norvegicusbass

[quote name='Doddy' post='1125959' date='Feb 13 2011, 02:10 PM']When you've written a melody or a progression,put the instrument down and just listen. Try to sing an idea for a bassline,before you pick up the bass. This will stop you from falling into your stock patterns,and make for a more interesting line.[/quote] Excellent advice right there. Whenever I try to get creative with a bassline I often fall into playing the same patterns but singing it first seems to be a way out of this. Pity my singing is woeful though

[quote name='Michaelg' post='1125927' date='Feb 13 2011, 01:40 PM']whats wrong with using your thumb for the downstrokes and index for the ups?[/quote] Nothing but have you heard the song?

Anyone out there who plays with their fingers but plays up and down strokes with them? I cant really play too well with a pick but when I am playing Down In The Sewer by The Stranglers ( with fingers!! ) I play the end section - the brief bass solo - with my index finger playing up and down strokes. This is the closest I can get to sounding like JJ without picking. Mind I dont sound too like him LOL.

Do you play in a band? There are some basslines that sound nothing special when played in isolation but are perfect when you couple them with other instruments. Conversely some great showy bass solos are just that, pieces to show off with and have a little fun with.

Sorry just read the title and not your post. Lots of haste and no sense from me all day today been one of those days

[quote name='gub' post='1123925' date='Feb 11 2011, 03:19 PM']The ones i have found dont seem quite right and and nothing on my new fave site songster, any help would be great [/quote] Tried Songsterr.com?

[quote name='Mog' post='1123994' date='Feb 11 2011, 04:20 PM']From what I remember the part in question is similar to a run Flea does in 'Right on Time' which is really handy with a pick. Its more about accuracy rather than speed. The strokes I'd use would be: down, down/up. down, down/up.down, down/up.down, down/up. Dunno if that makes much sense [/quote] See how bad at picking I am? I play it albeit slowly up, down/up. up, down/up

[quote name='Fat Rich' post='1122327' date='Feb 10 2011, 09:11 AM']Might be worth finding a teacher, they'll be able to advise on the string height on your bass and also where your fingering the note, how relaxed your hand is, wrist position etc. You'll also find that the finger noise is generally less noticeable when you listen through an amp, and as you progress on the bass it'll probably improve slowly anyway. But a couple of lessons will speed up the process.[/quote] I was wondering whether listening through an amp and altering treble bass etc would lessen it. Going to get a cheap amp. Everything has to be cheap not because I am skint (which I am) but because its still a hobby and I cant justify to the missus spending a boat load of cash on it at the moment.

[quote name='xgsjx' post='1122412' date='Feb 10 2011, 10:36 AM']That would be a tricky song to play with pick & if I was to play like that the pattern would be down on the 8th & then down up on the 16ths. I'd rather play it with my fingers like in the video above.[/quote] Yeah hats off to pick players who can do this I would need years of practice to nail this with a pick

[quote name='silddx' post='1122405' date='Feb 10 2011, 10:28 AM'] This geezer does a decent job of this bass part. Not difficult but not easy either. Easier with fingers that's for sure. Like SteveK said, thumb and fingers for the dum diddy dum diddy parts is the way to go. Don't know how it was done originally though.[/quote] I have never seen it played that way with the thumb, might give it a whirl. I just play it all with two fingers and it feels comfortable enough but seeing how its possible to use the thumb like that might come in useful for other tunes.

[quote name='karlfer' post='1120590' date='Feb 8 2011, 08:35 PM']I hate slap. Don't care what anyone says, I hate slap. I hate slap.[/quote] I agree one hundred percent but it does seem to be the first thing a bassist does to show off LOL.

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1122154' date='Feb 9 2011, 11:56 PM']I think you'll find that the fashionable terminology is 'conjoined'. [/quote] Imagine the fights you would have over who uses the hands to play though

[quote name='SteveK' post='1122141' date='Feb 9 2011, 11:50 PM']Just done a quick Youtube of the song. The chorus is played with a pick and consists of an 8th note followed by two 16ths an octave up, a la dum diddy dum diddy etc If you've only just started playing again, then I think you will probably struggle to play it the conventional two finger style. I would think a pick would be easier (and more authentic). Definitely do not attempt all down strokes - you'll do yourself a mischief Another way, you could try playing the lower (8th note) with the thumb, and play the higher octave (two 16th notes) with the fingers.[/quote] Cheers Steve. Yeah I didnt think I could do it all downstrokes. I can play it quite good two fingered but you are right it sounds to me like the tone is via a pick and so I will take all the advice on here regards starting slow and building up speed once it feels natural. Is it more common to have to focus on pick stroke than finger stroke? Like I said earlier I can play this quite fast ( a lot faster than the track requires ) but I couldnt begin to tell you which finger I pluck the string with.

[quote name='silddx' post='1122116' date='Feb 9 2011, 11:41 PM']Hello mate. The height of the frets is no issue, some instruments, especially from the middle ages had scalloped fingerboards, trust me, it's not a problem. The height of the strings above the frets is important, ie. the 'action'. Acoustic hollowbody instruments are more prone to accentuating string and finger noise, it's common, some people like it, I don't mind it for certain things, it adds character. Just a point, when you fret a string, you only need to press hard enough to get the string to make the note ring clear on the fret, there is no need at all for the string to touch the fingerboard, in fact you should avoid that at all costs. It usually only requires a fairly light touch to fret the string. Hope that helps. Photos would be useful and measurements, I'm sure we can give you an online diagnosis Cheers.[/quote] Ahh it seems from yours and ET's replies that I have been playing with a misunderstanding all these years no wonder my finger tips are hard as nails. I will apply a lighter touch and see if that works. BTW does that mean when you fret a string your finger is directly on top of the fret? I always thought it was placed between the frets

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1122101' date='Feb 9 2011, 11:36 PM']I don't know this bass at all but I don't think you should really be trying to make the string contact the fretboard. The string needs to contact the fret, cleanly and firmly but no need to press the string further down than that. In fact, if the frets are rather high you may put the note out of intonation by trying to press down to the fretboard. When you lift your finger from a note it is likely to make a sound if you're not muting it. There are many ways of muting using left hand and/or right hand and if you go to the [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showforum=31"]Theory and Technique forum[/url] and then search (at the top right of the page) for muting you'll find lots of threads with suggestions about muting. And welcome to Basschat.[/quote] Cheers ET I have a lot of reading to do here and practice also. Damn I wish I hadnt given up all those years ago I might be a rich reclusive former rockstar with a country pile by now

[quote name='HMX' post='1122091' date='Feb 9 2011, 11:29 PM']If you don't want to solve the problem yourself - you could take it to a local music shop and ask for your action lowered. I don't know too much about this but it could be lowering the bridge saddles or tinkering with the truss rod (which is really important to the welfare of the neck). Hope that helps.[/quote] Yeah cheers I will look into it but maybe I will just persevere until I upgrade my bass to a Fender P LOL

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1122089' date='Feb 9 2011, 11:26 PM']I really wish i could play fast with fingers but no matter hard i try i can get close to my picking speed. I find fingers look and sound more natural but i can do it at even a modest speed........or maybe its just my drummer playing too fast.[/quote] Must just be what you are used to I suppose. When I started a lot of bands current to the times used a pick, The Jam, The Stranglers, The Clash etc but I always thought ( naively ) fingers looked more professional and classy. I wish I had practiced more with a plec as there is a tonality you get from it that is unique and sounds great for certain songs. Dave have you heard of the song I mentioned in my opening post? If you can play that with a pick that is mighty impressive and the sound must be brilliant.

[quote name='HMX' post='1122065' date='Feb 9 2011, 11:09 PM']That's fair enough My dad really got me into ELO tunes. Do you usually do alternate picking when using a plec? If so, perhaps just downstrokes would be great for octaves. I don't mean to state the obvious if this is what you're currently doing.[/quote] I doubt I could generate the speed necessary just using downstrokes although I always loved the even tone doing just one stroke. As I try to visualise how I play this with a pick I sort of hit the root note with an up stroke and then the octave double with a down and up stroke. Funny but I seem to have to work out which way to stroke with a pick but couldn't begin to tell you which finger i pluck the strings with. Like I say finger playing is more natural to me.

For Xmas and to my great surprise my young son and daughter bought me a bass guitar ( my daughter probably got sick and tired of me nicking her six string school acoustic to pick out old punk numbers . It was cheap obviously as I wouldn't have wanted them to spend any money on the old man but the guitar they picked seemed nice enough. An acoustic/electric Lindo bass. Thing is I am getting a lot of unwanted sound from the strings as I pull my fingers off the fret. It seems to me that the height of the frets are quite high which means I have to press hard to make the string come into contact with the fret board and when I move my fingers from a note played it seems to make unwanted additional noises. Thus far I haven't plugged into an amp and used the active pick ups will this help iron out the sound? Also is this a problem with Lindos? I have heard a few people say the frets seem a mm or two too high.

[quote name='HMX' post='1122053' date='Feb 9 2011, 11:03 PM']Firstly, good choice of song, mate. Did Kelly Groucutt record that, or was it Jeff Lynne? It feels more economical with fingers for me, but I find that playing (just downstrokes) with a pick can be quite comfortable, but tiring depending on the speed. If you're happy playing it with fingers, then stick with them [/quote] Cheers for the reply. Yeah back in the day when I played my bass a lot I always preferred fingers over pick but as my user name may hint at one of my fav bassists is JJ Burnel so I sometimes play with a pick ( or plec as I used to call it LOL ).

Hello all great to join this forum. I have began playing bass again after not touching one for over twenty years and I am enjoying it enormously even if I have several years of deep encrusted rust . I am currently trying to nail a bassline from Last Train To London by ELO ( cant recall the bass player ) and can play it quite well with my fingers but cant seem to get the tempo when playing it with a pick. If anyone is familiar with the bassline during the chorus it has a series of octaves played quite fast and try as I might the speed wont come with the pick. Is it natural to be able to play octaves quicker with ones fingers? Can anyone play really quick octaves with a pick? It would seem to me a much more efficient movement with the fingers than moving the whole wrist which would be necessary when picking.