Bass tips for guitarists

ReInventor

ReInventor

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I am primarily a guitarist, but play several instruments well. I've always tried to approach each new instrument looking through the eyes of someone who plays that instrument exclusively (albeit, with the added perspective that comes from playing others). When I play bass, I try to think like a bassist - holding down the bottom, locking with the kick, not playing a big guitar solo, etc...

I am becoming aware of more subtle differences between bass and guitar however, and realize that my technique and feel may be lacking more so that I thought. For instance - I know that bass notes take longer to develop in time because of the longer wave length and have recently read that it is sometimes best to play slightly ahead of the beat because of this. Also, because of the high energy of bass sounds, it is usually preferable to play with a lighter touch...right?

Can you real bassists out there share some tips with the rest of us wannabe's? Many of us here are songwriters and produce our own music from start to finish and this means playing bass. What can you tell us to make us more competent bass players?

Thanks so much for the insight.
 
"I know that bass notes take longer to develop in time because of the longer wave length and have recently read that it is sometimes best to play slightly ahead of the beat because of this. Also, because of the high energy of bass sounds, it is usually preferable to play with a lighter touch...right?"

i'm a bassist of 10 years and i've never heard of these. lol

if you're talking about songwriting, shake it up a bit. create walking basslines, as they're always the most fun. you can simply walk within a scale if you wish...walk from scale to scale.

sometimes playing with a pick records better (i was always 100% anti-pick, but as of recently i've really seen how much better it mixes in than finger style since i don't use a compressor when i play)

sometimes adding a bit of gain helps you get some growl in your tone when you mix, as well.

also remember, it's all about the notes you DON'T play! i love when i create a riff on guitar that's all complex, and rather than matching it on bass, i pick a few select notes, create this funky badass start-stop complex with them, and bam that's my bassline...it's kind of hard to explain lol
 
Don't play it like a guitar. It has a different function in the music. I've played lead and bass in various groups over the years, and sooner or later it seems like a guitarist will grab the bass (it's just a 4-string guitar, right?) and proceed to play a gazillion notes that bear no relationship to the groove.

Think like a bass drum, and you'll have a good start. The hardest thing for a songwriter is to separate the bass part from "how the song goes." A lot of guys can't get out from under just playing the changes on bass. You're supposed to do more than that: punching up the groove, added transitional passages to the bridge, keeping out of the way of the other parts (keys, guitar, vocals, etc); this is why a lot of people just hire an experienced bass player.

I'm not saying it's not doable, I just think it's worth doing right.
 
I'm a bass player (38 years now) and thankfully I don't play guitar, as it would contaminate my bass playing mind LOL.:laughings:

I do play some keys and that is how I work out chording for the guitar players when writing songs.

Funny enough I have never wanted to play guitar only bass so I never bothered learning but I do know simple chord positions and note positions. The reason Guitarists usually (notice I said usually there are exceptions) don't make good bass players is that they don't think like bass players and don't have a bass playing technique.

Cheers

Alan.
 
ZoSo58LP said:
sometimes playing with a pick records better (i was always 100% anti-pick, but as of recently i've really seen how much better it mixes in than finger style since i don't use a compressor when i play)
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I used a pick to record a few bass lines over the years mostly cause i'm a guitarist and i have a hard time playing a bass without one.My old bass player only used a pick when he was playing some really fast stuff but it sounded fine.

Another bass player i know once suggested using a felt pick.That way you'll get a more natural fingered sound without such a harsh pick sound.I havn't ever used a felt pick but i'd like to get one to try it out.
 
I too play several instruments - playing bass being one of my least developed skills (although I'm decent....just not outstanding). The things I've learned - beyond the obvious hold down the bottom, lock in with the bass drum and don't overplay:

The 1st and 5th are my friend.......bass line often a built around those two anchors.

Learn to develop wlaking lines - they apply to so many musical genres.

A littlel compression can really tighten up tone and make the attack so much more even (if indeed technique is lacking)

Playing with a pick is not as evil as I may have originally thought - it provide a consistant attack (in particular in the absence of compression)and allows me to nbetter articulate notes
 
depends on the style of music, period. paul mccartney would absoutely suck in ac/dc and cliff williams would never work in the beatles.
 
I can relate to all of the comments here. I always though,,,"how hard can it be?" Then I realized it is a mindset. I am a guitar player who owns a bass that I use for recording "scratch" bass parts. Then I bring in a real bass player to play the real bass parts (although I am getting better)

One thing that was helpful was to learn note for note a few songs on the bass which got me thinking more like a bass player when the "long axe" is in my hands.

i.e.
Funk 49 (which has a bass groove AND a spot where it mirrors the guitar)
Slow Ride (especially the tasty bass riffs in the bridge)

I am sure the real bass players will have other "must learn" grooves to suggest.

There are some nice bass tabs out there that are helpful shortcuts for thios
 
I'm sort of in the same boat, except I actually started out as a drummer loooong before I was a guitarist, so I don't really have to play catch up on the rhythm thing like a lot of guitarists do. It is a bit of a different mindset, though, as you are generally not meant to be the most obvious sound in the mix. That's not always true--there are plenty of bands pretty much based around the bassist--but it's a good way to think about it. It helps to watch a lot of videos of good bassists playing so you get an idea of how to hold the instrument and pluck the strings. The technique seems very different from a guitar, so that's something to work on.
 
Depending on the style of music i'll switch between finger and a pick.

Perosnally if i really want a full bottom end (thats what she said) i'll use my fingers but i play primarily punk rock stuff so pick it is 80% of the time.

I have never heard anything ever about bass notes needing time to develop. Playing ahead of the beat and all that.

Sound is sound. It doesnt really need booster cables to get it going. IMHO
 
I used a pick for years because I had originally been playing guitar. Every few songs the bass player would want to play lead and hand me the bass. This was good, because I would emulate what he had been doing instead of striking off on my own, which probably saved me from making a lot of the typical guitarist-with-a-bass mistakes.

Anyhow, I had this tremendous urge to play the bass with my thumb, so to prevent myself from doing that, I used a flat pick.

Then I was recruited as a full-time bass player. At our first gig I was reaching for a pick, and I suddenly thought, "I don't need that!" and I was right. Fingers are so much more expressive, to me.

By the way, all good advice here. Bass is good. And, even though a lot of the discussion is revolving around recording, to me there's no more gratifying a feeling than watching the dancers' butts sway to your bass lines.
 
I am a guitarist who picked up the bass much later in life. One thing it made me aware of is how much I was getting away with in terms of timing when I was playing guitar.

Another interesting thing for me is that after *many* years of being pretty much a three fingered guitarist, playing bass made me bring my pinky finger into the fray, which made me a better guitarist. Go figure.
 
ggunn said:
I am a guitarist who picked up the bass much later in life. One thing it made me aware of is how much I was getting away with in terms of timing when I was playing guitar.
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Haha. After a long stint on the bass, I started playing guitar with a friend again. He said, "your timing sure is improved!"

Um, I didn't know it needed improvement....
 
lpdeluxe said:
Haha. After a long stint on the bass, I started playing guitar with a friend again. He said, "your timing sure is improved!"

Um, I didn't know it needed improvement....
Click to expand...
Timing is one thing I think a lot of people who start on guitar don't quite get, and certainly don't realize they don't quite get it. Then you watch them try to be drummers and it's just painful...
 
thebigcheese said:
Timing is one thing I think a lot of people who start on guitar don't quite get, and certainly don't realize they don't quite get it. Then you watch them try to be drummers and it's just painful...
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In defense of myself when I was a guitar player only, a guitarist has more freedom to putz around with timing, whether intentional or not, than does a bass player.
 
That's a reasonable defense. I think that's generally why guitarists aren't as good. Musicians should all be required to start on a rhythm instrument.
 
I've been on bass for 23 years (guitar for 20), and my tip for guitarists is to think of bass as the link between rhythm and melody. Feel and note choice are the two big things.

Feel is so important - almost anyone can hit the required notes in a perfunctory fashion, but "being there" as a bassist is one of the most important things. Check out "Fashion" by David Bowie - very simple, but TIGHT!

Note choices can make or break a song. You don't have to go nuts, but knowing when to stick to the root and when to move to a harmony note is a great skill. I think a good baasist to learn from would be Bruce Thomas from Elvis Costello and The Attractions. He is melodic, but not overly, and has an awesome feel. (He plays with a pick, incidentally).
 
I started playing bass in 1974. I didn't pick up a guitar until 77 and then only to learn some rudimentary chords for songwriting purposes - I've only learnt 1 extra chord since 78.
I play guitar like a bassist - time locked to the drums.
I like playing with fingers & pick but usually end up picking as I have a modified pick that gives a slightly diff sound that stands out better in a mix.
I can't say I have any certainties to offer - what i do changes as I feel the need BUT to get into the instrument - set up a drum machine with some good beat & jam until you beging to lock into the groove - then move onto a beat that matches the song you want to record & then onto the drum track for that song.
 
thebigcheese said:
That's a reasonable defense. I think that's generally why guitarists aren't as good. Musicians should all be required to start on a rhythm instrument.
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As good as what? I agree that a guitarist who hasn't learned more than where the notes are on a bass won't play bass as well as someone who has paid his bass dues, but I do not agree with what some say that somehow that being a guitarist will poison you forever for playing bass.

Many guitarists, in fact, start out on acoustic guitar, which is very much a rhythm instrument.
 
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