TripleB67

Well, I must say, my original thread has taken off on a tangent I never expected! I think I'll be content with my $130 Yamaha bass, $90 Ampeg amp, and playing songs I enjoy playing (and my family can recognize)! TripleB67

I was looking at the various bass guitars that are around the same original price point of my Yamaha RBX170Y ($200US) and noticed that many of them have a 28.6" or 30" neck scale....usually with 20 or 24 frets. Made me wonder: 1) what are the advantages of the shorter scale length? 2) what are the disadvantages of the shorter scale length? 3) as someone just starting out would it have been better for me to start with the 28.6"/30" instead of the 34" on my Yamaha...and do the number of frets make a difference? Thank you for your input!!! TripleB67

Any other BS albums where the bass is an incredible as it is with H&H? I just can't get enough of this album....I never paid much attention to anything by Black Sabbath after about '77. Thanks!!!!! TripleB67

Thanks!!! Listening to Mr. Big's first CD right now (through headphones of course)....I thought Sheehan was amazing before - now I am pretty sure he is a god!!! TripleB67

Never realized it was so prevalent until I listened to it through headphones today.....brings a whole new life to this CD!!!! Thanks! Which is the better of the two CDs by Tool? I've listened to a little of each....much profanity in either? TripleB67

That's what I thought as well....however, after listening to Black Sabbath's H&H, the bass part in Moving Pictures wasn't as easy for me to find as the bass line in H&H...but then again, maybe it's because I'm always distracted by Peart's drums 😀 TripleB67

Working my way through the tremendous list everyone has posted...starting with the CDs I already own. The combination of the two items above...listening to H&H through headphones...blew me away!!! 🤯 The bass on this entire CD is just so clear and amazing----I was in awe of the playing (and how much clearer and better it sounds when listening through headphones and just concentrating on the bass line)!!! Cannot wait to listen to many of the other recommendation found here.....I think early Whitesnake will be my next listening experience! TripleB67

First let me say I've only been playing the bass for about two weeks now and already feel like it's the instrument I've been looking for throughout the past 31 years (since I was 20 and thought I wanted to learn to play the 6 sting guitar). I absolutely love picking it up and practicing/playing....it's absolutely amazing! I would like to find some new music to listen to in which you can actually hear (and feel) the bass guitar and it's prevalence within the music. Groups I listen to where I feel like the bass guitar is a major contributor are Rush (Lee) and Mr. Big (Sheehan). To be honest I listen to about every type of music (that doesn't have much profanity...just so I don't have to filter it around my 11 year old), but definitely prefer music with lyrics! So, what are some of your favorite cds/bands that make the bass guitar an integral part of the music? Thanks! TripleB67

Awesome....glad to hear I did well to start out with! Fantastic pic!!!!!! TripleB67

I tend to do that with new things...just trying to make sure I don't pick up any bad habits when starting out 😀 The method I described above (that I thought was the "floating thumb") was actual what Scott calls his "hybrid" style in this video. Again, thanks for all the help! TripleB67

Interestingly, my Korg TM-60 tuner had absolutely no problem picking up the E string...must be a problem with my phone since neither app I tried was able to pick it up. I tried several different areas of thumb placement today as I practiced with my bass for about 75 minutes. I think if my split neck pick ups were reversed, the top one to the right of the bottom one (if looking down on the bass while playing), then I could anchor my thumb there. Resting my thumb on the E string is probably what is going to work best for me right now because I like plucking the strings between the neck and bridge pick up for the simple fact that I don't have to worry about hitting the pickups while plucking....and my arm/hand feel comfortable at that position. Anchoring my thumb on the front split pickup seems to add some stress to my hand that doesn't need to be there. But resting it on the string above the string I'm trying to play (ie: resting it on the A string when plucking the D string, resting it on the D string when plucking the G string, resting it on the E string when plucking the A string, and resting basically in the air when playing the E string) felt really comfortable as well. Not sure how that will work when I start playing faster but for right now it felt pretty comfy. I found out what you mean about damping the strings I'm not playing. At the end of my practice I looked for a super easy song intro for bass and stumbled upon Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. I only learned the first 10 notes but at times I could hear the G string "rattling" through my amp...and I was taking it slow in order to make sure I got the notes right and didn't accidentally hit any other strings. Definitely going to have to work on a technique for that! TripleB67

Yes, via the tuner's microphone (through my phone with the two apps I tried or with the Korg 60). Not plugged in. Thanks! So as to not to start another thread: After learning the basics, is it best for a beginner to learn notes (as with the original Hal Leonard Bass Method books) or to learn to read tablature? Although I'm learning through videos right now, I would sort of like to have a book as well....just trying to figure out if I should order one that has me learn through notes or one that starts out with tablature. TripleB

Is a tuner attached to the bass (such as a Snark SN-5) any more effective than one sitting beside the guitar? TripleB67

In my first post someone mentioned you all like to see pics of gear...so here is my very first bass and amp (at age 51). Yamaha RBX170Y and Ampeg BA108V2...both new for a total of $220! If you didn't read my first post, here's a quick summary: I've tried the six string electric three times throughout my life with the longest stint being about two months. It just never felt right....everything felt so mechanical. I bought another six string (4th time is the charm right) last Thursday...haven't taken it out of the box. While at the grand opening of the store I was listening to about ten people playing six strings all at the same time and it was so painful to my ears. But off to the side there were two gentlemen playing the bass by feel (it seemed to me anyway) and just feeding off each other. At that moment I realized that was what was missing every time I tried the six string....it felt so mechanical....I've been wanting an instrument that was more about feel! Two days later I picked up the RBX170Y for $130 and the day after that the BA108V2 for $90!! The question I have before I move on to my second day of playing is: where is the best place to have my right thumb while I'm plucking the strings? I see some rest it on the upper edge of a pickup, others on the E string, and others allow it to move up and down along the strings depending on which string they're plucking. I want to start out doing it the "best" way so I don't learn a bad habit that will eventually have to break. So, which of those places is best for my right thumb placement? Today I watched a beginner video that showed resting it on the E string. This felt pretty natural for me (with 2 finger plucking) but I did feel like I was pushing down on the E string slightly. I did a quick try resting my thumb on the top edge of the split pick up and also on the bridge pickup...it seemed to work fine but didn't feel as natural as resting on the E string and plucking the area right between the neck and bridge pickup. One last newbie question: is it tough to tune the E string? Both of my tuner amps had a hard time picking it up. I'm try my Korg TM-60 tuner tomorrow to see if it will pick it up easier. Although I would like to know about right thumb placement, the main reason for the post is that I wanted to make sure I said thanks to everyone who took the time to respond to my first post! Your help was instrumental (bad pun intended) in making sure I got the best newbie bass and amp I could afford!!! You can't believe how excited I am to start this bass learning journey! TripleB67

Anyone hear me playing my first notes about an hour ago??? 🤣 I watched a few videos and haven't played anything except what was in this video, which was basically just learning how to pluck the strings, but I'm already having a blast!!!! I see some people resting their thumb on the top of the pick up, but for me it feels most comfortable resting it on the E string (which is a beast to tune, at least with my two tuner apps - I'll try my Korg 60 tuner in a little) right in between the split pickups and the bridge pickups...hopefully this isn't starting me with a bad habit? Ain't she a beaut? Well, probably not to you all veterans...but for a beginner who ended up putting about $220 into guitar and amp, she is gorgeous!!!! TripleB67