Playing Bass

[SnoringFrog]

I'm just starting out, and I've never played an instrument before. I'm looking at buying a bass from my friend who never plays his and trying to learn to play that with my friends band which we're just now forming.

Anyone have any tips for how to go about learning how to play? I don't really have much musical experience at all. Just any sort of tip or helpful websites/vids would be appreciated. Or a bass, that would definitely be appreciated. (or any advice on what company's to look at and expected prices, I'm not sure how good a deal or bass I'm getting from my friend; I'm afraid I'm an idiot in this realm atm)

Also, I might be doing some back-up vocals as well. I do screams, kinda. I can sort of manage some inhales and some simple snarls (like the background vocals in "Beheaded" by Demon Hunter or sort of old Haste the Day/Zao-esque stuff). Does anyone have any tips there?

[Raiden no Kishi]

Yes, another bassist! My first recommendation is to take lessons. Interacting with a teacher is very good for your development - plus, they generally know more than you do and can figure out what you don't know and need to work on if they're worth the money.

Second: Get started learning songs by ear. I recommend simple stuff like ZZ Top that doesn't have many chord changes or intricate bass lines. Work your way up from there. Start learning scales - I recommend the minor pentatonic to begin with, as it is used heavily in most modern rock/pop/blues. Search YouTube for video lessons - you can generally find some good instruction without a lot of fuss. Developing your ear is essential for a musician, like developing your eye would be if you were drawing or painting.

What bass are you getting and for what price?

.rai//

[SnoringFrog]

I'm not sure about what bass I'm getting at this point. My friend has one he's rarely used that he's willing to sell to me for $150, but I'm still waiting to find out from him what kind it is. I've never really been that interested before, so I never paid any attention when I was messing around with it.

[Fantasy Dreamer]

teachers are your friends. Usually. When they aren't assigning you loads of homework and babbling so disorganized that you want to cry.

Um, ok, but specifically, instrumental teachers are your friends. XD They really can help, and when I'm not taking lessons, its really hard for me to make myself practice. So having a teacher makes you practice, cause you gotta be ready for that lesson. Especially if you're paying for it, cause then its your money you're wasting if you don't practice! XD

anyway, good luck!

[Icarus]

Pretty much the only way you'd get a bass for less is a pawn shop. Maybe. Mine's a First Act from Wal-Mart for $200 with amp

[Sparx00]

One word that will help you to learn bass. PRACTICE. Really, I'm self taught. The first thing I did is get a chord sheet. Then I pretty much started on the open strings which are E-A-D-G. Then I got some music and played the song by matching up the places on the frets with the places on the chord sheet. After I played a bunch of other songs I was able to go right to the chords without the chord sheet. That's how I learned bass in a nutshell. Even though it may seem a little strange to most people, that's how I learned. Really the best way to start is get a chord sheet and try to memorize the notes. Eventually, going to the notes while playing songs will become second nature to you. I hope I was at least REMOTELY helpful to you. Good luck with learning the bass!

[Warrior4Christ]

I can also recommend getting yourself a metronome and practice keeping rhythm, because that's very important.

If you can spare a bit more cash, I'd really recommend a Warwick Rockbass. The tone and feel is great. Once you're a bit more accomplished, you might want to buy a better bass than a cheap one you might have - this is that better bass. (You could skip buying the cheap one...) It's better than my first one, and is generally good enough unless you want to make money from your music. I've got this one: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/bass_guitars/warwick_rockbass/corvette_classic_5-string/index.html
I like 5-strings - you might be happy with a 4-string... it's up to you. It might be a bit easier to learn on a 4-string (especially with muting).

[EricTheFred]

I'm going to second the 'get a teacher' recommendation. And I suggest picking out the teacher first, then working with him/her to pick the bass. Nothing frustrates a new musician worse than an instrument that is just dead wrong for the player, or worse, that is a pile of junk.

My son is both a orchestral bassist and an electric bassist. Most of his success has to do with him, but I've made sure his instruments didn't hold him back. On the EB, he does jazz, and plays a vintage Peavey TL-5 fretless. That could be the greatest thing in the world for you, or all wrong, depending upon the style of music you're looking for, the size of your hands and a number of other factors. A teacher can help you figure that out a lot faster than any number of folks on a forum.

If you're looking for a good forum though, check out talkbass.com

[SnoringFrog]

Ok, I heard back from him about the bass. It's one of these: http://backstreetmusicshop.com/prodD...php?id_prd=329

Also, thank you all for the advice/links. It's all quite appreciated. I think a teacher is abit out of my range right now (not too much of a cash inflow at this point), but I'll keep it in mind for the future.

[Icarus]

Not to hijack the thread, but is it any harder to play a five/six string than a four?

[Raiden no Kishi]

Not to hijack the thread, but is it any harder to play a five/six string than a four?

SnoringFrog: I'm getting a 404 on the bass link. Do you know the manufacturer and model?

It depends. For me, it would me more difficult because I have stubby fingers. This is why I play a four-string. Fives and sixes have wider fretboards (naturally), so people with bigger hands shouldn't find them much more difficult than fours. I would absolutely love to play a six-string, but until I find one with particularly narrow string spacing or God grants me one more growth spurt and part of it goes to my fingers, (not likely - thanks, Mom and Dad) I'm playing a four-string. Which is fine - some of the best bass players alive (or otherwise - RIP John Entwistle) play fours primarily.

.rai//

[SnoringFrog]

Darn. The link worked for me yesterday. It's an axl player deluxe 5-string

[Raiden no Kishi]

Ah, a Precision Bass knockoff. I'm not familiar with AXL (they're pretty new as I recall), but if it's a decent bass, you should be fine with it. Have you gotten a chance to actually play the bass in question?

.rai//

[Warrior4Christ]

SnoringFrog: I'm getting a 404 on the bass link. Do you know the manufacturer and model?

It depends. For me, it would me more difficult because I have stubby fingers. This is why I play a four-string. Fives and sixes have wider fretboards (naturally), so people with bigger hands shouldn't find them much more difficult than fours. I would absolutely love to play a six-string, but until I find one with particularly narrow string spacing or God grants me one more growth spurt and part of it goes to my fingers, (not likely - thanks, Mom and Dad) I'm playing a four-string. Which is fine - some of the best bass players alive (or otherwise - RIP John Entwistle) play fours primarily.

.rai//

More strings = wider fret boards, but it is also means less space between the strings, which is a bit harder to manage when starting off. (Not that it's not achievable..)
Also, the aforementioned slightly greater difficulting in muting (one more string to worry about).

[Raiden no Kishi]

More strings = wider fret boards, but it is also means less space between the strings, which is a bit harder to manage when starting off. (Not that it's not achievable..)
Also, the aforementioned slightly greater difficulting in muting (one more string to worry about).

It doesn't necessarily mean significantly less string spacing - that differs by manufacturer and/or model, but generally, you're right.

.rai//

[SnoringFrog]

Ah, a Precision Bass knockoff. I'm not familiar with AXL (they're pretty new as I recall), but if it's a decent bass, you should be fine with it. Have you gotten a chance to actually play the bass in question?

.rai//

Not in a while, and the few times I did mess with it at all I really didn't have a lot of interest in actually accomplishing anything.

[Raiden no Kishi]

Ah. I recommend some mindful hands-on time with any instrument you plan to purchase, as will pretty much anyone who knows what they're doing.

.rai//

[SnoringFrog]

Ah, ok. Well...with no real music experience at all, any tips on good/bad signs about the bass? I'm really pretty much an utter n00b to this, lol.

[Raiden no Kishi]

Ah, ok. Well...with no real music experience at all, any tips on good/bad signs about the bass? I'm really pretty much an utter n00b to this, lol.

It isn't rocket science - don't worry about that. Does it sound good? Does it feel comfortable to play? Does anything feel fragile or loose? Do the controls work properly?

.rai//