faiz0802

I kinda figured after a long time of misconception that shapes are just tools for simplicity and are helpful only after you've perfected a good number of ways of playing a scale. This is how I go about it. 1) I take a scale, and scale, and use the formula. I now play it on groups: 1 string, then wherever I can using 2, then in variations of 3 and then 4. After a few weeks of rigorous practice when I feel that I've gotten the hang of it, the snowball effect kicks in. I reinforce everything by playing in all keys. Another few weeks and I've gotten pretty decent in, say, playing in the major scale in all keys. Now the tricky part: 2) I take one shape and on a notebook I make a fretboard diagram of that scale. Instead of using notes I use intervals because that way I know how the pattern moves and therefore I can transpose the process into any key. Get the root right and everything falls into place. I find that alternating between saying note names and interval names distributes the work load by half. 3)Now I take any one pattern that I've already jotted down and alter; lets say the 3rd to change it from major to minor. Due to the snowball effect, since I've already mastered the pattern, I only have to move the 3rd by half a step, or one fret lower and I got another pattern nailed. I use 8 patterns for a scale in one octave. After these steps, if all is right, I've mastered 2 scales with 8 patterns in all 12 keys. This is a great way to learn the fretboard as well. Now the fun begins: 4) I start mixing patterns up. This is where I turn from a 'one octave man' to a '2 octave stud'. Being mathematically inclined, I have a HUGE fetish for symmetry and permutations/combinations. *cough cough* On with the story... Get the notebook out again, and draw the fretboard diagram for say, P1+P2 (here P stands for pattern).. Then P1+P3 , P1+P4 and so on. This is completely up to you, it seems like a chore, but as I said, it gives suprisingly easy with time. Keeping a notebook gives the illusion of accomplishing a lot more than just practice, it reinforces confidence and helps in keeping a journal of all your conquests. 5) Next we have modes. Same as scales in my opinion, but I kinda learnt that mode is just a scale turning moody. Just use the same patterns and add the extra notes wherever they pop up. 6)By the time you're done with all this you will have a very strong understanding of how intervals work and where they appear while shifting, fretwise or stringwise. Just pick out the notes from a position and you have arpeggios and chords.

Wow, so many great answers. Here are my 2 cents. I kinda figured after a long time of misconception that shapes are just tools for simplicity and are helpful only after you've perfected a good number of ways of playing a scale. This is how I go about it. 1) I take a scale, and scale, and use the formula. I now play it on groups: 1 string, then wherever I can using 2, then in variations of 3 and then 4. After a few weeks of rigorous practice when I feel that I've gooten the hang of it, the snowball effect kicks in. I reinforce everything by playing in all keys. Another few weeks and I've gotten pretty decent in, say, playing in the major scale in all keys. Now the tricky part: 2) I take one shape and on a notebook I make a fretboard diagram of that scale. Instead of using notes I use intervals because that way I know how the pattern moves and therefore I can transpose the process into any key. Get the root right and everything falls into place. I find that alternating between saying note names and interval names distributes the work load by half. 3)Now I take any one pattern that I've already jotted down and alter; lets say the 3rd to change it from major to minor. Due to the snowball effect, since I've already mastered thr pattern, I only have to move the 3rd by half a step, or one fret lower and I got another pattern nailed. I use 8 patterns for a scale in one octave. After these steps, if all is right, I've mastered 2 scales with 8 patterns in all 12 keys. This is a great way to learn the fretboard as well. Now the fun begins: 4) I start mixing patterns up. This is where I turn from a 'one octave man' to a '2 octave stud'. Being mathematically inclined, I have a HUGE fetish for symmetry and permutations/combinations. *cough cough* On with the story... Get the notebook out again, and draw the fretboard diagram for say, P1+P2 (here P stands for pattern).. Then P1+P3 , P1+P4 and so on. This is completely up to you, it seems like a chore, but as I said, it gives suprisingly easy with time. Keeping a notebook gives the illusion of accomplishing a lot more than just practice, it reinforces confidence and helps in keeping a journal of all your conquests. 5) Next we have modes. Same as scales in my opinion, but I kinda learnt that mode is just a scale turning moody. Just use the same patterns and add the extra notes wherever they pop up. 6)By the time you're done with all this you will have a very strong understanding of how intervals work and where they appear while shifting, fretwise or stringwise. Just pick out the notes from a position and you have arpeggios and chords. I'm going to post a list of scales and chords that I've made in my years of playing as a new thread, will post the link in the next post. All this is hard only if you let it to be. Hope that helps.

Just 5? Gosh that's going to be tough. Well, here's my list, 5 being the most influential... Billy Sheehan - It all started when I saw him shred on youtube. He influenced and inspired me to develop my 3 finger technique. Jaco - Jaco has and always will be a hero to me. He's the sole reason I picked up the fretless, and he's prolly the biggest reason why I chose to stick with it. He also made me realize that there's a lot more tone in a bass than we think there is. Steve Lawson - The first time I heard a solo bass track by Steve, I was blown away. How he has managed to interweave harmony and melody with just one instrument astounds me to this day. And the use of loops. Truly a modern day hero. Marcus Miller - The tone gives me a high everytime I hear it. The grooves, the fills, the technique, and by God that beautiful bass of his... And that hat... Coolness at its limit, I'd say!! Victor Wooten - I don't think there's enough space here to hold what I can say about Victor. I met and jammed with him. And that day's memory still makes me smile. A legend so humble, and yet so powerful. His words of wisdom still ring my head.. I asked him if I was playing the right notes in between the improv session, and he told me it didn't matter. That the notes sisn't know they were wrong haha...

[quote name='silddx' post='1134468' date='Feb 20 2011, 05:26 PM']Some of you know I bought a gorgeous CAR Japan Fender Jazz from Far East Guitars a couple of weeks back. It's wonderful to play but I am used to active Warwicks and, for me, the tones on offer from the Fender did not float my duck. It has a BadassII bridge which may or may not contribute to that. So, having already bought a U-Retro Deluxe from John East last year for another bass, I thought I'd get a J-Retro 01 for this 'un. I recorded 8 clips, three with the original passive electronics and five with the East. All are direct into my desk with no EQ, compression, nothing, except a little bit of hall reverb so you can hear the sounds more clearly. All played finger-style with thumb resting on the neck pickup. [attachment=72772:01_Track_1.mp3] The clips are as follows: [b]PASSIVE Fender - tone control full on[/b] 1. Bridge 2. Both equal 3. Neck [b]ACTIVE East - All controls set flat[/b] 4. Bridge 5. Both equal 6. Neck [b]ACTIVE East - Bass almost fully boosted / treble rolled off / bright flat / mid flat[/b] 7. Neck [b]ACTIVE East - Bass slightly boosted / treble boosted about 50% / bright boosted by about 20% / mid flat[/b] 8. Neck There is a passive mode on the East too, It's almost exactly like the original Fender tones. There's a 'get out of trouble' switch too in case your battery dies at an inopportune moment. I have to say, I am totally knocked out by the J-Retro 01, it's transformed this Jazz into a go-to bass for any situation.[/quote] Oh my God!! The tone!! The difference is astounding, and such variation in tonal characteristics... M getting me these as soon as I get me a Marcus Jazz...

So much praise!!! Hery, is there a lot of difference between the std J-retro and the J-retro deluxe? I know physically they differ by a tone knob, but here's my dilemma: 1) I'm not fond of the tone knob in my squier. I rarely use it, though the pups are pretty decent. I'll swap them later but right now in passive i'm getting by without any complaints. However, the East preamps seem like tonal monsters by what I keep hearing. So yeah, a tone know could be another element in the arsenal. 2) I'd have to route a cavity for the jack. I don't mind, but I like having the jack where it is. So my question is, is that tone knob worth the effort of routing a new cavity for the jack?

[quote name='Circle_of_Fifths' post='1160130' date='Mar 13 2011, 07:05 AM']For a short time Squiers were made in Mexico with US and Mexican parts to use up old stock and on-the-shelf parts. There have been some changes to the whole Squier line a few times - from bottom-feeder gear to some really righteous instruments that can hold their own against units much more expensive - to the Squiers of today that are recapturing the market whilst the high-dollar Fenders languish in stores and warehouses in this poor economic situation. It's a very good strategy to keep your best talent still working even if it's on lower-lined basses and guitars. If you get rid of the less qualified workers and keep the better almost-luthiers and artisans employed, should the economy ever recover then your people can go right back to building the more expensive gear and they can either rehire the laid-off talent or hire a whole new group of worker bees.[/quote] That's a very nice approach to it all. I see from your avatar that you have one too... The VM J Bass? How do like it so far? I have a Squier fretless which is a dream to play but I'm not very satisfied with the Passive circuit or the pickups. Am looking to swap the pups and throw in a J-retro deluxe in there. Still apprehensive though. I kinda like having the jack where it is and not on the eside of the bass, which I probably will have to route and make if I do invest in the J-retro deluxe.

Perhaps the site is considering the overall content in the books and not just the starting points. Either way, those are some really nice books. If I didn't hadn't found the David Rotto series those are probably the books I would go for.

^I really like the smuggle bit. Welcome aboard edr1958.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1160105' date='Mar 13 2011, 03:58 AM']Really? Both those books really start at the basics then progress so I wouldn't class the Bass Builders book as intermediate and the MI as beginner- They both work on pretty much the same level.[/quote] Yes i guess you're right,. But I just wanted to mention what I saw on the site. I haven't used either of these books all that much. Just a glance.

[quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='1156182' date='Mar 10 2011, 07:41 AM']Squiers were made in Mexico,the Jazz basses usually had a one piece scratch plate with Strat type knobs.[/quote] [quote name='TomKent' post='1156686' date='Mar 10 2011, 02:47 PM']Mine's a Mex and it's got normal knobs.[/quote] Aren't squiers made in Indonesia or something?

They should make a top 100 list, burn em all on CD and then distribute them for free for global groove awareness. Else am not interested.

Also, please note that in the above links, the skill level of the MI book is Beginner and the Bass Builders book is Intermediate. This is explained in the links in the Skill Level section as well. Hope that helps. Regards, Faiz

@Paul: I think there should be a few members here who're in music school. You could ask around and get whatever's available locally. It's a pity libraries don't stock sheet music. Um wait, I'm not entirely sure that they don't. Try these links: [u][b]Bass Builders: Simplified Sight-Reading For Bass[/u] by Josquin des Pres[/b]: [url="http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/018656/details.html"]http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/018656/details.html[/url] Josquin des Pres s an amazing author and teacher. I went through quite a few of his books a few years ago and I was never disappointed. [b][u]Musicians Institute: Essential Concepts - Music Reading For Bass[/u][/b]: [url="http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/022559/details.html"]http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/022559/details.html[/url] The name says it all. That and the fact that you can never go wrong with M.I.

Was there a Fender booth? Any sales/discounts or something? I've never been lucky enough to go to a bass show before.

Oh, I see. A friend from the US got them for me. I should've mentioned that. Sorry.

[quote name='chrismuzz' post='1159123' date='Mar 12 2011, 11:27 AM']Welcome to the forum! I'm sure I saw a Marcus Miller Jazz in the For Sale section last night, I don't think it had the original neck though. Have a poke around![/quote] Thank you for the warm welcome. Yes ofcourse, I contacted the seller on that thread. Thing is, I've been drooling and GAS'ing for that bass for 6 years now, which is a very long time, and now that I have the cash saved up, that's all I'm looking for. Thank you for pointing out. Do let me know if you come across any other offers.

I can help you work stuff out. Refer to my other thread in this forum.

Greetings from London!! Wow 10 years huh? Welcome back!! I really like the basses in your sig, or atleast, am very curious to try them out. How're the Bass Collection basses, I've been meaning to check them out, they seem really great bargains. How are they? Nice. A 4s,5s and a fretless, looks like you got it covered. I'm new here too, but I wish you all the best. Cheers! Regards, Faiz

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. Feels great to be a part of the group. @[u]Paultrader[/u]: Regarding your question, there are quite a few ways I practice sight reading. 1. I have a set of volumes by David Motto called 'Essential Sightreading Studies for Electric Bass'. Wonderful books. I got them about 4 years ago before I was working full-time and was still in college. With time I got busy and lost touch so am planning to start all over. 2. Studybass.com has a bass clef quiz and other exercises which I keep practicing every once in a while in a day. 3. Whenever I learn/play anything, in a day, I try to make it a point to transcribe a small part of whatever I might have ended up with. I've gotten pretty good with writing down the notes, the timing I still get very confused with. Very rusty I guess. 4. I play the treble clef and rhythm clef as well. I've noticed that you can convert a treble clef transcription into bass clef by just shifting notes in the treble, i.e, I know that treble clef is two full steps higher than bass clef. (Treble>Bass in pitch) so I fiddle around with those. With regard to rhythm clefs, I just make everything in the R.Clef sheet into a percussive bass move, like a slap, a thump, a ghost note, a tap... it's wonderful what paradiddles had done to my playing. A pity that the day job screwed it all up. 5. If I ever bought a book with both notation and tabs, I'd go haywire over the tabs with ewith permanent marker to I'd cover it with tape or paper. If you can't read tabs, you won't depend on them. I haven't read tabs for 7 years now. I never took classes so I had to figure everything out on my own, so I guess I had a very loony and personalized approach to it all. I might be doing it wrong, but it works for me. Now I figure I ought to do it right, since I've gotten very rusty, so I bought the 3 volumes for LCM's music grade exam(Grades 0-2, 3-5, 6-8) called Bass Guitar Playing(Published by Registry of Guitar Tutors). Wonderful books if you want to develop overall playing.

+1 for the London bit. Great to see you here. Cheers.