Having been playing guitar for a while now (badly), I am curious to have a go at playing bass. I am a total newcomer to bass and wondered if any of you lovely people could give me any hints or tips to get started? I can’t afford lessons sadly so it’s going to be a case of trying to teach myself. Will I find bass easier, harder or just different to guitar?
Also I have been looking at the Squier Classic Vibe Sunburst Jazz Bass. I love my CV Tele so it was kind of a natural attraction. Can anybody give me any views or opinions on one please.
Thanks loads!
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The Squier CV jazz is an excellent beast - highly recommended.
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Playing wise, you need to spend more time listening to the drums and locking in your timing. You'll use both the right hand muting and the left for controlling note length.
There are lots of tabs around, so much music to get started with. Playing bass in isolation is not as much fun as guitar so at the very least I usually play to drum loops or actual music.
Something like a Squier Jag Bass - https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/squier-vintage-modified-jaguar-bass-special-ss-lf-silver
Epiphone EB-0 - https://www.gak.co.uk/en/epiphone-eb-0-sg-style-bass-cherry/16580
Or maybe a 'medium scale' like an Ibanez SR Mezzo - https://www.gak.co.uk/en/ibanez-srmd200-bass-sea-foam-pearl-green/923100
All cheap as chips and pretty much ubiquitous so should be easy enough to try one out if you live near any of the big guitar retailers.
Harder in the sense that bigger strings put up more resistance.
Different in the sense that you will sometimes be using a different portion of your fingers. Guitar tends to use the tip. Bass tends to use the flatter part of the finger, halfway to the cuticle.
Very different in the role that a bass instrument usually plays in a band context.
I started by learning guitar but, after a few months, took up bass and I was a bass player for the 25 years. Whilst the two instruments are quite different your knowledge on guitar will give you a good start (things like knowing where the notes lie on the fretboard).
Compared to when I learned the resources available to you today are fantastic. YouTube vids, tabs, forums etc. Modern production techniques / low cost country manufacture mean that you can get a very usable instrument for relatively little money. I can recommend the Ibanez SR range. I got an SR500 about 4 years ago and I cannot find fault with it, the bass player in my band has one of the higher end models. After many years of playing guitar I wimped out and fitted very light strings.
Also - I found that I was listening to music I'd not usually listen to in order to learn interesting bass lines. Stevie Wonder is one - YouTube some of his greatest tracks and see if you can pick out the bass lines.
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You can use your guitar amp too, at low volume - it's safe as long as you don't push the speaker too hard, which you won't at home volume.
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I did that for twenty years.
I have played more elaborate lines for a few years. Wish I'd have tried earlier.
Simple - Adam Clayton
Composed and simple - John Deacon
Counter melody - Jack Bruce
Melody - Marcus Miller
Beyond comprehension: Les Claypool
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Thank you for all your help, will let you know what happens!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5VYOXm0gu4
How to play Wagon Wheel (and to understand what you are doing) in the key of A:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMYHvUU1xnw
Lock in to the drum beat, keep it simple and nobody in your band will complain. Until you stop playing.........
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
At the risk of muddying the waters, there are "PJ" basses, so named because they have both a precision and a jazz pickup. I think there's a Squier model but I'll put in a shout for the Yamaha BB basses - always well made and set-up and the entry level BB234 comes in at quite a bit less than the CV basses.
Here's a demo I sound that shows the tonal variety available from the rounded, dunky P neck pickup, the snarky, honky bridge J pickup and the slightly hollowed out tone of both together (using the tone control at various settings). Of course there are countless variations of pickup blending and tone settings between these extremes.
Maybe not quite as simple as a Precision but you can use the instrument purely as one if you so wish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDwt65o1XKY
It came fitted with D'Addario strings from new.
I agree totally with @ICBM on Jazz vs Precision, I've since bought a US P-Bass but resold it quickly as I much preferred playing the Jazz Bass.
Some variants exist that combine a skinny J neck with either a P body or, at the very least, a P pickup. The Fender Reggie Hamilton signature Jazz Bass is one of the few that positions the P pickup correctly.
Some bass guitar lines are easier to pull off on the tighter string spacing. I find some bass lines and grooves physically easier to play on the wider spacing of an early Sixties Precision Bass. e.g. A bunch of classic Motown and Stax/Volt bass moves make perfect sense on the ubiquitous P Bass with flatwound strings. The bounce is right.
What is right for you is a matter of personal taste.
Erm, actually, anyone who wishes to play bass guitar but expects to keep a fair degree of guitar-like elements in their style might want to check out a Rickenbacker 4001/4003 or naughty copy.