Utterly despondent.

[Evil Undead]

Argh. I don't know what to do. I've been playing bass for almost three years, and I can't play much more than the most simple bass lines... you know, stuff like roots and simple stuff, a few easy covers etc.

I'm trying to learn harder songs by ear - I've been trying to attack some Abba basslines by playing along but I make a whole big mess of it, and it's so frustrating. Right now I feel like selling off all my gear and not bothering any more

Would some theory help me? Is it just a case of carrying on practicing by ear and I'll be able to play anything I want? Or are some people just no good and doomed to play boring roots?

 

[MalcolmAmos]

Playing by ear and transcribing by ear is HARD. Finding fake chord or standard notation sheet music is a lot easier.

If you expect to do this by ear - good luck with that.

 

[funkybass]

Playing by ear and transcribing by ear is HARD. Finding fake chord or standard notation sheet music is a lot easier.

If you expect to do this by ear - good luck with that.

Sure it's easier to find chord charts, but there is a lot of benefit from learning songs by ear. There's a lot of things that are hard to do on bass, but thats a terrible reason not to do something i'd start with easier songs first, and yes, learn theory!!!

 

[David Jayne]

You can learn anything by ear. It's just kind of difficult. At first. Takes awhile to get good at it. And then it's still hard. Sometimes.

 

[PlungerModerno]

I think learning by ear should be gradual. I started with silly tabs, then tabs with notes instead of fret numbers, now sheet music (slowly getting into it).

Learn the basic theory, and go for figuring out the root note, and intervals (eg. root-4th) by ear, and if you can get sheet or tabs for some music that's good too. You can develop from it, figure out the key, chords, common patterns etc. Keep your ears open though.

There is a mountain of stuff to learn. If you are running out of things that you can figure out by ear, expand your knowledge by learning another way - maybe later you can figure out something similar by ear. And it'll keep you interested.

Theory is a good tool, as is experience - both tend to make stuff easier. Rock on!

 

[bassfran]

Drill scales as much as possible. Sing along while you practice and you'll begin to distinguish pitch a lot better.
Good luck and have fun.

 

[t77mackie]

Get a teacher! An experienced guy will show you what you're doing right and wrong and guide you along. You wouldn't think of learning karate without a teacher so why bass?

Oh, and that feeling of wanting to burn all your stuff and give up - that never goes away!!! We ALL feel that way some times. So don't feel bad!

Good luck!

-mac

 

[tZer]

Get a teacher! An experienced guy will show you what you're doing right and wrong and guide you along.

+1

Regarding learning theory; it can help you understand how and why rhythms and notes are what they are but "learning theory" is essentially the equivalent to "learning grammar". While learning it will teach you the mechanics of the language of music, it will not "make" you a better player per se. Just as learning the rules of grammar will help you understand how to properly compose phrases, paragraphs and essays, it will not tell you what to write about or how, where or when to bend/break the rules to write something interestingly or entertainingly.

Similar to writing, the most interesting music comes not from 'theoretically perfect' pieces, it comes from how well the player both executes playing music both within and without the rules. That comes from practice and experience.

Learn theory, but learn it with your head in the right place. Theory is nothing more than the mechanical rules and descriptions used to describe music intellectually. Learning theory is a scholarly, rules-based, even scientific/mathematical pursuit, not an artistic one. Knowing it will always provide you with access to the knowledge contained therein - which may or may not offer you something to use to help you when trying to be musical, but not knowing it won't prevent you from being musical and you do not need to know it to make good music.

 

[JEBassman]

Get a teacher! An experienced guy will show you what you're doing right and wrong and guide you along. You wouldn't think of learning karate without a teacher so why bass?

-mac

Finding a good teacher will be extremely helpful for you. There is much to learn, and one of the many benefits of a bass teacher is that he can help put those tasks in order and guide you with priorities and advice. Having regular lessons will allow you to have some structure, with attainable goals and feedback on what you're doing well and not so well.

You can continue to learn songs by ear while studying with a teacher, too. It's not like it has to be one method or the other; they complement each other nicely.

Enjoy your bass and keep seeking to improve; you'll feel good throughout the process. We all have self-critical moments, so the trick is to keep a healthy perspective.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Knavery]

Argh. I don't know what to do. I've been playing bass for almost three years, and I can't play much more than the most simple bass lines... you know, stuff like roots and simple stuff, a few easy covers etc.

I'm trying to learn harder songs by ear - I've been trying to attack some Abba basslines by playing along but I make a whole big mess of it, and it's so frustrating. Right now I feel like selling off all my gear and not bothering any more

Would some theory help me? Is it just a case of carrying on practicing by ear and I'll be able to play anything I want? Or are some people just no good and doomed to play boring roots?

Personally, I started on guitar first and that might have made things a little easier. The reason I say that is because with guitar, the notes are higher pitch and easier to distinguish when playing by ear.

The first thing I would do if I were you is determine what the issue is and work on that aspect of your playing. For instance, if you know WHAT to play, but can't, then work on your motor skills. Play to some scales using all of your fingers and watching how you hold the bass. I do this all the time without my bass plugged in sitting in front of the TV. I just noodle around working on speed and accuracy. I try new exercises that don't feel comfortable to me, which leads to learning new ways of playing.

If on the other hand, you're trying to learn by ear, but are having trouble, don't sweat it. I have to look up a lot of basslines to see how to play them. You can find most tabs on the internet. As others will mention here, it's best to find out how to read music. It'll be more rewarding in the long-term. However, in the short term, learn to read tab and look those up if you're having problems. There's nothing wrong with that.

 

[tZer]

Start learning to play melodies. Start simple - "Happy Birthday" - "Row, row, row your boat" - etc... The more you think in terms of the melody, the easier it is to create bass lines that support melodies.

The role of the bass in modern pop is both rhythmic and melodic. You have to lock down and define the groove using notes that support the current melodic statement.

When all else fails, keep it simple! As a bass player, keeping it simple can tweak that inner child with an inferiority complex and make one feel like what they are playing is somehow less important or requires less skill to do than all those other players playing so many chords and melodies - but the fact is that the self-discipline required to keep it simple is something that many players simply don't have or appreciate.

They sure hate it, however, when the bass player doesn't do that and tries to play "more" out of a sense that playing less is somehow indicative of lack of skill.

Some of the best, most revered bass lines out there are the "simplest" ones. The thing that makes them so great is how well they support the rest of the music. If you focus on playing the essentials, simply, in time and with confidence, every part you play will sound great in spite of the fact that what you are playing is technically simple.

The more you learn to groove on simplicity, the more obvious more complex parts will become to you. Also, keeping your parts simple makes those moments when you do step up and add complexity that much more cool. Less is more most of the time.

 

[astack]

+1 to basically everything that's been said. Develop your ear, learn theory as a baseline, get a teacher to push and guide you.

Once you've done all that, get out and play with people better than you, like a lot. Like all the other things, it's hard and uncomfortable at first, but gets better and you'll grow a ton in the process. I think that's the secret to getting to the second-nature level of playing.

Or are some people just no good and doomed to play boring roots?

I truly don't believe this.

 

[tangentmusic]

+1 to basically everything that's been said. Develop your ear, learn theory as a baseline, get a teacher to push and guide you. Get out and play with people better than you, like a lot. Like all the other things, it's hard and uncomfortable at first, but gets better and you'll grow a ton in the process. I think that's the secret to getting to the second-nature level of playing.

Totally agree with this. This is the way.
Playing with others that you consider better than you really forces you to up your game... in a good way.
You'll be suprised how much you'll learn, and quickly too.

 

[eriky4003]

I learned theory back in the day with a teacher but found the lessons quite dull. Onto playing by ear if I wanted to continue.
If I were you I'd learn songs I really enjoy for three reasons: 1) you already know the song so you know the structure 2) you can keep playing it until you get it right and don't get sick of the song (hopefully) 3) you'll build confidence and increase your musical knowledge.
Only learn a song you don't like when you have to (eg. your band agrees to learn this song'). If you love the Abba songs, keep plugging away. If you don't, move onto something else.
Also, I've used tabs to get me over hard humps in songs. Know that not all tabs are correct. If you learn a tab and play it with the song and it doesn't sound right, chances are the tab is incorrect. Go find another one.
Good luck!

 

[DBCrocky]

Three years is not a long time.

Theory is good because you learn to hear things. For instance, if a bassline is in a major scale, you hear that and it makes it easier to pick out.

But more than anything, it's practice. The more you do it, the better you get at it. Using your practice time wisely helps too.

Being a musician is the about the Zen of taking something you can't do and working on it relentlessly until you can do it. Frustration is your enemy, determination is your friend.

 

[tZer]

The biggest, best tip I can offer regarding ear training is to learn to sing your parts. If you can't sing it, you can't play it. I don't mean you have to sound like Pavarotti, but you do have to be able to vocalize the part rhythmically and melodically. If you cannot sing what you are hearing, your brain has not yet fully understood what you are listening to. If you can, your brain has got it and now it's up to your fingers to get it. If the brain has it, the fingers will get it. If the brain doesn't, the fingers won't - or at least they won't get it consistently. You could get lucky here and there - but on the whole, your brain needs to be the first stop on the ear-training train.

Once you have the part in your head and can reproduce it with your mouth, the rest is just teaching your fingers to do what your head already knows.

Training yourself to be able to reproduce what you hear is the key. Singing (even badly) is one of the easiest ways to translate what you hear into music you can play.

 

[JEBassman]

Singing is an excellent way to refine your sense of pitch and musical phrasing. Have patience and chip away at the task; you'll see progress if you can keep working steadily. Make time each day, if possible, for some singing and matching what you hear.

It's also important to sing what you hear on recordings, as well as notes you play on your bass. You're building skills that will become second nature, and will make you a better musician.

Have fun!

 

[TOG]

Pick one song that you like, one that you know and can hear in your head and one that is relatively easy. Get the tab for it or use Sony's Digital Music Mentor software to create the tab from a MP3 or .wav . Practice that song till you have it down cold, only then move on. Keep picking songs you like and know (that can hear in your head). Master then move on to harder material. Also buy a good bass training book, read and follow it. Try:
Hal Leonard Bass Method or
Beginner Bass Guitar
Both avail on amazon.com

 

[hrodbert696]

Wow, I had no idea we've been playing almost exactly the same amount of time. Glad I'm not the only one still mediocre after three years!

+1 that three years isn't long. Give yourself time.

+1 also to drill scales. Just get used to running up and down majors, minors, and then mash them up and do mixolydian (start like a major and end like a minor, with a flat 7th). I find my fingers find where the line is a lot quicker playing by ear if I start by fishing around a scale pattern for it.

And also, I'm probably going to get some hate for this, but I would vote for getting good tabs of some more complex songs (like Rush or something) and going through them. Do NOT let yourself get reduced to just being a tabs monkey, but sometimes if you're hitting a wall learning complex lines, learning a couple off the tabs can help you get more of a feel for how they're built. As you start getting them, then start tinkering with them and finding different ways to play the part than how it's tabbed (playing E on the 7th fret of your A string rather than the 2nd of your D string, etc.), so you can start to get free of the tab and make the part your own.

Also, get this book - http://www.amazon.com/Bass-Fitness-Exercising-Handbook-Guitar/dp/0793502489 - and use it to build up your fretting technique and agility.

 

[tZer]

Regarding Ear Training and Music Theory:

Practice playing and singing intervals. Learning how to hear a minor 2nd, a major 3rd, a Perfect 5th or a Dominant 7th is very useful when trying to learn music by ear. The best way to know what these intervals sound like is to hear them, sing them, then drill yourself on them by having someone else play the interval and you name it.

The practice of playing, singing and actively listening to them will help internalize them so you can identify them as easily as you can identify blue or the smell of coffee.

So crack out a theory book that is discussing things like scales, chords and arpeggios and read up on what all this means. Then sit down at a piano and show yourself what it all means on a keyboard and acquaint yourself with how it all sounds. Pretty soon you'll be listening to a song and you'll hear that dominant 7 sound and know exactly what the player is doing - and maybe even why.