• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

New member from N or Seattle

iVivify

iVivify

Feb 6, 2014
10
0
Seattle, WA
#1
I have been in 3 bands in the past as a background and some lead vocals (bands were short lived). Husband bought a bass thinking he was going to learn it and it's been sitting in a corner collecting dust for 8 years. I used to play guitar (very basic) at church but no longer have my guitar and decided that we have a brand new bass I might as well learn something new and make good use of it.

I have always loved the sound of a strong bass notes / beats the really make music full without it the song(s) would be missing the feeling. I'm inspired by Bootsy Collins, Flea, Adam Clayton and John Paul Jones. I hope by year end I will learn a few songs.
 
#3
True, I love the Seattle sound and will probably wear it out till kingdom come. I meant to put N of Seattle not N or Seattle. We have Jimi Hendrix, Heart, Pearl Jam, Sound Garden, Audioslave(?), Nirvana and Alice in Chains.
 
#5
iVivify you said: "I hope by year end I will learn a few songs". And I realize this may have just been a figure of speech, however, a lot of time people new to the bass waste a lot of time learning the song's tune, when they should be spending their time on harmony and rhythm. If that is the case here, read on, if not forget about what follows. Trying to help.........

If you learn how to play your bass and follow the chord progression you will be playing bass accompaniment to thousands of songs by year's end. Yes, this thing we play is not rocket science, but, it does take some understanding of our role in all this.

If you want to play melody, yes, perhaps 10 to 15 songs by year's end is realistic. But, who will be hearing your efforts. If you just know the melody, a band has already got melody people, they need someone to provide the bottom end harmony, rhythm and beat.

My point, we accompany the melody, by playing notes of the active harmonizing chord. This provides the harmony and the way we do that provides the rhythm and a steady beat; the other guys get the solo. Yes the bass can play the treble clef solo parts, but was designed to play accompaniment. The bottom end, aka, bass clef, belong to us.

Get accompaniment under your fingers first. That will get you a spot in a band and then if they like you they will start giving you some lead breaks where you can play 24 to 36 measures of the tune. But, after you do that they will expect you to go back providing the harmony and rhythm.

Learn how to provide harmony and rhythm first. Melody and melodic playing come later.
 
#6
Thank you Malcolm I really appreciate someone with wise instruction and experience to teach me the ropes and do things right the first time. Reading music is a challenge for me but I accept the challenge whole heartedly. I have always sang by ear but never learned to read music nor learn to communicate technically. I want to read music (notes) and play bass so that I can follow others in a technical fashion because I have experienced with bands that they communicate that way and don't like when others can't follow along that way (trust me I have been kicked out of one because of that). I will learn and practice harmony and rhythm first. I'm also not in a rush to jump in a band and be all rock star, if it happens it happens.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back