Tandro

[quote name='chugster' post='1086406' date='Jan 12 2011, 08:58 AM']Hi, New bass player here. I've had a look round but haven't found what I'm looking for so apologies if it is already on here somewhere! Can anyone tell me if there is such thing as a website where I can get MP3s of actual songs with all instrument parts and vocals except for the bass so I can play along to them? I've found sites with tracks to jam to but I would prefer to play to actual songs that I know. Any help appreciated![/quote] Can't help you with a website, but maybe you can try and strip out the bass part yourself. There are most probably tons of programs, and maybe they are much easier to use than what I will suggest but I've only ever used Audacity (and on Linux with wav files and not mp3, but a friend of mine used it with Windows with no real issues). See the following: [url="http://audacity.sourceforge.net/"]http://audacity.sourceforge.net/[/url] Its free! I don't know the ins and outs of it too much and it can look overwhelming cause it can do ALOT, but I use it to strip out the bass and even slow down a song without changing the pitch...so you can make your own slow versions of the actual songs and play along with your bass . If you want to spend money on hardware, I also have a Korg Pandora PX5 which can take out a mp3 player as input and take out the bass on the fly. Maybe someone has easier or cheaper options. HTH.

[quote name='wal4string' post='1084528' date='Jan 10 2011, 05:44 PM']The 1975 track from the band War. A bit of fun to start the week. Always makes me smile anyway. Here is a uTube link to the track. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUT46ZR5CC8&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUT46ZR5CC8...feature=related[/url][/quote] Ha...just thinking about it is making me smile...me thinks I'll be messing with this one later tonight..thanks...!

Hi all, Firstly thanks for all the input so far. Very appreciated. I'll try to work in the various points everyone has raised in practice and see what works for me, but the main points that are repeated are: 1) Get some tuition 2) Learn to read music I do really want structured lessons badly but thought it not possible. I'm rethinking this now, even if it is only every fortnight. As regards reading, this was my goal last year. I'm not totally in the dark as thanks to my parents I used to do piano when I was young. You would think then that when I told myself I would having this reading thing down by end of year, I would be OK. Turns out I still suck (and looking at sixteenth notes is scary!). Hence the reason I originally stated that I need to set achievable goals in set time frames, cause I feel I just did not get anywhere last year (and I didn't). Just wondering what my 'achievable goals and set time frames' should be? Should I aim for learning an arpegio all over the neck at 100bpm in 4 weeks, or something like transcribe one song every fortnight? I am starting to use Musescore. I am not too sure with figuring out the timing and rests of notes in a piece I figure out so I put it in musescore and then playback to see if it sounds right. About the GCSE music, are there any other things applicable to study. What about these Rockschool Bass grades I see about a bit, worthwhile at all? Been checking out the recommended books at online stores. I am a sucker for a book, but I'm afraid it won't get used...like a lot of my other books. I will undoubtedly buy them over the coming months, but I think I need to stick to a 'one book until you finish it' rule or something. Even though I knew it already, it was a bit daunting when as Bilbo put it "there are a million other things you will need to deal with", but I'm not discouraged looking at the mountain. I know it will take a while, I just actually want to start getting there eventually.

I would love to get a teacher and was going to start looking, but things are coming up and for the sake of saving my pennies this might not be possible (I'm not a young Spring chicken anymore and I got responsibilities). As an economical spin to it, I was even toying with the idea of doing a few lessons just to 'get me on the right track' and get some advice on what I need to do. What about a 1 hour lesson every other week, is that too little? I dunno if I can even swing that. The going rate seems to be around £25-30 an hour? (As I'm out in West London, I had called Techmusicschool and they quoted £40 an hour, which seems a bit high).

Hi BC. So I've decided that I actually really want to learn 'music', and be able to play bass proficiently. But now my problem is how do I achieve this? Now before you all unanimously say, "Err, pick up the bass and practice...duh!", I need to know _how_ to practice. What you say? First, my thoughts on it. Personally I would love to take lessons, but its not possible. Realistically, I can get 60 minutes give or take of solid bass time everyday. Thats precious time I want to spend _very_ wisely. The next thing is that I want to set some type of achievable goals and time frame or I know I just won't get anywhere any time soon. So I want to look back in 12 months and see some real progress (whatever that realistically is). I guess I'm just looking for any thoughts from you out there, because what I think I need to do may not be the best thing and I could just waste my time. Any tutors who can chime in would be really appreciated. I'm at an average bass playing level in that I can play a tune if I learnt it, but I don't 'understand' what I'm doing. I would love to be able to just jam and improvise, but thats some magical thing I think you need a sprinkle of pixie dust for. I kind of figure the following are the main areas it could encompass(?): Harmony and Theory - stuff like scales, arpegios? Aural - learn my intervals, what else? sight reading - I want to be comfortable with this. Using 'Simplified Sight Reading For Bass' book now and I'm understanding rhythm/timing better Techniques - slap and pop, double thumb etc. Learn Songs - Besides helping with 'playing' practice, break it down into its parts to understand how the bass works with it? Transcribe - should help with the aural abilities and the understanding of it in context? If the above is vaguely right, how the heck do I fit it that in to 60 minutes a day? Just work on one thing for a month straight until I reach a certain point? Or 20 minutes of this, 10 of that? Do Major's Bass Boot camp only till I reach the end? I dunno. Sorry for the long post. Your personal experience greatly welcome. Thanks.

[quote name='Schnozzalee' post='1071221' date='Dec 28 2010, 08:10 PM']Lick Library is fantastic for guitar tuition, they have just 3 for bass - mark king, john paul jones and john deacon, I haven't bought them as I can work out the latter twos stuff myself and Mark King leaves me cold. No patience for youtube lessons.[/quote] There is also the Jaco Pastorious from Lick Library (I just did not have the patience to figure out Portrait of Tracy or piece it together from YouTube). Starting with seeing Victor Wooten live last year, led me to stumbling across MarloweDK's site, which together got me wanting to get back into bass big time. Which then led me to buying other videos and books, joining this site, and buying gear from this site...damn you Vic and MarlowdDK! MarloweDK also has: www.youplayalong.com I'm interested in that Ed Friedland DVD now as people here seem to like it...is it any better/different than Alexis Sklarevski Slap Bass Program?

Got Andy's ESP delivered to me safe and sound. Great communication from him throughout with the couriers being delayed, no fault of his. No models arrived with the bass...but its exactly as you see in the pictures. I'm well pleased Thanks Andy...!

[quote name='J.R.Bass' post='1048861' date='Dec 5 2010, 11:12 PM']No worries dude, added a vid of me playing it [/quote] Very...ahem...'Smooth' (as obvious a pun as you could get, could'nt resist it) Thanks for the score man, really appreciate it (my other half will appreciate it even more)!

[quote name='molan' post='1040698' date='Nov 29 2010, 04:08 AM']Fodera say that they are only going to produce 6 a year of these moving forwards because they are just so labour intensive, having one that was completed this year feels nice but it's really not any kind of major reason that I like it so much! Is it 'worth' the current $12,500 price tag (about £10K in the UK after taxes) - well that depends on whether you can afford one and So - apologi[/quote] I for one cannot afford it (like 99% of the other people reading this...maybe I'm wrong?), but I would buy one in a heartbeat if I could. So my game plan is to start saving my pennies, scour the for sale forum and wait with baited breath for when the time comes in some years that you decide to sell yours...and then take out a loan for the remainder of the cash and buy it I think it could work...

Nik, your feedback is miles long! I have nothing but praise yet again to add for Nik. Everything people say about his packaging, communication and delivery is absolutely true. I bought his Zoom B2.1U, and while I might have been slow, Nik was always on the ball letting me know what was going on every step of the way (even though I was out of the country). Thanks again Nik for a painless transaction (and the pedal!). Have no fear in doing business with Nik, just know that it will all go well...

Hi Scott, I saw on your website that Hector made mention of that book, 'Fingerboard Harmony' by Gary Willis'. Its funny cause that is exactly what I was thinking about when I started watching your tutorials, because I bought it a few weeks ago and am slowly reading through it. When I saw this post on arpeggios I was drawn to it as that is what I am trying to understand and learn (from the book). Its nice to see someone like you who understands these concepts put them in a video to explain it further and help our understanding. I'm still trying to understand how to apply them in the real world (without it sounding like an arpeggio exercise!), but it will take some time (and much practice) before I can internalize this stuff. Thanks again for your lessons...

Hi to Everyone, Just registered and figured I should introduce myself. I started playing bass years ago. Learned on acoustic guitar (as that was my only introduction to anything with strings) but 'always' with the intention of playing bass when I could actually afford an instrument! At that time I was the only person I knew who actually 'wanted' to play bass. Had a band with some friends, just mainly for our amusement but its was an absolute blast. We played music together and surfed together. For various reasons as many people could say, I stoped playing. Fast forward to late last year, and I got the desire to start playing again after I saw my idol Victor Wooten at the London Jazz festival (might I say that was awesome, as it was the Flecktones and they were billed with Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea and Lenny White). I started hanging around Denmark Street for no apparent reason, recently buying Bass Guitar Magazine and taking in playbassnow.com. I wish I had gear to speak of, but nope. I got a 'bass' (duh), but I have my heart set on getting a warwick...I should have never ever visited the gear porn section. I like any type of music really, and love live music. I grew up on Dub (reggae dancehall) where the song is basically 2 chords and the entire bassline is 3 notes throughout the song ad inifitum, but I loved it. My head could not stop boping to the bass line and that was it for me. I am listening to Mahavishnu Orchestra as I write this, met my idol Victor a couple months ago and even got to hold his bass!!!, saw Pearl Jam a couple weeks ago, and going to see Stanley Clarke and Bella Fleck this week coming. I am very much a newbie! I have forgotten most everything I used to play. But my focus since starting back is to learn to sight read, I need to achieve that. Anyway thats it basically...darn that was kinda long, sorry. Hope to learn stuff here and get new ideas. Anyways, off to have a Sunday Lunch... Tandro