BASS lessons ?!!>

HELP need bass lessons and i dont need thoery training already learned that with the guitar and stuff soo i know what im playing i just need help with bass like what is the purpose of the bass?

Starting out. If you play the root note of whatever chord the rhythm guitar is playing, but play at the same time as the kick drum it will sound good. The bass helps with rhythm, mood and provides that bottom end people love so much. After you understand the rhythm you can get into overtones and bass runs and different techniques like slap.

Consider bass a rythm instrument. It can be soloed ofc, but hmm... let pros do that. Bass role is strenghten rhythm and give low frequency sound that whole song soundscape sound fuller.

What you need at first when learning bass, is fingerings to both hands. You can find few good sites for bass learning in the net.

Its useful to train and play bass even to guitarists, because with bass you have to consenntrate to rhythm and beat very carefully. I mean that if some guitarist mayhem there are few timing issues, sometimes untrained ear possibly not notice that. If bassist have rhythm or beat problems whole song sound horrible. Its just simple as that.

Hope this helps
Empirism

Ah yes thanks EMP for bringing up the fingers. If you play with your fingers (the fleshy part of them) and pluck the strings you will get that nice mellow sound or a 'Bum Bum' sound. If you use a pick you will have a sharp attack or a 'dinga dinga' sound if that makes sense. I use a pick for punkish/hardrock. But I mostly play with my fingers. Sometimes with bass less is more.

Indeed. It actually works for guitar as well. I watched Satriani's interview where he said quite funny somehow like this "When you are soloing and improvising, if happen that you dont know what to play next, dont play anything" Sound simple and funny but is darn true.

I dont know but looking Marcus Miller playing tells everything that needs to know how to play bass :D.

lol, if you're playing rock, just keep the root notes comin!

One thing I will tell you is that the bass HAS to stay locked in with the drums. The two just go hand and hand for some reason.

Hmm, I dont underline that. Bass can be played even without an drums or percussions. Also you can loosen a timing a bit towards drums to get it "groove" a bit forexample. Its strenghten drums or other rythm instruments, but it clearly do not have to be locked or played on strong beats.

What I'm saying is the bass and drums should groove with each other.

I have posted this a earlier in some thread, but I do it again :D. Check it out m8.

Oh, so you're refering to lead bass.

lol i had a random thought ... how bout rythm and lead bass while theres one guitar thats holds the rythm :D lol

Ever heard of spinal tap? Great movie. They have a song called big bottom and they have 2 basses going. interesting.

Bass = entirely different 'purpose', style of play, and 'role' in song than guitar.
The only thing these two share are scales from top (*low E) to G(*string).

I'd look into Bass lessons (preferably no pick).

but hey! i'm an olde-fashioned old-git-teacher-guy ...what do i know?

RAWK!
Cs

Carl is right, if you play a 4 string. I have a 5 and it goes BEADG. There are 7 string basses that go from a super low F# to a high C. These are standard tunings, at least, all the 7 strings I've seen are tuned this way. I don't like playing a 4 string. I need that low B string as it adds so much character when used correctly. The scales are the 'same', but the fingering patterns differ when you get to those other strings in there. Although you could always tune them like a guitar to make them the same, but a bass player will probably slap you for it!

this is site is a really good resource.

http://www.studybass.com/

and i would agree totally with carl about playing with your fingers. i'm not saying picks are bad but you should learn too play both ways.

what ever you do DON'T USE A CAPO, EVER

haha ive never even thought of putting a capo on a bass guitar xD

yea i think learning to play with your fingers will probably make you a better bassist, plus its so much cooler

Many pro bass players use pick atleast sometimes. It depends on song. If you want strong attack and clarity to sound, with pick its more better not being a slap. Leo Fender but pickguard on first bass for purpose.

Empirism

Telling people not to play a bass with a pick is like telling people not to finger pick a guitar. It is a different style and sound. Like Empirism said, it depends on the songs. A soft ballad I would play with fingers. A fast up beat punk song that needs a fast driving bass line would get the pick. I would say learn both. You will be using fingers most of the time, unless you are in a punk band, but don't be afraid to use a pick, because a bunch of guitar players told you not to. Real bass players will use a pick if they want/have to.

the funny thing is the modern guitar was designed to be played with your fingers not a plectrum, and guitarist always seem to be the most pissed off about bass players using picks hmmmmmmmmmm

Here's 2 good examples involving the 4 different aspects of bass we've talked about

Lemmy from Motorhead (Rhythm Bass/Pick style)



Victor Wooten from Bela Fleck and The Flecktones(Lead Bass/Finger style)

in my opinion victor wooten is the best bass player ever.

Wooten is wacko, Marcus Miller groove him off the planet. :D. Wooten is darn good, but far too experimental that I can even follow :p.

i dont really like Wooten at all, just not my style. but that song you posted is pretty nice

Emp, you don't know jack. Sit down, sir.

the nylon strung "classical" Ac's, yes, the steel srtring Matins-notso much lol...
Don't get me wrong I LOVE playing 'pick free' on both, esp. Finger-Picked ("folk-Blues") Blues
(see also, Hopkins, Lightnin' lol)
fingers-pick, or a combo, i love it all from Finger-picking Zappa's 'Sleep Dirt' too Thump-Picking (called "Chet Picking" 'round here)'Georgia' - To Flat Picking, "Doc-Style"(Doc Watson) 'Wildwood Flower' - to "Travis-Picking" (Merle Travis) 'Sweet Little Lisa' and trying to cop that Albert Lee lick, lol - to regular old back porch songwriter-picking(lol, Carl Snow), ITS ALL GOOD! ;~)

as fer bass .. yeah , at times a pick but hell, even Sheehan Plays w/ Fingers (on Roto's , can ya imagine that?)

but to end the debate (not you RA), I was once very good friends with the Widow of imo the greatest (fingers always) fretless bassists to ever draw breath.
Google, YouTube, etc the two words that shaped modern electric bass playing (like Hendrix did w/ guitar)

the two words =
Jaco Pastorius


----------------------------------------
@ RA
you reminded me of the many times I've tried to turn my Double-Bass on its side and , with a pick, imitate pitz Cello! LoL
----------------------------------------

all 'good' and bad aside ...
aint nothing i love more about my rhythm section than hearing Scott's dutiful 1of a kind (custom build)Fretless Bass with those sweet , black, round-wounds on it, through that Ampeg SVT w/ 1 15 and 4 10's, thats fer dam sure. and i love MY fretless and Double basses ... but then i play the Neck p-up on my guitar and have a thing about "buttery low-end", Dig?

and what that suppose to mean?

@carl
So, knowing Jaco's widow is supposed to end the debate about fingers and pick? You lost me. Maybe I'm reading that wrong.

no it was to introduce my fav electric bassist (fingers) not end a debate--these debate NEVER end...i garuntee folks will be arguing this for a millinia.

what i meant - distilled
Jaco could play (as could many i could name) anything with just his fingers, and that ended the debate FOR ME, lol, guess i chose my words wrong.

and btw : i said "I was once very good friends " .. key = once, then she pissed me off and the friendship ended. (never sign w/ a label due to a friends recommendation!
[use Judge Judy Voice]-> "because you will lose one if not both of them" , oh so true.

but anyways,
thanks for correcting me.

RAWK!
Cs

PS
My Fav Bassists are still *Finger-guys *most of the time

Living Favs = Tal (cant spell last name, was with Vinnie Colliuto, Jeff Becks Bassist(may still be)
Tony Levin - if it makes a LOW sound Tony can master it. the man is insanely great. (take a look at his 'played-on/with specs! i did this year and after over 30 years listening to the man was still freaked out.
Patrick O'Hearn (when in Zappa's Band)
Gary Peacock
Ron Carter
Kermit Driscol
Charlie Haden
Colin Moulding (Xtc)
Sir Paul McCartney
Bootsy Collins
Phiily Joe Jones
Charles Mingus
Bill Lasewell
Brian Wilson
Billy Shehan
Marc Johnson
Victor Krauss
Fernando Saunders
Ron Wasserman
John Paul Jones
Percy Heath
etc.....

so ya see i LIKE a LOT of diif approaches/styles/pick/no-pick in my bassists;
.. i simply prefer fingers
.. and fretless
.. and Upright

hahaahaha

fretless basses are absolutely amazing. i'm borrowing one and it's awesome

I figured I was reading that wrong. I was thinking, "wow what a namedropping big head!" And, as always, if you ask questions instead of building it up in your mind trying to figure out what people mean you will find out that you were off base. The internet is so bad with that. Its hard to figure people out with out hearing tone of voice and reading body language. Thats probably why emoticons were invented. Anyway, thanks for clearing that up! I thought the snob-o-meter was going to start rising! lol.