Experience question for all bassists here

Parker · Unread post by **Parker** » Thu May 27, 2004 5:03 pm

i have been coming to these boards pretty much primarily for my questions and whatever else, mostly tab. there are only a few bassists that avidly post, and as a beginner at bass, i am very impressed with all the tabbing and ease it seems people around here have for the songs.

so my question is how long have all of you been playing? i have been playing for about 3 months for maybe an hour and a half a day.

Bartender2424 · Unread post by **Bartender2424** » Thu May 27, 2004 7:37 pm

Goin on two years now 2-4hrs a day. My suggestion for you is learn how to read music, learn scales, and dont stick with jus DMB, theres much more out there to learn from. Practice makes perfect bro 8)

i like tictacs · Unread post by **i like tictacs** » Thu May 27, 2004 9:53 pm

Almost 8 months here, and a lot of guitar before that. Do what tender said, it will help you out if you expand your musical taste and see how a bassline fits into a certain song, etc.

kopie101 · Unread post by **kopie101** » Thu May 27, 2004 11:08 pm

I agree that learning scales, etc helps a great deal, but also its very important not to make "rules" for yourself, especially when playing in a band. its important to (as victor wooten says) "learn from yourself" because that way you get a feel for the instrument. playing in a band is a definate benefactor. ive been playin for a year and a half but it seems like longer because playing in a band helps you so much more than anything a book can teach you.

Jah · Unread post by **Jah** » Thu May 27, 2004 11:51 pm

Playing for around a year and a half.

street fish · Unread post by **street fish** » Fri May 28, 2004 12:29 am

I've been playing for about six years.

I started playing in bands maybe two years ago, and I think I progressed more in the first month of playing with a band that I did over the previous four years. There's something about playing with other musicians that forces you to move to the next level, especially in terms of hearing what you're playing and how it works with what everyone else is playing, and timing. You can't cheat, and there are no do-overs. Join a band as soon as you can find one that will have you.

I think most of the rest of what I learned came from watching and listening to as many other players as possible, on TV, on recordings, on stage, anywhere someone is playing. Don't just watch the ones you think are "good," because you can learn something from all of them (well, except the hacks). I've probably learned the most from players that a lot of people would dismiss as lackluster or boring because they aren't flashy, upfront players.

GSR · Unread post by **GSR** » Fri May 28, 2004 8:44 am

i've been playing for about a year and half. i definitly consider it my greatest passion.. its the greatest thing in the world. i spent the first year or so just learning how to play the damn thing..more technique then theory oriented... thats when i learned most of my dmb tunes. after learning a lot of dmb and other tunes... i decided i needed to start learning theory so i could work with other musicians.

LEARN THE NAMES OF THE NOTES ON THE NECK.
it'll really help you feel like you know your way around the instrument. plus, if you're playing with say a guitarist and he says we're gonna jam in B or something like that, you won't feel completely clueless.

also LEARN SOME SCALES
i only know about 4 or 5...but i find they're incredibly useful for improving. because if you know the key of the song, you can find the root and stay within that scale to create a line that sounds relatively decent.

Parker · Unread post by **Parker** » Fri May 28, 2004 9:35 am

thanks for all the tips. i love playing also but i do not have a ton of bands music on my computer, therefore not a lot to play along with. so i want to learn new styles and i certainly would love to play in a band setting.

bassman462 · Unread post by **bassman462** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 6:40 pm

A little less then a year.

street fish · Unread post by **street fish** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 11:05 pm

Get with other musicians as soon as they will have you.

Record yourself playing as often as possible.

I've reminded myself from recording the sound clips I've posted around here how much you don't hear while you're playing. Recording yourself sort of trains you what to listen to while you're playing.

You also have to learn how to hear notes or chords. This is about the only way you're going to come up with halfway interesting bass lines to go along with the songwriter you're working with. He can list the chord progressions he's playing, and you can apply the appropriate scale from your chart, but I think if you're spending too much time thinking about it you're going to miss the feel and the essence of the song you're working with. You have to be able to hear it and feel it. This skill comes from playing with other musicians, either recorded or (preferably) real people.

Parker · Unread post by **Parker** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 2:53 am

i am working on pretty much everything you wrote streetfish. i just so happen to live with 3 acoustic guitar players, so i get to play with real musicians often. it is far more interesting and challenging than playing to a recording.

i wish i had the means to record myself, i am sure that would help alot. it would also be fun just to hear myself clearly. so often notes and just slip ups go unnoticed, hearing what little mistakes i am making would go a long way to corrected them.

but for only having 4 months under my belt I am pleased, but am aware of the endless practice of a musical instrument. i dont want to be capable, i want to be good.

street fish · Unread post by **street fish** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 6:45 pm

Parker wrote:i am working on pretty much everything you wrote streetfish. i just so happen to live with 3 acoustic guitar players, so i get to play with real musicians often. it is far more interesting and challenging than playing to a recording.

i wish i had the means to record myself, i am sure that would help alot. it would also be fun just to hear myself clearly. so often notes and just slip ups go unnoticed, hearing what little mistakes i am making would go a long way to corrected them.

but for only having 4 months under my belt I am pleased, but am aware of the endless practice of a musical instrument. i dont want to be capable, i want to be good.

A recorder doesn't have to be studio quality, I think you can pick up a decent 4-track cassette recorder for $100 that you can plug straight into. Spend a little more and you can get one that one of your guitar players and you can record at the same time. Just record some reference onto track 1 (a rhythm guitar track, a drum loop, or even a metronome/click track), put on your headphones, and record yourself onto track 2.

Like I said, it isn't studio quality, but it will more than adequately serve your own purposes for learning. You'll hear everything you need to hear. Honestly, I wouldn't screw with the digital multi-track recorders, a cassette based system works just fine.

street fish · Unread post by **street fish** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 6:48 pm

What I catch myself doing most often when I record is that I'm being sloppy rhythmically. 99% of the time I play notes cleanly and correctly. What I'm playing is usually good enough to pass when I'm with a band, but when I isolate the track it is "sloppy" in terms of rhythm and feel. It usually only requires one or two more takes to fix it, I just need to be reminded of what I should be listening to.

kopie101 · Unread post by **kopie101** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 7:25 pm

same here with sloppy rhythm and feel...but i have noticed, ive been fortunate enough to play with a good drummer for my whole bass "career" and i find you get noticably better with a good drummer.

everydayDMBfan_18 · Unread post by **everydayDMBfan_18** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 1:10 am

While I'm reading this stuff...

I play guitar and that's my thing...but for when someone comes over and wants to jam full band style I'd like to have something here. Any suggestion for a cheap bass?

DMBTabs.com

Experience question for all bassists here

Experience question for all bassists here

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