Coilte

It is always the people who [i]dont[/i] know any scales/theory who say there is no need to learn them. I have yet to come across someone who does know some theory, who will state the same thing.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1384612343' post='2278738'] I had the pleasure of spending a weekend studying with Todd a few years ago, he's an amazingly talented player. [/quote] ....and teacher !! I have a few of his DVD's and have always found that he has a great way of explaining things.

Early "Crusaders" material is worth checking out.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1384611307' post='2278713'] I think the OP's title is a bit misleading, and is maybe leading people off track. [/quote] You could be correct, so for the sake of clarity here is the FT demonstrated. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU[/url]

[quote name='tedmanzie' timestamp='1384604373' post='2278578'] The problem is I'm not finding it very natural to anchor on the pickup (P-bass) when playing on the E string. Partly because my pickup is screwed nearly to the body so there isn't much to anchor on, and also because i tend to pluck a bit more towards the bridge. So I have been 'floating' while playing the E string, kind of resting my hand on the body. But I can tell that its not very easy to be consistent when using that 'technique' and it tends to be sloppy. [/quote] I dont think it is a problem that you are not finding it natural to anchor on the pick up. Few have mentioned the potential hand/wrist problems that can go with this technique. Granted, lots of top players use it and get away without any problems but others suffer because of it. The trouble is that it can take years to find out that you have an injury problem. IMO it is better to err on the side of caution and keep the wrist straight. As for the Floating Thumb being "sloppy"......tell that to Todd Johnson ! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4qNYPjpIiQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4qNYPjpIiQ[/url]

[quote name='Mr Fretbuzz' timestamp='1383833862' post='2269749'] I'm wondering if quality is a bit of a lottery with the cheaper basses...eg you might get a good Mexican or a poor American ? [/quote] Yes, it can be a lottery with some of the cheaper basses..... but not IMO with the G&L JB2 Tributes. These have the same pick ups and electronics as their USA cousins and considering the price difference between the USA and Tributes, the quality difference is minimal. Well worth checking out. They also beat [u]any [/u]Mexican Fender jazz, hands down...IMHO of course. [url="http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/TributeSeries/basses/JB-2/index.asp"]http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/TributeSeries/basses/JB-2/index.asp[/url]

As rOB says, the problem is more than likely that you are holding the pick too tight. Also the up and down movements should be from the wrist, [u]NOT[/u] the thumb. Carol Kaye is regarded as an iconic pick player. In her early days as a session player she played twelve hour days in the recording studio using a pick, without any physical problems. So her recommendations are worth checking out. Have a look at her Tips # 26 & 27 here : [url="http://www.carolkaye.com/www/education/tips1.htm"]http://www.carolkaye.com/www/education/tips1.htm[/url] Here is a clip worth checking out also. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp_kk-w3Puo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp_kk-w3Puo[/url] Make sure to build up your pick playing time gradually, to allow the hand/wrist to adapt.

As others have said, see a physiotherapist or someone specialising in this sort of injury. Hope you are back playing soon.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1383312604' post='2263020'] why does he wear a glove? [/quote] [url="http://www.scottsbasslessons.com/odds-and-sods/the-gloves"]http://www.scottsbasslessons.com/odds-and-sods/the-gloves[/url]

[quote name='norvegicusbass' timestamp='1383151779' post='2260879'] Yeah but atleast we are both enjoying it Do you play in a band Coilte? [/quote] You have a P.M.

[quote name='norvegicusbass' timestamp='1383141546' post='2260678'] I wish I had stuck at it all those years ago as a thirteen year old. I am forty seven now still in love with music but still a newbie despite my age. [/quote] I am in almost the same boat as yourself. I jammed with friends when in my teens, then life got in the way. I only seriously took up the bass again about seven years ago.......aged 50. Only then, did I delve into basic theory, like you are doing now. So, age does not make much of a difference, once you are keen to learn and are having fun doing so. Better late than never....eh ?

[quote name='norvegicusbass' timestamp='1383137488' post='2260598'] Thanks Coilte I see from your tag that you like/play Jazz are there any books you could recommend that would put all this in laymans terms that I could practice? [/quote] A book that I always recommend is Hal Leonard's "Bass Method Book". There are three volumes and it is possible to get all three in one spiral bound edition. Each comes with a CD. There is little or no tabs in these books, which IMO is a major plus. This book combined with maybe the Study Bass site, should be all you need for quite a while. If I can be of any more help, feel free to P.M me. [url="http://www.amazon.com/Leonard-Bass-Method-Easy-Use/dp/0793563836"]http://www.amazon.co...e/dp/0793563836[/url] EDIT : another book that springs to mind is "Bass Guitar for Dummies". Never mind the "D" word. It is a great book and might be available in your local library.

[quote name='norvegicusbass' timestamp='1383136289' post='2260570'] Thank you so much. One day I swear all of Basschat world will hear one almighty sound of a slapped palm on forehead coming from the direction of Tyneside once the penny finally drops in all this. [/quote] The trick is to take it in small steps. Dont spend hours at a time sweating over it. Include some basic theory in your practice schedule (15 to 20 minutes) every day. With a little time and patience, the penny will definately drop.

Another good thing to get your head around is harmonising the major scale. This means playing every chord in the scale. To do this, we do what is called "stacking thirds". We will write out the C maj scale and work from the bottom up, stacking thirds as we go. This means we take the third note from the line below and start a new line with that. GABCDEF EFGABCD CDEFGAB Now, if we read from the bottom up from left to right, it gives us the diatonic (using notes only found in the given scale) chords for the C maj scale. So, the first line on the left from the bottom up, is CEG which is C maj. The next line is DFA which D minor, etc If we were to add another line on top of the above ones, this would give us the 7ths.

[quote name='norvegicusbass' timestamp='1383131995' post='2260508'] Coilte those are great sites thanks for posting. Just one thing to further prove of my ignorance. The chord tone thing seems to imply that there are favourable notes to play for every chord and notes that should be avoided or else used sparingly as ghost notes or passing notes, have I got that right? Now I can play any variation of the favourable notes and it will "fit" so to speak the chord that is being played. Something like memorising patterns for every chord and messing around with the order instinctively. Is that right? So have those players who are supremely able to improvise simply committed to memory a series of patterns that they fall back on when they know what chord is being played? This I know is a simplistic way of looking at it but have I got the gist? [/quote] Glad you find the links useful. You are not ignorent, just keen to learn. We have all been where you are now. Basically a chord is made up of every other note 1,3,5,7 etc) of a scale. For instance the C maj scale is CDEFGAB, so the Cmaj chord would be 1,3,5 which is CEG. If we add the 7th note we get Cmaj7. The passing notes you refer to are the other notes in a scale, i.e. 2,4, and 6.

[quote name='norvegicusbass' timestamp='1383067296' post='2259802'] I seriously need to up my theory knowledge all this mode/chord tone stuff leaves me baffled. [/quote] As AntLockyer said, forget about modes for the time being and concentrate on chord tones. It is all explained (much better than I can do) in the Study Bass link I posted earlier. My advice is to start at the beginning and go through the lessons in the order that they occur. Each lesson builds on what went before, so there are no gaps in the learning process.

[quote name='AntLockyer' timestamp='1383052473' post='2259517'] Do you knwo the chord tones to the chords you are trying to jam over? [/quote] +1. OP, why cant you apply the same intervals (1,3,5, (7) etc) that you are using for playing blues, and use them in other chord progressions ? Are you familar with chord tones, arpeggios and intervals ? If not, then IMO this would be the way to go. Here is a link to a great site that should help with all three. In this link it deals with chord tones. [url="http://www.studybass.com/lessons/bass-chord-patterns/chord-tones-are-primary/"]http://www.studybass.com/lessons/bass-chord-patterns/chord-tones-are-primary/[/url] When you think you have digested all the above, then move on to inversions. Here is a link that covers these. [url="http://www.scribd.com/doc/2087887/a-comprehensive-chord-tone-system-for-mastering-the-bass-jeff-berlin"]http://www.scribd.com/doc/2087887/a-comprehensive-chord-tone-system-for-mastering-the-bass-jeff-berlin[/url]

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1382966558' post='2258517'] Jeez man, what is up with you lot? The poor guy isn't even dead! [/quote] No he's not and everybody hopes he will pull through, as almost everyone has stated. I think people simply feel the need to comment in some way on the sad news.

[quote name='BassManGraham' timestamp='1382952668' post='2258251'] I have studied his playing closely and come to really appreciate his understated and underated contribution to Fleetwood Mac. [/quote] I completely agree. People have been commenting on his playing with Fleetwood Mac (naturally !), but dont forget that he is also an amazing blues bassist too. Granted Fleetwood Mac played blues in the early days, but it is not what they are generally known for. His contribution to albums by John Mayall's "Bluesbreakers" should not go without a mention, especially the iconic "Beano" album where he plays with Mayall and Clapton.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1382875351' post='2257384'] Frustration is good. [/quote] Disagree. If it's not at least kept in check, it can lead to a person giving up altogether, or at minimum impede progress. Happened to someone I know. He got so frustrated that he decided he was never going to get anywhere with playing lead guitar. That was two years ago and he still has not touched the guitar AFAIK.

Sad news indeed. Get well soon John !

Playing along to songs is a great way to develop the ear. Better than using tabs IMO. It takes time and practice to be able to hold your own. An idea might be to break up the song into segments and master each segment in turn. As for struggling when you cant hear the bass line, for now just play the root notes in time. Until you get the hang of things maybe try playing something easier or something where the bass stands out more. Learning arpeggios and chords will help you to be able to make up your own bass lines when you cant hear what is actually being played. Also the idea is to be able to eventually make up your own lines. As I said, playing along to songs is a great way to learn, but it is just one approach. I would recommend learning some basic theory as well as learning where the notes are on the fretboard. "Studybass" (see link below) is a great all round site. My advice is to go through the lessons from the beginning. This way there will be no gaps in the learning process. Once you have some basic theory under your belt, you will be able to make up your own bass line once you know what chord is being played. Dont let frustration spoil your enjoyment of learning. At one time we were all where you are now. Take it in small steps and be patient with yourself. Hope this helps and best of luck with it. [url="http://www.studybass.com/study-guide/"]http://www.studybass.com/study-guide/[/url]

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1382793698' post='2256633'] Check out the demo vids from Pro Guitar Shop - they make [i]everything[/i] sound good, without exception! [/quote] Thanks. I'm sure you are correct. However "making everything sound good without exception" is not necessarily a good thing either. The idea of a demo is to help us decide if we like something. This means we need to balance the good points with the bad. If [i]everything[/i] sounds good, then my suspicions would be raised. [i]Making [/i]something sound good is not what a demo should be about. Besides, "good" means different things to different people. Again my point is that even if you were to accept their superior presentation, there is no guarantee that the bass is going to sound anyway near the same if/when you play it yourself in a shop, or through your own gear. All you get is just a very general idea of the sound. That sack of salt needs to be close at hand.

Generally I dont pay much heed to bass demos on You Tube because there are too many things in the sound chain to render it inaccurate except to the individual demonstrating. For example, the type of amp, cab, location (as in the place where the demo is taking place, i.e. acoustics) strings, along with the person's playing style can all contribute to making the same bass sound different in other circumstances. This is not to even consider the type of speakers on your computer. In the absence of not being able to try out a bass personally, a You Tube demo can be of limited help IMO, but can be OK for telling about balance, weight, general feel etc. Just think, if you were blindfolded, and someone was to go on You Tube and play you say three clips of high end basses and three of entry level, could you tell one from the other. I doubt if I could. We all know, it's always best to try before you buy. Otherwise take these demos (regardless of what's being played, or how ) with a sack of salt.

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1382533034' post='2253265'] So after 172 posts is it fair to say that jazz is not widely disliked, just by some - in fact quite a few actually like it? [/quote] Agreed. I think "minority interest" is more appropriate than "widely disliked".