Townes1992

Beautiful bass! I dont think i'd ever play that if i won it, just cherish it and protect I have been tempted so often by Thunderbirds, but i'd want a Gibson over Epiphone, and £1000 or whatever is out of my budget!

Yeah i did put off learning by ear for a long time, in fear that i wouldn't get too far! Nevertheless, even though i have only learnt a couple songs i'm confident that I can keep this up . With regards to reading sheet music, where about would I start haha? Any advice? Cheers

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1332288641' post='1586319'] I'd be curious too. I normally sketch things out in tab - very much like shorthand, it's useful if you're thinking through something, say at your desk, and you just want to make a quick note of it. [/quote] + 1. Its simple and easy haha!

[quote name='JakeBrownBass' timestamp='1332288028' post='1586313'] Out of interest, in what form are you writing them down to come back to later? [/quote] Hi, I'd write mine out in tab form also, rather poorly though, i dont bother with any correct spacing or bends etc, just the notes so i have something to jog the memory. But with the Pearl Jam song i learnt, i didn't write anything out, and when i hear the song i know pretty much what to play and where my fingers need to be.

Hey guys, Thought i'd update you all on my recent progressions and/or failures For the past 4 years, anytime i have stumbled across a bassline i'd like to learn i've headed straight on the internet to find a tab or a youtube video to aid me in playing, this is all well and good, but i always wanted to learn using my own ear. I think one of the reasons i don't always enjoy doing covers is because i have to rely on other peoples tabs. Well, finally, i have drawn the line! Yesterday i rounded up the courage to learn the bassline to Pearl Jam's " gonna see my friend ". I've always thought Jeff Ament was pretty sweet, he has a nice smooth sound and thought why not start here. And it actually went okay. In some form or another i've gotten down most of the parts, and they sound sort of accurate. It needs some work i think but its a pretty decent start. I found the runs of notes fine , it was when the bass slowed down with a single note here and there i struggled with. I've played the song through a few times using my ideas and it seems okay. I thought i'd continue the trend and have a stab at the all famous "welcome to the jungle", its a lot simpler to play practically but theres alot of variations in this song which is tricky! Nevertheless, i have all the parts written down as i think they should/could be, im yet to paly it through entirely, will give it a shot tomorrow. Chances are i will use tabs again, but i will only as a last resort if i can resist. Though tiresome and repetitive, i really did enjoy getting down the parts using just my (unamplified) bass and old discman - its good for bass!! I'm sure some of the notes ive made are way off, but hey, its a start. So all in all, this is pretty happy bass-ing !!! Thanks

Hey man, I'm in a similar position myself, and after the research I did I too was weary of buying a Mexican bass. But it was a thread i created on this forum that aided my decision. It seems that there is a varying degree of qualiity with both the MIM's and MiA's, so i wouldnt rule out the Mexican Fenders. There is a good chance you will come across a great one !! I think i am gonna opt for the MIM personally, eventhough those highway ones do look cool, i just dont think there are any in stock in the guitar stores around me so i am yet to play one :/. I was also pointed towards Yamaha's and Ibanez, but i want the FEnder feel so i can't resist ! Here is the link to the thread i mentioned if you are interested and have yet to come accross it: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/168110-mexican-fenders/page__p__1538970#entry1538970"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/168110-mexican-fenders/page__p__1538970#entry1538970[/url]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1331655777' post='1576680'] So what sort of music do you want to be playing? Because I can't believe that you can't find others to play it with you. [/quote] Nothing out of the ordinary, i have really gotten into bluesy rock music as of late and i'd really like to play that kinda thing. But thats a pretty regular position, maybe some Led Zeppelin, Lyrnyrd Skynyrd. There is an unwillingness nowadays with youth it appears, and at least in the case of one actually being motivated, they are so by music i dont want to play (namely bands from the modern indie scene). There's nothing wrong with people wanting to play this of course, i just don't enjoy it personally.

Though I have tried my hand at metal and like genre's, speed is not on my side haha!!

I know it sounds absurd that there aren't many people around to jam with but such is the way :/ . I have wondered that often, that there are things i may be missing out on because of my inexperience of playing with other musicians. Haha no my musical tastes dont stretch to technical metal

I think I will begin by looking at scales, musical theory has always escaped me, maybe one of the downfalls of being self taught. And i have fell into those stagnant waters before, for too long a time! Although i do agree that playing what you can play and enjoy to play is vital, otherwise it seems like a chore, need to put that hard work into the fun part right

[quote name='Mog' timestamp='1331652343' post='1576591'] Ya would wouldn't ya. Going back to Uni has closed most of mine........ [/quote] Sorry to hear, its a funny old bubble university isn't it.

Cheers man, yeah i have looked around, but i will continue the search ! you'd think being at university would open doors, seemingly not haha!

Okay i will give that a shot, thanks for the advice. I have recorded myself for a few years now and listened back, and as was mentioned earlier, i've recently began singing a run of notes into a phone or something and record then trying to play it back. thanks

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1331649750' post='1576536'] When you play at home, do you practice with a click or a drum loop, or to music or something giving you a beat or rhythm? [/quote] I used to a little, i dont do that so much anymore, do you think it would benefit? Cheers

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1331637954' post='1576189'] Townes1992 - do you play in a band? [/quote] Hey BigRedX, no i'm not in a band, me and my friend used to jam together a fair bit a couple years back. I practiced a little with a band quite recently but it wasn't the kind of thing i was into playing to be honest. Willing musicians seem harder to come by nowadays, i run into a lot of people who play but they don't really want to take it any further than just practicing by themselves. Most bands i know of now seems to do an awful lot of covers, which is cool, but they're covers of bands and music i have no appetite for.

Thats a real interesting read. With regards to the kick drum, I dont feel experienced enough to comment on whether or not i should be locking onto it. But I know i probably dont take into consideration other instruments i hear as much as i should. I listen for the rhythm and timing and play around it but i'm sure more time spent on really focusing on what the other instruments are doing would help. Nevertheless, with my regards to my original post of feeling like a not so good bassist, reading the amount of time you guys have been playing puts my inexperience into perspective. And i am probably being hard on myself, more so than i should be. There are moments in which i am proud of what i have learnt etc, but it then there are down times! The songs that you guys posted were very cool by the way

Well for a while my practicing was pretty stagnant, i wasn't pushing myself like i should have been, learning repetitive riffs over and over. But as of late I've been focusing mainly on slapping and the three finger plucking technique. I really do enjoy practicing these, my issues arise when it comes to learning songs, I can listen for hours to a certain bass style, whether it be Jaco or Flea or whoever and can sometimes replicate a similar sound or run of notes without having to learn the actual song. It seems that once i listen long enough to something i need to exert it somehow and it just comes out from my fingers haha! But sitting and learning a whole bassline by an artists who's been replicated over and over is a difficult for me :/

I'm a little unsure whether to admit to this one haha! I'm a fan of Jack Johnsons music, and his bass player Merlo Podlewski has had an impact on my playing. Maybe a little too much sometimes, it seems all my fingers can play are chilled out melodies!!

I think i put in a fair bit of practice, i mean, i will openly admit it hasn't been 4 solid years of playing, there have been a couple spells when i havent played much at all for whatever reason, but as of the last several months i've been going at it pretty hard everyday and sometimes the improvement feels limited. Evidently not enough practice i guess! I do find myself trying to replicate certain sounds, and they always come off terrible haha! Maybe i'm not wholly satisfied with my individual playing style, i'd love to be able to play with an aggressive rock and roll swagger or a smooth, skilled jazz artist, but i can't ever make that sound! Oh and i'm pretty rubbish at slapping to so at least a few of us are in the same boat haha! Its great to hear that some of you guys found ways to get out of this mood and learnt to be happy with your own playing though

Thanks for the advice thus far, yeah i think measuring yourself against people you know or artists you hear is a big problem of it, its difficult to escape i guess, what with some less considerate people judging styles and sounds and gear etc

Hey guys this is quite simple & straight-forward really, ever get the feeling you're a terrible musician haha? For the 4 years i have been playing bass, i do get the feeling I am just not as good as i should be. Despite the practicing of new techniques etc, I have little confidence in myself when it comes how good i believe myself to be, whether its a lack of versatility or crispness. I was just wondering, does anybody else get this same feeling? It can be rather demoralising!! Cheers

I have a red p-bass (copy), with a black scratchplate and the colour has really grown on me, though i dont think i'd go for such a bright colour in the future. Next bass I buy has to be Sunburst!