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Funky bass solos/pieces for a beginner


phin
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Hi all,

I've just started learning bass and also to sight read music. I've just been doing major and minor scales to date, along with fingering exercises and a few bits and pieces that I've come across (eg. triads)

I'd like to find something meatier that will actually force me to a) read the music and B) relate that to the notes on my instrument!

Does anyone have any suggestions of suitable things to learn? Looking for something longer and more interesting than a simple bass line. Doesn't have to be anything famous - even a website with suitable things on would be great.

Thanks very much!

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[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1464695040' post='3061462']
I agree it's a good piece to learn, could be a bit tasty for a beginner though
[/quote]

True, but start slowly and build up speed. There isn't much syncopation in Bach's music so makes an easier read to start with.

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[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1464696344' post='3061487']
True, but start slowly and build up speed. There isn't much syncopation in Bach's music so makes an easier read to start with.
[/quote]

That's a fair point.
It's pretty straight, and trying to learn it certainly wont do your playing any harm

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[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1464642646' post='3061127']
Find the charts for Bach's Cello suites.
[/quote]

I have to say I thought you were being sarcastic here, but I'm guessing you mean the suite of which [url="http://cellosheetmusic.net/classical/b/bach/"]the one here[/url] is the first? In which case I can totally see that, and also that's exactly the kind of thing that I was looking for (well, not exactly funky, but hey - it has lots of notes that will form something reasonable I'm guessing!)

I downloaded and started looking at the music for If You Want Me To Stay - one of my favourite songs, and definitely a very cool baseline. I think I'll carry on with that as once I've got the notes figured out it will be a good way to work on rhythm. One of the sites gives you the first page for free, and lets you slow down the pitch of the playback which makes playing along achievable (at least it will be when I've practised some more :D )

Thanks for that link too Grangur - lots to look at there, and it looks like you've put in a lot of work into getting that material together, so double thanks!

I'm due to pick up an amp I won on eBay this week, so there is lots of fun to be had (and hopefully not too many neighbours to annoy!).

:)

Edited by phin
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OK, I have a question about the Bach...

I was starting it with the first G on the E string (3rd fret), but I just watched a video by guy called Joss Foshgreen (not a name to say when drunk) and he has transposed it (is that the right word?!) up so a much higher key and plays it higher up the neck. Why? ([url="http://joshfossgreen.com/bach-cello-suite-1-prelude-solo-bass/"]link[/url]) I can see a low C fairly early on (this is great sight reading practise BTW - good idea) - presumably playing it further up means that you'll be ablet to actually get those lower notes? But then why not play it starting on the G on the D string (5th fret)?

Anyhow, I think I need to understand a bit more theory, although I will make a start on learning this as I do like a good mission :)

Edited by phin
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The reason that Mr Fossgreen is playing them way up the neck is because that is the pitch at which the music was written - try compare to a recording of the same suite by a cellist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGQLXRTl3Z0
Bassists and cellists read from the same clef, but the notes sound an octave apart, if double bass parts were written at the correct pitch they would require excessive use of ledger lines for the most commonly played notes in the lowest octave. If you look at the PDF that Josh has on the webpage you linked and compare to the cello score from the cello music site you linked, you'll see that josh has transposed the score up an octave.

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Ahhh I see. Thank you. So for the sake of learning, and since I can barely read the contents of the standard ledger lines, I assume it won't do me any harm to start on the D string's G and take it from there? I'm less bothered about playing it in the right octave and way more bothered and learning to read the notes and play the bass for the time being!

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On a four string, you have 4 choices to play that G, open G, 5th fret D string, 10th fret A string, 15th fret E string, where you choose to play that note is going to be influenced by the other notes that immediately precede and follow it. There are usually multiple ways to approach the fingering for a musical phrase, some might be easier physically, others might be desirable for reasons of timbre (those 4 Gs all sound different even if they are the same pitch).

Bach cello suites are a real technical challenge, and not really by any stretch of the imagination beginner friendly - if you do want to persevere with learning the prelude to suite 1 (which is a sublime bit of music) I would suggest that it might be a better idea to use the original cello score and play it at written pitch (so you would start with G at third fret on the E string, then open D string, then B and A on the G string etc) staying down near the nut and utilising open strings wherever possible.

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If you'll excuse the self-promotion, I have a website/blog with a number of free transcriptions that should yield a few things for reading practice:

[url="http://www.freebasstranscriptions.com"]www.freebasstranscriptions.com[/url]


I'd second the Jamerson Book, and also suggest looking at Anthony Vitti's [url="http://www.anthonyvitti.com/home.html"]Fingerfunk Workbooks[/url] and his Sight Reading Funk Rhythms book - they're pretty intense but if you can get through them then you'll be able to read pretty much anything!

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