New to Bass

Spicy Lauren

Howdy People.

I finally got my hands on a bass and yes, i'm loving it!
Anyone has tips for me?
Been playing the guitar for 10 years so it's not like i'm new to playing music or anything.

Koola boola

Lauren

dbs_sailor

lower the action.

John

You should be fine with the bass if you've got that much experience on the guitar, the only thing to get used to is the feel of the strings and the spacing of the frets. The only thing I'll suggest is that if you don't fingerpick on your guitar much is to try and use as many fingers as possible when playing the bass, it is far easier to play cool sounding basslines when you've got all four digits in action (although I'm not one to talk, my pinky finger is useless!).

Spicy Lauren

Conan,

why should I lower the action?

dbs_sailor

cause it's easier on your womanly fingers.

i have wuss piano fingers.

cornbb

Not meaning to knock your advice John, but I'd recommend using only your index and middle fingers when starting out, and always alternate them to improve your rhythm. Hold your thumb against the pickup to provide an anchor. You can later build up to using four fingers to play very cool fast stuff. Also consider getting one of those squishy foam stress relief toys and squeezing it with your left hand to build up strength.

Have fun with it!

Zapho

OP I've been sooo tempted to buy a bass too. Been playing guitar for a few
years too. What bass did you get and where did you get it?

OctavarIan

John wrote:

it is far easier to play cool sounding basslines when you've got all four digits in action (although I'm not one to talk, my pinky finger is useless!).

I don't think you should be using your pinky finger at all actually

dbs_sailor

OctavarIan wrote:

I don't think you should be using your pinky finger at all actually

???

what a bass player.

Rigsby

cornbb wrote:

. Hold your thumb against the pickup to provide an anchor.

There is also a technique for the right hand called "The floating thumb". This way the hand is in a more natural position, the thumb moves freely, so less cramp or wrist pain. It also allowes you to mute the strings not being plucked, with your thumb which is a major plus. I think there is a video of it on "You-tube".

Spicy Lauren

Heehee!
Thanks lads.

Zapho, I got a second hand Squier bass off a guy I knew (the lucky bast*ard got himself a very nice Fender jazz bass). That Squier is not the may west but it's grand for me cos i'm a complete beginner. I will get myself a nice bass when I eventually become a damn good bass player, but only time will tell!

Squishy ball is a great advice, I do think it gets a bit sore on the top of the hand, I guess i've to build up the aul' muscles on me fingers.

Any more advice for me?

Lauren

scaldybelt

Practice - practice - practice.....

Then one day you could handle one of these......:D
Rhap12x4.jpg

I bought one last year and love the huge sound off it!

John

OctavarIan wrote:

I don't think you should be using your pinky finger at all actually

Why not? If you need an extra note and the other three fingers and plucking away, where do you go? Well, I can go to four. This bass player's got four fingers. Why not make three pluckier you ask? Well this goes to four, it's one pluckier.

Sofaspud

John wrote:

Why not? If you need an extra note and the other three fingers and plucking away, where do you go? Well, I can go to four. This bass player's got four fingers. Why not make three pluckier you ask? Well this goes to four, it's one pluckier.

But why not just use three and make three be the top . . . number and use the third a bit more?

feylya

I read Sofaspuds post before reading the rest of the thread and I thought it was about 5 string basses.

Bravo sir, you have made me chuckle.

Zapp Brannigan

I've never played anything with my pinky finger (right hand) and I've played loads of fast stuff. The big problem with it is the fact your pinky is alot shorter so it tends to be awkward. Though saying that the guy from Death Angel uses his pinky (but I've played some of their stuff, can be done with 3 fingers)

Have fun with the bass, slap like mad cos it's sexy!

damonjewel

Try to use your right hand fingers to pluck the strings rather than use a plectrum. Try and see the bass as a rhythmic instrument and try playing along to records/cds to try and keep with the beat, starting off you may want to play along with U2 or something like that, they use very simple basslines, work yourself up to riffs then (the forest by the cure is a nice simple bassline riff).

Try find a drummer to work with and try to get streadier and steadier. The best bass players I worked with were solid, not flash (a lot of guitarists who switch to the bass I think make this mistake), being solid helps underpin the rhythm and your band's sound (if you are in a band) will sound tight.

Practice practice practice.

Eventually you will be able to start putting in jazzy runs, and little funky riffs to embellish your playing.

Best of luck with it!

It wasn't me!

Methinks Tony Choy uses his fourth finger, and he's way up the pile of modern bassists.

cornbb

A lot of bass players do use four or five fingers (its called the spider technique, if my fuzzy memories of my bass-playing days serve me correctly) but its a method suited for virtuoso players and not beginners. A beginner should only use two fingers on the picking hand, the index and the middle. They should be strictly alternated so a decent sense of rhythm can be learned. There's no way a beginner will become proficient at the instrument if they start off on four or five fingers.

Well, thats the way I learned anyway, I'm open to correction of course. Here's a vid that shows the technique I'm talking about pretty well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzDttNzoxhg

carlop

Id recommend learning a few tracks off rage against the machines first album. There's some nice basslines on there and its good fun to play but not too difficult

Spicy Lauren

carlop wrote:

Id recommend learning a few tracks off rage against the machines first album. There's some nice basslines on there and its good fun to play but not too difficult

Kool nice one! Yeah I started with a Pixies album but got bored very quick and moved on to the Doors

Byebye

Lauren

Doctor J

damonjewel wrote:

Try find a drummer to work with and try to get streadier and steadier. The best bass players I worked with were solid, not flash (a lot of guitarists who switch to the bass I think make this mistake), being solid helps underpin the rhythm and your band's sound (if you are in a band) will sound tight.

Practice practice practice.

Eventually you will be able to start putting in jazzy runs, and little funky riffs to embellish your playing.

Best of luck with it!

There you go, that's good advice right there.

Technique-wise, you'll be able to transfer a lot of what you've learned on guitar to bass, though do explore differnent right hand tecniques. Your right hand is the key to an expansive array of sounds, be it with fingers or plec. Try not to get too lost in slap and pop, it's a fine technique but it is horrendously overused by players who think it suits every bar of every type of music. It doesn't, when overused it's embarassing to watch some players boink-boinking throught the most unsuitable musical passages. Great bass playing is about groove and rhythm and melodic support, about keeping things moving, regardless of how simple you need to go. Listen to old Motown and Stax, listen to Chic, listen to how those players lock in with the drums, especially the bass drum and compliment it with their playing, adding so much more to the song than an octave lower shadow of the guitar.