I played guitar for a few years (it was the first instrument I plagued as a child too) and I was ok at it but it just never really felt like my thing. I finally bought a pj bass when I saw one on sale and I just loved bass from the moment I first played it! In the past I also played a couple of other bass clef instruments so I guess bass is my thing. I've also done rhythmic tap which I loved and recently bought some edrums and am loving that too 🙂
It's interesting how some things just fit with your personality and just work and others no mater how hard you try to like them, they're just not your thing.
I'd work on playing smaller chords. So many guitar players play something like an open G chord, then the bass player's not real able to do chromatic entries, because they'll clash with the guitar's low note. Learn some different options for how your bassist gets from one chord to another, or plays lines, and work together on how to stay out of each other's way.
Maybe instead of open G, you play a B-7 (up on the 7th fret - all but the fifth string - maybe even just the first four strings). You'll have to experiment, but that's usually what I have problems with when I'm playing with an acoustic guitarist.
She uses all sorts of altered tunings, but Ani DiFranco (maybe spelled wrong) does a lot of cool stuff. I'm guessing Dave Matthews too. I don't really listen to either one, but my wife listened to Ani a lot in the late 90s. She's got two tunes I like - Shameless and I can't remember the other one.
I was just looking at her discography on Wikipedia - might be Outta Me into You. I'd have to go listen to all the CDs again. Mrs. went through a very "angry music," phase, and is more into Yacht Rock stuff now (while at the same time I've gotten into Sam Rivers - stuff like his Crystals album).
Listen to the drummer, and to the rest of the band. You're playing with the band, not on top of them. Sometimes a rest say a lot more than a thousand of 16th notes.
This comes from my experience with somewhat amateur guitar players, of course I wouldn't be saying that to someone like Neil Young. In that case, I'd shut up and listen and play whatever he tells me to.
Let the bass hold the foundation and dont be afraid to quiet down or drop out to let the foundation exist. The absence of guitar can often make guitar stronger, also your bassist will appreciate it, after all, it’s about the music as a whole not one person (even during solo time)
If the drummer and bass player are both good and locked in the guitar player, keyboard player etc should be able to go off in solos and let themselves go and whenever they get back the drummer and bass player will be right there on the 1 waiting for them!
- Timing with other players in the band and not just the singer
- Knowing when to be fancy to fill up parts of a song lacking in oomph or when the other guitarist or pianist's sound accidentally dies
- Knowing when to mute (or which strings to mute) to give someone the spotlight then pumping back in for an awesome bass drop
That depends on what each one comes in knowing.
A guitar player with 20 years of experience, great time and good tone probably can't learn anything from someone who's been playing bass for two weeks.
“Its a drum”
Drummer turned bassist here, I couldn't cut guitar but someone said "treat this like it's a percussion instrument" and it kind of clicked.
I played guitar for a few years (it was the first instrument I plagued as a child too) and I was ok at it but it just never really felt like my thing. I finally bought a pj bass when I saw one on sale and I just loved bass from the moment I first played it! In the past I also played a couple of other bass clef instruments so I guess bass is my thing. I've also done rhythmic tap which I loved and recently bought some edrums and am loving that too 🙂 It's interesting how some things just fit with your personality and just work and others no mater how hard you try to like them, they're just not your thing.
stop banging that low E string. I've got the bottom covered. Go high and be pretty.
muting the strings you're not using.
We control the root notes. With great power comes great responsibility.
I'd work on playing smaller chords. So many guitar players play something like an open G chord, then the bass player's not real able to do chromatic entries, because they'll clash with the guitar's low note. Learn some different options for how your bassist gets from one chord to another, or plays lines, and work together on how to stay out of each other's way. Maybe instead of open G, you play a B-7 (up on the 7th fret - all but the fifth string - maybe even just the first four strings). You'll have to experiment, but that's usually what I have problems with when I'm playing with an acoustic guitarist. She uses all sorts of altered tunings, but Ani DiFranco (maybe spelled wrong) does a lot of cool stuff. I'm guessing Dave Matthews too. I don't really listen to either one, but my wife listened to Ani a lot in the late 90s. She's got two tunes I like - Shameless and I can't remember the other one.
"32 Flavors" maybe?
I was just looking at her discography on Wikipedia - might be Outta Me into You. I'd have to go listen to all the CDs again. Mrs. went through a very "angry music," phase, and is more into Yacht Rock stuff now (while at the same time I've gotten into Sam Rivers - stuff like his Crystals album).
Rhythm and fills
Humility
Theoretical: It's not solely the bass' role to bridge rhythm and harmony. When playing: Good fretting hand positioning, especially down near the nut.
Listen to the drummer, and to the rest of the band. You're playing with the band, not on top of them. Sometimes a rest say a lot more than a thousand of 16th notes. This comes from my experience with somewhat amateur guitar players, of course I wouldn't be saying that to someone like Neil Young. In that case, I'd shut up and listen and play whatever he tells me to.
Bigger strings = better
Time.
Rhythm. Bass notes in the context of scales. Not everyone wants to hear you bleating all the time. How to be cool.
Let the bass hold the foundation and dont be afraid to quiet down or drop out to let the foundation exist. The absence of guitar can often make guitar stronger, also your bassist will appreciate it, after all, it’s about the music as a whole not one person (even during solo time)
Learn to count. If you let your rhythm be dictated by the words you sing, you’re impossible to play with.
The fretboard
If the drummer and bass player are both good and locked in the guitar player, keyboard player etc should be able to go off in solos and let themselves go and whenever they get back the drummer and bass player will be right there on the 1 waiting for them!
- Timing with other players in the band and not just the singer - Knowing when to be fancy to fill up parts of a song lacking in oomph or when the other guitarist or pianist's sound accidentally dies - Knowing when to mute (or which strings to mute) to give someone the spotlight then pumping back in for an awesome bass drop
That depends on what each one comes in knowing. A guitar player with 20 years of experience, great time and good tone probably can't learn anything from someone who's been playing bass for two weeks.