Tabs

[Marvin]

[quote name='TKenrick' post='947652' date='Sep 6 2010, 09:04 PM']I use current rock/indie stuff as a means of teaching my students (most of whom are between 12 and 17) to read. Seems kids these days don't want to read Bach, but this gets them used to dots and keeps them away from TAB.

Try this for reading material:

[url="http://tomkenrick.wordpress.com/transcriptions/basstranscriptions"] [b]Some dots for rock[/b] [/url]

(Apologies if you've already been through what's on there, I'm back teaching next week so there'll be plenty more rock transcriptions on the way soon...)[/quote]

Whoops how embarrassing I've got your site bookmarked, partly because it's probably the only one I've found that has some more contemporary transcripts. There's quite a variety of sources on there.
Thanks.


*runs to corner to hide in shame*

[Paul_C]

Here's a correction - it's Tabs, not Tab's.

[xzodar]

[quote name='Paul_C' post='947708' date='Sep 6 2010, 09:59 PM']Here's a correction - it's Tabs, not Tab's.




[/quote]


Not only am I an average bass player, clearly my grammar needs some attention as well!

Thanks for all the replies to my original post. In fact doing more listening and using real notation when its available is the way that I've gone with this subject.

[EBS_freak]

Interesting comments here. With regards to playing positions, I've seen various people comment on some great players on YouTube saying that they are playing in the wrong position. I would be one of those people who would have to take such criticism. Generally playing a 5er, I prefer playing up the dusty end of the neck off the low B string rather being anchored down the first few frets. How important is it to play in the "right" position...? OK, there are slight differences in the tone... but on a gig, I prefer the comfort and ability to easily transpose... especially if a tune is moving from the key of E to say Eb or D... If I was recording, it may be a different matter... but it's never been something I have particularly cared about. I've never been a fan of open strings anyway.

[TKenrick]

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='948055' date='Sep 7 2010, 10:26 AM']With regards to playing positions, I've seen various people comment on some great players on YouTube saying that they are playing in the wrong position. I would be one of those people who would have to take such criticism. Generally playing a 5er, I prefer playing up the dusty end of the neck off the low B string rather being anchored down the first few frets. How important is it to play in the "right" position...?[/quote]


In my opinion, people who spend their time criticising other people's playing on youtube would probably be better off working on their own playing...

As far as 'right' or 'wrong' positions, I don't really think they exist. Obviously there are less efficient ways to play things (the horn line from Sir Duke on a single string, for instance...) but the 'right' position to play anything in is the position that works for you and your technique [i]while still sounding good[/i]. Whilst it's true that fretboard position affects tone (especially with open strings), the difference is usually so subtle that most people in the audience won't notice.

'I Wish' was mentioned earlier in the thread - I tend to play it all down in first position, but that's only because I prefer the sound of the line in that area of the fretboard, and I have large enough hands for the stretches to not be an issue. Playing the line with position shifts is no less valid - the deciding factor when approaching any part should be "what sounds best?"

Sight reading gigs tend to change things - when i'm reading I tend to avoid changing position wherever possible so will play passages with a fingering that I might not normally use, or use open strings where I'd normally use fretted notes (or vice versa).

EDIT: This is one of the many advantages of standard notation - it lets you decide on the most logical way to play things, rather than giving you someone else's opinion of how/where a line should be played.

Edited September 7, 2010 by TKenrick