. 2) Trim my string-ends before someone loses an eye! Pop over to the Strings sub-forum and read the instructions in the "sticky" thread.

Definitly, and I agree 100%...but what if I dont have a chance to have an instructor now?

If you can't find or afford a private instructor, then listen to your favorite CD's, jam along, and let your famous-hero bassists be your teachers.

 

[Sixpack324]

I'll be honest....... I didn't watch your videos.....

But.... As for advice on writing bass lines...... There's lots of options...... But you need some music theory basics to understand what options are available.

You said the progression is B G A..... The way you wrote it originally indicates that they're all major. Is this correct? Or is there a minor or dominant seveth chord in there?

Other questions that come to mind are:
What other instruments are on the recording (keys, a second guitar, etc.) and what are they playing?
What is the vocal melody doing? What mode is the vocal melody based on?


There's more questions, but these are a start...... The info is important because you don't want to compose a bass line that conflicts with any other music being played or sung.

As mentioned..... An instructor is the best way to learn. Second to that, google "music theory for bass" and start reading everything you can.

 

[Oddly]

I know the first thing I'd be adding to this chord progression is octave notes on the roots ... then maybe some fifths/sevenths or a walking bass line ...
Nothing wrong with keeping to the root notes for a lot of the song, as there's plenty going on with the other instruments and especially the vocal that you don't want to over-power.

These are good tunes you've got, and a good band to play them - I wish you guys every success.

 

[mikefromchurch]

In this style of music, I would stick with the roots most of the time, and only add some color in appropriate places. Like punctuation to a particularly emotional/strong/profound lyric, or a compliment to a guitar riff. If anything it seems the progression is B-G-A-A so root out the first 3 and add a small fill on the 4th measure of the set. Even if its just root 5th octave. (I tend to lean on a root, 3rd to 5th hammer, octave run way too often)

All that aside, I agree one on one is important, or at least you tube some tutorials. A lot easier than us all trying to explain it.

 

[fearceol]

I'll add my "plus one" to getting a teacher (knee to knee). In the absence of that, here is a set of You Tube lessons which start very basic and gradually builds from there.

Best of luck.

Learn Bass Guitar - YouTube

 

[Mafioso]

I dig the tunes by the way.

Thansk mate

 

[Mafioso]

I watched the video, sounds good to me! You have a good rhythmic feel and are locked in with the other musicians. And the audience loves you and is singing along; what could be better?

I think your "roots" style fits the song well, because the song is a repetitive "loop" type of chord progression.

My only two suggestions, things I might have done a little different: 1) Play the B on the E string, so my hand is moving up and down the neck in synch with the guitarist, this is strictly optional but sometimes looks cool. 2) Trim my string-ends before someone loses an eye! Pop over to the Strings sub-forum and read the instructions in the "sticky" thread.



If you can't find or afford a private instructor, then listen to your favorite CD's, jam along, and let your famous-hero bassists be your teachers.

Hey man, thanks for your reply.
Regarding your suggestions, the 1st one, I play the B on the A string on purpse, this way I save my wrist for the upcoming more pushed up songs on the gig, that is the reason I try to keep my hand on the same place instred of being "wanking" the bass neck, thou I agree with you that it would be cooler looking if I would look cooler if i would play the B on E string.
Regarding the second, the strings are trimmed, what you see on the video is a couple of stripes that the SOB drummer putted on my bass just before the gig as a prank, eheh
Thankxxxxxxx

 

[Mushroo]

Regarding your suggestions, the 1st one, I play the B on the A string on purpse, this way I save my wrist for the upcoming more pushed up songs on the gig, that is the reason I try to keep my hand on the same place instred of being "wanking" the bass neck, thou I agree with you that it would be cooler looking if I would look cooler if i would play the B on E string.

Moving your hand 2 frets up the neck should not strain or damage your hand at all; if it does, you're doing something wrong! My statement might seem counter-intuitive, but it is actually less stressful and tiring on your wrist if you keep your hand moving around, as opposed to fixed/frozen in one position throughout the entire song. Moving your hand around keeps the blood circulating. Maybe you could mix it up, play the B on the A string for part of the song, and the B on the E string for another part of the song?

Here is a good exercise: Turn on the metronome, put your 1st finger at the 1st fret, and play steady quarter notes 1, 2, 3, 4 (or, another variation on the exercise, eighth notes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). Now, keeping time with the metronome, move your hand up 1 fret to the 2nd fret and play quarter notes 1, 2, 3, 4. Keep a steady rhythm, try not to insert a pause or rest as you move your hand. The movement should be very relaxed and effortless (if not, try watching yourself in a mirror). Then return to the 1st fret and keep the steady rhythm going.

Now repeat the exercise, this time starting at the 1st fret and shifting to the 3rd fret. Then from the 1st fret to the 4th fret. Then 1st fret to 5th fret. And so on, as far up the neck as you can comfortably go without losing the rhythm.

When you get as high as you can go, then start again from the bottom, but this time use your 2nd finger. Then repeat the whole thing with your 3rd finger, then your 4th finger.

That's probably a good warmup for one day. Tomorrow when you do this warmup, do the same thing, but this time start at the 2nd fret. Go from the 2nd fret down to the 1st fret, then 2nd fret to 3rd fret, then 2nd fret to 4th fret, then 2nd fret to 5th fret, and so on.

Then the day after that, start at the 3rd fret, then 4th fret the following day, and so on, until you know your neck really well and can move your hand from any fret to any other fret, quickly and accurately.

That's the beginner version of the exercise. The intermediate version is to play patterns, not single notes. For example you could practice cleanly shifting up and down the neck with octaves, root-5th, major arpeggios, minor arpeggios, your favorite Led Zeppelin riff, etc.

I guarantee you that being able to "shift" (move your hand from one position to another) is a valuable bass-playing skill you will never regret learning. This is not "wanking"---it's just "how to play the instrument."

 

[tfer]

If I was playing the tune you asked about, and wanted to tick with the roots (which works well in this song), I'd add interest by syncopating it with deadened notes by muting the E string, and playing on the off beats.

 

[Mafioso]

Thanks a lot to all of you guys...finally I found a forum that actually has good people and interesting people...
One thing I have to add to my first post here is that I am not exacly on ground zero playing, I play guitar for a lot of years, had a few badns and by "accident" I picked up the bass on that jam session and the guys just wanted me to stay in...now I feel stupid because I am loving much more the bass than I ever loved the guitar

 

[Joe Nerve]

Thanks a lot to all of you guys...finally I found a forum that actually has good people and interesting people...
One thing I have to add to my first post here is that I am not exacly on ground zero playing, I play guitar for a lot of years, had a few badns and by "accident" I picked up the bass on that jam session and the guys just wanted me to stay in...now I feel stupid because I am loving much more the bass than I ever loved the guitar

Same experience here. Played guitar for a lot of years before I fell in love with the bass. There is no doubt in my mind at all that bass is what I was meant to play in this lifetime. Only time I ever really pick up a guitar anymore is when I need to for a recording.