Members purplez Posted November 21, 2013 Members Share Posted November 21, 2013 I've been playing six sting guitar for a long time, bought a 4 string bass recently. I know pents and major scales and a few arpeggios from my guitar playing and I can play solo bass quite well so far, but when I try to play over a song I haven't yet got 'that' bass feel.. Any help or tips you can offer where I may be going wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted November 21, 2013 Members Share Posted November 21, 2013 Are you trying to duplicate the bass line of a specific version of a particular song or just come up with a bass line for rhythm? Bear in mind that I'm a hack rhythm guitarist who noodles around on bass but I try play based on the chord. Since I play chords on guitar, I know what notes are part of a given chord. The root generally works and you can branch out from there. Walk it up or down occasionally and you have an adequate bass line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaveAronow Posted November 22, 2013 Members Share Posted November 22, 2013 When you are playing with other musicians like a drummer or with records, etc, 90% your primary concern. Should be to lock in with the kick drum as tight as possible. The other 10% should be locking in with the kick drum as tight as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flemtone Posted November 22, 2013 Members Share Posted November 22, 2013 Since we don't know the style of music, it's tough to give advice. What I found most helpful was listening to a lot of Motown & Stax recordings. That helped me to better understand the 'less is more' concept. Not soloing, not showcasing, not fretboard calisthenics, but exactly how a bassline can add complexity to a song, yet remain simple and easy to play. Dave said it best in talking about locking in with the drummer - it's all about the mood that you and the drummer create. Soloists step out for their three minutes of fame each set, but the rhythm section is what makes the butts move on the floor and they do it all the time, in every song of every set. That's you and the drummer - he's limited by the beat-you have more freedom. Don't make the mistake of bringing 'GPS' (Guitar Player Syndrome) into your bassist life. The two should stay separate. Your job is now to get feet tapping and butts shaking, not have a bunch of skinny guys in mullets standing in front of you and playing air-guitar. That's for the guitar-player downstage. You're the one that people say 'Yeah, that's it!' about, when you start a tune with a strong, simple bassline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members purplez Posted November 22, 2013 Author Members Share Posted November 22, 2013 thx for replies guys, i dont relly play just 1 type of music so its hrd to be specific. mostly i just like to jam. i guess a drum machine would help a lot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members purplez Posted November 22, 2013 Author Members Share Posted November 22, 2013 posting on kindleso excuse spelling! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted November 22, 2013 Members Share Posted November 22, 2013 purplez wrote: posting on kindleso excuse spelling! How you likin' that kindleso ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members purplez Posted November 23, 2013 Author Members Share Posted November 23, 2013 ots tracky mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FormerlyBassred Posted November 27, 2013 Members Share Posted November 27, 2013 Yeah, it's a totally different brain. I play bass (for 20 years and still do) and moved to guitar. What works on bass won't work on guitar and what works on guitar wont work on bass (with the obvious exception of riffage where everyone is slamming the same part for emphasis). Instead of scales and soloing, learn to count in your head/soul so that you are playing as part of the rhythm section. Before you go outside of the bottom five frets, lock in (as mentioned) with the kick and snare (don't worry about too much else on the drum kit to start with) and learn to groove. Motown and stax are great examples of bass players who not only lock in, but really make the songs what they are.Learn to play with enough anticipation so that you are actually hitting on the beat (I can spot a guitar player from a mile away when his poor little finger is trying to play the string on the beat, but is lagging behind because of the strength it takes and the size of the strings.... )But basically it is about living the bass. It's its own monster, glorious in its ability to lock things together - then you can add those surprise fills up the neck, but only when it serves the song!When you are armed with the bass player brain AND the guitar player brain, you will be a very valuable player Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lug Posted November 27, 2013 Members Share Posted November 27, 2013 Forget that weedlyweedlyweedlyweedly nonsense you learned on the guitard. You are now Godzilla.... Act like it! the rests are now as important as the notes.....remember that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members purplez Posted November 29, 2013 Author Members Share Posted November 29, 2013 thnks guys. i never was a weedlyweedly guitar player classical guitar was more my thing. been playing bass every night & am getting it now at last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flemtone Posted December 1, 2013 Members Share Posted December 1, 2013 purplez wrote: *absolutely nothing* NOW you've got it! Less is more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EJ_Boy Posted December 12, 2013 Members Share Posted December 12, 2013 Flemtone Can you give some examples of good Motown records to jam to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted December 12, 2013 Members Share Posted December 12, 2013 Not Flemtone and not Motown per se but "Under the Boardwalk" has a great bass line: So does "You Can't Hurry Love": Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flemtone Posted December 17, 2013 Members Share Posted December 17, 2013 Sorry for the delay - been out of town. Try 'My Girl' by The Temptations, 'Think' by Aretha Franklin, 'Dock of the Bay' by Otis Redding, 'Living for the City' by Stevie Wonder...the list goes on and on. For groove, try playing along with The Temptations on 'Papa was a Rolling Stone'. Get the groove and play that bad boy all the way thru the tune. It's a great example of a simple bassline that just dominates and completely controls the song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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