Playing the bass - any help or tips?Music 

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Pink_the_Floyd

Pink_the_Floyd

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Hey guys, I always though it was lovely to play bass or electric guitar, well, yesterday, I decided to clean up my dad's bass guitar. Afterwards, he said: "Have it, play it, love it", I was freaked out. Now I got my dad's lovely black Westone bass guitar and I'm already practicing, thing is, how do you play it?

I can't find find any helpfull online lessons, none of them explains the string, flexes and how to read and play a song from a piece of paper. Any of you who'd like to explain and help me out? My dad can't do it, he's been so and so busy last weeks with renewing the house, he hasn't played his guitars in a year.


Anyway, some pictures, these are quite bad quality, but I'll bring up some others:

 
I wouldn't call myself a connoisseur of Bass Guitars. But I'm pretty sure the strings aren't suppose to be flying out the top like that!

It's got whiskers!
 
OK, starting with the bass-ics (sorry, couldn't resist), you know the musical scale? In case you don't, it's this:

A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# (and then back to A of the next octave)

On a piano it looks like this (starting with C in this example):- the sharp (#) keys are black

keybrd2.gif

Each 'octave' comprises 12 notes - your bass guitar's thickest string (lowest note) is E.... the other strings are A D G...

Each bar on the fret board represents one semi-tone... (I think that's what it's called - either way, each gap represents the movement of one note on the musical scale shown above...

The 'open' strings on the bass guitar, in terms of the octaves are shown in bold......

E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G etc...

You can go as high as your fretboard allows on the top (G) string....

Best to try playing some scales... the "major scale" is C D E F G A B C - try playing it using more than one string... this way you won't have to move your hand too far up the fret board...

That "major scale" had it's 'root' in the note 'C' (the easiest scale to play on a piano because it is just all the white keys...) The guitar (or bass) is slightly different because each 'scale' is as easy/hard as any other... if you work out the scale for any particular 'root', all you need to do is 'transpose' (or shift) that scale up or down a few notes to play the scale in a different 'key' (a scale with a different root...)

Best way, however, is to simply pick the thing up and play... you can't go wrong just plucking away and finding your own way round the fretboard...

Once you're comfortable with it, try listening to some tunes and find out what 'key' (or root note) they are in, and start playing along...

---

Before you start:-

Assuming you have the right strings in the right place, you may find it easier to tune your guitar by knowing that each string should sound the same as the string below it when you have the lower string depressed at the 5th gap (between the 4th and 5th 'fret' - sometimes these are marked on the guitar with a circle or a dot of some description)... if you have a keyboard or a piano, you can tune the bottom string (lowest E) to that reference and then tune the rest of the strings using that as your starting point...

Don't worry about learning to read music from a page just yet... once you know your own way around the fret board, you will find that you can play along to and create your own music perfectly well without the need to ever 'write it down' or read it.

Ideally, the best way to learn is probably to take guitar lessons, since a bass guitar has the same first four strings as any normal guitar...
 
Casio
I wouldn't call myself a connoisseur of Bass Guitars. But I'm pretty sure the strings aren't suppose to be flying out the top like that!

It's got whiskers!
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New strings are always way too long, and they'll stick out of the tuning pegs quite a bit until you clip them. You don't have to cut them down, unless you want to keep both your eyes ;).

Pink_the_Floyd, it's pretty awesome that such a cool instrument has dropped into your lap 👍. As with anything, you have to start slow and work your way up. You don't need to be able to read sheet music, though if you can, you're ahead of most people :lol:. Most guitarists/bassists work with tabs, which show you the string and fret number for any given note. Ultimate-guitar.com is the site I use most for getting tabs for songs. Pick a song you like, and look at the bass tab for it. Follow the song with the tab, just like you would follow along if someone were reading a book to you. This will help you develop your ear, which will ultimately make you able to figure out any song on your own (and write some, too ;)).

TM has some good advice about learning scales. If you get nothing else out of practicing scales, it will build finger speed and strength. Here's a couple to get you going, in tab form:

E Major:
G|--------------------|
D|------------1-2-----|
A|------0-2-4---------|
E|0-2-4---------------|

E Minor
G|--------------------|
D|------------0-2-----|
A|------0-2-3---------|
E|0-2-3---------------|

Practice going both up and down these scales. Then, you can move these same fret patterns all over the fretboard to play different scales. For example, G Major looks like this:
G|--------------------|
D|------------4-5-----|
A|------3-5-7---------|
E|3-5-7---------------|

And G Minor looks like this:
G|--------------------|
D|------------3-5-----|
A|------3-5-6---------|
E|3-5-6---------------|

It's the same basic pattern, just played at a different spot on the fretboard.

As you listen to songs, even complex ones, always be thinking of how the bassist is playing the notes. Even if they seem to be all over the place, chances are they're not moving their fretting hand much; that is, all of the notes are in the same general area of the fretboard.

Above all else, have fun! If it's not fun, you won't want to do it :lol:

Oh, one more thing: don't let Pako trick you into thinking you need a 6-string :p.
 
OMG!

Thanks alot 👍

Well, I'm playing and learning on my own, without any lessons, but still checking the internet and your useful link 👍


I'm trying to play the two-typical Pink Floyd bass-like thing (for example the bass in "sheep", Animals). With these exercises, I'm trying to play each tone as cleanely as possible amso, I play each string, each tone but going all the way up and down :)
 
Kylehnat
New strings are always way too long, and they'll stick out of the tuning pegs quite a bit until you clip them. You don't have to cut them down, unless you want to keep both your eyes ;).
Click to expand...

Yeah, and if your playing with someone else, you could seriously whip them with one too. I got my band's ex bassist pretty good one time. Ahhhh, good times.. Good times. But yeah, clip em dude, alot of times u may get some rattling from them hanging off if you play hard like I do. 👍 nice looking bass too.
 
I think it's probably good to mention how the major scale is constructed. The basic rule, of 'formula', to remember is T T S T T T S (T = tone, S = semi-tone). Or, if you can't remember that, "Two-Tits Three-Tits". ;) Basically, a tone is two notes up (eg: C - D) and a semi-tone is one note up (C - C#). Or on the fretboard, a tone is two frets up and a semi-tone is one fret up.

Using that, we take the note we want to find the major scale of (this is the root note) and count one tone up along the chromatic scale (the big long one TM posted above). So, for example we want the major scale of D. So we start with D and go up a tone.

D D# E

Now we go a tone up from E:

D D# E F F#

That's the two tones (or two-tits). Now we need to go a semi-tone up from F#:

D D# E F F# G

And then so on. It should end up being: D E F# G A B C# D
If you've done it right, you should finish on the root note. And if you were to play these notes along a single string you'd find it finishes (well, repeats I should say) 12 frets up (or an octave) up from where you started.

Edit: The important thing to remember when constructing scales is there is no sharps between B - C and E - F. Again, a nice little analogy to remember - Black Cats Eat Fish. :)
 
Of course, the more music theory you know, the better 👍. If your school offers such classes, take advantage of it.
 
First off, what a great dad hookin' ya up like that. Join the Schools Orchestra and pick the upright bass. You will learn so much theory that it will make you sick. :D

Get lessons, get lessons, get lessons!!! If you can get some good basic technique early on, a good portion of it can be self taught down the road once you learn the basics.

Oh and, for the record, all these guys and their sharp notes are all wrong. They go like this with flats:

E F Gb G Ab A Bb B C Db D Eb E F Gb G

And remember, playing bass is a supporting role, not a lead role. Because the bass is both percussive and melodic, it is the instrument that can bring the whole band together. ;) Now go learn some Roger Waters.
 
Pako
Oh and, for the record, all these guys and their sharp notes are all wrong. They go like this with flats:

E F Gb G Ab A Bb B C Db D Eb E F Gb G
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Well, I don't know about bass, but in guitar we use sharps and flats interchangably. :p So long as the scale is 'spelt' correctly – in that it uses all of the notes at least once.

Example, E major with sharps:

E F# G# A B C# D# E​

Now E major with flats:

E Gb Ab A B Db Eb E​

The flat 'spelling' is incorrect as it not only uses A and E twice, there is no F. Spelling it with sharps you use all of the notes once. But then, you 4-stringers might do things differently. :p

And remember, playing bass is a supporting role, not a lead role. Because the bass is both percussive and melodic, it is the instrument that can bring the whole band together. ;) Now go learn some Roger Waters.
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Tell that to Victor Wooten. ;)
 
Shannon
Well, I don't know about bass, but in guitar we use sharps and flats interchangably. :p So long as the scale is 'spelt' correctly – in that it uses all of the notes at least once.

Example, E major with sharps:

E F# G# A B C# D# E​

Now E major with flats:

E Gb Ab A B Db Eb E​

The flat 'spelling' is incorrect as it not only uses A and E twice, there is no F. Spelling it with sharps you use all of the notes once. But then, you 4-stringers might do things differently. :p


Tell that to Victor Wooten. ;)
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Just think how mad all the guitarists would be if we all played like Victor? I don't know too many guitarists that would be happy playing 1/4 notes all night. ;) But even Victor plays the groove when he's not doing the solo thang, well...except for most of the Bella Fleck stuff...well..., the dudes a monster bassist, thats all there is to it.
 
BTW:

Any of you guys seen Pulse? Live album of Pink Floyd. I simply love the bass in "One of these days".

The effects are just WAW!

BTW:

How fast is it playing those things you guys posted up? Like -----3-5--6. How much time is there between each note?
 
Pink_the_Floyd
BTW:

Any of you guys seen Pulse? Live album of Pink Floyd. I simply love the bass in "One of these days".

The effects are just WAW!

BTW:

How fast is it playing those things you guys posted up? Like -----3-5--6. How much time is there between each note?
Click to expand...

Saw the VHS version, haven't checked out the DVD version yet.

I was taught to start out slow concentrating on keeping a steady rhythm. Using a click track, drum machine, or metronome are devises that can help with this. Once you have mastered one speed, then speed it up and repeat.
 
Hey guys, been a while eh?

Playing the bass is going better and better now. I already "play" :lol: along with some songs, Coldplay: Low, God put a smile..., the scientist and Pearl Jam: Love Boat Captain.

This is just so much fun, even without an amplifier, it's just enjoying. But my fingers are getting to feel the hours of paying though, they're quite burning :lol:

I can now also read tabs which is quite hard in the beginning but it's going better and better. The hardest things are those called "hammer on", "pop" and such. But that's for later, I'm enjoying mu black beauty :D

Hope I can dig out my dad's Marshall amplifier soon :)

Haven't tried Waters' tabs though, those are like :crazy: for me now :lol:
 
Glad to hear things are going well! Keep it up!
 
I'd recommend trying to pick songs out by ear. You'd be surprised how many you can pick up that way, and how it helps you improvise.

I learned how to play the guitar without any lessons (though I did have music lessons on the piano). I just listened to music and found the right notes on the guitar. Over time that helped me develop the ability to hear a note and pick it out on the guitar right away. With that ability, you can know what the sound will be before you play it and suddenly you'll be able to improvise easily.
 
That's exactly what I'm doing, I play the Pearl Jam song by ear, the same as the guitars, but if I hear closely, I notice the bass is different from what I'm doing, lower and less notes are played. So I try to play it, when I think I've got it, I go and check the tab of the bass to see if right 👍

I play Coldplay - Low by ear which is beautiful to play in my opinion ;)
 
Don't always trust the tabs, which it sounds like you're trusting your ear more which is a good thing.... ;)
 

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