Transitioning from guitar to bass

[SecondString]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here, just registered today. Been playing guitar (6 string electric) on and off for about 25 years, and picked back up to play Rocksmith on XBox 360 a few months ago. I've been playing around with the idea of buying a bass for a long time, and finally bought a 5-string Ibanez SoundGear yesterday.

I've been reading some of the threads in this forum, very informative, though some require you to weed through flames and one-on-one arguments. I have some initial questions about how to transition to bass from a standard 6-string guitar, and was hoping some of you could provide good answers or links to other good posts on this site (or the Internet in general). Thanks in advance!

1.) I found a good article here about left / fingering hand technique. My hand size is medium to medium-small, and I found it uncomfortable doing finger-per-fret anywhere north of about the 7th fret. After reading the article, I think I'll start practicing using 1-2-4 on frets 1-6. My only question now is, for people who do this, you use both fingers 3 and 4 to double up on the note? Or just the pinky? My inclination would be to use both 3 and 4, but I'm not sure. Would doubling up promote any kind of weaknesses or bad habits when I come to more advanced techniques? For those who use 1-2-4, what do you do when you need to fret the 5th and the octave on lower frets?

2.) This goes along somewhat with #1, but I've found that hammer-ons and pull-offs are much more difficult on the bass, especially on B-E-A with frets below 7. For example yesterday I was trying a 3-5 HO/PO on the E string, and it sounded horrible. Then again, I was trying it with my index anchored at fret 3 and doing the HO/PO with finger 3. Could doubling fingers 3&4 for this help, or is that a habit I would be better off trying to avoid? Do I just need to build more strength?

3.) Bends also seem much more difficult on the bass. One and a half step bends aren't difficult for me to achieve with finger 3 anywhere on a standard guitar, but yesterday I could barely get a half-step bend on the D string at the bass' fret 5. The strings are what came with the guitar, and I have no idea what gague or brand they are. The D and G seem harder to bend than the BEA... should I try getting a different string with more flexibility? Or again, could this be a strength and conditioning issue that I just need to work on?

4.) The bass has a 9-volt battery compartment on the back of the body. What is that for?

5.) Any other tips from anyone who plays both standard and the bass?

 

[thereallime]

I've recently done just about the same thing. I have been a guitar player for a long time found a bass cheap and decided to learn it. I always thought bass was basically a nother guitar but as I learned more about bass I realize how different they are as far as technique. Now I'm in a band as the bassist and have developed kinda my own style and sound.

 

[charliefreak]

1) Apply as much guitar tech to bass as possible and it will benefit you greatly. We bar chords and do everything the same. You can use one finger to play one note, but why? Guitar chords are that shape for a reason! Try using spider exercises. John Pattituci has a beginning bass guitar video that helped me out a lot on the conditioning front. Practice sweeps like on a guitar! just slower if you want some cool tricks.

2) Keep hammer ons and pull offs up your sleeve. There are some exercises to work on those. Practice hammering with every finger. But most studio guys will prefer a firm precise not over sliding, hammering, or pulling all of your notes.

3) If it isn't written in a song, don't bend a bass string unless you're hearing yourself flat or feeding off of other instruments.

4) Active Pre Amp for low boost/ cut. It gives you more onboard tone controls- I don't prefer it. Don't leave your bass plugged in!

5) I play acoustic when I write. The best I can tell you is that they're both just guitars, don't let the voicing psych you out.

Good luck with picking this up man! Please ask if you have any other questions!

 

[SecondString]

2) Keep hammer ons and pull offs up your sleeve. There are some exercises to work on those. Practice hammering with every finger. But most studio guys will prefer a firm precise not over sliding, hammering, or pulling all of your notes.

3) If it isn't written in a song, don't bend a bass string unless you're hearing yourself flat or feeding off of other instruments.

Thanks for this. As for the HO/PO's and bends, they were written into the Rocksmith game's song tablature. The HO/PO's were on "Mean Bitch" by Taddy Porter, and I think the bends were on "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream. I couldn't do the bend, so I did a half-step slide up and down where it was called for, and the game couldn't tell the difference.

 

[EagleMoon]

To answer your question about fingering... I was taught from the beginning to use 1,2,3/4 fingering on the lower frets, and 1,2,3,4 fingering on the higher frets. Kind of where you would naturally change it up as the frets get closer up the fingerboard. Using the 3rd and 4th finger together does give more strength. This was the way Carol Kaye taught in her books, and that's what my teacher went by when I was first learning. It's worked well for me as I have smaller, thinner fingers being female and I've also seen a lot of other bassists using the same technique.

 

[charliebrown]

To answer your question about fingering... I was taught from the beginning to use 1,2,3/4 fingering on the lower frets, and 1,2,3,4 fingering on the higher frets. Kind of where you would naturally change it up as the frets get closer up the fingerboard. Using the 3rd and 4th finger together does give more strength. This was the way Carol Kaye taught in her books, and that's what my teacher went by when I was first learning. It's worked well for me as I have smaller, thinner fingers being female and I've also seen a lot of other bassists using the same technique.

Good tips! I played bass years back and went to guitar and now back to bass since I started doing some recording. It's a different animal altogether. I'd add that having a really good setup on a bass makes a huge difference - then you can concentrate on technique without the bass causing problems.

Carol Kay was awesome.