pixiedust Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Hi everyone Im fairly new to bass and the band want me to practice with them despite me telling them im not ready yet. Anyway my question is does anyone have any tips or suggestions so I dont look a complete idiot tomorrow. My music teacher said just follow the drummer but hes new to drumming so please help. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shambo Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Don't panic and remember to enjoy yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 When they ask you what on earth you were playing, just tell them it was Jazz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VxR Rusty Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 [quote name='chris_b' post='1136604' date='Feb 22 2011, 12:40 AM']When they ask you what on earth you were playing, just tell them it was Jazz.[/quote] lol it wont take long to pick up, and once youve got it youll never look back, Yes keep an eye on the drummer (just hope he can keep time and not come up with the same "Jazz" excuse) but i always look at the guitarists so i know what chords im playing It will soon become 2nd nature to you hope this helps man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Hughes Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Just dive in and watch the guitarist's hands for chord changes. And keep your ears open. Best piece of advice I ever heard was: you have two ears- one for you and one for the band. Don't worry about not being ready - you'll learn so much more in one night's rehearsal with a band than you will by practicing on your own for weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 1) Make sure you're in tune with the guitarist(s). 2) Keep the basslines simple - trying to be too 'flash' when you're nervous is a surefire way of falling over. 3a) Feel the rhythm of the tune, if the drummer is new then he might need to have a solid bassline to 'reattach' to if he loses his way. 3b) If the drummer is good enough to keep the rhythm steady then make sure you follow him. 4) Take a deep breath and try to stay relaxed, you've been up front with them and said you didn't feel ready so you've nothing to prove. 5) Don't worry about making mistakes, that's what everyone on here uses rehearsals for! Good luck and let us know how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixiedust Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 Thanks everyone. The advice came in handy and the practice wasnt as bad as I thought. They didnt say anything when I played the wrong note which I did a couple of times, or when my bass went quiet in the middle of a song when I lost my place on the music sheet. I thought it was really bad but they had someone come in and assess me and he said Ive got the rhythm which he said can take some bass players a while to pick up. I dont know if he was just being kind but at least Im still in the band. Im still nervous the two guitarists said just watch them and change notes everytime they do and relax. Any advice about changing notes would be good and thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMech Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 What kind of genre is the band? If it's anything remotely funky just put a big strong note on the 1 of each bar and all is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dom in Dorset Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Many , many years ago my older brother landed the lead guitar slot in a new band. They asked if he knew anyone who played bass, he recommended me. I'd owned a bass for a couple of months but didn't have much idea of what to do with it. The first rehearsal I sat at the back , kept my head down and did my best to keep up with root notes of the chords. My brother and the rest of the band were seriously good players, I thought that I wouldn't be asked back. The following week , my brother was fired and I was asked to stay on. Just do what you can, in my experience being thrown in at the deep end was a good thing, don't panic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len_derby Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 There's some good advice here from lots of experienced players. As with most things in life, if you wait until you feel you're ready - it'll never happen. Go for it. What's the worst that can happen? In the long run the whole experience will be invaluable. You'll soon discover what most of us already have on this forum - playing music with other people is probably the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Yes, let us know how it goes! A newbie diary would be brill.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixiedust Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) Hi the music is pop mainly occassionly its pop/rock im playing the root notes at the moment as I havent got the hang of the chords yet. I have a music tutor who I see once a week for 30mins as cant afford to extend the lesson theyre not cheap! He said just playing root notes for now is fine work on timing and fingering finding my way around the fret board before moving on to chords. Edited March 5, 2011 by pixiedust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) [quote name='pixiedust' post='1150508' date='Mar 5 2011, 01:16 PM']....before moving on to chords.[/quote] You're in luck. Unless you're Lemmy, playing chords on bass is relatively rare in a band context; so you really needn't be worrying about that for a very long time. Once you've got your root notes firmly on the beat, the next stage is occasionally substituting some different notes drawn from the chords the guitarist is playing. Just to make it sound more interesting, like. Here's an example: Some of us never get beyond this point and are perfectly happy Edited March 5, 2011 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMech Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 If you feel like moving beyond root notes, the 3rd and 7th are the next best. 5th is also good, but doesn't really add as much character (or so a jazzer advised me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Pleased to hear it went well. I think the advice here is pretty much bang on and was what I was thinking when I clicked the link. If your relaxed but keen, enjoy it and keep it fairly simple you've won at least 90% of the battle. Well done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixiedust Posted March 14, 2011 Author Share Posted March 14, 2011 Thank you everyone I will try a few of those suggestions , didnt go to my last practice session I was at a friends party. I will let you know how the next one goes and thanks for the advice its always welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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