New Old Guy In Oklahoma

[SoonerBill]

From 5th grade until my second year of college I played viola and cello in some very good orchestras and ensembles so I have a pretty good understanding of music. Didn't play a note from then to about ten years ago, at age 48. Then I decided I wanted to play something.
Drums? Nope. I can't get all 4 limbs to work together. Besides, too loud for the living room.
Guitar? Tried for awhile on my own then took lessons. I can actually play the 8 or 10 basic chords OK but learning a new chord takes forever for my fat fingers.
So I'm trying bass. At 58 I have no dreams of being the next John Entwhistle. I just want to sit in the living room and play along with my favorite oldies. Maybe as a stretch sit in with a couple local guitar store jam nights without embarrassing myself.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

....So I'm trying bass. At 58 I have no dreams of being the next John Entwhistle. I just want to sit in the living room and play along with my favorite oldies. Maybe as a stretch sit in with a couple local guitar store jam nights without embarrassing myself.

• Follow the chords and play notes of the chord - will let you play a lot of bass. I cheat and ask Google for fake chord sheet music on the songs I need. Using these search words; chords, name of the song. This gives me the chord progression and the lyric words used in the song. Singing the lyrics under my breath lets me know when to change chords. And then listening to the song helps with the beat. Ah yes the beat, it'll come, just listen for it. I know...... Hated it when the old guys told me to listen and feel it. But, that's kinda what we have to do right at first. Listen to the music and clap the rhythm.
• Root note first. From first position - first 5 frets of your fretboard.
• Then add the 5. The 5 is always up a string and over two frets from that root note.
• Then add an 8. The 8 is one string up from the 5, same fret. So R-5-8-5 is a generic safe bass line that will let you groove to most anything.
• Get the R-5-8-5 into muscle memory and use as much of it as needed for the specific song. The song will dictate what it needs. You just have to listen long enough - it'll come.

You can groove roots so ---- roots first, then the 5, then the 8. We can get into the other scale/chord notes later.

Welcome back.

 

[SoonerBill]

Thanks Malcolm.