Quest_bikerider

Honestly Iv been playing about 18 months which puts me in the newbie class I would say in the grand scheme of things. Iv taken a few lessons & i recon my right hand techneque after revewing seems to be sound ie alternate finguring up & raking down, but I take on board your comments & I probably pluck to hard which is probably slowing me down. I have found using a drum machine better than a metronome as I can hear the high hat tapping out the semi quaver rythem with practice I can play the hole bass line in the order of the song at about 80bpm all be it a bit sloppy, but I would rather play it at this speed accurately before increasing the tempo, its coming along, It will take time, but I am determined to get there. Its not Impossible is it? Thanks for comments very much appreciated

I played or rather tried to a Rickenbacker bass in the guitar shop Denmark st London. It was a beast horrible sounded great though, each to there own

Thanks for that just looked it up £130 on ebay gonna look into it a bit more but looks good

[quote name='ColinB' timestamp='1332236628' post='1585106'] For difficult stuff I find it helps to break it down in to obvious short 'blocks'... and then start with an [u]end[/u] block, say, the last one in the verse or the last one in the chorus. Then learn the one previous to it so you're always playing into a part that you know. This means you don't always get that 'aaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggghhhhh' feeling when you inevitably mess up - which then becomes very negative. I find this way gives positive reinforcement to what you've achieved. [/quote] I think this is a really good idea Im gonna incorporate this into my practice. many times I f*** things up at the end due to the fact I havnt learnt it properly. Cheers.

Thanks for your encouragement. I figured if I can nail this I can pretty much nail anything & it is indeed a great bassline, I have heard this line played Live by Norman even faster than the oryginal recording & he really shows the effort involved, awsome. Im determined to get it right hopefully it wont take 20 years . A device that slows the rythem down without changing the pitch seems a fantastic practice tool to me, any further info on this would be greatfully received will look at amplitube as advised above.

As a newbie only been playing a short while I thought I would push the boat out a little (at least for me anyway ) & try & learn Norman Wot-Roy's classic bassline to "Hit me with your rythem stick" Ian Dury & The Blockheads. Iv allways wanted to have a crack at this. I must confess I have used utube & tab to work it out (chastisement accepted ) & I think Iv got the main parts learnt, I think its mainly minor pentatonic scales, & its taken me a couple of days . The problem is playing it at the right speed, @ 105 bpm plus the rythem, I think its a hard bassline to master. Would you agree, or should I be getting this? I'v tried playing along to the song but the intro starts so fast my fingures (left & right) are in knots by the end of the second bar. Just wonderd what is the best way to overcome this Iv tried playing to a metronome at a slower speed, I do find it quite hard to listen to the metronomes anoying click & playing, listening to the song gives me more clues as to whare Im suposed to be if this make sense,is this the right approach? Its not impossible is it? Any sugestions.

I know the Dominant 7 uses flat 7 instead of (just 7 which would be major) but am I right in thinking then that a chord written as simply C7 for eg is Dominant in tone?

This may be a stupid question for you more experienced musicians , but I am just learning the in's & out's of music theory on bass as a relitive newbie, I think I have a resonable handle on the main 7th cord structures of Major, Dominant, Minor & Half Diminished. & how to play there arpaggio's, but whats confused me is, in the book that I am learning from gives a chord progression with which to practice the Maj & M 7th chords musically which are written in the progression as e.g. A maj7, Bm7, but also C7. Is the C7 chord major or minor?, there seems to me no explaination Im assuming its Major but Im probably wrong.Am I missing something?. Also any practice ideas on this would be most welcome Many thanks Marc.

Thanks for all your comments. Without really knowing what I was doing with respect to replacing my strings (newbie syndrome) I eventually went for DR Fatbeams .45 - 1.05 on reccomendation. All I can say is 'WOW' maybe its because I havnt replaced them for i cant remember when but my bass now sounds fantastic & without too much of a comparison i think the sound is what I was after, its got me on the 'which strings learning curve' anyway.

Thanks for the info. Im very much in the learning stage at the moment at the bottom end of intermediate I would say, so a long way to go. Not really thought about slap style yet bit advanced for me, as for music I pretty much like anything but lean towards rock/pop. Strings I have at the moment I think are Rotosound & the G seems a little harsh compared tou the others so Im trying to get a more ballenced sound here as well as (as Iv said) a gravely sound, Im not sure weather just a new set of strings will acheive this.

Probably a question that has been asked a million times before on here, but I just wanted some opinions on the best strings to arm my Fender US jazz bass with, its the active deluxe version with 24 frets, & I think its about time i changed them (cant remember the last time!) . I havnt been playing very long & there are so many different types/size out there it seems confusing. DR strings have been reccomended but I dont know what there like. Im looking for that nice gravely sound. Cheers Marc.

Hi & thanks, I will definately enquire I think I have heard of the Swan Jam nights & South hill park is just round the corner so I will go along & have a chat. cheers.

I was just wondering, Sorry for the basic question but is it a good idea to get a bass guitar checked over by a professional workshop ie to check the truss rod is set right or the bridge is set up right etc. I have had my US Fender Jazz for about 8 years & apart from changing the strings Have not touched it, I dont think there is anything wrong & it plays & sounds great. Should I just leave it alone?

No I havnt put this post in the wrong place, Just wanted a little insight into a problem free intoduction to other musicians. I have been playing only a short time & am very much on the learning curve & hungry to learn, I have played with others a few times (never gigged) & I supose I have learned a bit from them, but its always led to dissapointment iether I meet up with the pros who are expexting Jacko Pastorius to turn up for the gig next week, or they are more concerned with smoking elegal substances or drinking instead of playing music, despite me being honest about my abilities. Sure I can learn a song or two & play along a bit but it takes time because Im still learning the foundations & things are not perfect. Just wonderd what's the best approach? I took up bass for fun rather than become a professional bassist & Im having great fun with it, but it would be a lot more fun playing with others on the same wavelength.

I went to school with Zak Starkey Ringo Stars Son currently playing with The Who, he was a year below me at school but I saw him play drums many times in the local pub The Cannon near Ascot. I didnt play bass then but if I did 'Who' knows.

Just a suggestion,as I am very much at the early learning stage. You could take 2 basses one for her & one for you, then she could copy directly what you are doing.

One thing that sticks out in my mind, I went to see Oasis at Wembly arena some years ago & 'The Verve were the suporting artists, I cant remember the opening song but I certainly remember the opening note it was Simon jones hitting a bass note that took my breath away literally. a defining moment in my quest.

Cheers, its certainly opend my eyes to different styles of music, I too was a rock or nothing person, but now im listening to everything & trying to pick out the bass lines,, my mates/family think im bonkers, foot tapping & head nodding to 1970's disco hits,Little do they know hey.

Thanks for all your comments, i cant tell you how much I appreciate your input. For a newbie like myself it seems like a bit of a minefeild out there. For one I am glad I joined this forum & I feel I have learned alot from here without even picking up my bass, Just to answer rayman's questions (great post), in the same way, I started playing bass because I listend to music with some great bass lines/players & I simply loved the sound of the instrument & wanted to play them, & now I love the sound of my own Fender Jazz, even if I do play more than a few duff notes, & now Im listening to music that I would never had done if it were not for taking up this instrument & I am certainly having fun with it. As I'v said Im not looking to be the best there is, for me it is just a hobby not a means to make a living or to get too serious about. But after reading the posts here I feel more motivated to play than ever before & I am definately going to put into practice your ideas, please keep them coming they are more than welcome. Thanks.

Thanks for your replys guys. in responce muttley, I dont read music ie sight read but I have learned a little about music notation, scales & notes on the bass but tbh I find reading a strugle im ok with tab but then again tab doesnt give you the whole picture as there is no rythem notation of course, I can definately see the benefits of reading music so I will try & learn any advice on this? is there a good progressive book spacifically for reading music on the bass guitar? As for the lessons I dont have as much desposable cash as I did a few years ago but I do agree they would help. I think playing with other musicians would bring me on but I strugle to find others who,s ego is not vastly inflated & looking to be the next super group, or who want a bass player like Flee or someone brilliant, & on the other end of the scale guys who can play a bit but really cant be botherd & are more interested in getting p*****d or smoking weed than playing music. I am just enjoying the learning curve at the mo.

Hi all bass players, I am new here, & a relitive beginer so please be gentle with me. Without repeating myself please refer to my introduction post 'Marc Berkshire' I think it indicates whare on the bass playing spectrum I belong, which is somewhare near the bottom I more than suspect. I now have some time on my hands & would like to 'learn' this instrument properly . Im not a natural musician, or have asperations to be the next best there is, but I have a good work/practice ethic & would like to improve for my own benifit & enjoyment, I am sure Im not the only one in this position, so i & maybe others would just like to know how all you experienced bass players started out & the path you have taken to get whare you are, any advice you could give to a novice like myself would im sure be valuable?

Hi There to all. This is my first post, Im a little nervous, so please be gentle Im a young 48 & have been interested in the bass guitar (which I think is a beutiful tonefull instrument,& very underestimated imo) for about 5 years. I had no previous musical knowlage before this time. Im just getting back into it after a lay off of about a year, I just couldnt fit it in due to family commitments.In a moment of complete madness a few years ago I bought a US Fender Jazz Deluxe active bass & a good practice amp (which cost a fortune), & now would like to do it some justice, a beutiful instrumen which Im a little imbarased I cant play properly i.e improvisationally. Again a few years ago I did a part time bass course at Bass Tech in London & a few lessons, plus I have played with other musicions far better than myself a few times but never gigged, Im interested in all music but like the rocky stuff most (must be my age). To be honest Im not really botherd about joining a full time band, but it would be nice to jam along every now & then. Am I completely off my rocker or should I learn the kazoo or something Is there a way forward, any comments good or bad very welcombe. Marc