IS IT IMPORTANT

[valentine]

all the notes and stuff on a bass,i just cant be arsed with learning all the theory i just like to pick the thing up and play it ,like what i mean by learning the notes ie all you ES,F,GS,A,BS,C,DS, do i really need to learn off by heart where they are on my fret bord,i have basic theory knowledge of the bass is this enough or do i need to learn all the theory also?

i will if i have to but i still prefer just playing it to learning where all the notes are BORING!
been playing 5 months now and i play about 2 hours a day so im getting decent at this thing now =)


x

-rob-

[valentine]

oh yeah learning scales is boring also so please dont tell me i need to learn them again =/

[TheDarkReaver]

But scales can help you create lines, improvise and generally help your bass playing. If you can't be arsed to learn the notes then at least learn the patterns and positions.

Edited September 3, 2008 by TheDarkReaver

[Sarah5string]

It's not about it being boring.. it's about learning everything about the instrument you love.. and furthing you musical knowledge and ability to improvise.. and KNOW what you're playing rather than just playing what sounds good.

I've just learnt this after playing for 6 years without a dot of theory.

[Merton]

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='276403' date='Sep 3 2008, 05:17 PM']It's not about it being boring.. it's about learning everything about the instrument you love.. and furthing you musical knowledge and ability to improvise.. and KNOW what you're playing rather than just playing what sounds good.

I've just learnt this after playing for 6 years without a dot of theory.[/quote]
Well said.

Plus, if you don't know th enote names, when a guitarist says "I'm playing the chord E minor" you won't have a clue which notes go into it, or even where E is on the fretboard...

Boring, maybe. Essential, almost definitely! Sorry!

[valentine]

okay thanks for the advice, i know my basic scale patterns anyway,i will spend lil bit of time on the theory maybe 15mins a day ,i just hate doing theory,im the kind of person who gerts the playstation out the box and learns about it as i go along rather than read the instructions

[Galilee]

I'd say that at the very least you need to learn the notes on the fretboard.

[valentine]

hmm okay sweet,thanks for the advice,you people must no what your talking about as youve probs all been playing longer so i will learn them before going back for more tutition on the instruement to improve my skills.

[Dubs]

i suppose it boils down to setting your own standards of musicality and developing the self drive and motivation to become a better musician let alone bass player (which you will be if you learn your theory ).

[Stylon Pilson]

[quote name='Merton' post='276406' date='Sep 3 2008, 05:20 PM']Plus, if you don't know th enote names, when a guitarist says "I'm playing the chord E minor" you won't have a clue which notes go into it, or even where E is on the fretboard...[/quote]

I've deleted my post because I realised that it basically says the same as this.

S.P.

Edited September 3, 2008 by stylonpilson

[Kiwi]

[quote name='valentine' post='276396' date='Sep 3 2008, 05:10 PM']all the notes and stuff on a bass,i just cant be arsed with learning all the theory i just like to pick the thing up and play it ,like what i mean by learning the notes ie all you ES,F,GS,A,BS,C,DS, do i really need to learn off by heart where they are on my fret bord,i have basic theory knowledge of the bass is this enough or do i need to learn all the theory also?

i will if i have to but i still prefer just playing it to learning where all the notes are BORING!
been playing 5 months now and i play about 2 hours a day so im getting decent at this thing now =)[/quote]
I think the best thing about all that theory stuff is that it helps liberate your playing a bit. I'm hardly an expert compared to some on this forum, I only did RSM Grade 5 theory but knowing how chords are constructed and being able to construct them on the fingerboard is invaluable for coming up with bass lines that rely on more than just root, thirds, fourths or fifths.

If you need an example of that in practice, James Jamerson's basslines on the Motown records are probably one of the best examples there are in pop music. He let this theory take all the hard work out of playing which was probably a good thing anyway given he plucked all his basslines with 1 finger ('The Hook'). But he did have a jazz background as well. Have a look at passages where he doesn't play the root note in a chord sequence and you'll probably find that it provides a short cut for getting between two other chords that would have other wise been a bit of a stretch.

EDIT:

[bennifer]

Is there a decent website that explains where the notes are for standard tuning on a 4 string? Would be very handy as a reference, and saves me from having to buy a basic bass book...

Edited September 3, 2008 by bennifer

[thisnameistaken]

If you don't learn theory as you're learning to play the instrument you'll end up in a position where you can physically play the thing OK but you're constantly frustrated because you can't come up with anything [i]interesting[/i] to play.

It might seem boring now, but it will save you from getting stuck in a very deep rut later.

[CHRISDABASS]

ive been playin for nearly 14 years now and its only recently i feel like i need to start with some theory! (apart from the basics that i already know lol)

i learned to play bass just by listening to the bands i liked and figuring the parts out! this has given me a pretty dam good ear and i can now pick stuff up really quickly! it also has led to me being a very free and natural player. i dont have to think about what im doing in a mathmatical way i just do it by feel. this really works for me in a band situation where you improvise and jam a lot!

a lot of the musicians that i was around when i first started out really didnt understand how i could play with out lessons or theory (ive never had a lesson in my life) they had so many lessons and its all they talked about but in a band situation they sounded so wooden like they were being restricted by what they were being taught! like they were only aloud to play what was "correct" and "proper" but to me music is about expression and feel. i think you should start by playing how you want to play and develop your own style! then later on if you feel like you hit a brick wall or want to take it to another level consider lessons etc

if your happy and confident with your playing then its obviously working for you! dont worry about theory too much or what other people say/think! just keep up to date with the basics and just get on with playing and enjoying it! after all thats what its all about!

also remember that some of the greatest musicains in the world couldn't/cant read or write a note of music!!

[Kiwi]

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='276434' date='Sep 3 2008, 05:57 PM']dont worry about theory too much or what other people say/think![/quote]
Including you? *hides*

[ped]

You don't have to do anything, just do what you enjoy - if you find learning that stuff will advance your playing then do it, but otherwise...

ped

[CHRISDABASS]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='276437' date='Sep 3 2008, 06:01 PM']Including you? *hides* [/quote]


yep including me!!


im only now looking to theory to further my playing! but thats just me! everyone is different! im hoping it will open new doors for me and make me a better all round musician!

[GM10]

Try this

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

Excellent resource

[odub]

It takes some of the voodoo out of it, makes it a bit easier, I find it interesting. But thats not the same as just learning the notes on the fretboard, that would be really boring.

Learn the major scale in C, it's easy, C D E F G A B, learn how to play the shape starting on 3rd fret A string. Then try the same thing on the other 3 "c"s. If you're still really bored, then just don't do it.

[Bilbo]

Ignorance is ignorance. Fun is overated. Do some work, you waster!

[MuseMatt]

[quote name='valentine' post='276407' date='Sep 3 2008, 06:21 PM']okay thanks for the advice, i know my basic scale patterns anyway,i will spend lil bit of time on the theory maybe 15mins a day ,i just hate doing theory,im the kind of person who gerts the playstation out the box and learns about it as i go along rather than read the instructions[/quote]

15 minutes a day is best! as long as you stick to it that is

Best is to learn your basic scales (major / minor / pentatonic major/minor/blues) ánd try to learn a bit about chords.
easiest way to do this is to get a keyboard and just learn what exactly changes when you turn a C chord into a C7b9add13 (to go to the max). It may not seem like it but once you know this on the piano you will pick this up on bass VERY easily (which is THE reason you have to learn how to play the piano at Music College)

[Tait]

another easy way to learn the positions is to learn patterns, learn the open strings and learn the first four frets on every string. that way you can work down octaves and fifths and stuff to find the note you're after.

a basic theorey is enough, it annoys me when people say you should be able to name a note anywhere on a fretboard as soon as you point to it - why? what does it matter if it takes a couple of seconds to work out the notes? even for jazz playing you learn the shapes not the notes, if i was playing Amaj7 i'd know the what to play, know the 7th etc. without actually knowing the notes when im playing them. i mean i don't think "if im in Amaj7 the 7th is an Ab, and in the A major scale is an A, a B etc." when i play, i know the shapes. rant over.

[Doddy]

[quote name='lwtait' post='276491' date='Sep 3 2008, 07:32 PM']a basic theorey is enough, it annoys me when people say you should be able to name a note anywhere on a fretboard as soon as you point to it - why? what does it matter if it takes a couple of seconds to work out the notes? even for jazz playing you learn the shapes not the notes, if i was playing Amaj7 i'd know the what to play, know the 7th etc. without actually knowing the notes when im playing them. i mean i don't think "if im in Amaj7 the 7th is an Ab, and in the A major scale is an A, a B etc." when i play, i know the shapes. rant over.[/quote]

If you are sight reading a chart on a gig and it takes you a couple of seconds to work the notes out,you will get fired.It's as simple as that.
The problem-I think-for just learning fingerboard shapes,is that you can easily become reliant on these patterns,whereas knowing the notes in the chords will open up the entire fingerboard you.

[SteveK]

[quote]IS IT IMPORTANT, TO LEARN all the notes and stuff on a bass,i just cant be arsed with learning all the theory[/quote]
Come on!...Learning what and where the notes are on your bass is hardly theory.

If you're happy fiddling about in your bedroom , then, if you "can't be arsed" there's no problem.
On the other hand, if you want to get out there and play in the real world, then you're gonna have to put in a bit of effort.

Imagine turning up at an audition - the guitarist says, "this one's in Bb" and you mutter something along the lines of "where the f*cks that?"

Steve

Edited September 3, 2008 by SteveK

[GM10]

[quote name='Doddy' post='276508' date='Sep 3 2008, 07:56 PM']The problem-I think-for just learning fingerboard shapes,is that you can easily become reliant on these patterns,whereas knowing the notes in the chords will open up the entire fingerboard you.[/quote]

This has eluded me so far. I'm still relying on chord and scale shapes far too much. I've got the theory books to develop beyond using shapes but have still to get there.