Bass Tips Anyone?

H

harryhash

Lazy Bastard
Jan 14, 2006
51
0
6
Gold Coast, Australia
Okay, so yes I'm new to the bass so I can't expect to be great straight away. But I was wondering if anyone out there has any tips that really helped them along when they were starting out...

I love my metal, and instead of learning the stuff my mates do (like the White Stripes and Greenday) I've jumped in headfirst into Children of Bodom (which I can sorta play, although nowhere near the speed that they do), Cradle Of Filth, DevilDriver, the heavier System Of A Down, Mudvayne and I've even had a crack at The Funeral Portrait (Opeth). Basically I wanna push the learning curve to the limit so I end up better when it comes to playing the music that I love. Keeping that in mind, what tricks are there to becoming an awesome metal bassist? Are there any shortcuts or is it just keeping the nose to the grindstone?

Cheers heaps (and I apologise for the rambling, I was out partying all night last night).
 
Nose to the grindstone.

Also, don't just learn Metal - learn other styles, too. You'll find that it will open your playing in the different techniques you'll pick up.
 
^^yup. Learning funk (slap) bass is essential to play a few Opeth songs :)
 
sumairetsu said:
Nose to the grindstone.

Also, don't just learn Metal - learn other styles, too. You'll find that it will open your playing in the different techniques you'll pick up.
Click to expand...
Fair enough point. I never really considered that...

LadyValerie said:
^^yup. Learning funk (slap) bass is essential to play a few Opeth songs
Click to expand...
I was gonna ditch learning slap bass because of my brother's obsession with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers (he plays it so damn much I can't stand it any more) but if Opeth plays it then it must rule :D

Vital Remains said:
use your fingers. its hard but it pays off. ive seen it many times
Click to expand...
So I shouldn't worry about picking? I've been doing it alot because its faster, but if you say so...sure thing...
 
i think you can go faster with a pick for the basics on one or two strings, but most technical stuff is easier with fingers cause you have more range.

I use my fingers, but i like the sound a pick has when playing simple notes.
 
harryhash said:
Fair enough point. I never really considered that...


I was gonna ditch learning slap bass because of my brother's obsession with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers (he plays it so damn much I can't stand it any more) but if Opeth plays it then it must rule :D


So I shouldn't worry about picking? I've been doing it alot because its faster, but if you say so...sure thing...
Click to expand...

fastest bass players use their fingers man.
 
a lot of bassists learn both technics: fingers and pick
pick is nice if you play relatively simple stuff (you can go pretty fast there) like single-note riffs and so on.
fingers works better for the stuff where you "play many different notes at high speed". all the technical bassists usually use their fingers (I think I'd do that, too if I still was a bassist ;) )
 
definately learn other styles other than metal and learn to use both pick and fingers and any other stuff like tapping, slapping and popping etc.. i cant see how knowing more techniques can ever be bad.

practice....

learning theory should help too
 
Well first off don't be a faggy emo boy and use a pick. Ryan Martinie (your guy in Mudvayne) couldn't play half of his notes if he used a pick because he plays so much slap (you'll learn about that later).

Don't use a pick on a bass, it's not meant for it.

Second off, don't start out with Mudvayne bass tabs, those are hard as fuck. The only easy song I know off the top of my head would be Dig. Start out with System of A down. Shavo's basslines are easy, but they sound great and they fill really well.

Third off, find better music to listen to aside Mudvayne and System of A Down.

Fourth, here are two perfect beginner tracks you can learn. Anthrax: Among the Living, Metallica Enter Sandman. They are fun, they are classics, lot of open strings, and they will make you feel good about yourself and give you confidence.
Work your way up from there. If you find a song you want to play and it sounds relatively easy, try to tab it yourself, and if you can't, just get them online
 
Lol, personal insults aside, thanks for the advice. I know Martinie uses slap alot, I HAVE seen him live. I play with a bunch of Blink lovers and we also end up playing a LOT of hardcore, you really need a pick for that hence I use it alot. The whole Shavo thing I've picked up on since I last posted, I've learnt a fair few songs since then. I've tabbed a few songs, but I've totally neglected my Metallica, so thanks for the reminder...
 
Vital Remains said:
fastest bass players use their fingers man.
Click to expand...

I don't know, The Crown's bassist plays some stuff extremely fast, probably the fastest I've seen (as in live or on DVD) out of other bass players. Fingers do help with certain aspects but I think picking has it's advantages as well, as you also get a different sound from each.
 
you should learn with your fingers first, then learn pick. I never learned with a pick and I wish I had.
 
harryhash said:
Lol, personal insults aside, thanks for the advice. I know Martinie uses slap alot, I HAVE seen him live. I play with a bunch of Blink lovers and we also end up playing a LOT of hardcore, you really need a pick for that hence I use it alot. The whole Shavo thing I've picked up on since I last posted, I've learnt a fair few songs since then. I've tabbed a few songs, but I've totally neglected my Metallica, so thanks for the reminder...
Click to expand...

Hardcore you don't need a pick, I assure you. Ever hear of Cannibal Corpse? That guy (Alex Webster) plays faster than 32'nd notes FINGERS. Trust me, throw that thing in the trash.
 
The_Harmathroditic_Ferret said:
Hardcore you don't need a pick, I assure you. Ever hear of Cannibal Corpse? That guy (Alex Webster) plays faster than 32'nd notes FINGERS. Trust me, throw that thing in the trash.
Click to expand...
Ever heard of Parkway Drive? Their bassist is IN-FUCKING-SANE, and he's a pick man. Well, I know how to use a pick, now to get that sorta speed with my fingers...
 
Pick is good if you want to get a little more brightness for your playing. It does cut through, though you sacrifice some warmth.

Of course, if you do what I do, you'll grow your fingernails and play bass. If you listen to the material that I did with my old band, you'll hear the results. You still get some of the brightness that you would from a pick, but you can also get the speed and control of playing with fingers.

Don't hold back from playing with a pick OR your fingers. All the techniques that are available...why hold yourself back?

Oh, and don't disparage the slapping technique. Flea has realized that slapping isn't funky when it's overused. He's since cut back a lot.
 
many really fast bass players who use picks also play guitar, and in the end when playing more technical stuff fingers are alot easier, just watch the nile 'execration text' video for a good example of this. there are alot of bass pieces which i doubt you could play with a pick, the only reason to use one is for the tone, so it's still worth learning for that alone.
and slap bass? learn it goddamnit! if you can find a lois johnson bass lesson video on a filesharing program then that will explain why.
 
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