I lost my direction, advice for practicing bass please :-)

[Obyeybyeogone]

Ok, i've been playing bass for quite a while now, I don't practice as much as I should. I do play in a band, but we are just getting started and we play pretty simple stuff, so I don't have too much of a problem playing something similar to what the guitarist is playing yadayadayada

My problem is when I sit down and practice, I just fuck around, and not good fuck around, I play the same stupid riffs over and over (I've got them down great though ), but I am trying to get good at WRITING basslines, not playing other people's basslines. When it comes down to writing, I am worthless, I essentially just play random notes, and usually end up giving up and going back to playing those stupid riffs, because they actually sound good.

Analog Kid has told me to learn scales, I had a site with the scales, but the method the site used to tell you what notes to play wasn't tabs, and he did a good job explaining to me how to read it, but I ended up not understanding it

Any advice or suggestions?

 

[Jayde]

Maybe if you listen to something with impressive bass lines, then you'll wanna learn them, then you'll wanna learn something else. Or just pick up some random tabs and play them

I honestly can't understand your problem. I can't imagine not wanting to genuinely kick ass on bass.

Sorry for my unhelpful post.

 

[yourdeadgroom]

Find a site with scales written in tabs

Actually, any half-decent music store should have scale books- there are plenty of guitar scale books (which are small, designed to fit in a case). Or you could always ask one of the people here to tab out some scales........

Learn some chords as well, playing arpeggios (which is when you play a chord, but pick each note individually) is a good way to make busy-sounding riffs that are easy to play.

And look for some guitar tabs of death metal type songs- songs where they use low notes, not high solo stuff. Don't try and play them up to speed, but just use them as practise and a basis for your own stuff (alot of those riffs sound good slow- if you could find some doom, that could be cool too)

 

[Ermz]

Chords? I was unaware bass guitarists played chords...

My own advice to you would just be to collect some music that you enjoy and start working on it... as my guitar teacher has taught me, 'it's only relevant when it has something to do with what you like'. After a while I think you pick up the natural experience and knack to write... after learning your scales, notes and hearing some other music...

 

[7 Dying Trees]

Well, scale wise I have no clue about music theory. But If it's in TAB or some kind of fretboard pattern then I have less of a problem learning, in fact, the scales I know are because I learnt patterns and how they sound, the flavour you could say.

If you want the scales in tab-like form, go find a guitar book on scales, I quite like Monster Scales (has a very cheesy cover) as it has a lot of the standard ones, modes and all that as well as some interesting exotic ones.

It may be mainly geared towards soloing for guitarists, but you should be able to lift the scales out. Then get a guitarist to record a simple riff in one key and noodle bass over it.

Or play along to a record, as in, play along without having learnt the song. It'll teach you to figure out the key by ear, improve your ability to work out songs and if you stick at it you should be able to find out which scales/runs fit where and when to do them.
Also just have jam sessions, figure out what works bass wise etc.

Apart from that:
1)Learn bass tapping. My bassist loves it, and it looks cool.
2)Attempt some Dream Theater. Their bass lines might give you a good challenge, otherwise you could always try doing some cliff burton
3)Do boring repetetive excercises to a metronome to increase speed and accuracy and also to iron out problematic runs.
4)teach yourself some techniques, if you play with a pick, learn finger style, and maybe also slapping
5)Set yourself a goal, like "I am going to learn XXX by XXX" or something

Anyways, all above is without knowing what level you are at, so don't feel insulted if all this is stuff you already know.

 

[Misanthrope]

Learn Music Theory.

 

[Don Corleone]

Originally posted by Misanthrope
Learn Music Theory.

as if that were that easy.

 

[Sullen Jester]

Bass does involve chords.

Oyo, give me your email. I'll send you some stuff if I can be bothered to.

 

[hakkikt]

if you have a good tecnique, then learn some harmony.
A masterfull book is "Fingerboard harmony for bass" by Gary Willis. Then learn lots of chords and go experimenting.
The hard part is choosing a good chord progression.
Probably is good starting with some known rock songs, or the ones in the style you like. Apply different rhythmical patterns. The same chord progression may be used to play blues, rock, jazz, metal, afro-caribbean. It's like DNA . But here, you choose the way the song grows.
Try to compose using a keyboard or guitar, rather than bass (unless has 6 string), then adjust what you've composed to bass. Get fun with it.

Cheers,
Hakkikt

 

[hakkikt]

Check out these two links...
lots of info.

http://www.libster.com/
I've learned to read music there (you should)
lots of exercises...

http://www.aic.se/basslob/
more info

regards,
Hakkikt

 

[Obyeybyeogone]

Ok, thanks everyone. I think i'll check out the websites posted, look into getting some books, and i'll give Sullen my email, thanks all

 

[bleed for me]

well i've been playing bass for 4-5 years.....mostly self taught but i had a teacher for a little while when i first started and i just recently got a teacher who is teaching me a bit of theory.

when i was learning by myself and trying to make up basslines for the songs the guitarist in my band made, i would usually basically play the same thing he would but i would improvise on the root fifth chords (power chords). This is a really simple but effective of playing a bassline that sticks out. I think martin does that quite a bit on BWP.

these are power chord:

G|--------------------------2----5-----7-------------
D|--2----5----7------------2----5-----7-------------
A|--2----5----7----etc.----0----3-----5---etc------
E|--0----3----5---------------------------------------


they can be applied anywhere on the fretboard. The 'root' note can be either the highest note or the lowest note in the power chord (i.e the 0 or the 2 on the first chord i drew) and is basically what the rythm guitar is playing. The middle note is the fifth. So basically if you play any of the three notes in the power chord it should sound fine.


i definetly reccomend you get a good teacher and ask him to start you out on theory...although i've been playing for while i'm not as good as i think i should be in terms of writing because i hadn't had a teacher.

 

[Obyeybyeogone]

Thanks a bunch bleedforme, do you have ICQ, AIM, or MSN messenger? I think I understand what you're saying but i'm not totally sure

 

[Morningrise]

Well besides what everyone is saying, grab a CD, put it in, and learn some bass lines by yourself.

 

[bleed for me]

Originally posted by Oyo
Thanks a bunch bleedforme, do you have ICQ, AIM, or MSN messenger? I think I understand what you're saying but i'm not totally sure

yea, i have icq and msn: 22971866 and n1kk666@hotmail.com

 

[Misanthrope]

Originally posted by bleed for me
well i've been playing bass for 4-5 years.....mostly self taught but i had a teacher for a little while when i first started and i just recently got a teacher who is teaching me a bit of theory.

when i was learning by myself and trying to make up basslines for the songs the guitarist in my band made, i would usually basically play the same thing he would but i would improvise on the root fifth chords (power chords). This is a really simple but effective of playing a bassline that sticks out. I think martin does that quite a bit on BWP.

these are power chord:

G|--------------------------2----5-----7-------------
D|--2----5----7------------2----5-----7-------------
A|--2----5----7----etc.----0----3-----5---etc------
E|--0----3----5---------------------------------------


they can be applied anywhere on the fretboard. The 'root' note can be either the highest note or the lowest note in the power chord (i.e the 0 or the 2 on the first chord i drew) and is basically what the rythm guitar is playing. The middle note is the fifth. So basically if you play any of the three notes in the power chord it should sound fine.


i definetly reccomend you get a good teacher and ask him to start you out on theory...although i've been playing for while i'm not as good as i think i should be in terms of writing because i hadn't had a teacher.

Thats good but boring. Learn to do full harmony, to play invertions and substitutions, or if you wanna do that 5ths thing tell your guitar player to only do 3-7 chords or sus4-7 chords or 3-7-9 chords because you are carring the root on the bass anyway.

If you knew music theory you would know what im talking about. Again you can learn a thousand of cheap tricks and pseudo harmonies like this power chords things, or you could create them yourself by knowing music theory. Stop listening to stupid lazy people it is easy if you dedicate 10 or 15 minutes of your day to it.

 

[Obyeybyeogone]

Misanthrope, I went to basslobster and was reading music theory lessons, it goes over my head

I should probably take lessons...