…which was totally unexpected, but way cool! And the good news is that I already play regular old guitar, so I don’t have to learn any of the basic concepts…but the bad news is that I spent very little time in the past thinking about bass lines, other than noticing that in about 50% of songs they just carry the tune in a straightforward sort of way.
So a couple of things I’d like help with from you bass players is 1) pointing me toward a good place to learn about the physical approaches to playing. I play guitar with a pick, but would just as soon learn to play bass without one. And 2) suggestions for some fun songs to learn/play along with, bearing in mind that my skill set is minimal. I’m open to pretty much any genre…I’ve been slowly learning my way through the easy parts of Bela Fleck’s “Sinister Minister”, but am also interested in trying something more mainstream.
Oh, and for what it’s worth it’s an Epiphone Thunderbird. I don’t know if it’s a good learner bass, but I love the hefty feel of it and the way it resonates.
I too am a guitarist by trade, but I’ve also played bass.
I would recommend avoiding the approach you and S.P. have put forth here…that is, learning to play specific songs by rote. I would urge you instead to first learn the basic relationships between the notes on the fretboard. You don’t have to know a lot of music theory; just your fourths, fifths and octaves, and later major vs. minor runs.
Play along with some three-chord country songs (polkas would work too) to learn fourths and fifths. Play along with I-IV-V blues or 50s rock songs to learn major runs (the “boogie” pattern). Then gradually move on to more sophisticated songs, listening for changes you’ve already become familiar with.
This is basically the “give a man a fish” vs. “teach a man to fish” approach. If you understand how the instrument “works,” learning any subsequent song will come much more easily to you. You won’t need the laborious “hunt and peck” method of learning it by rote…you’ll just naturally gravitate to the note you need.
Okay, some good suggestions so far. There’s no reason I can’t learn “Money” AND start learning the basics. I know the basic scales on the guitar and can usually instinctively find my way through chord progressions, but I was unaware (for example) of this ‘circle of fifths’ things. So: can anyone point me toward some great source material? There are lots of random internet sites and YouTube videos, but I’ll take recommendations.
I agree with DChord. Learn some basic structure stuff.
I agree with the others. Play stuff you like.
I stress both - work on “practice” for 5 minutes, then rock out on a song for 5 minutes. Whatever keeps you playing. Pick songs you like, then pick apart what they have in common with other stuff you are practicing.
Money is in 7/8; if you aren’t Mr. Time Signature, it could put you off. Better off working on stuff that is super-easy and super-groove heavy so you can get a feel for holding down the bottom end. You could do a lot worse than Take Me to the River by Talking Heads. 3-note riff that is very, very hard to truly groove.
The OP probably already understands music pretty well, and in particular how the fretboard works (it’s just the E,A,D,and G strings one octave down, IIRC). So I’m assuming he also already knows scales and chords, and possibly modes as well. On the one or two occasions when I’ve been asked to pick up a bass instead of a guitar, what struck me first was the bigger stretch required to finger a chord or passage, compared to playing it one octave up on the guitar. As a result, you have to move your fretting hand around a good deal more. On a regular guitar the two octave pentatonic scale is one of the first things aspiring blues and rock guitarists learn. It fits comfortably under the hand and, and you can barre it anywhere along the neck. On the bass that’s usually not possible; first, because to get the last notes of the second octave you have to reposition your hand completely, and second, because even just to reach the first minor third you might not be able to maintain the barre and still stretch your pinky up three frets. So in general you have to be more conversant with the fretboard in terms of knowing exactly where the notes are, rather than just, “if I’m barring at fret 5, then planting down my pinky on the E-string will give me the blue note on fret 8.”
I’m a keyboardist so maybe not the go-to source you’re looking for, but my choice for beginning bass would be “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac. At least the bass solo riff, which is repeated for the rest of the song. It happens to be one of my favorite FM songs too.
I have been foolin’ with bass for a few years, myself. I started playing keyboard bass with my first synth in 1979, and now have a Mexican built Fender P-Jazz bass with 2 pick-ups. Most of my playing is in the studio, where I can edit, replacing bad notes with the correct ones, and sliding the timing just right when I miss.
My current album to practice with is Green River by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Find a few albums to play along with. Lots of fun, sounds good, and doesn’t feel like practicing. Just like playin’ air bass but LOUDER!
Victor Wooten is one of the best bass players around. Quite a challenge.
I don’t usually try to play Bela Fleck stuff on the banjo.
All right, so after a few weeks here are my observations.
It’s a lot of fun! Playing variations around a standard bassline lets me be inventive without having to be fantastic (I’m not saying I’m great at it; I’m just saying that the bass is more fun than I expected).
After all these years of playing guitar, my instincts are about a quarter inch short when I’m reaching up three frets. I’m having to learn to pick up my left hand more than I’m used to, rather than anchoring slightly with my index finger.
My right hand doesn’t feel natural without a pick. I’m still learning where to rest that hand and how to hit the strings to make them sound right.
Listening now more closely to music, I’m amazed at how often the bass tone is “dumbed down” until it’s almost invisible in a song. I can replicate that on my amp, but it’s understandably a dull sound.
Speaking as a bassist, there is one thing that is more important above all for a guitarist approaching bass. Don’t simply see it as a guitar with a deep sound. See it as a bass, period, and approach it as such. This means expanding your scales and chord theory from the guitar and also applying a lot of rhythm and groove. Play along with a drummer if you can or a drum machine or metronome. Create interesting patterns. Think that less is more and rather than learning a fast riff, learn to play a pulse that really feels to your heart.
When you’re in need of inspiration, most soul, funk and disco, past to present, have a very present and creative bass line.
What kind of music do you like? If you start approaching from the bass player perspective, you’ll notice things you hadn’t before. I’d start with cool stuff that isn’t impossible to figure out. When I was starting out, my bass bands were Iron Maiden, Led Zep & The Police. Very different kinds of music, all with very interesting bass players.
Since you are used to 6 string, you’ll have to endure low-end scales to get comfortable with your fret positions. When you warm up, just start going up the first 5 frets chromatically (stretch that left hand) and run through some major & minor scales. It’s boring, but you’ll need to get comfortable with the different spacial relations that the bass gives you over the guitar. I go back and forth from my bass, 6 string & mandolin…It takes a little time to realign your hands for the different instrument sizes, but it’s not that hard.
And my advice…just avoid the Sinister Minister, and Vic altogether for now. Wooten is the master class of bass. Even if you are a brilliant guitar player, you probably won’t be at that level unless you give up your six string, any other hobbies, your job AND practice so much that your wife will regret the gift.
Great advice from everyone. Cactus and AndyPolley, I’m not trying to do anything fast or fancy (despite the Sinister Minister comment), and right now I’m just taking a handful of songs I like and trying to feel my way around their general shape, if that makes sense. The responses from everyone are useful, and I appreciate them. [and of course any other bass players feel free to chime in].
I don’t like the sound of the pick on the bottom strings so much. I couldn’t tell you exactly why, but it grates on my nerves. Fortunately there are plenty of videos to help me figure out where to put my hand.
Here’s some English dude, for example, who indicates that the hand resting below the strings is ideal.
Of course, he seems to be holding his bass backwards, so that might be the equivalent of this guy with the weird name, who indicates it’s best to put your thumb on the pickup:
This old dude goes with his hand on the pickup, off the pickup, and also uses a pick, so it’s like a 3-way tie for last:
He seems like he may have done some drugs or something.
Anyway, I feel like I’ve got a cool new toy, which I guess I do. Thanks.
Thanks.