Learning bass?

[Bach5G]

Musings whilst recovering from COVID:

In a recent lesson, my guitar teacher suggested I work on a bass part for Bluesette.

That didn’t seem too hard. Frankly, there was a bit of, “is that all there is to it?”

For those who play guitar and bass, assuming a decent knowledge of the fretboard and music theory (and I know bass clef) how difficult is it to pick up (electric) bass? Not Jaco level, but maybe in response to “Does anybody here play bass?”, one might with hesitation respond: “I play a bit.”

[AllanAllen]

Bass is 100% feel and time. Solo guitar players do rudimentary walking bass, but it gets stale after a few bars.

A guitar player with a bass can get through a song or two, but usually they get stale and start overplaying, lose the groove or god forbid, start slapping where it’s completely inappropriate. All the while, talking about how easy it is for them.

I started on bass, so I may be biased.

It’s not difficult to pick up and get started, but the repetition and supportive role is usually lost on guitarists.

[Strat-itis]

It is easier to learn how to accompany only on bass. It gets tougher if you try to play at a higher level with solos and everything. But yes, it's true that just accompanying is easier. You want to just keep it solid with good time, root and triad notes, plus a few embellishments. Bass was my 1st instrument and I don't play it anymore, but I maintain my ability to lay down bass lines for recordings. You just stick to the basics and it's fine.

[kris]

I play bass guitar, but only at home.
When I need to record bass in an arrangement, I record on bass guitar.
For me it is more convenient because for many years I studied a double -bass at a music school.
Interestingly, I like this instrument very much.

[Rob MacKillop]

I played bass in a few bands in my twenties, and enjoyed doing so. These days my bass playing is as a solo instrument, fun for me but not much use in a traditional band role.
I compiled a book for Mel Bay, called Classical and Contemporary Studies for Bass Guitar:

[alltunes]

Does anybody know of a book about developing bass lines but written in treble clef?

I have searched to no avail.

Thanks

[kris]

Does anybody know of a book about developing bass lines but written in treble clef?

I have searched to no avail.

Thanks

Yes I know.
Barry Galbraith's---"Guitar Comping with Bass lines in treble Clef"
Best
Kris

[AllanAllen]

Does anybody know of a book about developing bass lines but written in treble clef?

I have searched to no avail.

Thanks

Honestly, if you want to learn jazz bass, learn bass clef and download some big band arrangements for tunes you know. Then work it out. Most of the bass lines I see are straight quarter notes.

Spaces are ACEG.

—
G
—
E
—
C
—
A
—

[Rob MacKillop]

Does anybody know of a book about developing bass lines but written in treble clef?

This does: All The Good Stuff | eBook
– Janek Gwizdala Store

I can’t vouch for the contents, but they guy is a major player - over 200 gigs with Mike Stern, for example - and has a strong video channel.

[Christian Miller]

Bass is a role as much as an instrument. It’s interesting how many bass players double diverse instruments with the same role - synth bass (keys), Sousa, double, electric even bass sax


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[marcwhy]

I "fake" bass and can read, and have played several musicals over the years (for money!).
Although I practice jazz bass, I would never call myself a "bass player!" [I respect bassists too much!] Gary Willis has a great book, BTW!

[alltunes]

Honestly, if you want to learn jazz bass, learn bass clef and download some big band arrangements for tunes you know. Then work it out. Most of the bass lines I see are straight quarter notes.

Spaces are ACEG.

—
G
—
E
—
C
—
A
—

I tried once and my head almost exploded. I’ll stick to the treble clef thank you very much :-)

[rpjazzguitar]

As a guitarist, I can find the notes on a bass and play them fast enough (although, often, the challenge is to be satisfied with playing fewer notes). I can read bass clef slowly -- that came with time spent having to do it because sometimes guitar charts have some bass clef material you're supposed to be able to read.

And, at that point, the problems begin. The bass is the meat and potatoes. By comparison, the guitar is the sauce, the finishing touches and the garnishes.

So, bass needs to keep a fundamental groove going. Keeping it interesting while reading chord symbols requires a vocabulary of bass stuff which is its own field of study.

My experience with guitarists who are first trying to play bass is that they end up playing guitar solo vocabulary as if somebody else is playing the actual bass part. This has been true of some very good musicians - who haven't yet put in the homework to develop the bass vocabulary. From a distance, it can seem easier than it is.

Tal Farlow, btw, reportedly used an octave pedal and played bass lines in the proper octave behind his bassist's solos. Sounds like a great idea, but I've never tried it.

[Alter]

I find it a bit technically difficult for jazz, with the long fretboard and all. I play some bass gigs every now and then, nothing fancy. It's a fun, meditative instrument.

[AllanAllen]

I tried once and my head almost exploded. I’ll stick to the treble clef thank you very much :-)

Well yeah, you never get better if you give up.

The solution is there and it’s obvious. You don’t need to complicate it, just practice reading bass clef.

[Bob_Ross]

Bass is a role as much as an instrument.

:::mic drop:::

And it's the role thing that's hardest for guitarists to wrap their heads around. I find myself immediately clued into "ah, this guy is a guitarist who picked up the bass" when I recognize that the bass part doesn't fulfill the bass' function, no matter how competantly played it is.
Doesn't mean the part is bad, or wrong... just that it usually doesn't work as well as a part crafted by a genuine bass player.

[alltunes]

Well yeah, you never get better if you give up.

The solution is there and it’s obvious. You don’t need to complicate it, just practice reading bass clef.

No thanks.

[Rscudder58]

Musings whilst recovering from COVID:

In a recent lesson, my guitar teacher suggested I work on a bass part for Bluesette.

That didn’t seem too hard. Frankly, there was a bit of, “is that all there is to it?”

For those who play guitar and bass, assuming a decent knowledge of the fretboard and music theory (and I know bass clef) how difficult is it to pick up (electric) bass? Not Jaco level, but maybe in response to “Does anybody here play bass?”, one might with hesitation respond: “I play a bit.”

Do you just want to play walking lines and turnarounds? That wouldn’t be too hard at moderate tempos


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pauln]

"For those who play guitar..."

You might have just as well asked, for those who play the pedal steel guitar, or flute, piano, tympani, French horn, or zither.

Worst entry to bass is the guitar; you'll need to undo and relearn everything.

[rpjazzguitar]

A lot of kb players understand bass because they can play it. There is even a tradition of organists doing it. Guitarists, not so much.

[paulkogut]

I'm old enough to have played with any number of bassists who were doubling from their main instrument of tuba...


I suppose folks have different goals and levels of engagement, but it seems like being able to play quarter note chord tone melodies through standard forms, and reading both halves of the Grand Staff (kudos to Johnny Smith!) are important basics for a foundation in jazz guitar. So why not get an electric bass and see where it might take you

Best wishes for everyones music!

PK

[garybaldy]

I learned the bass clef from the age of 11 having started to learn the trombone. I could already play a bit of guitar. At 14 my trombone teacher, who had a main stream jazz band, asked me if I knew any bass players that could play jazz. I didn't so thought I'd give it a go. My dear Mother bought me a Vox Teardrop bass and I was gigging straight away!! I didn't know any of the tunes or what notes to play but my trombone teacher did big band arranging so he told me the basics. Over 50 years later I'm still doing it, but mostly on upright now.

[Bob_Ross]

I'm old enough to have played with any number of bassists who were doubling from their main instrument of tuba...

Rich Appleman told me that it also went the other way: A lot of folks whose main instrument was upright bass became doublers on tuba because they were drafted into the Navy, and you can't fit an upright bass on an aircraft carrier!

[paulkogut]

Good to know! Makes sense, you'd have to get a whole new set of chops together, but the concepts of your role is the same. Maybe that ends up being easier in the long run that keeping your basic technique but having to learn an entirely different role...

I lived in Boston for 5 minutes, I had a steady gig at the Midway Cafe with Tom on bass, occasionally Richie would show up as a sub...

PK

[alltunes]

This is book I purchased that was well laid out but I didn’t have the patience nor time to learn the bass clef. (jazz guitar is my hobby but I gig other styles) A book like this written in treble clef would be great.

Amazon.com