Learning to Play Bass

November 19, 2004 1:54 AM

Bass players- help me learn your instrument. (MI)

I am a longtime guitarist who's been tapped to perform in a cacophonous math rock / free improv outfit. I know where to put my fingers, am happy with my phrasing, etc but my feel and attack (I'm playing with fingers, BTW) are decidedly amateurish. I am loathe to practice with a metronome as that's not the feel I'm seeking. Any suggestions as to how I can improve? Any suggestions (how and where to hold the instrument, attack angle, metronome exercises) are welcome.

posted by DuoJet to Education (13 answers total)

OK, here's a couple of points:

-Anchor your left hand thumb in the back of the neck, right in the center, opposite your index finger. Like you are trying to squeeze your thumb and index finger together right though the neck. Keep your fingers slightly arched, but not in an unnatural way, so that you make kind of a 45 degree angle with the fretboard as you press the string down. The string should be fretted just above the fret wire, not in the middle of the fret. This will help you get a nice clear tone with no buzzing or rattling. Try to keep all 4 left hand fingers close to the fretboard, and use a one-finger-per-fret approach to fingering. This takes some practice but will ultimately make fingerings easier for you.

-Your right hand: the basic stroke is alternating 2 fingers. Pull the finger over the string, catching it with the fleshy part. Try to get a big sound with full note value. This is very important: turn up the amp louder, and play softer. This will give you more dynamic control, and reduce fatigue. Of course there are many other right hand techniques, but that's kind of the main one.

-Since you said you are playing with dorks (kidding!) they won't care if you hold the bass at a reasonable height (not at your knees). Try adjusting the strap as follows: the bass should be in exactly the same location while you are standing as it is when you are sitting down to practice. A lot of rock bands will practically kick you out if you do this, but it makes a lot of sense: all your muscles and hand positions will be exactly the same when you perform as they were when you were practicing.

-Practicing some with a metonome is good, but don't make a fetish out of it. Have it click on beats 2 and 4 only for a more natural feel.

I could go on but I have to go to work....good luck and have fun. Play along with lots of records (especially groove type stuff), concentrate on locking with the drummer, don't try to play too many notes.

By the way, there's nothing wrong with playing with a pick, especially in loud situations. If that works better for you, don't be intimidated by BS that "real" bass players always use fingers.
posted by crunchburger at 4:03 AM on November 19, 2004

Response by poster: Thanks for the great tips CBs. I am a much better player sitting down (guitar or bass). I will show up with the thing hanging just under my chin and see if I get the evil eye.

there's nothing wrong with playing with a pick

Not 'intimidated by the BS' so much as I HATE the way it sounds.
posted by DuoJet at 4:53 AM on November 19, 2004

Well, rock on then. I said that mainly because a lot of guitarists like to play bass with a pick, but then encounter contempt from us 4-stringers.
posted by crunchburger at 5:45 AM on November 19, 2004

Just a general suggestion, learn to play using both your fingers and a pick. The two different methods have a very different sound and it will give you a greater range.
posted by drezdn at 7:02 AM on November 19, 2004

I'll second the motion for practicing with the metronome clicking only on the 2 and the 4. If you want to really make it challenging, set the metronome to click only once per measure, but try it first with the click on 1, then try it with the click on 2, then 3, then 4. You'll feel a different groove with each variation.

I also like having the bass angled with the headstock high, as you would have it sitting down. This is essentially the classical guitar position, which is designed for maximum ease and comfort while playing.

As far as your right hand goes, I find rest strokes (pulling the finger through the plucked string straight back to rest on the next string) to be much more useful than free strokes. If your guitar experience was with classical guitar, you'll be familiar with that, otherwise it might be new.
posted by tdismukes at 7:04 AM on November 19, 2004

Don't forget to listen to the drummer - really listen with every part of your musicalness.

I know as a guitarist I get a kick out of inflecting the music with my own rhythms, lagging or pushing the beat. In my opinion it's better when bassists don't do this, but rather are very tight with the drummer.
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:09 AM on November 19, 2004

As a guitarist who made the transition to bass - I had a very hard time with the "yellow pages" fingers that bassists use to play notes. I also hated the sound of a pick.

What I found worked best for me was starting with a Travis style picking, and just modifying it as I messed around with it.

Another thing that's fun to try is using all of your right hand fingers.
posted by icey at 9:09 AM on November 19, 2004

I found myself in a similar situation when I was tapped to play in a math rock band. When I made the switch, I picked up a bass with a moderately high action to keep me focused on making deliberate note choices instead of guitar-noodling. Another benefit is that it reduced string buzz on the lower strings.

For feel, I second ikkyu2s advice: Don't forget to listen to the drummer. If you start trying to find rhythm by playing with the whole band, you'll find yourself trying to put together a bassline to fit the guitar/keyboard/vocal melody when you should be concentrating on getting the rhythm down first.

I scheduled a few extra practices playing ONLY with the drummer to keep me focused on his rhythm and feel so we could really lock into place and not be distracted by melodies or song form. Once I felt comfortable enough with the initial pocket between myself and the drummer I added the rhythm guitarist to our practices.

This may not be best suited to your needs, but it will help your overall bass feel: If you ever get the chance, pick up some old James Brown records mixed in stereo and pan your stereo completely to the left channel (or right, i can't remember which) so you can only hear the bass/drums.

Better yet, if you happen to be in the Madison, Wisconsin area on a Monday night, you can check out the Funky Drummer himself at the King Club hear what a true rhythm legend sounds live.
posted by kidhuevos at 9:49 AM on November 19, 2004

This is speculation, but i wonder if perhaps your tone/attack problem has to do with (i'm assuming) a lack of calluses on your fingering fingers. I'm kind of nerdy about tone and i will occasionally, on mellow parts of a song, use my (un-calloused) ring finger for a smoother/softer tone. I suspect, that as you build calluses on your pointer and middle, your attack will become sharper.

(note: if you're playing hectic math-y stuff, there may be a blood-blister and some wrist pain in your near future as your muscles and skin accommodate the new instrument).

As far as feel goes, everyone above is wise to note that the bass need be as much a rhythm instrument as a melodic one. I've had some luck messing around on a drum kit, and then taking some of those meter/rhythm ideas back to the bass.

Developing a sense of how a drum kit 'works' is also helpful. You hear bass players talk about the nebulous 'pocket'; here's the secret-- finding the pocket is simply choosing what parts of the drum beat to follow or not. i.e. make hits with the kick and snare for this part and then chase the ride for two beats and then rest on the tom roll. or whatever. Point being, your feel will improve as your sense of space with/within/around the beat improves.

Good luck. The bass is a crazy lovely thumping instrument.
posted by verysleeping at 11:44 AM on November 19, 2004

If you're playing finger-style, one of the most important things is muting open (unplayed) strings. This is even more critical on 5 and 6 string instruments. I've never really played guitar having moved to bass from trombone (bass players get more gigs!) so I don't know how muting works on a guitar but I found the most effective approach is to mute the string immediately above (physically - below tonally) the plucked string with the plucking finger and the others using the unused fingers on the plucking hand. I always rest my thumb on either the E (B) or A (E) string except when playing those strings(!) in which case I mute the higher strings with my right hand.

It's kinda hard to explain without diagrams or photos and obviously the muting "configuration" changes rapdily while playing. To be honest, it's not super-important when playing live, but the first time you get in the studio I guarantee that the producer/engineer will be straight on your case if you're not muting effectively.

To be a good bass player requires a special mindset. It's the ultimate non-glory role as far as the majority of rock/pop music goes although it's the most important from a purely musical perspective: The bass is the rhythmic and harmonic foundation of the band. I read an interview with a great player once (and I honestly don't remember who it was - maybe someone can help me out here) where the interviewer said "don't you find the bass boring? It's just dum-dum-dum all night long." To which the interviewee replied: "No, you don't understand - that's what bass players do!"
posted by NeonSurge at 2:47 PM on November 19, 2004

I'm glad someone brought up muting, which really is critical. It's worth noting that left-hand muting is also needed: you get rid of unwanted open string resonance, etc. It;s not worth getting too analytical about it, just be aware of it and try to get a feel for what works.

What kind of bass are you using?
posted by crunchburger at 5:12 PM on November 19, 2004

Response by poster: Damn, there's almost too much good stuff here. I'm printing this out to keep it handy for practice. Thanks everyone for your time.

crunchburger, I'm using a Musicman P-Bass-looking thing with a single split-coil pickup
posted by DuoJet at 11:20 PM on November 19, 2004

I'm always aware when I'm playing with a good drummer of the importance of when the bass notes STOP as well as when they START. Often overlooked, I think.

Next time you're playing a funky line, try paying attention to exactly when you are coming off the note. Tightening up that precise moment can make all the difference in a good groove!
posted by Aquaman at 12:47 AM on November 20, 2004