risingson

[quote name='newbass1000' post='1066253' date='Dec 21 2010, 10:49 PM']I was in a band for a while when i just started playing but we didn't share any music tastes really and we didn't get on so that didn't work out.[/quote] Ahh welcome to first major problem of being in a band. You should look at putting something together that isn't too serious, and never be too worried about perhaps playing some stuff you're not too keen on, it's all a learning curve. At the same time your band mates should understand that you might not be so keen on covering a tune that isn't to your taste either. If you do create a band make sure it has people in it that are relaxed and are just keen on having a good time. [quote]And I like to play all sorts of stuff, but at the moment i'm focusing on learning material from : Led zeppelin, Radiohead, Kings of leon, Muse, Pixies , Stone Roses , Rage against the machine and Rush ( i'm really getting nowhere with this last one ) But as I say, I keep forgeting a large proportion of basslines, and i'm not sure just learning songs is going to help for the future.[/quote] You've got a broad spectrum of music you like to listen to here. The Pixies might be a good place to start. Take the bass line from 'Monkey Gone to Heaven', you'll notice that the bass in the verses jumps out at you. It's all just a case of listening to what Kim Deal is playing and replicating it on your bass. This might seem like a daunting task but I believe that the best way you can learn the bass is by using your ears, and I promise over time the ability to learn bass lines will become marginally easier. It's all about using your ears. Don't focus too much on stuff that is too difficult to begin with, come back to it once you're ready and have built your confidence. Finally, as I'm sure a few posters will tell you, a great thing is to invest at least a few lessons in a good teacher. It's difficult for us to dole out advice over the internet on how to do things, the way you'll learn best is through example and repetition. Best of luck!

[quote name='newbass1000' post='1066230' date='Dec 21 2010, 10:25 PM']I've tried literally everything and for the last 3 months my playing hasn't improved at all, i feel like i'm not good enough to join a band just yet. Could anyone give me some advice? Thanks.[/quote] Yeh, join a band! I think one of the wisest things you can do as a young bass player is to join a band, irregardless of your perceived or actual level of ability. Here's why 1. You'll have fun 2. It will help build your muscle memory and with any luck you'll start to remember left hand patterns and the different ways your playing operates underneath a bunch of musicians 3. You can be as serious as you like, there are a lot of opportunities for bands of all ages, levels and abilities to get out there and perform, you can strive for that or just have fun rehearsing every week. 4. Girls like lads in bands. Fact Of course practicing at home is key as well, have a good listen to how your favourite bass players play and try and get your timing together. Don't focus on how good your technique is at first as this will come with time. Practice with a metronome and nail your timing. If there's one universal truth it's that no one likes a sloppy bass player, no matter how fast they can play. What kind of music do you like to play? EDIT - I would also agree with Thombassmonkey in that it's probably a good idea to seek a competent teacher, but whatever you do make sure he knows his stuff and isn't just a guitar player masquerading as a bass teacher!

I'd just like a piece of the Hacienda floor, forget the bass!

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='1066087' date='Dec 21 2010, 08:01 PM']Lol seriously mate don't even argue with him. He's like a spoilt child: give him what he wants and he'll just keep coming back for more. Just try to ignore him and he'll go away...[/quote] Having read this thread and not yet commenting, I think J.R. Bass has had some interesting and useful advice to give this lad, whereas conversely you seem to be pursuing some kind of agenda. It might be worth noting that your attempts to goad him aren't particularly helpful and take the focus off the crux of the main topic of discussion.

My P is very heavy (the heaviest bass I've ever owned) and the neck is like a baseball bat, I love it. The weight doesn't concern me at all, in fact I prefer a heavier bass... lighter basses can often feel like toys to me for some reason, no matter how good they sound. My Jazz is quite a bit lighter, but they both get regular gigging time.

Call me what you want within reason!

Everything about Dingwall's shouldn't be my thing by my usual standards (I love the Fender looks) but I will most certainly be looking at their Combustion's in a few weeks time when I get down to the Gallery next. They look awesome.

Still listen to Derrick May as well as more recent house counterparts such as Theo Parrish, Stacey Pullen, Derrick Carter and Robert Hood.

The best guitar sound I've heard on a record, period.

Pino Palladino or Nathan East. As far as I'm aware Nathan East is probably the highest paid, he was getting close to £750,000 a year for playing with Phil Collins alone, and I should imagine Pino would be fairly close to this also, perhaps more. Ricky Minor, Freddie Washington, Darryl Jones and Will Lee will also have the most profitable session seats.

[quote name='urb' post='1047079' date='Dec 4 2010, 08:16 AM']Well forgive me I could apply your second paragraph to both Marcus and Kai's playing, I agree the first clip of Kai I posted is a little obvious but FYI he played a passive 65 P bass until very recently a grooves like a mutha bitch on it - but again it's each to their own - I hardly ever slap in my band but I do it on occasion when I get a solo just to get heard! And while I love that Freddie Washington tune and his playing is wonderful - you're earlier point about slap dating songs is particularly true of this track - from 1982. I just don't think it's worth having so many "the bass can do this - but it can't do this" views - I'm not a fan of tapping really but if it's done well and it's musical then surely it's just another way of producing notes on the instrument - not some political statement? I think I agree wholeheartedly with your original point though about doing some rudimentary slap stuff just because it sounds a bit flash - when it reality it's as old as the hills and has no music in it... that I agree with 100%.[/quote] I agree with all of this, although I would say that although the Patrice Rushen track was released in 1982, it is a timeless bass line that's been sampled many a time because of it's distinctiveness in later years. Actually there are quite a few Marcus Miller tracks he played on of the same ilk. Grover Washington Jr and Luther Vandross are two fairly obvious guys that have had Marcus play with them and then been very heavily sampled. And my gripe doesn't encompass slap bass players per se, just the growing assumption that bass players are to be measured by whether or not they can do it... considering it takes up such a small fraction of what goes down on a record this gets to me.

[quote name='urb' post='1046823' date='Dec 3 2010, 09:08 PM']I agree - I love really well played slap that is both groovy and melodic - w***ing away in E is easy compared with stuff like this: It's just another technique that can be used and abused just like any other - Kai Eckhardt is also another master of melodic slap/groove stuff that sounds great and totally groovy as well: This is particularly beautiful Hope you enjoy... no need for more ranting! Cheers Mike[/quote] Sorry Mike, none of those clips are my thing at all, but each to their own. If I'm going to listen to slap bass I'd prefer to hear this. Sick tone that doesn't sound like every other player with an active preamp in their bass, memorable playing, tight and very musical. On the whole the kind of slap I like to see. Maybe I just don't buy into the showboating slap technique as much as some.

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1046998' date='Dec 4 2010, 12:51 AM']The only thing worse than bad slap bass is bass players complaining about slap bass. It's not all about thumping 8th root notes on P basses but hey-ho, different vinegar strokes...[/quote] Not quite... note that I wasn't complaining about slap bass (why bother? People are going to do it anyway), but people insisting that basses must be demo-ed in order to show their slap capabilities. Why? It's not necessary. A bit of slap, maybe, but not a whole video's worth.

Even though it is a fake, it's a shame because the colour is marginally more appealing to my eyes than the standard natural that is usually seen on the MM's. Fender need to assess their product range, cut it down and start offering more in the way of colours and options and I think they could make a killing doing it.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1046671' date='Dec 3 2010, 06:43 PM']The sad truth is to some she is. A beatles song was on the radio today and the lad (Same ellie fan as earlier post) had no idea who they were, He is 20 years old and thinks it because of our age difference. Im 33 not 63![/quote] I'm 21, I know who the Beatles are and I know that the reason she's as big as she is is down to good PR and gimmickry. Ironically both terms can be applied to the Beatles' early career, but the one word that can only be applied to the latter is 'talent'. The point being that audience size is indicative of very little in this case. Ellie Goulding is good (she's a friend of a friend), but only comparatively to the rest of what Radio One are calling music nowadays.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1046640' date='Dec 3 2010, 06:07 PM']Certainly got a bigger fanbase than most of us thats for sure....[/quote] Unfortunately by that logic Lady Gaga is the new Beatles.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='1045908' date='Dec 3 2010, 01:51 AM']I must admit about the only bass guitar I am considering buying at the moment is a custom Sandberg J. Probably JJ, probably a 5. If I knew exactly what I wanted I would've ordered it already. They look like great basses I must say.[/quote] The three or four Sandberg Cali's I've played have sounded consistently better than their more expensive Sadowsky Metro counterparts I've tested and for much cheaper also. Not slamming Sadowsky's, this is just my opinion of course.

[quote name='KevB' post='1042008' date='Nov 30 2010, 09:42 AM']Merry Christmas Everybody (Slade) [url="http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/s/slade/merry_christmas_everybody_ver2_btab.htm"]http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/s/slad...y_ver2_btab.htm[/url][/quote] I only read the intro but it's wrong, walks down to a D in the original, not a G on the 3rd fret of your E, THEN walks around G, Bm, D chords in the verse. Unfortunately IMO it's why tab can't be trusted. It's one of my favourite Xmas tunes though

Just to clarify something here. This post wasn't a rant about slap bass and whether it's acceptable or not, I'm happy to concede that whilst it's not my thing a lot of the time, it will of course be of interest to other players. But I don't want to watch a 7 minute video of someone demo-ing an instrument by slapping, especially not when they're a terrible player either with no timing or feel. It's just of no interest to me.

A bit of a rant here I guess, I appreciate not everyone's going to agree with me here, but here goes: Every demo and every video of a bass player on Youtube or elsewhere on the internet deems it necessary to damage your insides and your sensibilities with a slap bass solo in E, usually performed with more concern about technique than about notes and timing. I wouldn't usually be so bothered about this but I've been doing some preliminary research on some new bass guitars I might consider buying, everything from Sadowskys, Dingwalls, Laklands etc. and I just keep running up against players who think demo-ing a bass guitar has to involve slapping the living crap out of it. It's just not what I want to see from a good demo, I want to see a decent player making a good go of playing some real bass guitar, but it rarely happens without that player trying their hand, usually badly IMO at playing slap bass. Slap seems to be in most bass player's repertoire nowadays but I can honestly say there are very, very few bass players I have heard that have ever impressed me using it as a technique (honestly, I could probably count them on two hands tops, maybe even just the one). Most of the time all I see are sloppy performances with little attention paid to timing and musicality and it bores the hell out of me I'm sorry to say. What's more when it comes to actually playing on a track, slap bass immediately dates the sound of a record by 20-30 years, and with that in mind and the fact that very few players use it on records any more why is it necessary to demo a bass entirely slapped?? Answer - it's not. I'm fine hearing a bit of slap every so often, it's inevitable I guess, but it does very much irritate me that there are videos and demos out there from shops and reputable luthiers alike that rely solely on some bassist who thinks he's got all the slap chops in the world but ends up sounding dull, tonally plagarised and wholly uninspiring. Rant over!

I started out as a finger style player exclusively, but have found that over time it has become necessary to use a pick to acquire a good understanding of modern bass playing, as well as certain sounds and feels that simply cannot be performed with fingers alone. Anyone who claims pick playing is an easy way of playing bass is not only wrong, but also very ill-informed. Equally if you're worried about only ever getting one sound out of playing with a pick then you probably need to practice a little more and experiment with other kinds of picks. I'm not a massively technical player, in that I don't tap or slap much, but I'm pretty happy with the way I play and technique is not an issue for me. [quote name='LawrenceH' post='1042922' date='Nov 30 2010, 08:44 PM']In all seriousness I can't think of any tracks I like that use one...thinking...Carol Kaye on Pet Sounds? Doesn't sound too challenging though.[/quote] Oh dear, point missed entirely here. Carol Kaye was the foremost session bass player of the 1960's, possibly of all time if I'm not mistaken. Not even Jamerson or Chuck Rainey were as prolific. There's a good reason she can be heard on 1000's of records. Challenging doesn't even come into it, how challenging a part has nothing to do with how a bass line contributes to a good song.

Bobby Vega is one of the the few players whose technique genuinely interests me as well as his musicality. He's just an excellent player with a great sound, particularly love his pick playing.

[quote name='daz' post='1040571' date='Nov 28 2010, 10:58 PM']Just a little food for thought: If i recal correctly Stuart Zender says something like (and I'm massively paraphrasing here) ' I used a five stringer when i first joined Jamiroquoi, so i could emulate what had been done before I joined, but it wasnt really me. Now I have an established place in the band I am more likely to use a four stringer with an octave pedal'[/quote] I'd wager that Zender stopped using 5 string basses because they became a little '90's', but now using a vintage Fender is trending higher than a fancy Warwick 5 string with LED markers. To be honest his background with Jamiroquai and later solo work was very modern R&B influenced and at the time 5 strings were the thing to be using.