Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

IS IT IMPORTANT


valentine
 Share

Recommended Posts

all the notes and stuff on a bass,i just cant be arsed with learning all the theory i just like to pick the thing up and play it ,like what i mean by learning the notes ie all you ES,F,GS,A,BS,C,DS, do i really need to learn off by heart where they are on my fret bord,i have basic theory knowledge of the bass is this enough or do i need to learn all the theory also?

i will if i have to but i still prefer just playing it to learning where all the notes are BORING!
been playing 5 months now and i play about 2 hours a day so im getting decent at this thing now =)


x

-rob-

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's not about it being boring.. it's about learning everything about the instrument you love.. and furthing you musical knowledge and ability to improvise.. and KNOW what you're playing rather than just playing what sounds good.

I've just learnt this after playing for 6 years without a dot of theory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='276403' date='Sep 3 2008, 05:17 PM']It's not about it being boring.. it's about learning everything about the instrument you love.. and furthing you musical knowledge and ability to improvise.. and KNOW what you're playing rather than just playing what sounds good.

I've just learnt this after playing for 6 years without a dot of theory.[/quote]
Well said.

Plus, if you don't know th enote names, when a guitarist says "I'm playing the chord E minor" you won't have a clue which notes go into it, or even where E is on the fretboard... :)

Boring, maybe. Essential, almost definitely! Sorry!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

okay thanks for the advice, i know my basic scale patterns anyway,i will spend lil bit of time on the theory maybe 15mins a day ,i just hate doing theory,im the kind of person who gerts the playstation out the box and learns about it as i go along rather than read the instructions

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Merton' post='276406' date='Sep 3 2008, 05:20 PM']Plus, if you don't know th enote names, when a guitarist says "I'm playing the chord E minor" you won't have a clue which notes go into it, or even where E is on the fretboard...[/quote]

I've deleted my post because I realised that it basically says the same as this.

S.P.

Edited by stylonpilson
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='valentine' post='276396' date='Sep 3 2008, 05:10 PM']all the notes and stuff on a bass,i just cant be arsed with learning all the theory i just like to pick the thing up and play it ,like what i mean by learning the notes ie all you ES,F,GS,A,BS,C,DS, do i really need to learn off by heart where they are on my fret bord,i have basic theory knowledge of the bass is this enough or do i need to learn all the theory also?

i will if i have to but i still prefer just playing it to learning where all the notes are BORING!
been playing 5 months now and i play about 2 hours a day so im getting decent at this thing now =)[/quote]
I think the best thing about all that theory stuff is that it helps liberate your playing a bit. I'm hardly an expert compared to some on this forum, I only did RSM Grade 5 theory but knowing how chords are constructed and being able to construct them on the fingerboard is invaluable for coming up with bass lines that rely on more than just root, thirds, fourths or fifths.

If you need an example of that in practice, James Jamerson's basslines on the Motown records are probably one of the best examples there are in pop music. He let this theory take all the hard work out of playing which was probably a good thing anyway given he plucked all his basslines with 1 finger ('The Hook'). But he did have a jazz background as well. Have a look at passages where he doesn't play the root note in a chord sequence and you'll probably find that it provides a short cut for getting between two other chords that would have other wise been a bit of a stretch.

EDIT:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ive been playin for nearly 14 years now and its only recently i feel like i need to start with some theory! (apart from the basics that i already know lol)

i learned to play bass just by listening to the bands i liked and figuring the parts out! this has given me a pretty dam good ear and i can now pick stuff up really quickly! it also has led to me being a very free and natural player. i dont have to think about what im doing in a mathmatical way i just do it by feel. this really works for me in a band situation where you improvise and jam a lot!

a lot of the musicians that i was around when i first started out really didnt understand how i could play with out lessons or theory (ive never had a lesson in my life) they had so many lessons and its all they talked about but in a band situation they sounded so wooden like they were being restricted by what they were being taught! like they were only aloud to play what was "correct" and "proper" but to me music is about expression and feel. i think you should start by playing how you want to play and develop your own style! then later on if you feel like you hit a brick wall or want to take it to another level consider lessons etc

if your happy and confident with your playing then its obviously working for you! dont worry about theory too much or what other people say/think! just keep up to date with the basics and just get on with playing and enjoying it! after all thats what its all about!

also remember that some of the greatest musicains in the world couldn't/cant read or write a note of music!!


:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It takes some of the voodoo out of it, makes it a bit easier, I find it interesting. But thats not the same as just learning the notes on the fretboard, that would be really boring.

Learn the major scale in C, it's easy, C D E F G A B, learn how to play the shape starting on 3rd fret A string. Then try the same thing on the other 3 "c"s. If you're still really bored, then just don't do it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='valentine' post='276407' date='Sep 3 2008, 06:21 PM']okay thanks for the advice, i know my basic scale patterns anyway,i will spend lil bit of time on the theory maybe 15mins a day ,i just hate doing theory,im the kind of person who gerts the playstation out the box and learns about it as i go along rather than read the instructions[/quote]

15 minutes a day is best! as long as you stick to it that is

Best is to learn your basic scales (major / minor / pentatonic major/minor/blues) ánd try to learn a bit about chords.
easiest way to do this is to get a keyboard and just learn what exactly changes when you turn a C chord into a C7b9add13 (to go to the max). It may not seem like it but once you know this on the piano you will pick this up on bass VERY easily (which is THE reason you have to learn how to play the piano at Music College)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

another easy way to learn the positions is to learn patterns, learn the open strings and learn the first four frets on every string. that way you can work down octaves and fifths and stuff to find the note you're after.

a basic theorey is enough, it annoys me when people say you should be able to name a note anywhere on a fretboard as soon as you point to it - why? what does it matter if it takes a couple of seconds to work out the notes? even for jazz playing you learn the shapes not the notes, if i was playing Amaj7 i'd know the what to play, know the 7th etc. without actually knowing the notes when im playing them. i mean i don't think "if im in Amaj7 the 7th is an Ab, and in the A major scale is an A, a B etc." when i play, i know the shapes. rant over.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='lwtait' post='276491' date='Sep 3 2008, 07:32 PM']a basic theorey is enough, it annoys me when people say you should be able to name a note anywhere on a fretboard as soon as you point to it - why? what does it matter if it takes a couple of seconds to work out the notes? even for jazz playing you learn the shapes not the notes, if i was playing Amaj7 i'd know the what to play, know the 7th etc. without actually knowing the notes when im playing them. i mean i don't think "if im in Amaj7 the 7th is an Ab, and in the A major scale is an A, a B etc." when i play, i know the shapes. rant over.[/quote]

If you are sight reading a chart on a gig and it takes you a couple of seconds to work the notes out,you will get fired.It's as simple as that.
The problem-I think-for just learning fingerboard shapes,is that you can easily become reliant on these patterns,whereas knowing the notes in the chords will open up the entire fingerboard you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote]IS IT IMPORTANT, TO LEARN all the notes and stuff on a bass,i just cant be arsed with learning all the theory[/quote]
Come on!...Learning what and where the notes are on your bass is hardly theory. :huh:

If you're happy fiddling about in your bedroom :huh: , then, if you "can't be arsed" there's no problem.
On the other hand, if you want to get out there and play in the real world, then you're gonna have to put in a bit of effort.

Imagine turning up at an audition - the guitarist says, "this one's in Bb" and you mutter something along the lines of "where the f*cks that?" :)

Steve

Edited by SteveK
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Doddy' post='276508' date='Sep 3 2008, 07:56 PM']The problem-I think-for just learning fingerboard shapes,is that you can easily become reliant on these patterns,whereas knowing the notes in the chords will open up the entire fingerboard you.[/quote]

This has eluded me so far. I'm still relying on chord and scale shapes far too much. I've got the theory books to develop beyond using shapes but have still to get there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...