[AcousticSmash]

Well my younger brother has been taking bass lessons for about 2 years now with someone in my extended family (a guy is is married to my second cousin) and he is pretty damn good at it for the length of time he has been playing. So he has a nice Ernie Ball Music Man bass and a Fender bass combo amp (big ass one though looks more like a half stack) and he doesn't use his Squire Jazz Bass or Fender 15 watt practise amp, so he lets me borrow them since I have had an interest in learning the instrument myself. I have gotten the basic techniques down with using the fingers, although I can't play faster then 16th notes without a pick, it's a little difficult for me to be honest. Figuring out slap bass is a whole different can of worms for me though, I tried getting some tips from both my brother and cousin in law (as I call him) but I am having a bit of trouble with reading the music and getting what the whole things mean. When you slap, what motion are you using to hit the string? Are you hitting the string with your thumb cause that is what I have gathered? I would assume that the popping is pulling on the string with your index finger or whatever. Playing with a pick isn't too hard, bit tricky with the thickness of the strings at first but I got used to it pretty quick.

Also, whats good to learn for techniques like slap bass and generally beginner stuff? I have been hacking away at some various stuff by Rush since there are some tricky bass licks in their tunes (YYZ and Xanadu come to mind).

This post has been edited by AcousticSmash: 25 August 2008 - 10:13 PM

[junior01]

http://www.cyberfretbass.com/

There is a good site with a tons of free lesson and technique on how to play bass.
Hope you have learn your scales!!!

[XylemBassGuitar]

AcousticSmash,

You're right, when you slap you are hitting the strings with your thumb. Getting good at slap/pop take some practice but is completely within your grasp!

When slapping you want to relax your wrist as much as possible. A more relaxed wrist will improve the slap tone and increase your speed. Start your slap by rotating your hand away from the strings at the wrist (no more than 30 degrees away from the strings) then rotate it back, slapping the string with your thumb. Try to eliminate all superfluous movements and excessive force. You want your thumb to hit the string firmly, but not too hard.

When you pop, you want to rest your finger against the bottom of the string (at least, the part that is the "bottom" when you're holding the bass in playing position). Then, pull back at the wrist sharply so that they string "pops" against the frets. Try to match the volume of your pops to the volume of your slaps. If it takes a lot of force to pop the string or the bass pulls away from your body when you pop, you are using too much pressure against the string with your finger.

It might help a lot for you to browse through some good beginning bass books that describe slap/pop technique so you can see their diagrams and refer back to them.

Keep on practicing and you'll get it. Good luck!

[randallflagg]

Well, as for "tips", I would respectfully suggest that rather than worry about popping and slapping and all that gimmicky stuff, spend your time taking your favorite band or bass player and learning their techniques. Lee of Rush comes to mind - although I would put him in the category for a "beginner"

Check out older players such as "Duck" Dunn, James Jamerson, Carl Radle and the like. These guys all had EXTREMELY productive careers playing SOUND fundamentals. Holding and keeping a groove. Theory. That sort of thing.

Once you have the basics down (not that you don't), then venture into some of these "younger" bass heroes and learn how to slap and pop like a crazy guy.

THEN, when you are comfortable, get with a band in your area that is looking for a bass player! Best way in the world to learn the gammit.........

Good Luck to you!



RF

This post has been edited by randallflagg: 28 August 2008 - 06:48 PM

[randallflagg]

Well, as for "tips", I would respectfully suggest that rather than worry about popping and slapping and all that gimmicky stuff, spend your time taking your favorite band or bass player and learning their techniques. Lee of Rush comes to mind - although I would put him in the category for a "beginner"

Check out older players such as "Duck" Dunn, James Jamerson, Carl Radle and the like. These guys all had EXTREMELY productive careers playing SOUND fundamentals. Holding and keeping a groove. Theory. That sort of thing.

Once you have the basics down (not that you don't), then venture into some of these "younger" bass heroes and learn how to slap and pop like a crazy guy.

THEN, when you are comfortable, get with a band in your area that is looking for a bass player! Best way in the world to learn the gammit.........

Good Luck to you!

*edit* just caught the post - I "WOULDN'T" put him in the beginner category......my bad!



RF

[wt1099]

Thanks I found some tips Thanks again

[jhondelroy]

Learning to play bass guitar involves different skill levels. Bass sets the general beat and feel of the song. Sometimes on bass you can play solo, but it won't be the same type of lead guitar solo you would expect. Learn the names of the parts of the guitar, names of the strings and how to tune the guitar.

For more info: http://www.totallyguitars.com

This post has been edited by jhondelroy: 13 March 2009 - 03:06 AM

[louisstickney]

I'm afraid that bass is not as popular as guitar and I think very few people knows about how to play bass. Good thing
about this instrument is that , its like a guitar with a very smooth sound. One that would like to know about bass and wanted
a reliable tutorial at home, DVD's tutorial is great, greater than your tutor.

This post has been edited by louisstickney: 13 July 2009 - 05:47 PM

[seanm18]

i knows about how to play bass. good thing it's not as popular as guitar. i'd be out of a few gigs