Tips for drummer picking up bass for first time??

[logdrum]

They usually fire the drummer in these parts . But secretly admit that a good drummer is much more important than a bass player. A drummer that plays bass? You will be turning down even more gigs.
Welcome.

 

[Topkat13]

Practice.

 

[lowplaces]

I am a complete noob at the bass, and the last thing I want to do is pick up any bad habits, so I was hoping to get some tips and tricks

Welcome !

Youtube is full of beginner bass videos. I like this guy's channel...



Just check out a few and find a channel you find helpful.

Good luck on your bass journey !

 

[Les Fret]

Cut off your sticks and do a Tony Levin impression! ​

 

[Geogio]

"Tips for drummer picking up bass for first time??"

Bend at the knees, keep your back straight and lift with your legs.

 

[Phaidrus]

All the best with your bass playing journey!

A number of books for beginner bassists may be of help, perhaps even Bass Guitar for Dummies by Patrick Pfeiffer, which is well written and fun to read (3rd edition ISBN 9781119695578).

And by the way, as an amateur bass player I've been considering picking up the drums. Any tips greatly appreciated.

 

[Rumblin]

May not be an issue for you, but I still find it hard to not tap on the 2 and 4 "snare beats". If I don't have a note to play, I unconsciously tap that beat with my plucking fingers. Annoying habit.

 

[srosenthal13]

And by the way, as an amateur bass player I've been considering picking up the drums. Any tips greatly appreciated.

Embrace the metronome.

Focus on your weak hand, which ironically will probably be your fretting hand. "Stick Control" by George Lawrence Stone is the desert island excercise book. It will help you get your hands (and feet) together. Start by using matched grip, not traditional (jazz, classical). You'll have an easier time developing technique because your hands are mirroring each other.

Drumeo is a cool resource. Lots of their content is on YouTube, and they have online courses with transcriptions. I recommend Sounds Like A Drum on YouTube as a great resource for learning how to set up and tune drums. They take the voodoo out of it.

Never let anyone fire you. Quit before they have the chance.

 

[Phaidrus]

Embrace the metronome.

Focus on your weak hand, which ironically will probably be your fretting hand. "Stick Control" by George Lawrence Stone is the desert island excercise book. It will help you get your hands (and feet) together. Start by using matched grip, not traditional (jazz, classical). You'll have an easier time developing technique because your hands are mirroring each other.

Drumeo is a cool resource. Lots of their content is on YouTube, and they have online courses with transcriptions. I recommend Sounds Like A Drum on YouTube as a great resource for learning how to set up and tune drums. They take the voodoo out of it.

Never let anyone fire you. Quit before they have the chance.

Thanks!

 

[Snarf]

Pick it up by the neck.

 

[dougjwray]

It's excellent that you're doing this, and welcome! As others have said, being an experienced drummer, you have a head start. Some people come to bass from a lead guitar background, and miss the part about being the foundation. (Some, not all.) Once you start to explore the world of bass, you'll run into players who are fixated solely on the flashier stuff. That will most likely come later for you, if at all. It's entertaining, but for special applications, only.
Good luck and have fun!

 

[srosenthal13]

Some people come to bass from a lead guitar background, and miss the part about being the foundation.

My guitarist buddy and I joke around that drummers are the catchers and goalies of the band. In most cases, you only notice them if they suck, but every now and then they make a flashy play that reminds you how good they are.

I guess in that analogy, bass players are the first bassmen and D-men fo the band.

 

[hrodbert696]

Welcome! I'm fond of this old video on left hand positioning, to avoid strain and carpal tunnel and all that nastiness:


The other thing is just a sort of sensibility thing. For most music genres, I think of the drums as laying out the skeleton of a song, it's fundamental underlying structure, tempo, etc. The bass is like the muscle that attaches to those bones, wraps around them and gives them suppleness and movement. The treble parts, guitar and keys and vocals and things, are like the skin and hair and stuff that wraps over THAT and creates the pretty outward appearance. So bass is kind of the mediating part that locks onto drums, builds groove over their structure, and together creates the foundation the surface stuff will be layered over.