Considering dabbling in the Dark Side

Mickey Duane

Mickey Duane

Used To Be A Rock Star
Funny when I first started on bass I couldn't pick worth a darn so like papa- thump - index and middle fingers worked well for my sound. Now guitar - couldn't finger pick worth a darn so a pick felt right. Now after working on Griff's acoustic blues course I have learned to be able to finger pick much better. And now -

I sound like an old guy past his prime:)

Peace
 
MarkDyson

MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
Funny thing, to me: I've spent no small amount of time studying basic theory wonkery like where the notes are on the fretboard and how they relate (like how to quickly get to the fourth and fifth from the note you're on and where octaves are and stuff like that).

Last night, futzing around with my bass, watching the videos from the links upstream, trying my hand at coming up with some basic bass lines for some songs I know the chords for...it seemed like a lot of that mess started clicking for the first time. Dunno why now, but it was addictive fun and I found it hard to put the bass down. Between that and my sore fingers this morning I reckon this bottom-feeding foray is only going to help my geetarin. :Beer:
 
PapaRaptor

PapaRaptor

Father Vyvian O'Blivion
Staff member
MarkDyson said:
I reckon this bottom-feeding foray is only going to help my geetarin.
Click to expand...

From my experience, you will at the very least, gain a better sense of timing. Playing bass with any level of competence will force you to listen to the drummer and it eventually will sink in. It also made me learn the notes on pretty much every fret, at least on the E-A-D-G strings. Once you have that, the only mystery in transferring to a guitar is the B string.
 
Elio

Elio

Student Of The Blues
paparaptor said:
From my experience, you will at the very least, gain a better sense of timing. Playing bass with any level of competence will force you to listen to the drummer and it eventually will sink in. It also made me learn the notes on pretty much every fret, at least on the E-A-D-G strings. Once you have that, the only mystery in transferring to a guitar is the B string.
Click to expand...

Those are exactly the two benefits to my guitar playing that I'm noticing from my recent bass adventures. Well, those and some hand strength improvement from manhandling those railroad ties laughingly called strings.
 
david moon

david moon

Attempting the Blues
paparaptor said:
From my experience, you will at the very least, gain a better sense of timing. Playing bass with any level of competence will force you to listen to the drummer and it eventually will sink in. It also made me learn the notes on pretty much every fret, at least on the E-A-D-G strings. Once you have that, the only mystery in transferring to a guitar is the B string.
Click to expand...
Hopefully that drummer you are listening to is competent. I have been fortunate in that respect.

And that B string is a mystery...
 
david moon

david moon

Attempting the Blues
I have a 5-string built with a high C. Also at one poiint a 6-string with low B and high C. In both cases interval of fourth across all strings. Not the B string "break" on the guitar
 
TwoNotesSolo

TwoNotesSolo

Student Of The Blues
I have only tried playing a 5 string once (with a low B) and it was a mental challenge to remember that low string want an E anymore. I should try again some day.
I'm not planning on buying or building a 5 string bass though. Lots of bass "greats" do just fine with only 4, who am I to argue?
 
TwoNotesSolo

TwoNotesSolo

Student Of The Blues
I've played with some poor drummers at times. My revelation about what a good drummer can do for your bass playing was the first public jam I ever dared to sign up on bass. It was telepathic, it was magical, the drummer threw in breaks and stuff and somehow I was right there with him!
 
dvs

dvs

Green Mountain Blues
Let's put this 4-, 5- or 6-string question to bed:
HTB1j_CqX.jrK1RkHFNRq6ySvpXaV.jpg


(You can buy one here - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/201...oard-no-Fret-Inlay-bass-free/32957774001.html)
 
PapaRaptor

PapaRaptor

Father Vyvian O'Blivion
Staff member
david moon said:
I have a 5-string built with a high C. Also at one poiint a 6-string with low B and high C. In both cases interval of fourth across all strings. Not the B string "break" on the guitar
Click to expand...

I think Fender's very first 5 string was done with a high C. The B-C six string makes a lot more sense. I think I would have fewer mental barriers with a high C than I would with a low B string. Since all string patterns on a bass are based on a 4th interval. Then again, I've never played a bass with the high C and I seem to do OK with a low B, 5 string. Maybe Mark is right in his nudging me.
 
david moon

david moon

Attempting the Blues
Thread drift here- I went to an open mic tonight and someone brought a Vox bass from mid 60's. Short scale. The neck was slim front to back and extrememly narrow width. I found it unplayable, being used to Fender dimensions. I think it also had flatwound strings.
 
david moon

david moon

Attempting the Blues
paparaptor said:
I think Fender's very first 5 string was done with a high C. The B-C six string makes a lot more sense. I think I would have fewer mental barriers with a high C than I would with a low B string. Since all string patterns on a bass are based on a 4th interval. Then again, I've never played a bass with the high C and I seem to do OK with a low B, 5 string. Maybe Mark is right in his nudging me.
Click to expand...
At the time, the motive for the high C was I was playing a lot of theater music that went pretty far up the neck and instead I could just cross to another string.
On the low end I have several basses with Hipshot tuners that let me drop the E to a preset note, usually D or C
 
MarkDyson

MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
Well, there is a metric crap ton of instructional stuff on YouTube but, as an AAP member over at TrueFire, I've begun this course to help get me geared up:

https://truefire.com/bass-guitar-le...-fun-approach-for-learning-bass-guitar/v10238

I've bookmarked his blues bass course for perusal once I've completed this one. Right now I'm parked on the picking hand technique (lesson 3) as I slowly try to get my fingers to settle into a smooth one-two plucking rhythm. My middle finger keeps wanting to dominate on the main beats and, in deference to the technique being taught, I'm trying to teach the index to take those instead. It's gonna be a while. :confused:
 
PapaRaptor

PapaRaptor

Father Vyvian O'Blivion
Staff member
MarkDyson said:
Well, there is a metric crap ton of instructional stuff on YouTube but, as an AAP member over at TrueFire, I've begun this course to help get me geared up:

https://truefire.com/bass-guitar-le...-fun-approach-for-learning-bass-guitar/v10238

I've bookmarked his blues bass course for perusal once I've completed this one. Right now I'm parked on the picking hand technique (lesson 3) as I slowly try to get my fingers to settle into a smooth one-two plucking rhythm. My middle finger keeps wanting to dominate on the main beats and, in deference to the technique being taught, I'm trying to teach the index to take those instead. It's gonna be a while. :confused:
Click to expand...

Shucks, I still can't pluck worth a crap. I play like I'm finger picking a guitar. I don't know how many hours I've spent trying to pluck properly... obviously, not enough!
 
MarkDyson

MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
paparaptor said:
Shucks, I still can't pluck worth a crap. I play like I'm finger picking a guitar. I don't know how many hours I've spent trying to pluck properly... obviously, not enough!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the insight, Papa. That's encouraging me maybe to push on and revisit this if needed. I do find myself using thumb and fingers guitar style more than once, good to know that's effective as well. :Beer:
 
PapaBear

PapaBear

Guit Fiddlier
MarkDyson said:
Well, there is a metric crap ton of instructional stuff on YouTube but, as an AAP member over at TrueFire, I've begun this course to help get me geared up:

https://truefire.com/bass-guitar-le...-fun-approach-for-learning-bass-guitar/v10238

I've bookmarked his blues bass course for perusal once I've completed this one. Right now I'm parked on the picking hand technique (lesson 3) as I slowly try to get my fingers to settle into a smooth one-two plucking rhythm. My middle finger keeps wanting to dominate on the main beats and, in deference to the technique being taught, I'm trying to teach the index to take those instead. It's gonna be a while. :confused:
Click to expand...
Stu Hamm has some good stuff over there, too.
 
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