WishICouldWalk

My advice for working this stuff out is don't try to achieve a particular technique, try to achieve a sound. Listen to how you sound and if you're not liking it, try to work out what the problem is and adjust your technique accordingly.

I chop and change. For a long time I was a devotee of thomastik jazz rounds and jazz flats. They're super flexible and very easy under the fingers. I'm now on DR lo riders for rounds and Labella flats, both of which are much stiffer than thomastik's. For me thomastik's are very expressive and respond to the nuances of what your fingers are doing but I have to set the action higher. The stiffer strings produce a more consistent sound and for me, lower action makes tough lines easier to play.

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That's a cool looking bass. Almost tempts me away from my Mustang...

I know - there should be special clauses for the used Fender market! 

30 choruses @ 300 bpm

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The problem with this bass is it's so easy to play you have to accept the bum notes are your own fault 😁

I've got to the point where I can comp with reasonable confidence over standards. For me the challenge now is being able to respond to what the soloists are doing. I have a lot of work to do before I'm truly improvising but Rome wasn't built in a day!

1 hour ago, Biscuit_Bass said:

Thanks for the replies and suggestions everyone.

I took the day off yesterday to rest my hands and picked up my bass again today. I just experimented with what felt comfortable for me. I tried something very simple (with or without you by U2) to get used to shifting my hand up and down the fret board, and then started learning the C major scale.

I tried to keep my wrist straight and relaxed and experimented with different thumb positions to keep things comfortable and also kept things slow.

As many of you have suggested, I'll take a look at the simandi technique and try using my thumb as a pivot more tomorrow. Things are feeling much more comfortable after practice today, so I think that's a good sign. I'm not going to get tied up with 1fpf and instead work on position shifting of my hand to achieve the same result with 1-2-4

I'd say you're on the right track with that. Use one finger per fret at the other end of the neck when you're soloing like Hadrien Feraud 😀

Hey man, I don't want to put a downer on things but I think the notion of a refresher on note choices is a bit misguided. Good note choices are a lifetime's work. You get there by consistently pushing your ear and technique in small increments by employing a well thought out methodology of study. There are no shortcuts, you simply have to do the work.

On 06/11/2021 at 07:35, Biscuit_Bass said:

Hi all,

 

Had my first lesson yesterday and really struggled switching between my middle finger and ring finger when trying a chromatic scale. It just wouldn't stretch far enough. Would I be better off trying the 1-2-4 method, or is it a good thing to persevere and learn to use all four fingers?

Cheers

If you're a complete beginner, everything will be a challenge. Persevere with whatever your teacher is showing you and eventually you'll choose 1-2-4 or one finger per fret depending on the situation. We all went through exactly the same struggles as you are going through so give it time and try not to get frustrated.

Dave, the real problem is there's too much out there. Whatever you decide on as your go-to resource, do things one at a time. Go deep rather than wide and don't skimp on the fundamentals. IMHO one on one tuition with someone reputable is the best value resource all round as you'll more than likely progress quicker.

Good luck.

Sorry if this has already been said as I've not read every response...

Try the Simandl technique as your default stance and only use one finger per fret for lines where you need it. I would say that's what the majority of bassists do. There's lots on YouTube demonstrating Simandl on bass guitar.

Good luck.

Something to bear in mind is that something that sounds boring and predictable on your own in the practice room will likely sound fine within an ensemble. Don't be in a rush to add variety as walking bass is a lifetime of study.

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Nicely done, that bass break starting at 2:09 is a nice technique exercise in its own right.

JTQ are a great band. Their current bassist Andrew McKinney is a monster of the pocket as was his predecessor Gary Crockett. This is 4 bars of Stepping into My Life looped. I'll try to learn the whole thing at some point.

Just sold my fender PJ bass to this gentleman and I have to say, it's been a totally trouble free transaction with plenty of good natured communication.

👍👍

Paul Chambers is my go-to player to learn from. He plays mostly quarter notes so you get a good understanding of how to outline the changes without loads of chopsy playing to worry about. If it's triplet embellishments you want study, Ron Carter has a lot of that stuff. Reginald Workman and Jimmy Garrison are well worth checking out and also Buster Williams who played a bit with Herbie. Joe Hubbard's book is great to get you started as it's very root based and if you only ever played the principles he describes, all your band mates will be happy because they'll never get lost in the harmony. Good luck.

Welcome. I love the donstrumental channel. Good luck with your playing.

Loving those inlays.

GLWTS

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