Page 1 of 1

how to play bassguitar

Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 1:36 pm
by studio32
Hi,

Where can i find information about how to play bassguitar??

Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:15 pm
by steevc
I was looking for the same thing recently

http://www.guitarnoise.com/tag/bass-for-beginners/

http://www.activebass.com/

http://www.cyberfretbass.com/

http://www.talkbass.com/

Plus there are plenty of tutorials on Youtube. That should get you going.

I borrowed a very cheap bass from a friend, but he wanted it back. I need to find another to play around with.

--
Steve

Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:19 pm
by MattKingUSA
Youtube is a great idea. You can learn a lot just from watching people play. I use youtube to learn how to play a bunch of stuff. Even when it isn't instructional it can still be very helpful.

Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 7:17 pm
by studio32

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:49 am
by studio32
For tablature I found: http://www.totalbass.com/

I've learned to play: Castles made of Sand by Jimmy Hendrix...
Great song and good to start with in my opinion :)

Re: how to play bassguitar

Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 12:26 am
by dave228
Hey for a website for free bass lessons try how to play bass
http://www.play-bass.com

Re:

Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 3:34 pm
by dchurch24
studio32 wrote:For tablature I found: http://www.totalbass.com/

I've learned to play: Castles made of Sand by Jimmy Hendrix...
Great song and good to start with in my opinion :)
Ha - I live opposite the brother of Noel Reading (sadly deceased now) - the bass player on that record!

Re: how to play bassguitar

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 9:07 am
by southpaw
Hello studio32,
when I first started playing the bass guitar, I would try to mimic what I liked to listen to with my bass. Providing that it was in tune, lol. Never underestimate the power of your ear. Btw, Hendrix is a great place to start :wink: .

sp

Re: how to play bassguitar

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:02 pm
by southpaw
I would also like to add that although TAB is ok if you already know what the song sounds like, it doesn't help mush if you have never heard the piece of music you are trying to learn. This is where standard notation comes in. I know it seems intimidating at first but everything you need to know about a piece of music can be described with standard notation. I mean we are talking about pitch, position, tuning, rhythm, tempo, dynamics..etc..etc.. Even the overall emotion of the piece can be described in notation.

In my opinion, the most difficult part of learning to read music is making the connection between what you are reading and physically relating it to your instrument in an efficient manner.

I would like to recommend a couple of books that helped me out a lot. The first is by Vince Bredice, a jazz teacher who worked with Jaco when he was teaching at the University of Miami many years ago.
http://books.google.com/books?id=b5SWtW ... hod&pg=PP1

The next is a little more involved of a book but it really helps to develop the "hearing eye" for reading music. It is by Paul Hindemith - Elementary training for musicians
http://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Traini ... 0901938165

Fortunately we have the internet, a source of infinite amounts of information at the click of a button. But there are still some great books out there that provide an excellent point of reference.

sp

Re: how to play bassguitar

Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:48 am
by SR
southpaw wrote:I would also like to add that although TAB is ok if you already know what the song sounds like, it doesn't help mush if you have never heard the piece of music you are trying to learn. This is where standard notation comes in.
I couldn't agree more. Dependency on TAB doesn't help to become a better musician since all it does is tell you where, on the neck, to find the notes. It might sound stupid, but I'm still trying to correct the damage that "TAB Over-Dependency" did to me when I first started playing guitar years ago. In order to become a better musician I have to force myself to focus on the notes now instead of positions or shapes.

However, there are certain nuances that (AFAIK) standard notation cannot describe. For instance, how do you document a pinch squeal or harmonics in standard notation?

Re: how to play bassguitar

Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 4:36 pm
by studio32
I prefer notation too, but you could do both of course. Display notes and tabs below.

btw I'm practising "Strange Relationship" from Prince, on my bass now. Great song, especially the live versione (One Nite Live)