I still did not get round to buying myself a bass guitar but I have looked at Squier Affinity Precision bass and amp kit also there is a Yamaha bass [not a very large instrument!] in the shop for reasonable money.
I have the use of my brother-in-laws Squier Jazz bass for the week as he is away on holidays. I figured out that simply playing the open A string, the open D string and the open E string 'works' for a 12 bar blues in the key of A, matching the open string to the guitar chord. Not in the least bit exciting but the notes fit and sound ok. So what extra notes should I add to make the sound more interesting? I know that fretting all three strings at the third fret works for the key of C and on the fifth fret for the key of D etc.
And I found that playing bass at even such a novice level is great fun. And addictive. Three open strings for the 12 bar in A. Any suggestions please on where to go from here...
Thanks guys.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
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Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
It's an electric bass (as in double bass), not a bass guitar, really. Start by playing root notes and concentrate on rhythm and timing, then when you get bored of that, start adding passing notes. True basslines - melodic, not necessarily chord-following - come later.
The only time they're really used as 'bass guitars' is in punk-type music really (I include Motörhead in that, since they were always at the punk end of the metal spectrum), so if that isn't your thing, put aside any thought of playing it like a guitar.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
The Verve - Gravity Grave
(That's pretty much my whole bass repertoire, now I think about it).
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Really cool, really fun, and actually quite a lot of it is really easy.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
https://soundcertified.com/speaker-ohms-calculator/
Joke - A total novice decides he's going to learn bass and signs up for weekly lessons.
The first day the instructor says to him "Today we're learning E" and he just plays E over and over again. The next lesson the instructor says he'll be teaching him A and he plays A over and over again. The third lesson is D and he plays D over and over again. At the end of that lesson the instructor says "Next lesson we'll learn G" to which the guy replies "I can't make the next lesson, I have a gig."
If only it was that easy and no offence bass players
Try singing All My Loving and playing Macca's bass lines.
I could manage one or other but not both! Instead I sang and missed a few notes out! Many people find it hard to follow bass lines in music and just get a vague "woomph-woomph" idea. My otherwise musical son finds this hard.
But don't ever worry about just playing "simple" bass lines. If you listen to "classical" orchestral stuff and a lot of Bach keyboard, there is often just a "bUMp. bumP. going on. I got into trouble with my son once!
He is a very accomplished lead/rhythm guitarist (fair on keys and clarinet as well, sod 'im!") and many years ago he got a gig as a bass player* in a band and I went to hear him. He asked me about his bass playing and like a H.U.G.E. twat I told him exactly what I thought. "You were a bit "busy" son" .....Barely spoke to me for about a year!
A few years later he came to me and said I was right and he apologized for being a bit of a dick about it.
*He was a good player, did " Variations" on a bass as his exam at school. The band had a lead guitarist but son suspected he would not last long as he was all ego and no talent. He was right and did a few gigs with them as lead Gitist.
Dave.
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