Sup

[mchristiano92]

Sup from Wisconsin,
Hey I'm new. I found this through another forum and thought sure i'd sign up. Since I'm here i might as well ask. I am new to bass i started in about september and i picked up a bass magazine. I looked in the lessons section and it had the tabs and on the string instead of a fret number it was an X and i have no clue. Please help.

 

[Brandt Scanlan]

This is something that my old instructor called a "rhythm click," though I think the proper name is "ghost note" (?). If I'm wrong on the name, I hope someone will correct me.

Anyway, the x tells you that you should play that string at that time but without without letting a note ring out. It needs to be muted. Usually leaving your finger on the string without pressing down hard enough to fret a note is sufficient to accomplish the muting. Sometimes this will cause harmonics (they will sound like high notes), in which case you need to mute in a different spot or rest more than one finger on the string. This should be pretty simple, but let me know if you are confused at all.

I should also say welcome to Talkbass/congratulations on picking such a wonderful instrument. There is a subforum in the bass guitar forum devoted to technique, and this topic has probably been discussed there before.

 

[mchristiano92]

Thanks. I can start practicing some new stuff now. Your last name rings a bell. Do you know someone named Keith Scanlan?

 

[Brandt Scanlan]

Sorry, don't know a Keith. My family's pretty small, and I have never actually met a Scanlan that wasn't closely related to me. Although a Tim Scanlan produces the show Smallville, I think.