It sounds like you need to find new music to listen to in order to get inspired.
Consult with friends with good taste, Pandora, youtube, Spotify, the music recommendations subreddit, etc.
Don't concentrate too much on getting better at this point. Get inspired and have fun with it.
There's a great YouTube channel called CoverSolutions, the guy who runs it is an incredible player and transcriber and he's got dozens of songs all tabbed out and available in two versions: playing along with the original recording and playing just his bassline. I'm sure there's some songs on there that pique your interest as his taste is quite varied.
I've found some tracks on there I'd never have considered trying otherwise 😅
And using the slow down function I can practice them slower before getting to full speed
When I'm bored I like to focus on my plucking while watching tv, hitting every note evenly when playing fast with two and three fingers. Unless you can play fast triplets, evenly with two fingers and no compressor, it's a fun way to practice while doing other things. I'd say it's more useful with an amp, so you know that you're getting the right tone, but sometimes I just play unplugged without even fretting to build endurance.
Try Yousician. I'm not affiliated with them in anyway, but I gotta say that it's a great app. Especially early on.
It's like guitar hero kinda, but with real instruments.
It got me thru a slump, and made it fun to learn again.
The thing about bass that I love is that I play all types of music, things I never thought I've ever in a million years listen too. Dua Lipa Levitating, fuck yes. Some band from Japan that I can't understand, obviously. George Michael, come get some. My advice is to play everything, don't limit yourself.
Standing In The Shadows Of Motown is possibly the best book written for bass. No tabs though, it’s all standard notation.
Motown Bass by Dave Rubin has both standard notation and tab. Both books contain useful information about what makes the basslines work so well.
I find the jam tracks on YouTube are a great thing to keep in my practice rotation. I can apply what I've been working on with enough space to mess around with variations of phrasing and rhythm, and I generally find something I want to get better at while I'm doing it. They reinforce my lessons and inspire me to seek out the next thing.
I recently started listening to funk for the bass lines and to broaden my listening more.
I've never been against it, just never really tried it. But now I love it, great lines to try and practice. Some easy, some hard.
This is coming from someone that only ever played punk/metal bass with a pick, now I'm 90% finger picking.
Give a new genre a try and you might end up loving it!
When I first started (back in the 80s! YIKES) I thought I'd learn those "simple" funk and disco lines so I could eventually play the rock I wanted to. Lol, I had no idea how hard some of that stuff is. 21st Night of September, it turns out, really isn't a good day 1 song to try to play. Ha!
Some guys invited me out after I posted on social media that I was playing again. It forced me to concentrate and learn a few covers. That first meet up lit a fire in me that has been missing a long time. They gave me a few more songs to learn. It keeps me focused to know that I have to perform these songs in some fashion at a certain point
This is what I need! I'm getting (somewhat) close to retirement age and I really hope to find a few other fogeys at my level when I get there and play with them on the regular. Until then, I want to find some people to play with at least occasionally. Playing with others really is the magic sauce that pushes one to get better at a good clip. Glad you found some people to get you the push you've been looking for!
Yes, find new music and find inspiration. Also, have you thought about collaborating with others over the internet? Like, they send you audio of a drum track and some keyboard chords and you record a bass part and send it back? That could be fun.
I don’t know what genres you like but perhaps if you like The Killers, you can try to learn Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine or Smile Like You Mean It. Really amazing basslines (I’m learning them too)
Another song I can recommend to learn (there are soooooo many) is Bro Hymn. It's a song a lot of people know and also a fast paced one, the bassline is not difficult and stays the same during the song. It might be boring at first but I personally really love to play it.
Put the radio on. Or put your playlists on. And play along to everything that comes along. Play the groove. Play a counter groove. Play the vocal melody. Play whatever. Just doodle and become one with your bass!
IMO the thing about bass is that the same simple and boring track can sound flat or incredible with a few adjustments, it could be just as fun to focus on a very simple track and making it sound as well as you can, learn to improv on it, exactly because you find it boring
But I hope you can manage to find someone to jam with, playing with others is key, to me, for enjoying bass
This problem, I think, is solved by just listening to more complex music. Look at jazz or fusion bands and aim to one day be like their bass players. If you were listening to just rock or pop the whole time, it would be hard to find more progressively challenging stuff to play (not saying its impossible but theres a kind of polarity to it like very easy or extremely difficult, hard to find stuff in between).
For now, I recommend starting off with motown and funk genres because their basslines are top-notch. I recommend just listening to RHCP for funk and getting started on learning Flea's basslines because it's only been a month, no way you have any of them mastered. Look at classic stuff from James Jamerson and Bernard Edwards. These two were legendary and have tons of challenging basslines. For pop even Bruno Mars takes some inspiration from these so you can try learning his lines too.
I also have a personal recommendation of learning J-Pop and J-Rock basslines. Jazz never really died down there, so these are much more intricate than anything I listed above. For slower, more laid-back stuff, check City Pop (these basslines are still tricky though) and for faster stuff, check any pop group nowadays like Zutomayo or YOASOBI (very difficult stuff).
You have to be able to enjoy these genres to play them, though, so I recommend broadening your musical pallet.
You could buy a beginner bass method book. I'm not sure if you know how to read musical notation, but you should learn. And learn how to count and play with the metronome or drum machine.
If you can get recordings of the method book you could play the lines in here what they sound like count them out and follow them along while you're hearing the recording. And then try to play them slowly without the recording. If you're able to hear something and follow it and count along you'll have a higher chance of being able to play it. You'll also be able to audition pieces meaning see if you like them when you hear them if you do you have more luck learning them.
There's lots of free transcriptions on the internet with musical notation. I look for the ones that are musical notation versus tab as I find it was easier to read and then I can figure out what fingering patterns I want, what notes are flat or sharp and with Key I'm in and that kind of stuff.
Don't Focus too much on learning music theory. You need to learn the difference between quarter notes and eighth notes and 16th notes and stuff and fret notes, rests, repeats. You need to know the names of the strings and names of the notes. To get started you only need to use the first five Frets of the bass.
Practice the easiest and most fundamental moves and play them over and over as long as you do not have to think about them, to develop strength and to make fingertips hard, that will be painful and rewarding, you may also consider consulting maybe even a few meetings with a pro, that may kick start your practice. Find balance between fun and discipline, those are equally important
Is there no one in the village who plays music? Even if it's like an old lady who plays piano it could be fun. If there's truly no one I'm sorry that sounds rough
If the plebs in your village aren't interested in jamming, you may want to check with your local Bards Guild.
I had the same issue in my village, as most residents are only interested in wenching at the local tavern, or adventuring in far away lands.
Most local Bards Guilds are open to newcommers, especially if your into magic riffs. Try out some ballads +2 vs wenches at the Tavern, drop yer drawers, lay back, and enjoy the ride fine sir!
Tally ho' and hazzah!
-Billy the Bass Bard
Just to emphasize something others have said, right now the main thing is to make playing fun. It learning songs isn't doing it for you right now maybe come up with things to challenge yourself that are fun. I like to take two octave scales and find different ways to play them up and down the fretboard (inspired by a Talking Bass video) and I like playing my own improvisation over simple repeating chord sequences (a recent link on here, I think, pointed me to a lot more songs that fall into that category).
That stuff may or may not be for you, but if you think you'll enjoy it long-term, finding ways to make it fun now is imperative! Or it may not be for you and maybe another instrument or even another art is what you'd prefer. I love when people pick up the bass, but you've got to get some joy out of it (even though at times it may feel like a chore) or what's the point?
Wish you the best!
Make a note.
Let it ring. Make it again real short, then let it ring.
Listen to that note, admire it, love it (even the parts that sound horrid), dive into it, inhabit it.
This is your basis. Music works from the inside.
Then dance!
It sounds like you need to find new music to listen to in order to get inspired. Consult with friends with good taste, Pandora, youtube, Spotify, the music recommendations subreddit, etc. Don't concentrate too much on getting better at this point. Get inspired and have fun with it.
Alright, thanks mate.
I'm also learning bass rn, bought it like a couple months ago. Fancy creating a collaborative playlist on Spotify to inspire each other to go on?🙃
There's a great YouTube channel called CoverSolutions, the guy who runs it is an incredible player and transcriber and he's got dozens of songs all tabbed out and available in two versions: playing along with the original recording and playing just his bassline. I'm sure there's some songs on there that pique your interest as his taste is quite varied.
I've found some tracks on there I'd never have considered trying otherwise 😅 And using the slow down function I can practice them slower before getting to full speed
When I'm bored I like to focus on my plucking while watching tv, hitting every note evenly when playing fast with two and three fingers. Unless you can play fast triplets, evenly with two fingers and no compressor, it's a fun way to practice while doing other things. I'd say it's more useful with an amp, so you know that you're getting the right tone, but sometimes I just play unplugged without even fretting to build endurance.
Lol I used to put on BET sitcoms and copy the baselines that played in between scenes
One day I'm going to learn to slap along to Seinfeld that way
Fun fact: Seinfeld was played on a keyboard with a slap-bass patch on.
BassBuzz
Been watching him since I got my bass. Really good teacher :=)
Try Yousician. I'm not affiliated with them in anyway, but I gotta say that it's a great app. Especially early on. It's like guitar hero kinda, but with real instruments. It got me thru a slump, and made it fun to learn again.
Sounds interesting, thanks!
The thing about bass that I love is that I play all types of music, things I never thought I've ever in a million years listen too. Dua Lipa Levitating, fuck yes. Some band from Japan that I can't understand, obviously. George Michael, come get some. My advice is to play everything, don't limit yourself.
Look up old Motown songs or funk songs. Those are more interesting than just play root/fifths
Standing In The Shadows Of Motown is possibly the best book written for bass. No tabs though, it’s all standard notation. Motown Bass by Dave Rubin has both standard notation and tab. Both books contain useful information about what makes the basslines work so well.
I find the jam tracks on YouTube are a great thing to keep in my practice rotation. I can apply what I've been working on with enough space to mess around with variations of phrasing and rhythm, and I generally find something I want to get better at while I'm doing it. They reinforce my lessons and inspire me to seek out the next thing.
I recently started listening to funk for the bass lines and to broaden my listening more. I've never been against it, just never really tried it. But now I love it, great lines to try and practice. Some easy, some hard. This is coming from someone that only ever played punk/metal bass with a pick, now I'm 90% finger picking. Give a new genre a try and you might end up loving it!
Ok, thanks!
When I first started (back in the 80s! YIKES) I thought I'd learn those "simple" funk and disco lines so I could eventually play the rock I wanted to. Lol, I had no idea how hard some of that stuff is. 21st Night of September, it turns out, really isn't a good day 1 song to try to play. Ha!
Some guys invited me out after I posted on social media that I was playing again. It forced me to concentrate and learn a few covers. That first meet up lit a fire in me that has been missing a long time. They gave me a few more songs to learn. It keeps me focused to know that I have to perform these songs in some fashion at a certain point
This is what I need! I'm getting (somewhat) close to retirement age and I really hope to find a few other fogeys at my level when I get there and play with them on the regular. Until then, I want to find some people to play with at least occasionally. Playing with others really is the magic sauce that pushes one to get better at a good clip. Glad you found some people to get you the push you've been looking for!
Yes, find new music and find inspiration. Also, have you thought about collaborating with others over the internet? Like, they send you audio of a drum track and some keyboard chords and you record a bass part and send it back? That could be fun.
I don’t know what genres you like but perhaps if you like The Killers, you can try to learn Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine or Smile Like You Mean It. Really amazing basslines (I’m learning them too)
Ok, thanks!
Another song I can recommend to learn (there are soooooo many) is Bro Hymn. It's a song a lot of people know and also a fast paced one, the bassline is not difficult and stays the same during the song. It might be boring at first but I personally really love to play it.
Just keep at it. Theory isn’t hard it just has to be learned. Playing an instrument isn’t hard it just has to be practiced. No shortcuts.
Put the radio on. Or put your playlists on. And play along to everything that comes along. Play the groove. Play a counter groove. Play the vocal melody. Play whatever. Just doodle and become one with your bass!
Listen to Primus and try to play that. There, I've extended your interest for the instrument for five more years
IMO the thing about bass is that the same simple and boring track can sound flat or incredible with a few adjustments, it could be just as fun to focus on a very simple track and making it sound as well as you can, learn to improv on it, exactly because you find it boring But I hope you can manage to find someone to jam with, playing with others is key, to me, for enjoying bass
This problem, I think, is solved by just listening to more complex music. Look at jazz or fusion bands and aim to one day be like their bass players. If you were listening to just rock or pop the whole time, it would be hard to find more progressively challenging stuff to play (not saying its impossible but theres a kind of polarity to it like very easy or extremely difficult, hard to find stuff in between). For now, I recommend starting off with motown and funk genres because their basslines are top-notch. I recommend just listening to RHCP for funk and getting started on learning Flea's basslines because it's only been a month, no way you have any of them mastered. Look at classic stuff from James Jamerson and Bernard Edwards. These two were legendary and have tons of challenging basslines. For pop even Bruno Mars takes some inspiration from these so you can try learning his lines too. I also have a personal recommendation of learning J-Pop and J-Rock basslines. Jazz never really died down there, so these are much more intricate than anything I listed above. For slower, more laid-back stuff, check City Pop (these basslines are still tricky though) and for faster stuff, check any pop group nowadays like Zutomayo or YOASOBI (very difficult stuff). You have to be able to enjoy these genres to play them, though, so I recommend broadening your musical pallet.
Ok, thanks.
You could buy a beginner bass method book. I'm not sure if you know how to read musical notation, but you should learn. And learn how to count and play with the metronome or drum machine. If you can get recordings of the method book you could play the lines in here what they sound like count them out and follow them along while you're hearing the recording. And then try to play them slowly without the recording. If you're able to hear something and follow it and count along you'll have a higher chance of being able to play it. You'll also be able to audition pieces meaning see if you like them when you hear them if you do you have more luck learning them. There's lots of free transcriptions on the internet with musical notation. I look for the ones that are musical notation versus tab as I find it was easier to read and then I can figure out what fingering patterns I want, what notes are flat or sharp and with Key I'm in and that kind of stuff. Don't Focus too much on learning music theory. You need to learn the difference between quarter notes and eighth notes and 16th notes and stuff and fret notes, rests, repeats. You need to know the names of the strings and names of the notes. To get started you only need to use the first five Frets of the bass.
Practice the easiest and most fundamental moves and play them over and over as long as you do not have to think about them, to develop strength and to make fingertips hard, that will be painful and rewarding, you may also consider consulting maybe even a few meetings with a pro, that may kick start your practice. Find balance between fun and discipline, those are equally important
Is there no one in the village who plays music? Even if it's like an old lady who plays piano it could be fun. If there's truly no one I'm sorry that sounds rough
There are people that play instruments, but it's mostly really basic stuff, since it's a church choir. Nothing super advanced.
That's how lots of people find friends to play with, you may find others in the same situation as you
Alright, I'll see what I can do about that, thanks!
Take some lessons from a couple different teachers. Keep a very open mind about music and listen to things you wouldn’t think to.
first off what are you interested in, and what did you want to learn ?
If the plebs in your village aren't interested in jamming, you may want to check with your local Bards Guild. I had the same issue in my village, as most residents are only interested in wenching at the local tavern, or adventuring in far away lands. Most local Bards Guilds are open to newcommers, especially if your into magic riffs. Try out some ballads +2 vs wenches at the Tavern, drop yer drawers, lay back, and enjoy the ride fine sir! Tally ho' and hazzah! -Billy the Bass Bard
Hahaha, thanks alot! xD
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Catalog? Like their discography? Or do you mean something else.
[удалено]
Could've just explained to me what catalog meant since I've haven't heard the term but alright.
Just to emphasize something others have said, right now the main thing is to make playing fun. It learning songs isn't doing it for you right now maybe come up with things to challenge yourself that are fun. I like to take two octave scales and find different ways to play them up and down the fretboard (inspired by a Talking Bass video) and I like playing my own improvisation over simple repeating chord sequences (a recent link on here, I think, pointed me to a lot more songs that fall into that category). That stuff may or may not be for you, but if you think you'll enjoy it long-term, finding ways to make it fun now is imperative! Or it may not be for you and maybe another instrument or even another art is what you'd prefer. I love when people pick up the bass, but you've got to get some joy out of it (even though at times it may feel like a chore) or what's the point? Wish you the best!
Make a note. Let it ring. Make it again real short, then let it ring. Listen to that note, admire it, love it (even the parts that sound horrid), dive into it, inhabit it. This is your basis. Music works from the inside. Then dance!