What Sort Of Bass Tutorials Would You Like To See?

[john]

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Bass Guitar Articles

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John

[john]

to be honest I'd like technique tutorials, and Tom's suggestion of standard progressions for different styles sounds pretty good. Other than that it'd be good to learn passages from actual songs... you know the iconic baselines and grooves...

[Nick]

>>I work alone, so I end up writing & playing all the bass tracks for my songs, but I'm not a bass player

I LOVE playing bass but I'm not sure that that makes one a bass player.

I had enormous fun making bass parts to Alistair's stuff - sometimes what he wanted and sometimes not. I loved getting involved in Donna's Xmas song a few years ago who was very clear about what didn't work (my first effort was MUCH to fussy - but that's how I played then) but - I think - appreciated the bits I did that she, as a bass player too, wouldn't have done that way.

I've watched a load of Steely Dan videos over Xmas and wow! so so good. So practiced so tight so clever but with a lot of room within that. If you have access to the 'making of AJA' classic album DVD it's fascinating. Fagen and Becker were VERY sure what they wanted and wrote a lot of parts; AND Walter Becker was a bass player so that must have made it even harder. There's a bit though where Chuck Rainey goes - 'I know what they wanted but I know what would work. So I did it anyway. Just cheated a bit to get it through.'

The drummers and bassists in the various Steely Dan performing bands are astonishing.

Listen to the bass lines and learn so much for each is a consummate pro. Sometimes they play a root note first time and when you expect they'll do the same again they do - and sometimes they don't. So much going on that is probably unnoticed but without which it would be pedestrian and less good.

So much bass playing as I see it is a balance between several things - being solid; playing with the drummer; playing syncopated with the drummer; playing with the lead player as an equal; many others especially just 'being right' whatever that might be.

I played with a fiddle player a while back who opined that he thought I was just a bassist who was really a repressed lead guitarist. I dare say that because my bass heroes were in no particular order and missing out many Jack Bruce, Jaco Pastorius, Ray Brown, Stanley Clarke, Stu Hamm etc Each in their own way is quite up front in what they play and has a part in the whole. Jaco through his sound and style is perhaps the most recognisable? They are soloists secondary to their role in being a part of the music they are a part of. From memory (though I'm just listening to it now) Cotton Avenue on Joni Mitchell's Don Juan's Reckless Daughter is an interesting mix of Jaco playing in all sorts of ways. After his solo bits at the beginning and those noises, when he comes in in the main bit he is solid as a rock but hell makes it move and still has time to growl and play harmonics etc And leaves lots of space when it's right. And he doesn't bore. (Haven't heard this for a long time and gosh!!)

You have so many choices as a bassist to tweak harmony and rhythm if you are so allowed and if it's appropriate.

It's why people who don't play bass rarely have the lines they've written played.

[neoism]

I think an article which talks about the time signature and different patterns would be a good one to have

[wilmot]

I'd really like to learn more about playing the fretless bass. I've found it fairly easy to find tutorials where I can try to learn how this or that song is played. With this instrument, my main musical inspiration (Mick Karn) isn't someone that everyone else has forgotten, so there's some really good stuff to be found. I've also found or got from bass playing friends some good tips on basic techniques for playing and getting a good sound. 

However, what haven't really found somewhere where someone explains why or how different techniques work - so that I can get a bit more understanding of what I'm doing wrong. On the same theme, when I've tried to follow the advise I've and I still don't get the sound I wan't - How to best trouble shoot. That sort of thing would be very helpful!

 

Skill level? - To call me a beginner would be an insult to beginners everywhere...

 

/Niclas

[TapperMike]

I grazed the articles.  I find the greatest lessons to be learned about playing the bass are in articulation. One can read about technique all day long but if you support a good idea with poor technique the message is lost in the medium.  With either finger or flat picking a bass has a very wide dynamic range (soft to loud) There is a certain trick to using "just enough" force to land the note just right in the velocity/dynamic range.  Less experienced players seem to be unaware how much control in attack is required to put out a consistent level.

 

In regards to education.  I firmly believe that learning songs is the second best way to learn after private instruction.  Guitar Pro is a wonderful learning software tool for Bassists and Guitarists alike. http://guitarpro.com  If you don't know tablature it's amazingly easier to learn then notation and....the makers also provide a vast amount of legally obtainable music for the program.   As well there are third party providers of guitar pro files such as

 

 http://www.gprotab.net/  and http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/

[Glenn Allen]

So many of these articles talk about the mindset, role, and function of the guitar player, and this is great info.  Better yet, If I was just starting to play, I know I would want to see a tutorial on how to create the best bass line for a song (or just how to create bass lines).