Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: badgermark on January 18, 2008, 08:33:08 PM
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After playing guitar for 5 years I'm getting me a bass. Buying a Yamaha thing cheap off a friend, what are some essential bass songs/techniques to learn?
Any closet 4-stringers here? I know Steve is, he doesn't count though (as he is old and doesn't own a humbucker... it's less surprising really).
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white rabbit!!!!
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I've got a bass (and had a couple of others until recently), but I can't play it any better than I can guitar. :(
I'll be interested to see what essential songs/techniques tips you get.
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Use your fingers! As in, learn how to use them.
Seek and Destroy is a good song to learn with your fingers (you might not like the song though)
And RHCP have good songs to learn off from.
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i must admit i prefer to make basses but prefer playing guitar... i can never make a bass sound good, and thats me not the basses before anyone says it
:P
I know my basses sound good when others play them but i have no subtlety in my picking technique when using my fingers.
It looks like i will be doing a 6 string bass for someone soon, possibly fanned fret and hopefully a single cut modern design with the body extending quite far up the neck.. the prospect excites me a lot.. there is a lot more freedom of design when making a bass. mainly because bassists are more accepting of weird stuff
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I shall rise above young Mark's tasteless jibes at my age and still give advice. :wink:
Depends what sort of bass player you want to be really-tis a broad church. Personally, I go for a bit of funk and a bit of melody. I would say listen to what bass players do.RHCPs are a good source of ideas as has been suggested. There is way more to it than picking the root note of the chord and plugging away at that. Explore the notes of the chord-try to listen to themes within a chord sequence and perhaps bring it out in the bass but do not forget that you have to hold the rhythm down too.Play with a pick if you want to. I use one for some stuff cos I like the tone.There are snobs who eschew them. Work on your timing. I am tired right now so I shall shut up but hopefully that is something to be getting on with young fellow-me-lad.
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Groovy. Was a big RHCP fan when I was a lad, so shall learn some of their later stuff. Popping and slapping seems akin to tapping.
Also tempted by using a pick, finger snobs be dammed! Can see me noodling around for ages... Exciting.
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I shall rise above young Mark's tasteless jibes at my age :wink:
Rock on, Mr 38th. I'm old too. But I do own a lot of humbuckers.
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Old blues / R&B - like Stax stuff is always good
John Deacon from Queen was way underrated - very melodic indeed.
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Sorry, was compelled to pick on Steve. Bloody 4 way switching tele fanatic. I lost three hours of my life wiring up a bloody tele with a 4 way sodding switch.
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I lost three hours of my life wiring up a bloody tele with a 4 way sodding switch.
Only three?
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I lost three hours of my life wiring up a bloody tele with a 4 way sodding switch.
Only three?
Tis the fiddlily little jumper parts that killed me. Scrabbling for cable wasn't fun.
What I really want is to learn some sleazy hip-hop bass lines. Oh yes, i like hip-hop.
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Ah you see, fitting that 4 way switch has done you a favour in a zen like kind of way. Being biased, I'd say listen to McCartney but also Ronnie Lane in his Faces and Small Faces days.
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Everyone always seems to assume that bass is way easier than guitar, but I find it the opposite, I cant play bass to save my life :( I did some "fake" bass on my latest recording up in the Players forum (neck LP pickup into a bass model in amplitube), but I'm not used to playing it and my rhythm has got a bit sloppy, and you can hear the whole song go "thin" when I miss a note, even though technically the notes are really simple you can hear the mistake and you can really miss it in the song.. so yeah I guess my advice as a guitarist who's tried to play bass is that your picking needs to be as tight as a camels arse in a sandstorm, otherwise itl just sound cr@p, in my experience.
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I think its easier to get on to the first rung of the ladder with bass, but its a very different instrument past there.
I have a P-Bass and occasionally get it out. I like to use a 2pence piece as a pick - which i know is wrong. The electric bass is definately a physical instrument, and versatile for a number of styles like hip-hop and funk.
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I play both and like Mr 38th, have played in bands on both guitar and bass. You need to come from a different approach when you are playing bass. I grew up listening to a lot of Motown and Rock, but for me the bass playing in all the soul songs was what started me on bass (that and the fact I was working in a music shop). I still love the classic basses (Precision and Jazz), but I have both 4 and 5 string. I use fingers mostly but will use a pick if the song needs it. I was writing something years ago and couldn't get the bass how I wanted it until I tried playing the song with a pick.