Going from guitar to bass

[live4thebj]

Hi everyone, let me start by asking anyone play instruments on here besides the skin flute?

Well I am quite fond of the guitar (acoustic to be more specific) and literally in the past few days got this strong desire to start messing with the bass. I just got an affordable one just for now to see where this goes.

Anyone else converted or got into a 2nd instrument? I already learned a riff on it and it is a lot of fun.

 

[juttjaw]

I play guitar and bought my daughter a bass, I don't think she ever touched it. . I started messing around on it and thought I earned a few things. I was convinced I was some kind of bass savant. A bass player friend of mine came over and I was eager to show off my newley found unexplainable talent. When I was done, he just shook his head. "You play bass like a guitar player".. I wasn't and still am not sure what he ment.

I can only assume it wasn't a compliment.

 

[PG13]

Bass is fun, but difficult to play alone. It's more rewarding to play along with prerecorded tunes or other musicians.

I've learned a number of other instruments over the years. As long as they are tuned similarly, I can come up to speed pretty quick. Lately, I've been messing about with the Hawaiian steel guitar. Unfortunately, every time I learn a new tuning, I have to start over again from scratch

 

[flanneland]

Bass is fun, but difficult to play alone. It's more rewarding to play along with prerecorded tunes or other musicians.

I've learned a number of other instruments over the years. As long as they are tuned similarly, I can come up to speed pretty quick. Lately, I've been messing about with the Hawaiian steel guitar. Unfortunately, every time I learn a new tuning, I have to start over again from scratch

I once witnessed a pretty impressive bass solo, but yeah, it is weird by itself.

 

[BotanyBoy]

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/9f/9f76d84835b19766a7eceba104c64ee76441cfdab94fa635f10d18481ecc7e81.jpg

 

[BotanyBoy]

If you want to get crazy after you learn to slap that bass around like it owes you money pick up an 8 string guitar......then you the best of both worlds B\

Mix techniques and get crazy.

Yes the fret board is larger than some surf boards....yes it's totally over the top.


Buuut it's also SOOOOOOOOOOOO GUUUUD!!! \m/

 

[Not Normal]

My training is drums and percussion, but I play several instruments. I've always enjoyed playing bass and am doing so in a band right now. The thing to remember is that it isn't just a low guitar. It has a different musical function. Bass is part of the foundation of the music. You want to anchor the song, and lock in with the drums. Be aware of how you interact with the snare drum and the bass drum. Connect the chords with passing tones, but don't step on the melody.

I play guitar and bought my daughter a bass, I don't think she ever touched it. . I started messing around on it and thought I earned a few things. I was convinced I was some kind of bass savant. A bass player friend of mine came over and I was eager to show off my newley found unexplainable talent. When I was done, he just shook his head. "You play bass like a guitar player".. I wasn't and still am not sure what he ment.

I can only assume it wasn't a compliment.

What he most likely meant was that you played up the neck a lot, and probably played too many notes. Its usually easy to tell when a guitar player is playing bass, because they aren't thinking like a bass player, and probably haven't listened to bass players. The just grabbed the "big, low guitar" and played.

 

[juttjaw]

What he most likely meant was that you played up the neck a lot, and probably played too many notes. Its usually easy to tell when a guitar player is playing bass, because they aren't thinking like a bass player, and probably haven't listened to bass players. The just grabbed the "big, low guitar" and played.

You are probably 100% correct. However, it did get me looking at bass parts and roles in music in general. Seeing how they fit and flowed. After that analysis, I agreed. I am no bass player, much like Im not a drummer. Fun to fiddle with, but certainly not my strong suit.

 

[bassmanal]

I think playing bass is the most fun you can have with your pants on.

 

[Ulaven_Demorte]

One of my favorite bass solos.

https://youtu.be/4J9uTifOpj8

 

[Lord Pmann]

Buy a DVD by Victor Wooten and learn it. It's not instructional. It's about the role of bass. It will help you not sound like a guitar player who plays bass. That's awful. You want to sound like a bass player.

I've played guitar for about 25 years. Bass for over 20. I play mandolin a bit. I'm slowly learning dobro and cello. But I'm not good at either of those last two.

Learn to play with a click. And then with the kick.

Edit: The DVD mentioned above is called Groove Workshop

 

[Bert Notorius]

playing the bass is easy
playing it well is not.

 

[Disgustipated]

Learn to play with a click. And then with the kick.

Gross.

 

[Not Normal]

Gross.

The phrasology is bad, but the advice isn't.

 

[Disgustipated]

The phrasology is bad, but the advice isn't.

Clicks give me heebee jeebees.

GeeBees?

 

[Not Normal]

You are probably 100% correct. However, it did get me looking at bass parts and roles in music in general. Seeing how they fit and flowed. After that analysis, I agreed. I am no bass player, much like Im not a drummer. Fun to fiddle with, but certainly not my strong suit.

If it expands your musical ideas, and concepts, its still a good thing.

 

[Lord Pmann]

Clicks give me heebee jeebees.

GeeBees?

Yeah. I bet you would do shit in a studio then. Everyone should know how to play with a click.

 

[Lord Pmann]

If it expands your musical ideas, and concepts, its still a good thing.

People who can't play with clicks are going to be limited in their ability to do much on a skillful level. Tempo shouldn't change, for 99% of what you do. People often confuse tempo with dynamics.

 

[Not Normal]

Clicks give me heebee jeebees.

GeeBees?

The subdivision is the key. If you don't understand that, and the click, you're only partially musically informed.

If it expands your musical ideas, and concepts, its still a good thing.

People who can't play with clicks are going to be limited in their ability to do much on a skillful level. Tempo shouldn't change, for 99% of what you do. People often confuse tempo with dynamics.

I'm not arguing with you. I teach young drummers and on the FIRST LESSON they start using a metronome. Most of them bitch about it, but that doesn't make it stop.

That said, I don't automatically use a click in the studio. I often discus it with the band, and also see how the first couple of song go. Sometimes we use a click on a song or two, that are problematic, other records it runs the whole time, sometime its nowhere to be found. In the studio I often find myself teaching bands HOW subdivisions work and how to work with a click. Some can make it happen, even without having done it before, and sometimes, it gets worse, and I turn it off.

 

[Lord Pmann]

The subdivision is the key. If you don't understand that, and the click, you're only partially musically informed.




I'm not arguing with you. I teach young drummers and on the FIRST LESSON they start using a metronome. Most of them bitch about it, but that doesn't make it stop.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound combative. I realized you were agreeing with the click sentiment. The metronome is the most important tool for drummers. It should be just as important for other instruments. I've seen some people suck it up in the studio who can't play with a click.

 

[Lord Pmann]

As for work in a studio without a click... It makes it a lot easier to mix if they're segmented tracks.

 

[Not Normal]

As for work in a studio without a click... It makes it a lot easier to mix if they're segmented tracks.

I'm not sure what you mean by segmented tracks. Please explain.

 

[Lord Pmann]

I'm not sure what you mean by segmented tracks. Please explain.

Not the best terminology on my part. But I mean everything aligns properly. If you have a song that is done to a click, each chorus is the same amount of time throughout the song. If you need to pull in pieces later on from here or there to fix something, it's truly in time. If they're not on click, then the song is a different tempo at every part. What I means by segmented is that each verse can be defined as X number of beats and y number of seconds, each chorus the same, etc.

 

[Not Normal]

Not the best terminology on my part. But I mean everything aligns properly. If you have a song that is done to a click, each chorus is the same amount of time throughout the song. If you need to pull in pieces later on from here or there to fix something, it's truly in time. If they're not on click, then the song is a different tempo at every part. What I means by segmented is that each verse can be defined as X number of beats and y number of seconds, each chorus the same, etc.

I see, you're talking about cutting and pasting parts. Its amazing what you can do, even without a click. You should see what some of the old school wizards could do with a razor blade on 2" tape. That's a crazy stressful editing experience!

 

[La damnee elle la licorne]