How do I play stuff like this?

[Jam]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45or5ZVW9Jw&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45or5ZVW9Jw...feature=related[/url]

I just watched this in awe. I want to be able to play bass like this, it's so beautiful. Can anyone give me pointers or artists to look out for? I know it references Stu Hamm but all the stuff I seem to see by him is quite quick.

What kind of theory is behind this? Chord shapes, scales etc? Can someone recommend anything theory wise that would help me here?

Sorry for another annoying post..

James

[Jam]

Bump!

[David Nimrod]

[quote name='Jam' post='91687' date='Nov 20 2007, 06:49 PM']Bump![/quote]


Sorry, but I can be of no help at all...

I'll never be able to play like that ;-)

Sounds worryingly like guitar to me!

[Nate]

I don't think it's a question of "what kind of theory"... ALL theory is relevant... It's just a matter of knowing what chords work well together (or which are dissonant, if thats what you want). You can do this with just your ears. I'm a big theory geek but it's not the be all and end all. It just means you may take longer to figure things out if you don't know the relationships between keys/chords/notes....etc...

Try and write 8 bars of something similar and post it! It's not as difficult as you think. Just use your ears...

[urb]

[quote name='Nate' post='92572' date='Nov 22 2007, 10:15 AM']I don't think it's a question of "what kind of theory"... ALL theory is relevant... It's just a matter of knowing what chords work well together (or which are dissonant, if thats what you want). You can do this with just your ears. I'm a big theory geek but it's not the be all and end all. It just means you may take longer to figure things out if you don't know the relationships between keys/chords/notes....etc...

Try and write 8 bars of something similar and post it! It's not as difficult as you think. Just use your ears...[/quote]

I agree - listening to what this guy is doing it's basically in D minor and E minor and A minor - with a bunch of other chords thrown in - to my ears it just sounds like he's playing 'diatonically' in these keys - which means he's creating chords by moving through intervals in those scales - for example building three note chords from adjacent notes in the scale, like open E with an E-G-D chord played two octaves higher etc - but the 'composition' here seems to be created by him 'making it up' - there's no real secret to it - he's just playing what sounds good to him - and there's nothing wrong with that - it's how most people write songs. If you want to start getting into this stuff get yourself a book on scales for bass guitar - and this is a great book on bass guitar chords by Jona Hellborg:

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chord-Bassics-Compact-Reference-Library/dp/0825610583"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chord-Bassics-Comp...y/dp/0825610583[/url]

Well worth buying. Hours of fun to be had

M

[Jam]

Thanks a lot guys, I had no idea my post had been moved! I'll look into that book.

[Peaty]

If you liked that you might like to check out Steve Lawson
[url="http://www.steve-lawson.co.uk"]http://www.steve-lawson.co.uk[/url]

and Steve Hoggart
[url="http://www.stevehoggart.com/"]http://www.stevehoggart.com/[/url]

both worth a listen for Chordal bass and beyond.

I believe Steve Hoggart posted one of his tunes recently "a gap in time" which i really enjoyed I will see if i can find the link.

Pete

[Peaty]

Here we go
[url="http://www.myspace.com/stevehoggart"]http://www.myspace.com/stevehoggart[/url]
give a gap in time a listen


Pete

Hmmm while you are at it you might enjoy a track called 'turning point' by a band called BackDoor which is my all time favorite bass chordal sounds it really is very beautiful.

Edited November 23, 2007 by Peaty

[Kev]

[quote name='David Nimrod' post='91690' date='Nov 20 2007, 06:53 PM']Sounds worryingly like guitar to me!

[/quote]

+1, pretty as it is, id never want to play like that tbh

[Bay Splayer]

tbh...i watched not in awe but in bore! -_-
not my thing at all but each to their own