So I have my buddy’s electric bass chillin in my apartment while he and his wife are trying to sell their house. I’ve had one before, but never really bothered with it. I’d like to learn to play. Any ideas on good tabs to look at? I love listening to Flea play, but that kind of playing is completely out of reach right now. I’m into just about any sort of rock, excepting Nickelback and their ilk. I love classic rock, but get thrown off when people start naming off obscure stuff, as I was born in 1981 and learned classic rock from the radio.
Thanks for any suggestion you can give.
Oooohhh… wait… I also have a standard 6-string acoustic here. Any suggestions for me to try with that and my notoriously slow fingers would also be appreciated.
I’m in pretty much the same boat - I bought my first bass about two months ago. I asked about it at the end of this thread. Do you play guitar regularly, and have you been playing for long? If yes, I’d try playing along with the radio. If not, I’m sure people can recommend other methods.
Teaching yourself bass? Do it by ear. It worked for Paul McCartney and it worked for me. Put whatever music you want on your stereo, and then play along with it. Take note of the positions and where movable patterns on the neck work comfortably for you. Practice the major scales over and over.
The vast majority of pop rock bass lines are a snap. Easy and intuitive. Practice for a while, by trial and error, and it’ll be second nature to play along with most rock songs.
Teaching yourself by ear forces you to develop your own technique and your own style, and in my opinion it will give you more fluidity on the instrument. My two favorite bass players in rock music, Paul McCartney and Phil Lesh, both taught themselves how to play this way.
I could go on and on about bass playing but I should be sleeping. Just play, play, play. Play, play, play.