Bass Tab problems! Please help!

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argentallica

the lil sis
Nov 15, 2003
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Does anybody recommend a good tablature website?

See, I found a pretty decent tab for Revelations, and I have been practicing quite happily, but I have some doubts...
So I was looking for a different version of tab for that song, and all I find is crap! Overly simplified tab with obvious missing notes and lacking in groove... I find it quite annoying! ... Especially since the same version of this tab is EVERYWHERE on the web...

Till then, I shall doodle on my bass and try to pick it out by ear...
Much thanks~!

*~*~*MARI*~*~*
 
Sadly, there's not much written music available for bass guitar for Rock music and the stuff that you'll usually find isn't all that great of bass playing either, especially in Metal. (Most of the time, the bass is merely doubling the guitar parts. It's a great writing device at times for embellishing riffs, but EVERY SONG?!?!?!)

Continue doodling. It was this way that I figured out many songs on guitar in my teen years and was also the way that I figured out several scales (i.e. major, minor, harmonic minor, etc. Actually, you'll find that the different scale modes are essentially names for starting at different positions in the scale). There are plenty of books out there for learning scales of different types. I recommend Adam Kadmon's The Bass Grimoire (GT3, comes in the red cover) from Carl Fischer, Inc. http://www.guitargrimoire.com/index.htm and http://www.guitargrimoire.com/gt03.htm

I still strongly recommend learning to read sheet music, though. This way, you don't become dependent on tablature and you can learn any piece of music, of any style, simply from looking at it (that's how I learned how to play the bass parts for Respect by Aretha Franklin). Don't get me wrong, tablature can be a good way of teaching and can also be used for showing the proper phrasing of a piece if there's any question about it, but most people end up using it as a crutch.

It sounds like your ear is developing well though if you can tell that there are missing or obviously wrong notes in the tab that you are finding. :) Keep it up! You should do well. :Spin:
 
Good question to ask Argentallica! I've never been able to get my hands on any reliable tab/written music for any Maiden bass parts either so I wouldn't mind finding a good website for this. There have been times when I think a bass part goes a particular way only to find that it's really different after listening to it again on a different set of speakers. I also have the incredible good fortune of running into people (like Smylex for instance :) ) who tell me when something is not quite right so I know to go back and give it another listen ~ the people who come to our shows are brutally honest. Sometimes they're right and sometimes I'm right.
Smylex made some good recommendations as far as playing bass goes. The only thing I would add would be ear training since you will probably be stuck learning Maiden bass parts mostly by ear. It helps to know what intervals sound like for instance ~ then you can figure out the basic pattern of the song more quickly in addition to some of the more sticky bass parts. You also need to take breaks when learning by ear because your ears gets tired. It makes a difference listening to a part again with a fresh pair of ears :). Good luck!
 
Steph Harris said:
The only thing I would add would be ear training since you will probably be stuck learning Maiden bass parts mostly by ear. It helps to know what intervals sound like for instance ~ then you can figure out the basic pattern of the song more quickly in addition to some of the more sticky bass parts.
Click to expand...
If you're going to a university soon, you can take Music Theory classes which will help you learn the sonic differences of the different intervals (i.e. a major third or a minor 7th interval). You'll also learn how to read music on the grand staff and the composition of different chords, etc. :)
 
Thank you guys! Yeah, I'll be attending college next year, so I'll be sure to find one that offers a good music course, or maybe even a whole music program. And I just got a new book of bass scales, so I'll be learning plenty of intervals and training my ears!
Well, I'm off to practice! tootles! :)
 
RESPECT!!!!!! Smylex!!!! Ha...Dood, I just learned Think from Aretha Franklin. I gotta admit, a lotta those classic R&B tunes are fun. They are even more fun when you have 4 hot chicks on a small stage with you belting it out.
:OMG:
 
But most importantly, it doesn't matter how hard or how frustrating playing bass gets, keep it up. Keep pushing and you will improve. In case you think it is easier to get tab for guitar......well it is in some cases. LOL. But seriously, Megadeth for example has some very poor tablature. Many times I rely on my ear. Another huge suggestion I have for you is to get either a piece of software or a neat gadget by Tascam which will slow the music down without changing the pitch. For very fast and complicated music, these do the trick real well.
 
Thanks so much! No problemo, help never has a deadline with me, cos I know i need it... hehe...
It's kinda funky practicing with a swollen jaw... I had all my wisdom teeth pulled on Saturday, so I'm a bit groggy, and falling asleep while looking up tabs and learning to read music, but I'll try to remain awake!
Take care of yourselves, and thanks!
 
smylex said:
I still strongly recommend learning to read sheet music, though
Click to expand...
yes! for me, learning to read music has opened a whole new world. i started at 7 on piano, and HATED the roteness of scales and dexterity training. however, it allowed me later on to be a comfortable sight reader which really started my voracious appetite for sheet music. (i have quite a collection now- vintage stuff, some signed) it was also easier to pick up other instruments- i've played string instruments, brass, and a woodwind or two over the years. a couple years ago i discoverd that drums can be notated too, and linda's always nice enough to let me play her set. i want my own!!!!! :yell: ah, so much new gear to buy and learn- it's a beautiful thing!!!! :Spin:
keep up the hard work mari :)
 
argentallica said:
Thanks so much! No problemo, help never has a deadline with me, cos I know i need it... hehe...
It's kinda funky practicing with a swollen jaw... I had all my wisdom teeth pulled on Saturday, so I'm a bit groggy, and falling asleep while looking up tabs and learning to read music, but I'll try to remain awake!
Take care of yourselves, and thanks!
Click to expand...

Keep up the good work!!!!
I had all 4 of mine yanked at once too. EEwwwwww. Not much swelling here, I got lucky, and too many vicodins can make you grumpy when they run out! Hehe!
 
Thanks! i was pretty swollen up... i mean it was like tennis ball time! i got pretty big, but it's much better now.

Ooh! I changed the strings on the bass (to the ones we bought from Wanda ~ Thanks a bunch!) and it's all groovy and polished now! ... These strings are tough! I gotta get crackin, cos they feel a tad funky, but i love them anyhow! They sound awesome, so thanks again!
 
The Steve Harris flats (flatwounds)... :ill: :erk: o_O Those things are a monster to play. They're the strings that take the buzz out of my 4-string bass because they pull the neck so far forward because they're a thicker gauge than most bass guitar strings that you'll find readily available at music instrument retailers. Flatwound strings are going to feel and sound different than regular roundwound strings. Flats usually have a duller sound without all the harmonics that you get from roundwounds.

Also, Michael Kenney (sic?) said that the Steve Harris signature strings are usually good for about 2 hours of playing and still keep that bright tone about them. After that, they start sounding like regular flatwounds.

I will also recommend Fender's Guitar Maintenance system that is available at Guitar Center that features Meguiar's products. (Meguiar's is known for their car polishes. The stuff they make for guitars looks great. I just used some for one of my basses and it looks beautiful. :)
 
alanbirdsell said:
I am a freak of nature... I have no wisdom teeth! Never had them never will! :loco:
Click to expand...
Rare. Of course, I've also seen people with an additional set of wisdom teeth to the ones they already have installed.
 
http://www.tabalorium.com

this site ain't bad either (although the AC/DC bass tabs are really limited,I mean REALLY)

P.S. You know what?screw specific sites!go on Yahoo or sumthin like that,just type the song name+bass tabs, and you should get mass tabs,just evaluate the best one by sound ;)
 
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