Bass Technique Help...??

[BoredGuitarist7]

I bought a bass a couple weeks ago, impule purchase. Schecter Studio 4 for 250, due to a mismarked price at Guitar Center that they stood by. Anyways, I really haven't played it too much, busy doing other things, school and things. Lots of stress going on right now, so I've decided to learn to play it to take my mind off things.

 

Things I am curious about

 

[willsellout]

1. Slapping takes a lot of practice. Aim your thumb so that you hit the string and then come to rest on the string below it.

2. Whatever you can figure out

3. I normally boost the mids a bit with a little more high end as well.

 

 

Dan

[bnyswonger]

At the risk of sounding like an ass, you really should work on the fundamentals of playing before worrying a whole lot about playing slap.

 

Unless you put a kahler on it, you the only way I know of to bend an open note is to mess with the tuners or torque the neck. Again, that wouldn't really be considered an essential part of playing bass.

 

Stevie Ray Vaughn or ZZ Top stuff is good stuff to start on, basic blues stuff - whatever style you enjoy playing on guitar will probably interest you most.

[wades_keys]

 

At the risk of sounding like an ass, you really should work on the fundamentals of playing before worrying a whole lot about playing slap. Unless you put a kahler on it, you the only way I know of to bend an open note is to mess with the tuners or torque the neck. Again, that wouldn't really be considered an essential part of playing bass. Stevie Ray Vaughn or ZZ Top stuff is good stuff to start on, basic blues stuff - whatever style you enjoy playing on guitar will probably interest you most.

 

+1.

 

You gotta crawl before you can walk; if you really want to be a good, solid foundational bass player then learn from the masters.

 

I would recommend that you learn your scale degrees cold: major 3rds, minor thirds, 4ths, 5ths, flat 7's, octaves, flat 5ths, 6ths... (there are others of course but these are a good starting point)

 

Learn to recognize those degrees in the licks that you cop; it'll make it far easier for you to retain the licks and be able to utilize them in your own way.

 

When learning scales, don't just play the pattern from a tab book; play the scale degrees - know at all times which degree you are playing and how it sounds against the chord.

[Kindness]

 

Again, that wouldn't really be considered an essential part of playing bass.

 

 

+1

[Jazz Ad]

You can bend up an open note by pressing the string behind the nut.

Bending down by pushing the neck should not make noise.

[BoredGuitarist7]

 

I agree, but that's based on the assumption the player wants to learn to be a bassist. Not everyone does, nor should they. Apply pressure to the length of the string between the nut and tuner. +1

 

 

I've tried, but there is too much tension on the strings right there to even bend the G string.

 

Edit: I have low action, the strings buzz against the frets went I bend the neck even slightly.

 

Also, I play guitar normally, just looking to branch out a little more and learn the bass. Those are the aspects that appeal to me, and if I practice enough, I should be able to learn how. Thanks for the fast responses, btw :-P

[wades_keys]

Bending down by pushing the neck should not make noise.

Except for that cracking sound as the neck separates from the pocket.

[bass4one]

 

You can bend up an open note by pressing the string behind the nut. Bending down by pushing the neck should not make noise.

 

 

yea this works...but its 1000 times easier to do on a guitar haha....

 

 

i wouldnt worry about bending if your just starting on bass...

[BoredGuitarist7]

 

yea this works...but its 1000 times easier to do on a guitar haha.... i wouldnt worry about bending if your just starting on bass...

 

 

Nah, played Guitar for 14+ years. I can play pretty hard things, just don't know WHAT to play on bass, I don't usually pay too much attention to it. I just can't do lots of the bass specific things, like walking or slapping, and thats what I am most interested in learning. It's really what I want to learn to do on the bass.

[bass4one]

 

Nah, played Guitar for 14+ years. I can play pretty hard things, just don't know WHAT to play on bass, I don't usually pay too much attention to it. I just can't do lots of the bass specific things, like walking or slapping, and thats what I am most interested in learning. It's really what I want to learn to do on the bass.

 

 

so u want like a book or an instructional video? haha....just listen to songs that use that technique and go from there....if u have been playing guitar for that long...these stuff should pretty much come naturally to u....

[Crescent Seven]

If you want to get good at slapping, practice it without popping. At all. Use your thumb to play all the notes, even on the G string.

 

Practice running scales using the slap thumb. You'll start to get a good sound after a while, and when you do, stick with that technique. It's hard to describe how to do it without demonstrating it, but basically, you want to use a more downward attack, rather than a thump. Also, hit the string as lightly as possible to get the tone, don't wail on it.

 

A lot of the notes you hear in a slap line aren't slapped or popped, they're hammer-ons. It's much more efficient to use a hammer-on when you can, because you won't have to thumb every note.

C7

[basste]

+1 for ZZtop and Vaughan tunes. If you want to play walking bass lines, you rythm must be pretty tight. And sometimes guitarplayers don't pay sufficient attention to rythm. (i'm talking about for me first, as i am an ex-guitar player) On bass, You must be as perfect as possible, the shadow of you drummer. So, Shuffle rythms are good to improve your rythm ability.