playing bass

  • Thread starter Thread starter dobro
  • Start date Start date
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!
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I know EXACTLY what you mean.. I play a 5 string myself and those 4 strings with them skinny wee necks are a little disorientating these days!

Bodoc im with you totally on the tonal exploration point! I dont understand this attitude about "picks are for guitars not basses". I personally play fingers/pick/slap whatever it takes to make the sound I want.
 
> I think a little judicious vibrato can be very nice on bass...

Yes, I agree, and the real bassists do it all the time. You know, real double basses, the ones that look like upended bathtubs with gut strings.

Listen to jazz.
 
Bass is just one more part of the musical equasion!A necissary evil,if you will.As a nylon string player,you probably have a good insight into what the bass does in music!I'm no Jaco(Jackoff,perhaps),but I've been playing bass for 15 yrs,and like I said,I'm no Jaco,but I believe I know what goes into decent bass work.I was forced into taking up the instrument,being that the bass player in my band at the time left,and the other guitar player was too headstrong to make the switch.I only wanted what was best for the band,so I took it upon myself to do it.I'm glad I did!Bass really is a fun instrument to play,and listen to.It really isn't any more complex than you want it to be.I love the bass work of players from Lemmy Kilmister to Stanly Clark.Steve Harris to Dee Dee Ramone.Tom Araya to Duck Dunn.Billy Sheehan to Brian Wilson.Paul McCartney to.......
 
Bass POD amazing ? Are you kidding ? I smile everytime I use it because just tweaking a few knobs can change your whole perspective on the part you are trying to play. The compressor(modeled after the LA/2A) is worth the $350 by itself.....it's has just one knob like the LA/2A and it works...no pumping, no artifacts, no fiddling with attack and release settings. It does jazz tones, heavy metal, funk, retro-motown, classic rock......the breadth of sounds is remarkable. It's one of the best gear purchases I've ever made.

I'm probably more impressed with it than most people because I play through a mono PA system with a 15" speaker, and not my Event PS6 monitors, but it records really well. Sometimes I run it through my ART Tube Channel but usually I'm lazy and just go direct into the recorder.
 
Fingers

Fingers, short nails!!, use super glue on your fingertips untill you develope calus.




F.S.
 
i am a guitar player..but..like alot of other guitarists that are into recording i have been doing some bass guitar. One thing I can tell you is touch is VERY important on bass. I can play all the right notes and runs and mute the right strings and listen to the track and say "the bass doesn't sound right". Then later on a bassplayer friend of mine might come by and lay down the same part,,,same notes and runs...on the same bass,,,on the same rig...all set the same and end up with a bass part that blows mine away. Its all in his touch (mines getting better though).
 
No kidding! Bass is a hell of a lot more dynamic an instrument than I ever gave it credit for. In fact, having the Bass Pod for a few days now has taught me how much small changes in bass tone can completely change the mood of a tune.
 
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