The low frequency conspiracy... and playing with yourself...

darthed1981

Hi All,

Don't come in here much, but have discovered across recent jams that I really rather love picking up a bass, certainly beats being "rhythm guitar #3"... and there is a lot of hidden fun involved, like you are part of a low frequency conspiracy, nobody notices you are there... but they would notice when you are gone... like the band illuminati

I've also noticed the bass lines more on songs, pop songs ironically, where the bass can vary from simple root notes but reinforces chord sequences with climbing bass notes (like on George Michael's "Praying for Time", which I'm a bit obsessed with at the minute) or whacks in nifty passing notes, and so on.

I should note, I'm a very poor bassist, I play with a plectrum, and mostly will happily busk with some root notes, rather than try to be clever... but I do enjoy working out where you can slip in a fifth, or a passing note... I probably get it wrong, but it's fun.

So apart from sharing the fact I've "discovered" that bass is pretty cool as an instrument for ME (should note I've been fortunate enough to play with bassists off of this parish, who are fantastic musicians, and I was aware of this before!)...

How do you try to play with yourself? (snigger), - sometimes you can pick up a guitar and just widdle pentatonics for ages and have a ball - though I suppose it can be the same on a bass - do you all play along with recordings?  Is it worth investing in a bass amp, or are headphone solutions (like the nux mighty plug, wot my mrs got me for xmas, and the Vox bass amplug, which I also have) good enough?

Thanks all

Winny_Pooh

With bass 90% of the time jamming with songs or drum loops

Bridgehouse

I really need to teach you finger style - it will open up the bass so much more. 

And for me it’s also jamming along to tracks - I use my helix as an interface and use Spotify to randomly select stuff - you get some interesting challenges that way!

VimFuego

Bridgehouse said:

I really need to teach you finger style - it will open up the bass so much more. 

And for me it’s also jamming along to tracks - I use my helix as an interface and use Spotify to randomly select stuff - you get some interesting challenges that way!

sooooo much innuendo!!!

Bridgehouse

VimFuego said:

Bridgehouse said:

I really need to teach you finger style - it will open up the bass so much more. 

And for me it’s also jamming along to tracks - I use my helix as an interface and use Spotify to randomly select stuff - you get some interesting challenges that way!

sooooo much innuendo!!!

That’s your mind, that is…

VimFuego

Bridgehouse said:

VimFuego said:

Bridgehouse said:

I really need to teach you finger style - it will open up the bass so much more. 

And for me it’s also jamming along to tracks - I use my helix as an interface and use Spotify to randomly select stuff - you get some interesting challenges that way!

sooooo much innuendo!!!

That’s your mind, that is…

and proud if it I am. The day I grow up is the day I die.

darthed1981

Bridgehouse said:

I really need to teach you finger style - it will open up the bass so much more. 

The problem I have - and it hurts my guitar playing as well - is I'm left handed and play right handed, so I have a fantastically poor right hand.

No doubt practice could fix that, but my confidence about such things is very low!

Bridgehouse

darthed1981 said:

Bridgehouse said:

I really need to teach you finger style - it will open up the bass so much more. 

The problem I have - and it hurts my guitar playing as well - is I'm left handed and play right handed, so I have a fantastically poor right hand.

No doubt practice could fix that, but my confidence about such things is very low!

Me too. So that’s your excuse scuppered. Practise is all you need. 

Funkfingers

I play both guitar and bass.

In a recording project situation, I try to play the sort of bass part that leaves space for guitar noodling. 

When the guitar idea comes first, I try to create a bass part that supports the chord structure but includes interesting passing moves to move between those chords.

Occasionally, I come up with a bass part that works against the chords, taking the whole composition to another level.

darthed1981

Bridgehouse said:

darthed1981 said:

Bridgehouse said:

I really need to teach you finger style - it will open up the bass so much more. 

The problem I have - and it hurts my guitar playing as well - is I'm left handed and play right handed, so I have a fantastically poor right hand.

No doubt practice could fix that, but my confidence about such things is very low!

Me too. So that’s your excuse scuppered. Practise is all you need. 

Really? Haha never noticed that!

Bridgehouse

darthed1981 said:

Bridgehouse said:

darthed1981 said:

Bridgehouse said:

I really need to teach you finger style - it will open up the bass so much more. 

The problem I have - and it hurts my guitar playing as well - is I'm left handed and play right handed, so I have a fantastically poor right hand.

No doubt practice could fix that, but my confidence about such things is very low!

Me too. So that’s your excuse scuppered. Practise is all you need. 

Really? Haha never noticed that!

Yep - I’m a lefty who plays right handed. Trained my right hand to play finger style. Couldn’t do it the other way round at all now. 

fretmeister

I can sight read reasonably well (at least for the stuff I like to play) so I often find some transcriptions and play that, still along with the CD / YT etc.

I'm not limited to just bass guitar music then. Loads of great stuff for the left hand of the piano works really well, but if I want to effectively play solos over a backing then Trombone parts are fantastic. Quite a lot of trombone jazz tunes out there, with backing tracks available.

There's also a fair amount of YT bass people with large libraries of bass playalongs

Constantine is a bit of a legend - massive variety of stuff from Dolly Parton to Bryan Adams to Hendrix etc etc - all with tab available. Some very easy at genuine beginner levels, and some more difficult.



Then there's Cover Solutions too



Again - tab available.


Just between those 2 you could build a really good cover band repertoire.


PS - there are always people complaining about plectrums on basses. Ignore them. I'm 99% finger style but there are many excellent bassists in all genres who prefer a pick.

Ideally - pick / fingers / Slap / thumb plucking etc as it's all part of the tool kit, but don't worry too much about what you think you should prefer.

It's only ever Dave Mustaine who puts "must play with a plectrum" in his adverts for bass players. So do what you like!

ICBM

darthed1981 said:

I should note, I'm a very poor bassist, I play with a plectrum, and mostly will happily busk with some root notes, rather than try to be clever...

Those things are not related. It totaly depends on the style of music you play and what sound you want to make.

I play in a punk-ish band, and I use a pick - it's a deliberate choice, I prefer to play bass with my fingers for my own stuff, but it doesn't sound right for that kind of material.

Busking with root notes is the foundation of good bass playing - you need to be able to do that well *before* you move on to more adventurous stuff. If you play accurately in time with the right feel and confidence, that's often all you need to do.

alalalkasar

ICBM said:

darthed1981 said:

I should note, I'm a very poor bassist, I play with a plectrum, and mostly will happily busk with some root notes, rather than try to be clever...

Those things are not related. It totaly depends on the style of music you play and what sound you want to make.

Absolutely, i play in a 60s band and using a pick gets the click and thump with flatwound strings. 

Bridgehouse

ICBM said:

darthed1981 said:

I should note, I'm a very poor bassist, I play with a plectrum, and mostly will happily busk with some root notes, rather than try to be clever...

Those things are not related. It totaly depends on the style of music you play and what sound you want to make.

I play in a punk-ish band, and I use a pick - it's a deliberate choice, I prefer to play bass with my fingers for my own stuff, but it doesn't sound right for that kind of material.

Busking with root notes is the foundation of good bass playing - you need to be able to do that well *before* you move on to more adventurous stuff. If you play accurately in time with the right feel and confidence, that's often all you need to do.

It’s often all I do do…

trikelops

VimFuego said:

Bridgehouse said:

I really need to teach you finger style - it will open up the bass so much more. 

And for me it’s also jamming along to tracks - I use my helix as an interface and use Spotify to randomly select stuff - you get some interesting challenges that way!

sooooo much innuendo!!!

I always thought Innuendo was an Italian suppository.

Open_G

I'm terrible for just working out a bunch of fun riffs to play rather than whole songs... I can hear the band in my ever so vivid imagination funking along behind me, and also waiting while I try to remember which fingers go where...

the thing I loved about bass when I first picked it up is how much it got me listening to other forms of music... I'm not sure I'd have ever really listened to a lot of soul and funk if not for the bass... even just the other day I heard "Express Yourself" on the radio and thought to myself "what a fun little line," got home and picked up an acoustic bass and worked it out (almost certainly in the wrong key, but hey ho)

  

darthed1981

Open_G said:

the thing I loved about bass when I first picked it up is how much it got me listening to other forms of music... 

That's a really good point.

What I've found really enjoyable recently is noticing the bass on classic pop songs, the bassist on "Last Christmas" is enjoying himself, clearly, but also adds to the general "bounciness" of the whole song through they way the bass line weaves through it.

More recently, when not noticing that she's a rather attractive young woman, I've noticed Dua Lipa's Physical and Don't Stop Now are topped with fantastic funky bass lines.

Also I'm now incurably an old man having used the phrase "rather an attractive young woman" like I'm in a mid-ranking carry on movie.

mrkb

It would have been ‘filly’ in a carry on movie.

stickyfiddle

I make playlists (some bass specific, most just good songs), then chuck those on random and play along to pick up new stuff. Like drums it's not so much fun on its own as it's not really melodic content in the same way. 

But I love a good bit of bass - get yourself a good soul compilation  

Funkfingers

darthed1981 said:

I'm now incurably an old man having used the phrase "rather an attractive young woman" like I'm in a mid-ranking carry on movie.

You are Leslie Phillips and I claim my five Guineas.

Phwoar! I say. Ding-dong! Left hand down a bit, CPO Pertwee.