# Learning to play Bass



## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I'm hoping to pick up my first bass this weekend. I've only played bass a few times before, and I don't really know what I'm doing. I've kind of found my own style that involves a lot of roots, 5th, and hendrixy rhythm fills.

Lucky one of the best bass players I have ever seen, is a good friend of mine. He'll give me lessons for beer.

Any pointers for a guitarist trying to learn to play with two strings missing.?


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Well, there are a lot of styles of playing, even the physical 'pick or strings' has many variations.

One thing I learned is that, depending on the song, I can 'attack' it more like a guitar player - I tend to do this on fast hard rockers, or stuff where the bass line was done essentially as following the guitar part - or a more 'bass player providing foundation' approach. Listen to 'What Is And What Should Never Be' by Led Zeppelin for an example - I don't think the bass plays the same as the guitar twice in the whole song, it's brilliant. Interstate Love Song by Stone Temple Pilots is another interesting line to learn, but of course there are a million examples.


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## grumpyoldman (Jan 31, 2010)

Get a five string, then there will only be one string missing....

...and wherever possible, try to avoid using a pick.

John
thegrumpyoldman


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Pick is a legitimate choice, why would you say that grumpy?

Also, you know a 5er has a low B, not a higher G? Like playing a 7 string guitar.


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## grumpyoldman (Jan 31, 2010)

keto said:


> Pick is a legitimate choice, why would you say that grumpy?
> 
> Also, you know a 5er has a low B, not a higher G? Like playing a 7 string guitar.


True on both counts, Kent, but if someone puts down the guitar and starts to learn bass _with_ a pick, chances are they won't end up playing without one...no use wading in from the shallow end, right?

And, while a five string from fret 5 to the nut sees the fifth string extend the bass range lower, from fret 5 up, it provides more flexibility in note/string selection. To each their own, but I personally preferred that to my four stringers.

John
thegrumpyoldman


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I'm a finger player on a bass. I can't get any timing with a pick. Fingers just feels natural. 

I hybrid pick or finger pick electric guitars anyways, so it feels normal.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Listen to the kick drum. Be rock solid with the downbeat. Everything else is window dressing.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Do not try to play it like it's a guitar. As a guitarist, you may not notice that you are doing it. Approach it for what it is - a different instrument. While you take lessons, pick a couple songs you love the bass line too and perfect them.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)




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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

If you wish to effectively play bass and not suffer from blisters and pain in your picking hand, I strongly suggest playing with a Pick. 

Also practice soloing as often as you can on your own as if you were playing guitar. The key to a great baseline is to make sure it has melody. 

The worlds greatest bass lines of all time were likely written by the great composer Bach. In removing his bass parts from any musical piece, the first thing you notice is how melodic his bass lines are. As the reference above. to what is and what should never be from led Zepplin, Melody rules


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

sambonee said:


> If you wish to effectively play bass and not suffer from blisters and pain in your picking hand, I strongly suggest playing with a Pick.
> 
> Also practice soloing as often as you can on your own as if you were playing guitar. The key to a great baseline is to make sure it has melody.
> 
> The worlds greatest bass lines of all time were likely written by the great composer Bach. In removing his bass parts from any musical piece, the first thing you notice is how melodic his bass lines are. As the reference above. to what is and what should never be from led Zepplin, Melody rules


No kidding about the fingers. My right index developed a callouse after playing bass twice for a couple hours each time. I'm probably going to string my bass with flats too. Easier on the fingers, and a nice vintage tone


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

cboutilier said:


> No kidding about the fingers. My right index developed a callouse after playing bass twice for a couple hours each time. I'm probably going to string my bass with flats too. Easier on the fingers, and a nice vintage tone


I find flats too... well, flat sounding lol... check out something like D'Addario's Half-Rounds. Easier on the fingers but a slightly more lively tone than flats.

And as previously stated, really pay attention to the drummer and try to avoid duplicating what the guitar is doing. JPJ is an awesome example of great bass playing. Sting and McCartney too.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

grumpyoldman said:


> ...and wherever possible, try to avoid using a pick.



Using a pick never held Berry Oakley or Paul McCartney back.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

flats with livelier tone = Chromes. I have them on multiple basses, and in fact play hard rock on one of them. They're fairly high tension, but that's the same for most flats. I've used the .105's, the .100's, and just put a set of the .95's on my old P Bass based on online recommendations. No discernible loss of tone, and much easier to play. They say the .95's are more even tension across the strings, that's not something I really notice as a ham handed pick player


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Leaving the arthritis in my left hand aside, I would love to play bass. I often seem to 'get' it more than I do guitar. When listening to music I can easily pick our the basss, even if it is something complicated and it just makes sense to me. But when playing bass by itself it makes no sense as I simply cannot relate it to the song outside the context of the other instruments. Take _Ramblin' Man_ for example. That is a song I have listened to thousands of times and could sing in my sleep, but when I listen to Oakley's isolated bass track it makes no sense without the rest of the instruments to provide context. It just doesn't seem like the song without the other instruments.








Same goes for this - without the context of the other instruments it doesn't seem like the song to me:


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

keto said:


> Pick is a legitimate choice, why would you say that grumpy?


It is, but bass is better fingerstyle because you get a mellower sound and more tonal control at your fingertips as it were (I say this as a bass player who currently plays with a pick, but that's because I play in a 3 pc punkish band and 2/3rds of the songs involve me playing dirty chords as a surrogate rythmn guitard at least for part of the song.... when I was in a poppier/dancier band I played fingerstyle).


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

double post, sorry.


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## Gavz (Feb 27, 2016)

gtrguy said:


> I find flats too... well, flat sounding lol... check out something like D'Addario's Half-Rounds. Easier on the fingers but a slightly more lively tone than flats.
> 
> 
> And as previously stated, really pay attention to the drummer and try to avoid duplicating what the guitar is doing. JPJ is an awesome example of great bass playing. Sting and McCartney too.



I switched to flats on both of my basses, tone is still great. Dig a bit with your fingertips and they chime out nice, albeit not as ringy as the rounds.

As a guitar player, I found my groove by emulating Sting. As noted by others, the bass is a different animal but finding the groove is a sweet experience.

Sent from my SM-G386W


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## grumpyoldman (Jan 31, 2010)

I have flat-wounds on my fretless, and tried them a couple of times on some of my fretted basses, but just found they 'fit' better _sans_ frets. Either way, I never found their tone to be 'flat'.

Regarding callouses - if you jump right in and play nothing but bass, you will most likely get painful (and messy) blisters first, then eventually callouses, on your right hand fingertips. If you ease your way in, playing for an hour every other evening at home, then the fingertips might have enough time to build up the callouses and avoid the blisters. Has worked for me in the past...I did the "_I'm all in!_" routine once and suffered for it, then when I had the opportunity again to move from guitar to bass, I did the ease-into-it method and all was fine.

My experience...yours may differ, of course.

Damn, I'm gonna have to dig out one of my basses now....

John
thegrumpyoldman


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Gavz said:


> I switched to flats on both of my basses, tone is still great. Dig a bit with your fingertips and they chime out nice, albeit not as ringy as the rounds.
> 
> As a guitar player, I found my groove by emulating Sting. As noted by others, the bass is a different animal but finding the groove is a sweet experience.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G386W


As much as I don't really dig the Police, I will have to look into his bass playing. I am planning on buying a single coil P bass anyways.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Granny Gremlin said:


> It is, but bass is better fingerstyle because you get a mellower sound and more tonal control at your fingertips as it were...


I think Carol Kaye disagrees with you . I forget which documentary it was, but she says something along the lines of "play with a pick for everything. If it needs to sound like it's finger style, make it sound like finger style - but play with a pick."


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I know Budda knows who he means, it's (EDIT how presumtive of me, I mean I *think* he's talking about) Carol Kaye Carol Kaye - Wikipedia

All pick all the time, on a million recordings every one of us has heard at one time or another.


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2017)

I finger on bass. Yes, it takes time for calluses to build up.
I don't like using a pick.
The way I have my bass slung is just right for fingering with my thumb resting on the edge of the pup.
When I use a pick, it does a number on my wrist.



grumpyoldman said:


> I did the "_I'm all in!_" routine once and suffered for it


Me too.
My new brothers. Blackie and Red.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Budda said:


> I think Carol Kaye disagrees with you . I forget which documentary it was, but she says something along the lines of "play with a pick for everything. If it needs to sound like it's finger style, make it sound like finger style - but play with a pick."


I can't diss Carol Kaye, but just because someone is awesome, doesn't mean they're not completely full of shit sometimes because they are a product of their time and set in their ways.

There are advantages to pick playing (attack and cutting power) that can be very good especially for heavy musics (which Carol did not play, I know). You must also remember she is from a time when the bass did not get as much attention in the studio or front of house - playing with a pick could make the difference between being heard and just being felt a bit in the back of the room.

Also, James Jamerson totally dissagrees with Carol (the ole hook; single middle finger, front and back strokes vs 2 fingers front stroke only), so who ya gonna believe is up to you; form your own mind.

Personally - I do what is appropriate, though I have been playing with a pick so long now that my fingerstyle is rusty and I have to really concentrate when I try that now.


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## Fox Rox (Aug 9, 2009)

Pick or fingers?....Yes!!! Both are absolutely legit ways to play bass. Try both and use what feels and sounds right to you. If you can master both techniques that is a bonus as you can get a wide variety of attacks and sounds. My favourite bass players are McCartney (pick) and James Jamerson (fingers).


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Thumb for me. Takes all kinds eh?


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

^ old school


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Thump thump.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

cboutilier said:


> Thump thump.


Very nice! But speaking of old school thumb playing - that's why that finger rest is _below_ the strings; it's not a thumb rest, despite the recent convention of calling it that (later, non tele style, Ps had it above the strings and in such a case it is a thumb rest). The idea here was to grab the rest from the bottom with 2-3 fingers to brace your hand and thumb the strings as per @jb welder .


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

cboutilier said:


> No kidding about the fingers. My right index developed a callouse after playing bass twice for a couple hours each time. I'm probably going to string my bass with flats too. Easier on the fingers, and a nice vintage tone


On my first bass I once spent an afternoon jamming on bass and found out later I was hitting my first finger on a screw on the neck pickup--and I had a huge blister.
Never had done that before--or since--but I prefer playign with my fingers--although some songs & some rhythms I find easier with a pick.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

grumpyoldman said:


> Regarding callouses - if you jump right in and play nothing but bass, you will most likely get painful (and messy) blisters first, then eventually callouses, on your right hand fingertips. If you ease your way in, playing for an hour every other evening at home, then the fingertips might have enough time to build up the callouses and avoid the blisters. Has worked for me in the past...I did the "_I'm all in!_" routine once and suffered for it, then when I had the opportunity again to move from guitar to bass, I did the ease-into-it method and all was fine.
> 
> My experience...yours may differ, of course.


Another word of caution (my experience): I jumped in one night and filled in playing bass for a couple hours. No problem with callouses (alternating fingers and pick) but I had a huge and enduring case of tendonitis in my left forearm. The longer reach and higher pressures required did me in.

I noticed it the next night or so playing guitar - and it shut me down early. It actually caused my middle finger to curl in and I couldn't stretch it out without doing so with my other hand. A Dr friend of mine taught me to use ibuprofen as a prophylactic (like not playing guitar wasn't enough of one already ), taking it before I played guitar to stop the inflammation caused by the tendonitis and stopping further damage. It still took a few months to get past the damage I'd done and heal the tendonitis, so I'm a bit cautious unless I've already ramped up a bit.

Fingers or pick? Yes, of course. Thumb too, if you wish. Why not?


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

High/Deaf said:


> Another word of caution (my experience): I jumped in one night and filled in playing bass for a couple hours. No problem with callouses (alternating fingers and pick) but I had a huge and enduring case of tendonitis in my left forearm. The longer reach and higher pressures required did me in.
> 
> I noticed it the next night or so playing guitar - and it shut me down early. It actually caused my middle finger to curl in and I couldn't stretch it out without doing so with my other hand. A Dr friend of mine taught me to use ibuprofen as a prophylactic (like not playing guitar wasn't enough of one already ), taking it before I played guitar to stop the inflammation caused by the tendonitis and stopping further damage. It still took a few months to get past the damage I'd done and heal the tendonitis, so I'm a bit cautious unless I've already ramped up a bit.
> 
> Fingers or pick? Yes, of course. Thumb too, if you wish. Why not?


I find my bass to be easier on my left hand than my guitar. I use my pinky a lot and slide around as opposed to big stretches. The big fat neck fills my palm, which I find a big factor in left hand pain. Small necks hurt me.

On guitar I make a lot of big bends, and streched chord inversions. I have a lot of issues with cramping across my palm.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

H/D, that's a good point...when I'm heading to a rehearsal/jam/audition/recording session, I take Tylenol ahead of time and it makes a HUGE difference for me, particularly my left hand/fingers. Doesn't hurt my back n legs any either!


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

cboutilier said:


> I find my bass to be easier on my left hand than my guitar. I use my pinky a lot and slide around as opposed to big stretches. The big fat neck fills my palm, which I find a big factor in left hand pain. Small necks hurt me.
> 
> On guitar I make a lot of big bends, and streched chord inversions. I have a lot of issues with cramping across my palm.


I use my pinky as well - with relatively small hands, I have to use everything I've got to reach notes others take for granted.

The issue for me was that I just never play bass, so that one night of extensive playing really screwed me up. The amount I had to stretch to reach notes was more - and more often than with guitar. Plus the increased pressure / higher action. I've never experienced anything like it playing guitar, because I do that so much more and muscles are used to that range of motions.



keto said:


> H/D, that's a good point...when I'm heading to a rehearsal/jam/audition/recording session, I take Tylenol ahead of time and it makes a HUGE difference for me, particularly my left hand/fingers. Doesn't hurt my back n legs any either!


As my doc friend told me, the important factor is the muscle relaxant/anti-inflammatory aspect. So I wasn't just helping with the pain, by taking the drug well before I played and have the relaxant already working in my system, I didn't keep re-injuring the forearm as I would have without the relaxant. It would have never got better if I kept playing it and kept re-injuring it.

Wise advise he gave me - for free! I was on my way to a gig when I dropped in and saw him and he even gave me a couple of kick-arse muscle relaxants to take for that night. The problem never re-occurred after that.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I tell ya I'm some sore today. I played bass for 3 or 4 hours last night, and guitar for another 3 or 4 hours at a party/jam. The bass there had fairly high action, and weighed 10 lbs or so. What a workout!


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Yeah, now just imagine John Paul Jone's finger strength - in his solo work moreso than Zep, he is (was? dunno if still touring) a monster with the chords and bends, and he does not use light guages.

I play a lot of chords so a 2-3 hour jam is about where I start feeling it.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Granny Gremlin said:


> Yeah, now just imagine John Paul Jone's finger strength - in his solo work moreso than Zep, he is (was? dunno if still touring) a monster with the chords and bends, and he does not use light guages.
> 
> I play a lot of chords so a 2-3 hour jam is about where I start feeling it.


My bass mentor does crazy bends on his p bass. He likes to imitate fretless slides on bass like i imitate a pedal steel with my tele


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

cboutilier said:


> My bass mentor does crazy bends on his p bass. He likes to imitate fretless slides on bass like i imitate a pedal steel with my tele


Oh yeah, slides is half the reason I use flats.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Granny Gremlin said:


> Oh yeah, slides is half the reason I use flats.


I seem to incorporating a fair amount of short (1 step) slides in my bass playing.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

cboutilier said:


> I seem to incorporating a fair amount of short (1 step) slides in my bass playing.


One of the reasons I got a fretless was that I slide 2 or more frets on a fretted--sounds cooler on a fretless.
& yes I overdid it at first, but now I know when to hold back & don't have to slide in every single song.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

zontar said:


> One of the reasons I got a fretless was that I slide 2 or more frets on a fretted--sounds cooler on a fretless.
> & yes I overdid it at first, but now I know when to hold back & don't have to slide in every single song.


I don't think I'm accurate enough to get good intonation on a fretless


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

cboutilier said:


> I don't think I'm accurate enough to get good intonation on a fretless


I'm by no means perfect--but it can be done--
One thing I learned early from a video by fretless bass player Steve Bailey was that when, not if, but when you miss the note--learn to slide into into it--and do that on purpose as well--so when you miss & slide into the right note it will sound like you meant to do it.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

zontar said:


> I'm by no means perfect--but it can be done--
> One thing I learned early from a video by fretless bass player Steve Bailey was that when, not if, but when you miss the note--learn to slide into into it--and do that on purpose as well--so when you miss & slide into the right note it will sound like you meant to do it.


I'm a master of doing that on guitar haha. When I play live, most of what I play is songs I'm learning on the fly. Theres a lot of bending and/or sliding into the right notes when I try to give a decent facimile to the original licks and solos.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

cboutilier said:


> I'm a master of doing that on guitar haha. When I play live, most of what I play is songs I'm learning on the fly. Theres a lot of bending and/or sliding into the right notes when I try to give a decent facimile to the original licks and solos.


It's a good skill to have.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

zontar said:


> It's a good skill to have.


I'd like to have the skill to not need that particular skill so often. I always joke that the only reason my ear has developed as well as it has in the last few years is because my technique hasn't improved at all.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

cboutilier said:


> I'd like to have the skill to not need that particular skill so often. I always joke that the only reason my ear has developed as well as it has in the last few years is because my technique hasn't improved at all.


I may need to borrow that one.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

As far as learning and technique go, I'd suggest a metronome and scales. Work on nice even quarter notes in time. Fool around with patterns (2 quarters on each note, quarters and triplests etc) and be conscious of what you're doing with your picking hand. You could work on strict alternating the index amd middle, thumb plucking (a la Sting) even double thumbing (a la Victor Wooten) or slap and pop.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

sambonee said:


> If you wish to effectively play bass and not suffer from blisters and pain in your picking hand, I strongly suggest playing with a Pick.
> 
> Also practice soloing as often as you can on your own as if you were playing guitar. The key to a great baseline is to make sure it has melody.
> 
> The worlds greatest bass lines of all time were likely written by the great composer Bach. In removing his bass parts from any musical piece, the first thing you notice is how melodic his bass lines are. As the reference above. to what is and what should never be from led Zepplin, Melody rules



I thought a pick would be better too but playing with my fingers just feels so right! Mind you it was only one song that I played but it was so much fun.


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