any advice how to start learning the bass ?

i have just got my first bass guitar yesterday after wanting a bass for a long time now (it's a squier affinity jazz bass in sunburst and it is lovely for the money i have to say).

obviously the main issue now is trying to start to learn to play it now.

although i have tried to learn guitar for a fair few years i am a terrible guitarist still and have issues with trying to learn music theory too (it just goes over my head tbh).

i would really love to be able to play the bass and be able to improvise and connect with the instrument (have never been able to do either with guitar if i am being honest).

i have always wished i could be a musician but never had  the ability (either technical or theory).

any advice would be most welcome.

ps forget about the years of trying to play guitar i seriously am a complete beginner i feel still.

thanks :-)
i like cake :-) here's my youtube channel   https://www.youtube.com/user/racefaceec90 



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Comments

  • PetGerbilPetGerbil Frets: 175
    edited September 2019
    Think of a song you like. Type "(name of song.) chords" into google.
    Take the name of the chord and just find the Root note on one of the fattest two strings on your bass. eg. If the song goes Am,F,C,G Find those notes.( frets 5,1,8,3 on the bottom E string)

    go, bum,bum,bum,bum.    on the A note (5th fret,bottom string).pick: down, up, down, up.))

    then go, BUM,bum,bum,bum.   Still on the A note.(emphasize the first note)

    then try BUM,bum,BUM,bum.   Still on the A. (emphasize the first and third note)

    Then move on to the next note.(the F.(1st fret,bottom string))

    As you work through the song, it should be A A A A, F F F F, C C C C, G G G G and repeat.

    At some point, you will find that sliding between notes a long distance apart (The F to C)  might be easier to execute by playing the "C" note on the next string up.( 3rd fret "A" string,rather than 8th fret "E" string)

    (That chord progression was "The Passenger" by Iggy Pop" which i picked cos it's just those chords for the whole song. )


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  • What kind of music do you like and would you like to play?
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  • thanks for the replies 

    PetGerbil i will definitely try that for sure :-)

    pintspiller i like a wide range of music anything from drum n bass to jazz and metal.

    3 of my favourite bands though are rush,pink floyd and marillion. i partly chose the jazz bass due to geddy lee playing one (also the narrow neck as i have small hands).

    i was watching a doc about the pixies on yt earlier and was trying to follow along with kim deal  from ear and when i could see how she was playing it too. i love all that type of music too (pixies,dinosaur jn,nirvana etc).

    i am more than willing to start at the very basics as it is a completely new venture in instrument for me (both in trying to get to grips with playing it and listening to the bass as well in the songs,had always focussed more on the guitar,but i do listen to the bass too lol).

    i have to add that i do not have an amp atm but plan on saving for a fender rumble 25 at some point.

    thanks for the replies again :-)

    ps i have a blister on my thumb atm from playing my new bass so may have to use a pick for the moment  lol
    i like cake :-) here's my youtube channel   https://www.youtube.com/user/racefaceec90 



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  • i have a blister on my thumb
    Bigger calluses are one of the first things to acquire in order to play bass guitar.

    I suggest that you make sure that your instrument is properly set up. This will eliminate a great deal of unnecessary effort for holding the strings down. 

    Timing will be aided enormously by playing along with a metronome, a drum machine or a music app with built-in drum rhythm patterns. Learn to lock in exactly with the drums. Then, see what happens if you play slightly early or slightly late with respect to the drums. If you can get this down, it will improve the chances of guitarists, keyboardists and singers wanting to work with you.
    Be seeing you.
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  • BasherBasher Frets: 1198
    Tons of stuff on YouTube. I like Scott's Bass Lessons (just the free stuff!) but there are loads of tutorials and teachers out there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKAHDALZKhg&list=PLF1FD1418DFA48532&index=14&t=0s

    Other thing is just to immerse yourself in the music you love and listen carefully. I'm learning bass myself and one of the things I never really appreciated is the importance of "ghost notes". These are usually just "dead" clicks against a damped string but they often seem to be the thing that brings out the funk in the bassline.

    A metronome app for your phone is a great idea. I'm trying to do this properly and I ignored good time when learning the guitar - big mistake. I have to force myself to use the click when practicing but it's a great tool - if only to find out how bad I am.


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  • PetGerbil said:
    Think of a song you like. Type "(name of song.) chords" into google.
    Take the name of the chord and just find the Root note on one of the fattest two strings on your bass. eg. If the song goes Am,F,C,G Find those notes.( frets 5,1,8,3 on the bottom E string)

    go, bum,bum,bum,bum.    on the A note (5th fret,bottom string).pick: down, up, down, up.))

    then go, BUM,bum,bum,bum.   Still on the A note.(emphasize the first note)

    then try BUM,bum,BUM,bum.   Still on the A. (emphasize the first and third note)

    Then move on to the next note.(the F.(1st fret,bottom string))

    As you work through the song, it should be A A A A, F F F F, C C C C, G G G G and repeat.

    At some point, you will find that sliding between notes a long distance apart (The F to C)  might be easier to execute by playing the "C" note on the next string up.( 3rd fret "A" string,rather than 8th fret "E" string)

    (That chord progression was "The Passenger" by Iggy Pop" which i picked cos it's just those chords for the whole song. )




    That's pretty much how I approached it. To simplify further, just play the root note on the first beat. When confident with that slowly start adding to it.
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  • I’ve certainly read interviews with quite successful bassists who said they started out more interested in the rhythm than the notes. Guitarists, to some extent can get away with being sloppy on timing ( of course lots of this is ‘it depends’) but bassists, by and large need to lock into the groove.

    There can be a lot of power in simple things done well - on any instrument but particularly on bass. That is not to say it should only be simple but you can do some things quite quickly that are useful ( in terms of within a band type context). So Jaco Pastorius was playing RnB riffs before he went all widdly, Geddy Lee was playing John Paul Jones riffs ( early Led Zep bass lines often a good example of the power of the bass), Bruce Thomas ( of The Attractions) was playing Mowtown lines, ( fusion bassist) Stu Hamm loved the Partridge Family and his early gig was in an Elvis tribute act,etc,etc. 
    Certainly if you were looking at making music with others groove, consistency are what other people will tend to want.

    Not that I really play much bass ( or even guitar arguably) but I find swapping between the two using a plectrum a bit of a mare. I’d probably look at learning two finger alternate picking* ( although you can do three or even four if you really want) so you aren’t tied to using a plectrum. I’m not quite sure what you are doing to get a blister on your thumb.**

    There was a relatively simple thing that I heard in a Jaco Pastorius interview that I’m not sure I’ve ever done much but he talked about playing the same thing in as many places as possible on the neck. Not always possible of course but when you can it does three things. Firstly, it helps stop fretting hand fatigue and secondly it is a way of learning your way around the neck without thinking about theory. Third, it helps improve technique ( for both hands) because you are having to play in different places. You can do this with whatever you know how to play. Just a thought. 


    *This kinda thing 

    https://youtu.be/l2DokKgBVWo



    ** we’ve got to install microwave ovens, deliveraayys...
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • thank you all for the tips and advice. i will definitely be folloing it all as it will definitely help me learn the bass.

    EricTheWeary it was me being too into hitting the low e using my thumb trying to play along to something on yt i think was the cause lol. i am definitely a novice on the bass for sure. but am loving it i have to say
    i like cake :-) here's my youtube channel   https://www.youtube.com/user/racefaceec90 



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  • I think I’m right in saying that Monk Montgomery who was an early pioneer of the electric bass played primarily with downstrokes with his thumb. But doesn’t tend to be the default way of playing for most people ( I’d suggest). Unless you mean slap type bass which is probably not the obvious place to start and tends to butter no parsnips around these parts ( although I’m alright with it). 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    edited September 2019
    Oh, somewhere in all this I spent ten minutes trying to find alternate ways of playing the same three note bass riff on my guitar. It’s quite amazing how many different combinations you can come up with. The notes were A, C# and E and there were two places to play A ( open A string and 5th fret of the E string) and three places to play C# and three to play the E. Multiple combinations available, some of which were more practical than others but interesting how that kind of exercise can really open up the fretboard. 

    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • When I started I banged away on the root note with a plectrum. Got away with it for years. That was when I was a guitarist who played bass.

    Now I've been mostly playing bass and refer to myself as a bassist, I mainly use two fingers instead of the pick and play the country i-v and walking i-iii-v a lot.
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  • I tend to use my thumb down-stroking. I'm deffo not a bass player though. Just have one for filling out recordings. 
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  • Oooh, I've got a part two...

    You can mute the note on the third beat. Which often corresponds to the snare hit on drums.
    So you go. BUM,bum,---,bum. (or BUM,bum,tit,bum. if you prefer...which I think we all do. Mute on the tit...ornithological jokes welcome..:D )

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