playing bass

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dobro

dobro

Well-known member
I'm new to playing bass and I want to compare notes with others.

I really like playing bass - it seems more physical than playing guitar and it's very satisfying working those big strings.

First thing - mostly I've been playing on the top two strings, muting the bottom two strings. Normal?

Second: the muting things doesn't work when I'm doing a run of a few notes, and then the bottom string(s) start to resonate and sing. What to do?
 
it just the same as with guitar. you've got to mute them with one hand or the other.

although, the feel is different and the technique will be somewhat different.

when running up (low E to High E) i use the fatty part of my pick Hand to mute the open string(s) (i play with a pick).

when running down i use the fatty part of my Fret fingers to mute.

when i play cords, i use my fret middle finger or the fingers fatty part to deaden the open strings.

these techniques take practice and especially when your recording, there's little room for error

-kp-
 
dobro,

You are correct, bass is a lot of fun.

Are you using a pick or skin.

If you are using a pick, put the pick down, and back away from the pick. Picks are for guitars, not basses!

Much better sound to be had with skin.

Looks cooler too.

1.Mutting the strings you are not using is good, makes the string you are using ring truer, and longer sustain.

2.This is where playing with fingers is better, you can use your picking fingers to mute the notes as needed. This is the way to go, I tells ya!

I may be alone in this technique, but I use the low E string as my thumb rest, which also alows me to mute the low E when not in use. The killing of twe birds, can't be bad.

Keep at it!!

GT
 
Using your fingers or a pick is fine. Fingers usually produce a more desirable tone, however, and you feel a little closer to the instrument. Plus it can make muting easier.

Anyhow, as stated above you have to use the same techniques that you use on guitar to mute strings. Since your left hand already curls around the neck over the top of the neck (which you call the bottom), just use the middle portions of your fingers to mute the upper (which you call lower) G, D, and A strings when you're not using them. To mute lower strings (low E & A), I typically use my right hand...hooking my thumb on the low E string as GT mentioned doing. I also use the thumb of my left hand to mute low strings from time to time...not really conciously though.

The hardest thing for me to do when I got my bass was to NOT bend strings or use vibrato. I still find myself doing it from time to time though :)

Slackmaster 2000
 
Hey Slack, how are you?

What ever became of that Pilot Bass? Firewood?
 
Both of em junk! Sent em back for a refund. :(

I did learn something valuable though! I always hated my Peavey bass because a) I HATE PEAVEY and b) I bought it for 100 bucks at a pawn shop. It's not exactly a looker, and it had this rattle...uck. However, it is USA made, and after playing the Pilot basses, I realized that it's actually a pretty decent bass...not as light and cheap as I thought it was...probably retailed at a middle of the road price range so getting it for 100 bucks at a pawn shop was actually a pretty good deal. I restrung it and tracked down the rattle (a tuner, doh!) and now I'm reasonably happy with it. It plays a lot nicer than the DeArmonds did even. The pickups aren't great though, and I might replace them with fenders.

Slackmaster 2000
 
I think a little judicious vibrato can be very nice on bass...
 
Yeah, I'd figured out that using the bottom E string as a thumb rest, and here's a variation - use the A string as the thumb rest, which mutes both the A and the E.

This having to mute as well as play is something new for me.
 
Another bass playing guitar player...
I use my classical guitar hand position to "rest stroke" the bass strings as my thumb on the thumb rest when playing the E and A then moving the thumb onto the E string when I work up the D and G strings.I am also firmly retro in that skin is the best tone on the bass!
Tom

p.s. my sax playing buddy Miles has an old Fender jazz bass with the frets pulled off that sounds like an upright.Ever heard anybody try this?
 
fretless

many people pull the frets out, they even sell the bass without the frets, Jaco Pastorius played that way, i know many bass player that do that, and im thinking of doing that to one of my basses
 
Congrats dobro. Bass is a wonderful instrument, and I highly recommend you to practice playing with your fingers and playing to drums only. It's h a r d to learn NOT to play guitabass, and putting down the pick would be my first advice. an added bonus is also that you get your thumb free... ;)

Anyways.. Sit down and listen to Lenny Krawitz - "it aint over till it's over". That song was pretty much my guideline to learn playing bass...
 
Im with GT on the thumb-resting-on-string statement... thats a big help when playing with fingers. Incidentally theres nothing wrong with using a pick... dont let the bass snobs tell you otherwise. Personally i play a little of both styles. Depending on the pickup configuration you might find it easier to use them as a thumb rest instead. Ive never really thought too hard about it but i guess i do most of my muting with my fretting hand, just kinda came naturally i guess. If Im playing slap then its the heel of my palm at the bridge.....

incicentally i dont think pulling out the frets will do you any good with this particular issue... but then you probably worked that one out yourself
 
LOL - no, pulling out the frets is definitely not on my agenda.

And no, I'm not playing with a pick, but because my right hand fingernails are long for nylon-string picking, the sound I get is fingernail on string rather than fingerpad. One problem with that is that the fingernail gets a bit chewed up on the bass strings sometimes. Maybe I'll try some flat-wound strings on the bass instead. How does the sound compare?
 
Oooh, I hate when my fingernails touch the strings. As for muting strings, I use my left hand for just about all of it. Basically my left hand is flat and touching all the strings. For the most part the string i'm fretting and under. If I'm fretting something on the A string, My left hand is also muting the D and G. My picking hand (I play with fingers) takes care of anything lower. Some people anchor their thumb on a pick-up or string. But I do it kind of floating style. If i'm picking the A string, my thumb is touching the face of the E, and so on. Kinda like resting your hand on a table. Thumb's flat fingers slightly bent. Mostly just keep humpin that bass, and you'll find what works for ya. :D

Opinion time! Picks suck
Fingers feel better (that's what she said)
Fingers sound better
CUT YOUR FINGERNAILS! :D
I don't like flatwounds, but they might help if
you insist on the fingernails.
 
i've played fretted bass for about 13 years..

i play pick style, slap and fingers (thumb resting mostly on the top of the P pickup..slightly muting the top E..)..i just change between these three styles depending on the song i'm playing..and what sound/style i want...i'll also do some harmonic tapping at times..just depends..it's all open and fun for me when i'm jamming...:D
 
Oh man, playing bass is a love/hate thing with me. I love to play it, but I had better have a first aid kit handy...

I like to slide into notes a lot, and therefore, end up using the side of the finger pad a lot more than the pad itself. By the time I have gone through a song a time or two, I have got one of those rope-burn type open wounds on the sides of my middle and ring fingers. OUCH - I hate that!

But then, the true beauty of the bass guitar comes shining through: you can still play with gobs of band-aids wrapped around your fingertips!

Hey, maybe if I just put the band aids on when I start playing...

nah, too easy. No pain, no gain.
 
I'm with you! Playing bass is a real pleasure.

I have to admit, though, that I played bass for years before I figured out how to respect it as its own instrument. I have to second the suggestion to play along to drums only- that gets you into the foundation of the song where the bass shines.

Playing with a pick is fine, but I would also suggest focusing on learning to play well with fingers- you get into what the bass is all about a bit faster that way. Fingers also offer a much wider range of tones than a pick. Much more finesse is possible.

About the finger nails: try plucking the strings with the *side* of your finger tip. Its kinda hard to explain- you dig into the string with the whole side of the last segment of your finger. You have to angle your whole hand forward a little to do it.

I have to laugh at myself listening to you guys talk about resting your thumb on the E. I have a 5 string and almost always rest on the low B or the pickup. I picked up a 4 string accoustic at the store last week and nearly couldn't play it! I couldn't figure out where to put my thumb.

I never feel as in touch with the song as when I am playing the bass. Enjoy!

Chris
 
Playing bass is great. I used to be a real snob when it came to bass...I thought that bass players were just frustrated guitarists! But after buying one to use on my music I've found a whole new world of instrumentation. It is much more than a low end playing root notes, it is such a wonderful instrument in its own right.

Chris, you are right on about feeling "in touch" with a tune when playing bass. I think part of that is due to playing with my fingers on those big juicy strings!

I'd like to get more serious about my bass gear now. On my wish list...

An 8 or 12 string bass and/or a fretless.
A Bass Pod
 
At the risk of sounding like an old guy pumping out bass player bumper stickers:

A bit of advice from one who has played bass since the mid '60's--if you want to get your "ya yas out", play another instrument (or become Victor Wooten!). I am a fiddle player, too---so that is where I work out my fast CHOPS thing.

Otherwise--get familiar with all the great tones a bass can achieve--with pick, with slightly long finger nails, with 'meat". There is no single appropriate tone for ALL music. Joe Osborne and Carol Kay made great hits with picks. I do both meat and pick...and use slapping as a color, not as an superficially impressive gimmick.

TASTE and GROOVE is a good place to be--after all, the bass player is the CONDUCTOR---you control the interface between the groove and the harmony. Don't upstage the tune...concentrate on making the music sound great. Oh, and if you play busy, the music gets small---play less and the music gets spacious and HUGE. Both have their place, but I guess you will figure out that it more difficult to figure out what NOT to play, than what to play.

Record everything you do---even on a small cassette recorder. Then listen---do the track again and play more of the stuff that worked and eliminate the stuff that didn't. Even if wailing away on the track is "more fun".

Hope I didn't bore you....
 
Bodoc, you said volumes when you said, "it's more difficult to figure out what not to play than what to play." Playing bass is so much more about playing appropriately than just about any other instrument. Well said!
 
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