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Topic Closedcalling all bass players!

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chopper View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2005 at 14:24
My humble advice (as a bass player since 1976) is to forget about prog for a while and listen to some solid bass players such as Colin Moulding, Jimmy Lea (no, don't laugh) and Paul McCartney. Once you've learned how to provide a solid rhythm, then you can expand into the realms of Chris Squire and Geddy Lee.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2005 at 15:14

Originally posted by chopper chopper wrote:

My humble advice (as a bass player since 1976) is to forget about prog for a while and listen to some solid bass players such as Colin Moulding, Jimmy Lea (no, don't laugh) and Paul McCartney. Once you've learned how to provide a solid rhythm, then you can expand into the realms of Chris Squire and Geddy Lee.

 

 couldnt say it better!! the first thing to do is learn to provide a solid rhythm, thats the main object of the bass guitar, later then you can bring melodies, improvisation, and solos, but first the rhythm!!

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2005 at 00:46

My method for becoming a one-year bass prodigy in, well...one year...

Get the Bass Guitar Primer with Burt Casey. It's what I used, and it really really helped. It starts you at the bottom, then takes you to the top in 3 months. It has a Cd with it and everything. Basically you just practice with it for 15 minutes at a time,  about 2 or 3 times a day. Or once, whatever. Do it for 15 minutes at a time, because, as the book says, that's about the limit of your attention span, otherwise you'll get frustrated. Rest time is as important as playing time. You should do this consistently as you can, without change. Once you finish the book, you're ready to take on anything. I could play Pink Floyd's "Money" right off the bat, and then took on Jethro Tull's "Thick as a Brick pt. 1", then Yes' "Gates of Delirium", "Close to the Edge", "South Side of the Sky" and "Roundabout", then King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man", then Gentle Giant's "Advent of Panurge" and "A Cry for Everyone", then Chris Squire's "Hold Out Your Hand" and Rush's "Tom Sawyer", and right now I'm working on Yes' "Parallels" and "Heart of the Sunrise", and Rush's "YYZ" (so far the only one to stump me yet).

Anyway, you may not want to take it in that order. But in any case, that book REALLY HELPS. I started playing last year in May. Bass is by it's nature easier than guitar, and I can play some acoustic guitar bits (Steve Hackett's "Horizons" and Steve Howe's "Mood for a Day"), but I have real trouble with a pick. I play fingerstyle, of course, normal index-and-middle-finger style with your dominant hand (usually your right). When I first started playing, I really had trouble with my ring finger on my left hand especially, not so much my pinkie. It takes about 7 months to fully develop a callus, so be patient, and keep your fingernails short, but not so short that they hurt when they grow back (a mistake I made too many times). Above all, teach yourself. Having a teacher only hurts you, especially if it's standard, professional by-the-book lessons. A mentor may be good, I don't really know. Then again, it may just be my learning style...but that's my advice, anyway. It also helps to have abnormally long fingers.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 02 2005 at 00:54

I just realized I sound like one of those "lose 50 pounds in one month" commercials with me pushing that Primer book...

...but seriously, it's no lie. If you want, I can (somehow) record me playing to any of these songs and (somehow) put it on the internet. Fill in the somehow's and I'm there.

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 04 2005 at 13:36

I learned to play with my friends. I also got some tablatures of the songs I liked, F.Ex. "Tom Sawyer" from RUSH and learned to play it over the record. Take your time. Don't build your ego over playing. Keep your head clean, at least when playing.

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penguindf12 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 05 2005 at 22:31

Yeah, my ego and comes and goes. I brought my bass to camp and everyone oohed and aahed and I felt like I was the best. Then I played along with a church band and the person who normally plays bass there basically said "you suck."  But you're right. I shouldn't get a swollen head.

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Area 39 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 08 2005 at 17:54

I never wanted to learn how to play as such, i wanted to write so i learnt to play in a way that suited what i was doing.

I still cant play that good but i think my writing is 2nd to non

Take a listen www.area39project.com

Thanks 

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 17 2005 at 03:20
I love it Area 39 :)
You can't possibly hear the last movement of Beethoven's Seventh and go slow. ~Oscar Levant, explaining his way out of a speeding ticket
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penguindf12 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 18 2005 at 17:35
Originally posted by penguindf12 penguindf12 wrote:

Yeah, my ego and comes and goes. I brought my bass to camp and everyone oohed and aahed and I felt like I was the best. Then I played along with a church band and the person who normally plays bass there basically said "you suck."  But you're right. I shouldn't get a swollen head.

Wow, I just proved myself. Today I walked into jazz band with a "I'm gonna show these posers how to play bass RIGHT!" attitude. I sat down. They put a sheet of music in front of me ("Blue Monk", Thelonius Monk) and said "play". Seeing as I can't sight read faster than about 50 bpm, needless to say my ego was popped and cast into the pits of humility. To make it worse, the other bassist just walked up there and played it flawlessly. Ouch. I'm still in jazz band, just at a severe disadvantage...ouch...my pride...talk about instant karma...

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 19 2005 at 14:03

I started out just doing minor pentonic scales and memorizing notes and blues scales and such, not trying to emulate other artists but trying to feel out the bass on my own and find out what i'm comfortable with, and then I started doing covers of other bassist's work. In my opinion that was the best way to start. Also, if you have trouble reading sheet music, buy this program, it's well worth the money: www.tabit.net

"It's amazing that we've been able to put up with each other for 35 years. Most marriages don't last that long these days."

-Chris Squire
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 29 2005 at 11:36

I have a good advice:

1.- Never miss the drummer metric modulation (this is for a bit more experienced bass players)

2.- Practice the wonderful odd-time signatures

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