General
30 Aug 05
31 Aug 05
Originally posted by sjegunplug the lead when not in use. that's what activates the active pickups ...
Yes. I'd reccomend a good four string (you don't need 5 or six) with a nice, rib-shaking quality, and a clear slap and pop.
I've had an Ibanez S800 for years. Active pickups, so there's a battery inside. Only I can't stop the bloody thing from draining the battery, so i ended up having to take it out every time I'd finished playing. Pain in the proverb ...[text shortened]... an bedroom bassists for a reason.
Unless you have one, you'll need more dosh!
Good luck!
31 Aug 05
Originally posted by KneverKnightyes, KneverKnight said it. you don't have to learn chord shapes, which takes... well, it can take as long as you want it to take. but to get basic open chords and barre chords, there is a larger time commitment necessary than to play single notes on the bass. and since the bassist's role in a band is often sparse and simple and repetitive, you can jam with others very soon after practicing say, the penatonic scale over and over and over for several hours. with the bass, it's rythm that matters. you can think of it as a drum. although it has melodic possibilities, it's primary role is rythm. human ears define the chords they hear by the lowest note played. if the guitarist is playing say, a C major chord (any C chord will do...) then bassist plays C. if the bass plays something else, then the C major sounds like something else. i reccomend the bass very much, but you'll dissapoint yourself if you're looking for melodic flourishes of guitar. it's a driving instrument, a meditative instrument. it's behind everything pushing. get a drum machine that has a whole bunch of beats and just play whatever you want. just play the penatonic for awhile, over and over to beats. just keep the beat. get some music that you like and play it and figure out the basslines. even if they sound complicated, spend the time to get it and then you can jam with your favorite music. i don't know if it's the best way to learn, but it's fun, and that's the point right?
Well, until Darth chimes in here, it has been my experience that every instrument is as difficult as you want to make it ...
With that out of the way, the thing about guitar vs bass for someone just beginning is that with the bass, there is no need to learn chord shapes; you just play single notes so it's easier to get playing right away.
On ...[text shortened]... imple bass can sound terrific, can propel the whole band to a good performance if you play good.
keep in mind to that melodies are just rythmic patterns applied to scales. the bass offers alot as an instrument. it's really really really fun to play. and like any instrument, you'll spend a life time exploring it.
31 Aug 05
Originally posted by Darth SpongeThe bass is a "body" instrument; you feel it in your bones, at least in most modern music. With Bach, it's just another instrument, but that's a whole different story ...
yes, KneverKnight said it. you don't have to learn chord shapes, which takes... well, it can take as long as you want it to take. but to get basic open chords and barre chords, there is a larger time commitment necessary than to play single notes on the bass. and since the bassist's role in a band is often sparse and simple and repetitive, you can ...[text shortened]... lly really really fun to play. and like any instrument, you'll spend a life time exploring it.
And there's trad. Jazz bass ...
Like I said, it's as hard as you want to make it, there's no limits but your own.
BUT, it's easy to start on.
01 Sep 05
Originally posted by clive59Cheers Clive-
unplug the lead when not in use. that's what activates the active pickups ...
I meant to say that the battery drained regardless. Sure, what can you do. If you use the rechargable ones, the waste in one good session, and the duracell maybe in two. I assumed that my pickups were draining them whether plugged in or not.
But the point I'd make is this:
Going from beginner to someone who can play simple songs is easy, and requires very little skill, and much less than what it take an aspiring guitarist.
However, to qualify as a bassist in my books, you have to be able to play. That means going beyond roots and fifths!!!
A guitarist looks at a chart, sees boxes with numbers for his fingers, and learns a chord shape which he calls say Dmin. A monkey with a strong opposing digit could play simple rhythm.
A bassist needs to know the chord, the arpeggio, and the key. If you have a succession of changes of key, knowing which scales to use becomes rather complicated. And from my experience, it's rare to find guitar players who know what they are doing, and in what key (or sometimes what chord!). So in that sense, being able to improvise will be as difficult as learning to play a competent lead guitar, added to the fact that if you stop for a break or make a mistake, then the whole piece falls down, so you can't just add a killer lick every now and then as a lead play might.
So a bassist needs to know what notes are available to play, whereas a strum monkey does not.
Add to that a sense of timing, and off-beat. And if you can sing and play on the off beat like Sting or Flea, for example, then you deserve some serious respect!
Bass is a mixture of melody and rhythm. To be a bassist, you need both!
An instrument rather maligned in the recent Simpsons episode with the Stones and Elvis Costello!
If Bill Wyman were still in the band, he would never have taken that lying down!
"Bass, anyone? <doooooooo..doooooooo>"😉
01 Sep 05
Originally posted by sjegi agree that the bassist needs to know arpeggios and chords and chord structures and needs to go beyond root 3rd 5th. my point is that the BEGINNING bassist can play with a band and sound good by sticking to sparsely structured basslines. one would assume they would eventually progress beyond this point, but to learn say, a basic blues progression, is very simple for the would-be bassist, and a good place to start.
Cheers Clive-
I meant to say that the battery drained regardless. Sure, what can you do. If you use the rechargable ones, the waste in one good session, and the duracell maybe in two. I assumed that my pickups were draining them whether plugged in or not.
But the point I'd make is this:
Going from beginner to someone who can play simple songs is easy ...[text shortened]... band, he would never have taken that lying down!
"Bass, anyone? <doooooooo..doooooooo>"😉
to play like Jaco, you'll have to go beyond root 3rd 5th (some may argue beyond human capacity)... but even Jaco had to start somewhere.
01 Sep 05
Originally posted by Darth SpongeRec'd.
i play both bass and classical acoustic guitar, so i can deliniate a bit here: playing bass is like dropping heavy things on the ground. it is best played loudly. bass is a powerful instrument. some may feel that it's not as glorious as lead guitar, and it's true that many people don't listen to the bass lines of songs unless they are overt, but t ...[text shortened]... not as far as guitar or piano... learn the root 3rd 5th and you can jam with pretty much anyone.
02 Sep 05
Originally posted by Darth SpongeI agree with that, Darth. It's easy enough to pick up. However, assuming that the bassist progresses beyond that point can be dodgy- e.g. countless modern rock 'bassists'.
i agree that the bassist needs to know arpeggios and chords and chord structures and needs to go beyond root 3rd 5th. my point is that the BEGINNING bassist can play with a band and sound good by sticking to sparsely structured basslines. one would assume they would eventually progress beyond this point, but to learn say, a basic blues progression, is ...[text shortened]... ond root 3rd 5th (some may argue beyond human capacity)... but even Jaco had to start somewhere.
But I'd argue that the progression from that level to the next, of competent bassist, is rather a leap.
Anyway, rock on, you people!
sjeg