Moving to bass

rmortis

I haven't been feeling guitar for a while now and everything I do seems forced so I got the brilliant idea: Get a bass. It benefits me with my current and future recordings not having midi bass haha. Now, anything a guitarist should know when switching to bass as a main instrument?

babbalute

Don't try and play guitar on the bass. Bass lines from chords are a good start but if you study baselines from songs they are not always(in better melodic songs most likely not) playing the root note of the chords a rhythm guitarist would play. Learn your scales, and note positions on the lower 4 strings. Take up some lessens on youtube or from books etc. if you want to be a better bassist. Some harmony lessons will benefit you tremendously. Good luck or should I say break a leg.

Jayhell

Yip, it's not a guitar so change your mind frame. When I get a bit bored of guitar I switch to bass for a while and then back again. Keeps the creative juices flowing. Listen to music with great bass lines and try different things. Playing all the Nirvana songs won't get you far, but attempting Chilli Peppers will broaden your scope. There are so many cool techniques on bass you just need to open up to them.

rmortis

I mostly want my bass playing to be what my guitar playing isn't: groovy, simple and most of all fun to play. Bands like Tool, Tesseract, RHCP and the Beatles are what I have in mind

NorioDS

I'm in the same boat as you. That's why I'm buying Rocksmith... so I can practise REAL bass lines which will hopefully get me "grooving" as a bassist instead of "noodling" like a guitarist.

Check it out.

I got the cable from Takealot.com for R316 - free delivery. I'll be buying the game from SteamPowered.com when finances allow.

Nice thing is the cable also works for recording.

babbalute

Don't know Tool,and the rest,(i'm a bit older, will check them out) but if you want to play like one of the best bassplayers (PMC) of the Beatles you will need to have good harmony skill and know your chord progression knowledge. He used to and still comes up with nice sounding bass lines. I for one like them as they melodic but punchy and or groovy at the same time. The bass lines from the Beatles are always part of the song, part of the chords played and support the voice harmonies. I find that Beatles songs are most difficult to cover properly. Learning material from him is available in book form as well as on the Inet. A quick ref http://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2012/05/the-melodic-bass-lines-of-paul-mccartney-by-rob-collier/ and http://smartbassguitar.com/must-know-paul-mccartney-bass-lines/#.VWBv13L77b0

V8

I agree that bass does require a different mind-set to guitar...however, (imho) there is a lot in common with a rhythm guitarist.

Tone wise, I reckon there is a lot to be gained from developing a solid finger style, plectrums just have a different attack and give a different sound/feel to fingerstyle. Slapping n popping is another topic altogether! All three techniques have a place in your arsenal as a bassist.

Feelwise, note duration (whole, half, quarter, 8th, 16th) was a topic I had to re-visit (and constantly go back for refresher lessons) and remind myself that my job was to "make the drummer sound good" or as I simply say to myself, lock in with the kick. Simple 12 bar blues lines are great example of simple & effective bass groove(s). The more I lock with the drums, the more I feel I'm doing the job of a bassist... :?

Here's a structured resource with LOADS of material : http://www.studybass.com/ - I also follow a few guys on youtube, "Talking Bass" (lots of bass line tutorials) & "Scott's Bass Lessons".

babbalute

V8 wrote: I agree that bass does require a different mind-set to guitar...however, (imho) there is a lot in common with a rhythm guitarist.

Tone wise, I reckon there is a lot to be gained from developing a solid finger style, plectrums just have a different attack and give a different sound/feel to fingerstyle. Slapping n popping is another topic altogether! All three techniques have a place in your arsenal as a bassist.

Feelwise, note duration (whole, half, quarter, 8th, 16th) was a topic I had to re-visit (and constantly go back for refresher lessons) and remind myself that my job was to "make the drummer sound good" or as I simply say to myself, lock in with the kick. Simple 12 bar blues lines are great example of simple & effective bass groove(s). The more I lock with the drums, the more I feel I'm doing the job of a bassist... :?

Here's a structured resource with LOADS of material : http://www.studybass.com/ - I also follow a few guys on youtube, "Talking Bass" (lots of bass line tutorials) & "Scott's Bass Lessons".

? 8) ?

rmortis

Wow, thanks for the links and tips guys! Makes me very sad that I don't have the bass in my hands yet haha, can't wait to get my groove on

Redfox

Hi, I play bass and guitar, no preferences, and they are two completely different instrument.
If you want to play bass professionally, better you star to listen very carefully to the drums...
The bass is, with the drum, the "rhythm section", you two give the rhythm and Groove to the rest of the band. The bass, more, it's the key connection between rhythm and harmony : lot of responsibility. isten to the drums, mostly to the kick, you'll see most of the basslines go with it. Use your fingers, so you will control better the sound. A good way to start is to listen(and try...if you can) to funky and rhythm and blues. Don't think to become a bass player in few months, it takes years of work, study, practice and a lot of lucky in the finding of a good band...?