Bass practice?

[LancerTheGreat]

So my buddy let me borrow his bass, well he insisted I borrow it for awhile lol. Beautiful red, 4-string, Sterling Stingray.

Anyway I've been fiddling around a bit but, I'm honestly kinda lost. I've found that the pick feels weird, though I have finally figured out how to attack the strings properly with a pick now, I'm still viking more with using my fingies.
But I was wondering, what would be some decent things to practice?


He also forced me to borrow his Akai EIE interface so I could record some stuff and play with his bias FX stuff, and it'll be ready when he comes to kick it and jam a little. So I'm figuring that out, got it all put back up until I can figure out exactly where (and how) I'm gonna set it up.

[Partscaster]

I'ld practice good string/note annunciation for starters. Slow scales where each note sounds out clearly and is sustained into next note as closely as possible. Then I'ld also do the opposite. Quick notes, punctuated, maybe.

Have fun, play tunes you like.
Probably some finger stretch exercises would be good.
I'm not a bass player accept for occasional play.

[Mossman]

The first thing I learned was how to play with your fingers. Practice keeping a steady rhythm while alternating your index and middle fingers. Start on one string, then practice moving across the strings without breaking rhythm, practice skipping strings, etc.

[LancerTheGreat]

I've been working on getting Peace sells down, figured it wouldn't be too bad since I know it on guitar, but Ellefson's kicking my ass lol.

Definitely need to work on some clarity, I'm not used to such chunky strings and the scale length is definitely a new experience, I'm digging it thought, gonna have to get my own bass sometime.
I've just been playing through my OR15 or the BiasFX/EIE interface, digging the tones so far even though I'm not necessarily equipped well for good bass tone lol.

[glasshand]

My experience with playing bass suggests that the answer is "timing, timing, timing". Obviously you have to practice the mechanics of playing, particularly if you're playing fingerstyle, but one thing I came to realize is that guitarists absolutely get away with murder when it comes to precise timing - we call sloppy timing "playing with feel". But when you're playing bass, you have a lot less leeway for sloppy timing and generally uneven playing.

[tlarson58]

The first thing I learned was how to play with your fingers. Practice keeping a steady rhythm while alternating your index and middle fingers. Start on one string, then practice moving across the strings without breaking rhythm, practice skipping strings, etc.

This ^

I gutted it out playing with my index finger only until a song I liked forced me two play with two (How ya Like Me Now? by The Heavy).

I am just good enough to get myself in trouble and fake out everyone except for "real" bassists (people who take it seriously and consider it "their" instrument.). Being proficient has yielded some invites to stand in at practices and even a gig once.

[Mossman]

My experience with playing bass suggests that the answer is "timing, timing, timing". Obviously you have to practice the mechanics of playing, particularly if you're playing fingerstyle, but one thing I came to realize is that guitarists absolutely get away with murder when it comes to precise timing - we call sloppy timing "playing with feel". But when you're playing bass, you have a lot less leeway for sloppy timing and generally uneven playing.

Yes, the bass serves two masters: time and melody. We often think of the drummer as the time-keeper in the band, but it's actually a joint effort, as the drummer and bassist should be listening to EACH OTHER, and locking in together. A good drummer takes cues from the bass player and compliments/accentuates the bass line. There is room for "feel", though. You can play behind the beat, or ahead of the beat, as long as you don't leave the beat altogether.

[Mossman]

The first thing I learned was how to play with your fingers. Practice keeping a steady rhythm while alternating your index and middle fingers. Start on one string, then practice moving across the strings without breaking rhythm, practice skipping strings, etc.

This ^

I gutted it out playing with my index finger only until a song I liked forced me two play with two (How ya Like Me Now? by The Heavy).

I am just good enough to get myself in trouble and fake out everyone except for "real" bassists (people who take it seriously and consider it "their" instrument.). Being proficient has yielded some invites to stand in at practices and even a gig once.

James Jamerson could cook with only his index finger (with the action about a half an inch off the fretboard), but he came from the upright bass, which doesn't utilize two-finger technique, and... he was James Jamerson. For the rest of us, two-finger technique is imperative. Most guitarists-turned-bassists rely solely on a pick, and that's fine... you can get by using only a pick (Chris Squire did more than just "get by"), but I think you're doing yourself a dis-service. I find playing with a pick to be cumbersome (much like playing with only one finger), and I only use a pick when I want that sharp attack. Otherwise, I find playing finger-style to be a lot more fluid and articulate.

[tlarson58]

@Mossman

I may have been vague. I play with two fingers. Not a pick.

[LancerTheGreat]

Well I've been practicing every day, mostly just fooling around and trying to translate what I know onto the new (to me) format lol.
So far I've almost got Peace Sells by Megadeth down, just gotta clean it up a little in the fretting department, and sometimes I find myself getting lost on the huge expanse known as the bass fretboard. But I have nailed Dawn Patrol. Starting to work on fingerstyle triplets, I don't know the "proper" way, but I just threw my ring finger into the mix, decided to tackled the mountain of Toys Go Winding Down by Primus to help practice without getting too bored with just scales or sitting on a single note. Let Claypool is so far out of my lead, but so was Mustaine and Friedman when I first started learning the Rust in Peace album (of course now I can't remember most of it since I fell out of my practice habit), but I'm nothing if not occasionally overly ambitious.

I definitely prefer using my fingers over the pick, but I'm picking up when and where they're suited for use, doubt I'll get into slap, it just seems like a magic trick to me and I just don't comprehend it, besides I feel like I need to work on my fundamentals more first.

I definitely don't have perfect pitch, but if my friends and former band mates aren't lying, I stay locked in on timing and rhythm damn well, definitely came in handy when I was jamming and we'd have big improv jam sections. Definitely harder to cover mistakes though, but I assume that's from inexperience, I've spent almost 20 years playing guitar and learning how to fix or cover or distract from a mistake, I keep my tone pretty clear so I can catch em too. Bass on the other hand I have now officially played for probably less than a week

[Mossman]

@Mossman

I may have been vague. I play with two fingers. Not a pick.

Nah, you weren't vague... You never mentioned playing with a pick. I was just speaking generally about that, for no one in particular.

[Mossman]

Well I've been practicing every day, mostly just fooling around and trying to translate what I know onto the new (to me) format lol.
So far I've almost got Peace Sells by Megadeth down, just gotta clean it up a little in the fretting department, and sometimes I find myself getting lost on the huge expanse known as the bass fretboard. But I have nailed Dawn Patrol. Starting to work on fingerstyle triplets, I don't know the "proper" way, but I just threw my ring finger into the mix, decided to tackled the mountain of Toys Go Winding Down by Primus to help practice without getting too bored with just scales or sitting on a single note. Let Claypool is so far out of my lead, but so was Mustaine and Friedman when I first started learning the Rust in Peace album (of course now I can't remember most of it since I fell out of my practice habit), but I'm nothing if not occasionally overly ambitious.

There's nothing wrong at all with utilizing your ring finger in your plucking technique, lots of bassists do. But triplets are very acheivable with two fingers.

And everybody is out of your league... until they're not. But then again, I can't even play the easiest Jaco Pastorius bass line all the way through (or even half-way!), and I probably never will. If you told me I had to learn "Donna Lee" or "Portrait of Tracy", I'd probably throw my bass on the ground like Bill Black and walk away.

I definitely prefer using my fingers over the pick, but I'm picking up when and where they're suited for use, doubt I'll get into slap, it just seems like a magic trick to me and I just don't comprehend it, besides I feel like I need to work on my fundamentals more first.

Don't even get me started on slap. Slap (to me) is like a gimmick that never lost its novelty. I think it's great for accents and adding some dynamics to your bass line, but I don't want to hear it THE ENTIRE FRICKIN' SONG! IN EVERY SONG YOU PLAY! My ears get real tired of that shit after a while. I love Victor Wooten and I've seen Bela Fleck twice, and both times I got aurally exhausted about half-way through their 3-hour show because of Vic's damn right hand! It's a crying shame when you go to see a group of virtuoso musicians, but you're done being impressed after about 90 minutes of it and you want to go home. At a certain point, that flurry of expertly executed notes ceases to be music, and becomes noise.

The thing is; slap technique isn't that hard, but it's become some kind of mark of excellence/virtuosity in the bass world. Whenever some kid is trying to impress you with their bass playing, they invariably start slapping.

Then I start slapping... them.

It's the bass equivalent of sweep picking... A little bit is fine, but too much makes me nauseous. If you want to impress me with your bass playing, show me your groove.

I definitely don't have perfect pitch, but if my friends and former band mates aren't lying, I stay locked in on timing and rhythm damn well, definitely came in handy when I was jamming and we'd have big improv jam sections. Definitely harder to cover mistakes though, but I assume that's from inexperience, I've spent almost 20 years playing guitar and learning how to fix or cover or distract from a mistake, I keep my tone pretty clear so I can catch em too. Bass on the other hand I have now officially played for probably less than a week

A strong sense of time and the ability to hold down the pocket are the most important things to have. After that, the next thing that might be a challenge for you as a guitarist-turned-bassist is leaving the pentatonic scale alone while you have a bass in your hands. Pentatonic bass lines sound boring, and it's the #1 way of identifying a guitarist playing bass.

[LancerTheGreat]

Glad to hear I'm not giving myself too bad of habits to have to break, and I'm a big fan of chromatic, but I have noticed how lame it sounds when I hit what on guitar would've been a sweet bluesy lick, and it's just underwhelming and not all what I should've done lol.

Hopefully I'll get decent enough to throw up a recording or clip or something to get some notes and share some semblance of art lol.

[Rollin Hand]

I saw this the other day and found it fun to read.

https://www.premierguitar.com/diy/giggi ... ass-guitar

[ID10t]

I am not a bassist, but I have a bass and for me I put myself in a different mindset. So translating that into id10t think. I think of a guitar as a small arms rifle laying down cover fire and bass as either a Barrett 50 cal sniping or Artillary softening the target, depending on what is being played. Infantry is the Queen of battle but Artillary is the king. [/id10t]

[redman]

We went through a time when we couldn't find a bassist so I thought I would jump in and play bass thinking this will be a piece of cake, WRONG
I could lay down an okay bass line and stay in sync with our drummer but I was far from a "REAL" bassist. Anyway the guys gave me hell for using a pick so I started plucking with my fingers and playing around with slap bass like @tlarson58 I faked my way through. The biggest thing I got from that experience is to use your fingers from the start you'll be glad you did latter and instead of just playing simple bass lines you make up in your head but do like you did learning guitar and learn songs note for note until your confidence is where it should be.
I ain't no bassist but I could fill-in for one now and it did wonders for my 6 string fingerpicking.
Since I like pictures here's my Tobias Toby Bass by Epiphone

[Mossman]

Glad to hear I'm not giving myself too bad of habits to have to break, and I'm a big fan of chromatic, but I have noticed how lame it sounds when I hit what on guitar would've been a sweet bluesy lick, and it's just underwhelming and not all what I should've done lol.

Hopefully I'll get decent enough to throw up a recording or clip or something to get some notes and share some semblance of art lol.

Conversely, that's why I suck at playing lead. When I try to improvise a solo on guitar, it sounds like a bass solo at a higher pitch. I have to remind myself that the pentatonic scale exists (that, and I don't have the chops ).

[Mossman]

I am not a bassist, but I have a bass and for me I put myself in a different mindset. So translating that into id10t think. I think of a guitar as a small arms rifle laying down cover fire and bass as either a Barrett 50 cal sniping or Artillary softening the target, depending on what is being played. Infantry is the Queen of battle but Artillary is the king. [/id10t]

The bass is the glue that holds everything together. If you ever heard a band without a bass player, it just sounds like a bunch of guys playing different things at the same time. The bass also gives the music direction and forward momentum. I don't remember who said it, but one of my favorite ways of putting is: "The drums make you want to tap your feet, the bass makes you want to move your ass". And everybody in the band follows the bass player (whether you realize it or not). Where the bass goes, the guitars must follow. The bass can change the chord you're playing, and therefore, the whole tone and color of the music. In fact, to make my point to a guitarist in one band I was in (who thought the role of the bass was to "fill space" and had the least influence to the music), I would start throwing random suspensions on the chords, and changing the melody until it sounded like a completely different song. And then I was like: "What?? I was in key... What's the matter? You didn't like me taking over your song?" "I mean, I'm just the bass player, right? I'm only along for the ride."

This works best if you're playing an original song that you didn't write.