Doddy

Just play it like you would normally but with the advantage of not having to shift positions to reach the upper notes. All my 5's have a low B,because I occasionally get charts written with a low D or C,but when I play my 6 string I find I use the high C more than the low B,as I can easily play two octaves above the E string in one position. Also,the original Fender V had a high C and only 15 frets for that very reason.

Nice one buddy.

[quote name='4-string-thing' post='790027' date='Mar 29 2010, 10:07 PM']Yeah, one of those would do nicely, apart from the weight and the cost![/quote] Worth it though..

Your friends will say you are awesome,and your enemies will say you suck. The truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.

[quote name='4-string-thing' post='790008' date='Mar 29 2010, 09:54 PM']Does anybody make 4 ohm cabs nowdays? I only ever seem to see 8 ohm cabs for sale.[/quote] My Bergantino HS410 is 4 ohm.

Wow.....this tread's grown quickly. First off,I bought a Behringer Ultrabass Combo in a hurry a few years ago after my then combo broke. I used it for a couple of years and never had any problems with it. It didn't have the greatest sound in the world,but it didn't truly suck either.It did a good job. However,a student of mine bought the head and cab and it sucked royally,and the cab broke up after not too long. What I'd do if I were you is drive up the road to Stoke,go see Pete at the Academy of Sound and check out out the Harke and Ashdown stuff. I'd be way more inclined to go for the Hartke gear over the Ashdown to be honest.

I don't think it's really a matter of 'Bass Face'. If you are clenching your teeth enough to make your jaw ache you must be very tense while you are playing. You need to find some way to relax while you are playing.

The only problem with 'riff' style books is that all you get out of it is how to play a certain riff. They very rarely help you with the theory or how to improvise. They may give you ideas or inspiration,but they won't 'teach' you all that much.

To start with it's just a matter of getting a good clean,consistent note while alternating between your index and middle fingers(you can add a third finger if you want).Just going up and down the open strings is a good starting point. At a slow tempo,and on one note,go from playing crotchets for 4 bars,to quavers,to semi quavers. Take it steady at first and aim for accuracy rather than speed. Then try crossing strings. Try playing some major scales both ascending and descending,while paying attention to your plucking hand.You can try the previous exercise with scales if you want.Then you can try mixing it up with different intervals-thirds,fifths and octaves are a good place to start. Don't try and rush things. Aim for accuracy by playing the notes cleanly,and concentrate on finger alternation. Speed will naturally come over time.

For learning theory I would necessarily look at bass specific books,as they often don't go far enough beyond the standard major/minor and pentatonics. I know pages of scales aren't fun,but if you want to get deeper into improvising having a solid knowledge of scales and arpeggios is a basic starting point. You will have to have a basic understanding of the notes if you are looking at books as unless they are bass specific they won't have tab,which is irrelevant in this side of things. For me,understanding the notes on the stave should be a basic requirement,especially when you want to look at the theory. Try something like the Associated Board theory books. They are a good place to start. I really like 'The Jazz Theory Book'-it's probably too heavy for you at this stage,but it contains so much information. It's great,if a little overwhelming at first.

I've still got a thing for Les Claypool's tone. It's the kind of tone that would never work for the majority of players,but it is distinctive and really works for him. The fact he gets pretty much the same sound from his Ric or Jazz as he does on his Carl Thompsons proves the uniqueness.

I've never used them so I can't really comment,but I wouldn't want to spend that kind of money on them. You are probably better off spending time at a keyboard playing various intervals and chords whilst actively listening for the differences. With practice you will begin to hear the tonality of certain chords and and the intervals between the notes. It's all about practice and listening. Alot of these programs tout 'perfect pitch',in reality you are just as well off working on 'relative pitch'. Once you get to the point where you can sing,say, an A, you can figure out other notes in relation to it by 'hearing' the interval between the A and the note played.

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='789517' date='Mar 29 2010, 03:45 PM']I've got EMG-HZ's in my dean and love them Good all round sound and I play in a hard rock/metal band[/quote] The difference is that standard EMG's are active and contain a small preamp inside the pickup,where as the EMG-HZ are passive,so they are different in sound.

[quote name='hagguy' post='789184' date='Mar 29 2010, 09:43 AM']i personally think lessons are only useful to people who can work with structure, thats my worst nightmare, but it works for some people. when i moved to playing bass i thought about lessons, mainly because i couldnt get over how difficult it was to start off with but between youtube and jams in my house with mates, i think i've pick up way more than i would at lessons, plus it didnt cost anything [/quote] Actually I've never known anyone who hasn't benefited from lessons with a good teacher. You may think that you have picked up more by avoiding them,but I reckon that you won't have. Like I've said before,I've been playing professionally for quite a while now,but I still feel the need to go for lessons a few times a year. Sure,I can buy all the books and watch Youtube,but there is no substitute for actually sitting in front of a great player and picking their brains about various ideas and concepts. As far as taking lessons from another bass player,it depends what you are after. If you want to learn the theoretical side it doesn't matter what the person plays as long as they know their stuff-although usually I'd look to piano players. You can learn phrasing ideas from horn players. It's worth checking out drummers for rhythmic ideas,not necessarily 'groove',but actual rhythms. However,if you can find a bass player/teacher who has got an idea about 'musicianship' and not just 'Bass' you are on to a winner.

[quote name='thunderbird13' post='789172' date='Mar 29 2010, 09:30 AM']would you not be better off using Guitar pro which allows you to hide the tab and just look at notation. I think my version cost 30 quid[/quote] Personally,I'd rather practice away from my computer and have a book on a stand. It's easier and quicker to turn the page than to scroll down or whatever(unless you have one of those PDF page turning footswitch thingies). I also find that my eyes become tired quicker when I'm staring at a computer than they do when looking at a book.

I like EMG's,but they are very bright sounding pick ups.I agree with Rich about the Nordstrands,they are great. I also really like Bartolinis. Since when did the word sick start meaning good? Whenever I feel sick I usually feel bloody awful.

You could do,but I wouldn't. What I would is play something like this-Using G major as as example, For a 'standard' scale pattern you would normally play G and A on the E string, B,C,D on the A string and E,F# G on the D string. As an alternative fingering you could play G,A,B on the E string, C,D,E on the A string and F# and G on the D string. That way you are playing exactly the same scale in two positions. That's probably a better way to go about it. You could even play it in another position using open strings if you wanted. Of course you have a 5 string so you could play the same scale again starting from the 8th fret of the B string,and play it in even more positions. I think that would be better than playing half a pattern and then climbing up one string.If I was playing an octave higher,I'd probably start at the 10th fret,A string rather than the 5th fret of the D string. That's kind of a long winded explanation-it's something that's much easier to explain when you have a bass in your hands.

I'm not familiar with those changes in Autumn Leaves. Usually it's just basically a bunch of decending II-V-I's

[quote name='skampino' post='788925' date='Mar 28 2010, 09:53 PM']Don't suppose you'd be so kind as to tab it for me would you?[/quote] Sorry dude. I could write it out for you but I don't have anyway of scanning it onto my computer yet. And after all my slagging off of tab,I couldn't do it that way in principle.

I do.

If it's got notes in it,it's worth looking at if you are learning to read. I would use the book without playing along at first,so that you are just reading the charts- if you are playing along straight away it is easy to gloss over any mistakes. By all means play along with the track after you have got it down. Alternatively,if you feel confident on a piece,you could try to sight read it with the track. If you make a mistake you can always stop to figure it out. The only problem with the majority of bass transcription books is that they nearly all have tab in them,which may be a problem if you are learning to read as it may be tempting to have a glance.

If you are playing,lets say a G major scale,if you start it on the 3rd fret of the E string or the 8th fret of the B,you can basically use the same fingering pattern,as I'm sure you are aware. But,i you took it up an octave and started on the 5th fret of the D string,as you reach the 5th note of the scale (D) you would have to shift position,and one of the ways is to continue climbing up the G string. That's actually a good reason to learn the fingerboard thoroughly and to know what notes are in the scales,rather than just learning the patterns. Then you can play the scales in a few different positions.

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='788771' date='Mar 28 2010, 07:31 PM']Very true, although my bass case is a hard rectangular type, and seems to fit in awkwardly on the back seats..[/quote] It should still fit if you put it a diagonal angle. Or just buy a gig bag,it makes life easier.

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='788446' date='Mar 28 2010, 12:27 PM']I've got an old style ford Ka. My bass currently has to go in the passenger seat! Not even tried to get my amp in yet.[/quote] Seriously? Look at my first post to see what you can get in an old style Ka. You'll have no problem fitting in your bass and amp. Just drop the back seats. Although my combo used to go in the boot with out dropping them, and my bass went on the back seat in a gig bag Its all about space evaluation.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='787640' date='Mar 27 2010, 09:29 AM']How did we forget this? [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6HPJJjqvG0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6HPJJjqvG0[/url][/quote] Just because I was playing it in the shop the other day...............