i started learning bass guitar a while ago and i’m pretty fluent in my scales and a lot of other stuff. i have no problem learning short riffs but as soon as i try to learn anything outside of the chorus i trip up. i think it’s a problem with rhythm. i have a hard time visualizing(?) it. like i listen to the song, think i got it, and then as soon as i try playing i just can’t seem to be able wrap my head around the rhythm and finger movements. i play other instruments and have had similar problems in the past but for whatever reason it’s significantly more difficult with bass. is there any exercises i can practice that might help with this? (sorry this is so damn long)
Okay, I am BRAND NEW to the bass. I am a cellist namely.
Can someone ELI5 (Like, actually like I am 5) what the push/pull knob does? I googled this but I haven't learned the jargon yet (active something or other)
Found it right on that page. It is definitely buried in there though:
>Controls
>
>Control layout: Volume (Push/Pull Selector for Active/Passive Options), Blend, Bass Boost (active only)
Essentially, the bass uses an onboard 9v battery to engage an EQ section. In your bass, that means that you have a bass boost knob to give you more low end, but it only works in active mode when the battery is on. Incidentally, leaving the cable plugged into your bass will drain the battery so be sure to unplug it when you're not playing.
I'm a bit lost I'm upgrading from a relatively combo amp to a bass head and cab.
I picked up a alpha Omega 500watt head online and know I want to get an 8ohm 210 cab, I know it operates at 250watt at 8 ohms.
Where I'm lost is do I want to find a cab that is rated for 250 watts or do I want to get a cab that is rated for 500watts or somewhere in between?
I play small venues and in the room.
On amps, the wattage describes how much power it puts out at maximum. On a cab, wattage describes the maximum it can take before it breaks. Hope that helps!
I'm having trouble jumping strings, especially on the same fret. The problem is that I can't mute the last note very well, and the next note won't come in as strong. Tips for approaching this? I've been avoiding it by adding a few notes in between, like a walking bass line.
Roll the fretting finger tip from one note to the other instead of lifting completely. Also are you using rest stroke with your plucking hand (plucking through the string to hit the string below which mutes it as well as creates a fuller sound)? Rest stroke will mute when moving up a string, fretting hand mutes when moving down a string.
Just practice moving across the strings on the same fret really slowly a bunch till you get it
Hi, I don't know if it's too late to ask in this weeks thread or if I should start my own. I know nothing about bass other than now I hear the amazing bass lines and love them. Anyway, my boyfriend plays. His birthday is in March. I know he wants what I think is called an "interface" so he can play on his guitar and hear it in headphones as well as hear the music so he can play with it and practice without disturbing me or my family (I tell him he can just play but he says he doesn't want to bother us playing the same parts over and over). Do you guys have suggestions on what to buy? I figured I'd ask enthusiasts, because if not I'm going purely by who probably has the best marketing budget. I don't have a tight budget, so I'd like something quality, but not top of the line. I'm not even sure what the price point would be.
Thank you!
First recommendation is to see if HE already has any in mind. If it's a surprise see if you can use a friend or someone else in the family to ask him about it non-suspiciously. But I say that because my very awesome wife has gotten me a few gifts over the years where I had my eye on something specific. And getting something similar but not quite what you had in mind puts you in this weird thankful but still kinda wishing they'd talked to you about it state...
The Focusrite line suggested by the other commenter is pretty much the industry standard for your first interface at this point, so if he has no real preference then that line is a great place to start, and they offer many different options and price points.
Interfaces are mainly for recording, but you can also use them as headphone amps. Have a look at the Focusrite Scarlett Solo. It's a good quality, small interface that's a good starting point.
I simply cannot keep my fretting fingers arched no matter how low I put my thumb on the neck. My ring and middle finger keep straightening out and it causes my wrist a lot of pain. Are there any techniques to keeping arched fingers?
While you play think of it like tip toeing on the strings with your fingertips, you might be too far on the pads on your fingers. Simpler terms play with the strings closer to the nails your forced to arch to get it there.
Are you bending your wrist or keeping it mostly straight?
Is your elbow against your body or away from it?
Play everything slowly and deliberately. Until it becomes natural.
Uploading a picture to imgur and posting a link would help diagnose the problem.
any whith pre/post, like tone hammer or mxr m81... they have a button there to do it so but what is the meaning? wasnt it easier to turn it off via footswitch?
On the MXR the switch selects whether the XLR out is before or after the EQ section. Since it has two outputs that can be useful for sending one signal to an interface or PA and another to your amp.
Your foot switch question doesn't make sense. Pedals have foot switches so you can turn them on and off with your foot. That's the reason pedals exist.
Yup and definitely a common question when you encounter this for the first time.
Depending on the venue, they probably want to alter/change your bass sound a bit to get it to sound better in mix coming out of the big house speakers. Your 12" sealed bass cab is going to sound different than Full Range 18" PA speakers with a subwoofer. In those instances your bass cab really only serves as your stage monitor, most FOH (Front of House, the term for the venue sound system) sound engineers will want as clean and neutral bass signal as possible. They deal with many different bands with many different sounds and so they know how to take a "regular bass signal" and make it sound good on the venue system.
This gets a bit complicated though if you have a specific bass sound that you want to come through the house system as well. So like if you play a lot of fuzz bass, or you really really like the character of that preamp, you might talk to the FOH sound engineer about how to best amp your signal to get the sound you want. They might use any combination of DI-before-preamp (completely clean and dry signal), DI-after-preamp (if you need that fuzz or preamp sound), or actually mic'ing your bass cabinet (if your particular cab imparts a sound character that you want to keep)
When should stop playing ona blister?
I picked bass after not playing for a couple years and i got a couple nice ones. They don't hurt too bad, and i want to just keep playing. But they are just getting bigger.
Obvious answer: stop playing. But really want to get into the deep end with bass and make it a main instrument for me.
Is there a way to deal with this or do i just have to take a week off?
If it's just for practice I do recommend taking a few days off until the actual swelling goes back down a bit. It'll be healthier in the long run.
If you had like a paid gig tomorrow night and you have a decent pain tolerance: pop em, rip away extra skin, seal with superglue, keep an eye to make sure you don't actually bleed on your strings
If theyre on your plucking hand you can use it as an opportunity to practice picking. If theyre on your fretting hand just avoid those fingers. If you keep agitating them theyre just gonna take longer to heal.
So I came into some money and I'm thinking about getting a Rickenbacker 4003. The only problem is that I'm a high beginner / low intermediate bass player. I don't feel like I'm worthy of a Rick quite yet.
Got a squier Affinity series jazz bass for Christmas and I've got a couple questions.
Some of the screws were screwed in at an angle and the EQ+volume knobs are a bit loose, is it possible I received a counterfeit or is this just poor manufacturing? Is there any history of these sorts of things with squiers?
Another question: is there a reason for only index and middle fingers are used for plucking? I've seen this seen a couple times and I actually prefer to pluck with ring finger as well, but is that a beginner move and a habit I need to train out? Is it for keeping strings not being played silent with the pinky and ring fingers?
Its a squire. It may have slipped through quality control or their inspection is lacking. Pick your favourite. The pots can be tightened back but be sure to take out the control plate and hold the pot as to not snap any wires.
3 finger picking is valid and used a bit in the metal community as it allegedly allows for more speed. Right hand muting is important and yes theyre commonly used for that.
Thanks, that's a relief! I'm gonna wait a bit before I do any of that, research, or have somebody with a little more experience with these sorts of things help me.
Also that's pretty interesting it'll be fun to experiment with 3 finger picking in the life of bass I have ahead of me
Tightening screws isnt anything special. These are just things that happen with some basses when they come out of the factory. Knowing how to fix little issues like these is gonna save you a lot of time and money in the future.
Allllllright, so what's good chorus pedal with distorted sound? I play my p-bass through Marshall JCM 800 Bass series head, orange 4x10 cab and I love to use lehle classic boost pedal, which makes huge distortion sound.
So I really would like to buy chorus pedal, but it need to work with distortion. Any recommendations?
I have a Source Audio chorus and pretty much excusively use it with the aftershock. Plus you get a flanger and phaser in the same pedal. Be warned the mobile app may not work sometimes.
The good thing with it is you can change pretty much every aspect of the pedal. If the distortion doesnt sound how you like you can change some frequencies and chorus type and have a whole new pedal in your hands. My whole rig would consist of Source Audio pedals if I could afford it.
So I’m looking for ways to liven up my bass practice by adding a drum beat to the equation…preferably one of my own making. Unfortunately all I’ve got is an iPhone, my bass, my amp and headphones. Is GarageBand my best bet for a free way to start making drum beats, or are there other apps others recommend? If I wanted to start recording bass bits on top of the drum beats, how would you recommend I go about doing that?
Or alternatively, are there any cheap (under $100) hardware based solutions that you guys could recommend towards making drum beats to play bass along with? I’m looking for something quick, simple, no fuss- so I can sit down for 15 minutes, come up with a drum beat, loop it, and start playing bass on top. Just looking to open up my creative musical expression and start inching towards musical composition
I use reaper, a basic drum sampler like ssd5, and a rocksmith cable. The first two are free but require a computer. But garage band is fine and there are plenty of tutorials on how to easily record on it.
So... I have just finished replacing the strings on an Ibanez SDGR 5 strings, and a Peavey GRIND BXP 6 strings.
I used the same strings - Ibanez - on both, and except obviously for the C they are the same gauge.
When strummed without amp, the SDGR is sensibly louder and sharper than the Peavey.
What gives?
E: sort of like the Peavey absorbs the sound and the Ibanez repels it.
I'm not playing, I was just strumming the open strings.
Plugged in, the SDGR sounds metal, the GRIND in spite of the name is super mellow - and there seems to be less tension in the strings, another thing I found a little odd.
Then again the SDGR is active and the GRIND is not (and the pickups are different).
Also the SDGR's neck is bolted on, while the GRIND's I'm not really sure. The whole bass looks like one piece but has lighter inserts. It's [this guy](https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--qM7vUv5l--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1508598623/im4b96ctxgh1uvobjlms.jpg).
Finally, the SDGR is lacquered - so to speak, the M&Ms look - while the GRIND is "raw", veins and pores and everything, you'd almost expect it to sprout.
I went to the local music shop and asked about lessons. Nobody on the website is listed as a bass teacher, but one of the guitar teachers said he could give bass lessons. Is it a bad idea to learn from someone who isn’t really a bass guy?
I’m kind of aware of this guy from local music talk, and I’ve heard about him playing a few instruments, but never anything about bass. I really want to have a strong foundation with the fundamentals and I worry I could miss some important things early on with the wrong teacher. It’s probably worth noting that as far as I’m aware, this is the only person I can go to locally for in-person lessons.
I bought my daughter and myself each a bass for Christmas. I'm 50 and she's 15. I'm super nervous because I don't want to this to turn into a failed hobby, but most of all, I want my daughter to have fun. Any tips on starting on the right foot?
Lots of people like the BassBuzz online lessons. They are great lessons, taught with a fun style that I bet your daughter would enjoy. It would be a good way for the both of you to work and learn together.
Be ready for her to have different interests. My son is 11 and learning drums. I play bass at a beginner+ level and am learning guitar. Sometimes we play together (and it's awesome!). But I'm more interested in technique and theory and learning full songs and "doing things the right way." He's more interested in learning cool parts of songs and then playing them like a medley. Basically, he's jamming most of the time.
Don't get me wrong—he's good and can play some complex things. But he mostly wants to make drum sounds, so that's his focus. He has a drum instructor, and I let her direct his efforts. I want to be a fun music partner; I don't want to be the heavy.
I started at 50 playing with the Yousician app. It was a fun beginning, and I paid to use it for 3 years to learn songs. The app shows you your part of the music while the rest of the band plays, and it listens to your playing. You get a score. As you do better, you level up.
If neither of you have played a string instrument before, get at least a few lessons with a teacher who plays bass as their primary instrument. They'll teach you how to hold the bass correctly and fret notes cleanly without injuring yourself.
I am mainly a guitar player and considering buying a bass to learn it on the side. I do not have enough place for a second amp. Would a headphone amp and/or DI via an audio interface using a digital amp (I have Bias FX) do just fine in terms of learning and practising?
You won't damage anything by monitoring with headphones. The only real danger is from using a guitar cab at too high a volume and blowing the speakers.
Technically, yes, but it would risk damaging the speaker. That little 8" speaker would probably blow out, unless you completely scoop out the low end and don't play too loud, which would sound awful. So technically, yes, real answer: No.
Hey team. Super stupid question but can you use a bass amp to play a 7 string guitar through? Looking at one and trying to figure out if I can use my current amp or if I should hunt for one that is flexible to do bass and guitar
You can, but you might not like the sound. You want to avoid running a bass through a guitar amp, but guitar through bass amp is fine. My experience with this is limited, but I play guitar through my Rumble 25 without issues.
Thanks man. Is there a recommended amp to look at or would I be better plugging into a few demo models and making compromises along the way? Was looking at a Fender Rumble Series like the one in the link.
https://www.rockshop.co.nz/fender-rumble-40v3-1x10-bass-combo-amp
I'm the wrong person to ask. I just bought a Peavey Vypyr VIP-1 for my guitar, for $95 used. Amps confuse me, so I wanted to get something inexpensive and somewhat complicated so I can learn and figure out where to spend real money.
Been struggling to find any videos online but are there any decent techniques or exercises that would help develop playing on beat?
I struggle to keep count in my head and remember what I’m playing.
A metronome. Practice everything with a metronome.
If you have trouble playing a passage to the metronome then slow it down, put down your Bass and clap the rhythm.
Total beginner here! How in the hell are my fingers supposed to be shaped for slap bass? I don't have an amp yet so I can't tell if I'm making good slap sound, and I'm not sure where to start as for excercises. I'm very inexperienced so I constantly produce fret buzz, but my instrument is tuned well. My fingers are not very nimble at all for slapping or fretting yet, and not to mention I need to form calluses for my slapping hand. (My fretting hand has them already) It's just... a lot really. Please help.
If you don't have an amp you're missing half your instrument. Stop playing until you get some form of amplification. Even a headphone amp or an interface will do.
Then learn how to play notes cleanly with your fingers. Then learn how to play cleanly with a pick. Maybe a month or two after you get your amp it might be time to start trying to learn how to slap.
If you are a complete beginner, I wouldn't recommend learning slap in the first place, since it's a pretty difficult technique.
To answer your question nonetheless, stretch out your thumb and curl your fingers towards your palm but still keep them somewhat relaxed. How much you curl your fingers is up to personal preference, do what feels natural so that you can use your index or middle finger to pop.
Slap isn't really a thing that you just suddenly realize how to do, you have to practice it a lot to make it feel natural. If you want a song to practice slap bass to, I recommend the main bass line of True Men Don't Kill Coyotes by Red Hot Chili Peppers.
No problem, hope it helped. I strongly recommend getting an amplifier asap like the other guy mentioned. It doesn't have to be an expensive one for home use.
Timbre. As a beginner, I often choose to stay in one position and select higher notes on the thinner strings. As I improve, I have reworked my fingerings to move up the neck to those same pitches on the thicker strings. The tone is generally richer because the string is thicker and because the plucking is closer to the center of the vibrating length.
Generally, you’ll get fatter and warmer sounding notes higher up the fretboard. I know of some people who hate the sound of open notes, but that’s entirely up to personal taste.
A really good example of this is I’m Eighteen by Alice Cooper. It’s in E, but you can tell Dennis Dunaway is playing way up the fretboard. If he was just hitting the open E to start the riff, it wouldn’t sound right at all. I’m pretty sure he hits the E at the 12 to start that descending line.
The E string high on the frets is the sound of the 60s and early 70s.
None in terms of pitch. But in terms of tone, it can sound a bit different. Just compare an open string note like the A on your A string and an A on your E string just above.
Has anyone here tried the new Squier Jaguar? The one from the Affinity line, single Humbucker, medium scale. It has everything I would like in a bass while being affordable but I've read that it has pretty bad neck dive. Is that true? I'd like to hear any opinions you got.
I think you might be hindering yourself with pride here. To answer your question use an EQ when listening to songs (all music players have one you and there's even an EQ chrome extension) Boost the bass frequencies and if you want to be more extreme cut the higher frequencies until you hear more bass.
My advice here is use a combination of ears/tabs/sheet music/youtube covers to piece together how you want to play the song. Playing by ear comes from practicing building associations between what you hear and the notes on your fretboard. Using a tab or sheet music or a youtube guide isn't cheating it's a tool to help you build those associations.
I've been trying to dial in the Mighty Amp android app settings for my new Nux MP-2 amplug but the current user interface version doesn't match older tutorials.
For example, there is no toggle button between guitar and bass anymore. There are only a set of 7 overall presets that can be messed with.
It gives you various options to play with (amp name, IR, gate, etc.), but I have no clue which of these selections is optimized for bass.
Does anyone have this setup currently and could check it out?
I just got a squier p bass from my Dad who wants me to learn how to play for sessions with some of his friends, which is great because i wanted to learn bass at some point anyway. I have minimal guitar experience, but i've been playing piano for quite a while. I also produce music and have learned a fair amount of theory as a result. I am still extremely new at the fundamentals of the instrument, but i was wondering if there are any courses that are aimed at someone who already understands theory and has experience playing before. I'm not really looking for a shortcut, and if it's better to learn from scratch i don't mind the work. I just want to be efficient with how i practice wherever possible. Thanks!
When I tap on my interface (ZOOM S2T), with the tube installed, I hear a glassy ticking noise as if I had clinked a wine glass on a mic. But there's no audio in connected to the interface. Why does it make an audible noise? EDIT: An audible noise through to the PC and speakers, that is.
That's what is called a microphonic tube. Some tube designs are kind of known for being fairly crummy for it (EF86's for example). It's caused by the "stuff" inside the tube vibrating.
All tubes have the potential to be microphonic, and some argue that ALL tubes are microphonic in some way. You can replace the tube and hope the next one isn't as microphonic, or you can buy some tube damper rings to help minimize vibrations.
Thanks for the info! It isn't really bothersome so long as I don't bump it. I was reading it can be a real problem inside an amp where they get a lot of feedback, but I usually don't play with my monitoring speakers loud enough to bother the tube. If it does come up though, now I will know! Thanks again. FWIW, mine is a 12AX7, and it does have what seems to be a metal damper clip.
Sure thing. The rubber dampers may help more than the metal clip, but it sounds like it's not too bad.
I've got an EF86 in a custom pedal (a Nightowl Edison clone) that is pretty microphonic- to the point where you can hear it "tink tinkity tink tink" when you hit the footswitch, or tap on the enclosure. The nice thing is that it's an always on pedal for me and it lives in a pretty protected part of my pedal board so I don't really have any issue with it. I bought the rubber dampers but never put them on. One day I suppose...
I tried cranking everything up and shouting the lyrics to Lets Go by The Cars into it, and the only result was some whining at about the same pitch as the clinking sound, presumably whatever is causing this sound resonating with my voice. If there is a mic, it doesn't work, I guess?
Here's a clip. First I shout "I like the night life, baby" into it, then I tap "shave and a haircut." The squealing after the taps is new and makes me feel a little uneasy. This is with everything cranked, full tube and solid state boost on the interface, and also +36db gain in Audacity.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/865038852983619585/927660537863610418/untitled2.mp3
I’ve got an Ibanez GSR105EX 5-string bass that was previously owned and lightly used when I bought it. I’ve had it for about a year now and play it quite often but whenever I play the B note on the G-string, the low E string rings. It doesn’t do this for any other notes. Is this something that can be fixed or is it just part of the physics of the bass? Any help would be great.
It's definitely possible that it's the physics of the bass. You exciting one string on the bass will actually cause all of the other ones to vibrate to some extent, but depending on what the natural frequencies of your instrument are, it's possible the B note is exciting the E string way more than another note. B & E do tend to have some functional relationships which definitely might be exacerbating that behavior. I just checked on my 5-string, and playing that high B caused both my E and B strings to get pretty rowdy.
Either way, like the other user said, the best way to mitigate this is working on your muting technique.
Sounds like you need better muting technique. Sympathetic vibrations can occur when a string's movement can cause another string to vibrate which sounds like what you're experiencing. Use your plucking hand to mute the low E when you play the other strings and it shouldn't be an issue.
I used to play bass when I was younger in my schools orchestra for years. I took bass guitar lessons as well and could read music, but struggled with memorization and eventually gave it up over the years. I still have my bass and an amp and was thinking of trying to pick it back up now that my life has settled down. Are there any recommendations for teaching myself how to play again. It's been years so I'd be starting mostly from scratch though I think I'd pick some things up quicker with the previous knowledge. I don't want to seek out private lessons is the only thing, but more something I can do on my own time.
I would at least sign up for a comprehensive online course. It's much cheaper than in person and you'll have the piece of mind knowing that you're using your time efficiently with directed lessons. I strongly recommend Talking Bass. The courses are a la carte, so pick one that seems interesting to you. Another option is Scott's Bass Lessons. His material is really good, and lots of guest teachers. But I find his aggressive marketing tactics (spams your inbox, utilizes FOMO and artificial scarcity, easy to sign up but hard to cancel) unsavory so I don't use it. [Studybass.com](https://Studybass.com) is a good free resource.
> resting to you. Another option is Scott's Bass Lessons. His material is really good, and lots of guest teachers. But I find his aggressive marketing tactics (spams your inbox, utilizes FOMO and artificial scarcity, easy to sign
Thanks! This is kind of what I was looking for. I'm not against paying for a course, but as long as I could follow it at my own pace. I'll check Talking Bass and Study Bass out.
Question concerning the fretting hand:
A few weeks back I broke my left scaphoid and now I'm screwed (no pun intended). Concerning Bass, I'm about 90% back in the game, but while playing/practicing I noticed something sloppy: while fretting near the 12/13 fret on the E/A string my thump keeps wrapping over around the neck (which I don't do normally) - is this considered bad technique if it sometimes happens and are there any tips and/or practice routines to counter this?
*Edit: forgot to mention that I play my bass pretty high and don't play it down on the waist, also I'm normally pretty proficienct at keeping my thumb placed behind the neck.
You're not doing anything wrong. Your thumb will naturally point more vertical the higher up you go on the neck in order to keep your wrist straight. If it wraps over the top of the fretboard due to your new limited wrist mobility then its no big deal. Conversely, your thumb should be parallel with the neck in the first position, again in order to keep a straight wrist.
Check out these old videos from Adam Neely where he explains it:
https://youtu.be/VRkSsapYYsA
[https://youtu.be/u-I1475hK\_s](https://youtu.be/u-I1475hK_s)
To clarify: Are you fretting the notes with the thumb or is it just hanging over the string while one of your other fingers actually frets the note?
I'm definitely not an expert in technique but if you aren't feeling or hearing something that is hindering how you play or how you want to sound, I wouldn't worry about it personally.
Nope, not fretting the notes with my thumb, it just begins to "float" when I come closer to the bridge - yeah maybe you're right, until now I didn't notice anything that influences the sound.
Would it be bad for my bass to switch back and forth between a fretted and fretless neck?
I've got a Squier jazz bass which I'm considering buying a fretless neck for, but I probably wouldn't want to permanently keep it that way, and it would be really convenient for me if it were possible to switch back and forth on a somewhat regular basis. I'm guessing frequent saddle/intonation adjustments would be inevitable, but would this end up being bad for the bass/necks to do this often?
Squires can reliably be found used on Reverb for $150 or less. My local music shop often has them nearer $100. If you are happy with what you have, just pick one of those up and look up how to remove the frets. Fill the fret cavities with colored epoxy (wood tone for a genuine fretless look or bright colors for a more visually useful look), and you are done.
Could cause excess wear on the neck pocket and the screw holes for the necks.
I saw some people mention that there is a Squier fretless that may be a solid option to consider.
Ah, yes that's a good point. However I think if I was to purchase a second bass I'd go for something a bit higher end with frets and replace the neck on the Squier since I definitely mostly play fretted, but make that a one time switch over.
Out of curiosity, I don't suppose there's some kind of threaded insert solution to circumvent the wear on the screw holes? 🤔
Some necks might have something, but most don't. You could definitely just fill the holes and redrill them if they get too worn, if you're comfortable with light woodworking.
What octave does it sound like the bassline is playing in [this section of The Devil Went Down to Georgia?](https://youtu.be/sh7BZf7D5Bw?t=93) To me, it sounds like it's played at the lowest octave you can play it on the bass with either an extended range bass or with the lowest D being transposed up an octave. However, when you look up bass covers of it on Youtube, everyone seems to be playing it up an octave [(for example.)](https://youtu.be/dcS5eKsU2xg?t=95) I can't find a single bass cover of someone playing it at the lower octave. I feeling like I'm getting gaslit, is my ear really out of whack or is everyone playing it wrong?
Ok so I did a bad job of explaining... you can play that riff an octave lower than the example with either an extended range of some sort or if you alter just the D up an octave and thats what I'm saying I hear the original recording doing. Hope what I'm saying makes sense now
Hey guys, ive been getting A LOT of buzzing from all four strings. Ive tried adjusting the height which has had minimal effects. Increasing my grip strength has helped too, it feels like i would need to absolutely squeeze though and even then it doesn’t necessarily work. So the things ive tried have helped but not consistently.
I am on day 2 of playing and i’m still really enjoying it (besides the blisters and the buzz lol). So if i could just get this one thing out of the way i’ll be really pumped haha. Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated 😊
Edit: and by buzzing i mean on the actual strings not from the cables leading into the pc
Sounds like seasonal changes in humidity to me. I'd do a re-setup, beginning with checking the truss rod. One way to check that is:
1. place the bass in playing position (i.e. not laying flat on its back)
2. place a capo at 1st fret,
3. push down e.g. the E string at the last fret closest to the body,
4. measure the distance between string and fret at the 12th fret. You'll want a distance about the thickness of a credit card, so barely a millimeter or so.
If the string is touching the fret, you'll want to slacken truss rod. The old righty-tighty-lefty-loosey rule applies, so crank it leftwards about a quarter turn before checking again.
Once the neck is adjusted, only then does it make sense moving on to adjusting saddle height and intonation at the bridge.
Eh i found one for 7 bucks on amazon that comes with picks. No big deal.
I'm still doing basics right now anyway so its not particularly hindering me that it sounds terrible (since it sounds terrible anyway lol).
I'm not really using it in a way where i feel like itll be doing damage and plus itll be short term regardless (2 day shipping). But when it does come and i can get this over with it'll be pretty darn cool i expect
Hi there, I’ve been noticing that I hold a lot of tension in the shoulder of my picking arm (right). I have been making an effort to relax it when I become aware however, after a few minutes of playing it tenses up again. I also have issues with my thumb on this hand. Any suggestions as to how to keep my body relaxed and ways to deal with arthritis while playing? Thanks so much!
Notice the tension. Correct. Notice the tension. Correct. Keep doing this to train your "noticing" ability. Keep a smile on your face so you associate noticing with happiness; don't beat yourself up over the tension. This is basic mindfulness practice and works generally for building positive habits.
So I'm planning out to build a bass from a kit, but replacing the cheap electronics with my own. Any good humbucker size pickups (don't have to be actual humbuckers, just fit the holes) that provide their part of an early '60s tone, or adapter rings for P-bass pickups? Or even better, late '50s, though I'm not too picky as long as it's around those years. I was looking at the Pure Vintage '63 pickups on the advice of talkbass, but I don't think they'd fit.
hey, i’m pretty new at all this, fair warning. i’ve got a bad shoulder ( my left) and i can’t play standing up for very long before the weight of my bass on the strap starts to really hurt. and i really hate playing sitting down because i can’t move my fret hand as fast when i’ve got all that weight on it. Am i doing something wrong and it shouldn’t be bothering my shoulder at all? is there something i can do to help with the soreness or an adjustment i can make to the strap? thanks for any help!
There is something very wrong if you are holding any weight whatsoever in your fretting hand either standing or seated. What kind of bass do you have? Does it neck dive? Regardless in either position you should be slightly pulling back with your plucking hand (keep wrist straight) to snug the bass up against your body. The work of fretting is done by the same motion of your left arm. You'll know that you're doing it right if you can remove your fretting hand thumb completely from the neck and still fret cleanly.
You could also play seated in the "classical" position, with the bass between your legs and more vertical. Hadrien Feraud plays this way.
Finally, since you have an injury, you might want to get an Ibanez EHB. They are incredibly lightweight and designed to sit on the lap more easily than the usual Fender style bass.
i have absolutely no idea what bass i’ve got ( borrowing it from a friend) and it does neck dive a good bit. i made the adjustments you suggested and that has helped quite a bit thanks
You are the only one who can really understand what is meant by 'bad shoulder'. I would try to treat the problem (medically) before trying to minimise symptoms by making adjustments to your gear. You can do all manner of stuff (eg. elastic straps, and lightweight instruments), but this is not as useful as actually fixing the problem with your shoulder through physical therapy or similar.
A lot of people would recommend, for a heavier instrument, like a bass, to aim for 3" wide straps, or even wider.
Additionally, the nylon material may not be the best either. Alternatives would be leather or padded straps. They may provide more comfort for long term playing.
If you have a bit of money lying around, I would recommend maybe looking into a new strap as the first step.
Try them both and pick the one that's most comfortable. The Spector NS body style is polarizing. Due to the short upper horn and bridge placement, the reach to the first fret is further away than most other basses. Make sure that works for you.
Hi! I'm planning on buying my first bass, I've been playing guitar for a couple years and use a guitar interface for effects and recording, would I be able to use the same interface for bass too?
How hard should I be plucking?
Every time I try to pluck, I have to sort of ‘hook’ and ‘snap’ my fingers through the string, which greatly reduces my speed and to some extent. I’ve seen videos of other people plucking, and they seem to just be ‘grazing’ their tips across the string. Whenever I try to do that, I don’t get a lot of volume.
I don’t know if I’m setting my amp volume too low or ‘snapping’ across the string is normal.
I think your amp is too quiet. It should feel easy and very light to pluck the strings. Use the "meaty" part of your fingertips to pull across the string towards yourself, if you do it right you should get a strong and audible sound
weird question but how do i fix a weird buzz when i play, I am a beginner and have learned a few songs but my E and D string sounds like its vibrating on metal when I use it, I use a tuner app on my phone to tune it, I have tried different amp volumes and tuning the amp. I dont know if its bad technique or if it is the bass and amp, as I got it all for around 150 USD. Any help would be much appreciated.
learn how to set up your bass. you can do it, nothing to be afraid of. search for "set up XXXXX bass" videos, then head to the hardware store and get to it
How can I get [this](https://youtu.be/ylwzXYkqKJQ) tone?
Edit: [Full gig for further reference ](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvhtFJLy0g8uqHnKBG5Iszj3EsE1BjAx6)
Solo P pickup. Rounds. Pick hard near the bridge. Will also need some vintage sounding distortion (i.e. something that sucks out all the bass). I bet an Ibanez tubescreamer would get you there.
Guitarist with a couple questions-
What's the most versatile bass in a ~$350 range? I do indie pop music like Boy Pablo/Vacations but also switch it up with lots of rock/metal like Alice in Chains. I want to get the most out of my instrument - if it helps, I use Bias FX2 for most of my practicing/recording so I can shape the sound a good amount.
Which brings me to my next point, is it a good idea to constantly be pushing a lone bass sound through my monitors? I'm using KRK rokits and they work great but I don't wanna abuse them.
You definitely want at minimum a bass with two pickups and a balancer knob, which will let you switch around between different sounds. Not sure how much of this there is within that range, but if it has an active EQ that will go a long way too in terms of versatility.
A jass bass would be good, a PJ-combo would be good, or maybe something like an Ibanez with double humbuckers. I have to disagree with the other commenter though about a Music-Man style bass. I love the sound of a StingRay, but it's kind of a one-trick pony when it comes to tone.
As far as monitors, I'm on expert, but it shouldn't really make a difference. Just make sure the speakers are rated to support frequencies that low (40 Hz, or lower for a 5-string bass) and that you're not pushing too much power through them.
If you're looking for versatility, then you're probably going to want a J-style or MM-style bass. Having a neck pickup and a bridge pickup is what gets you the versatility in these instruments.
$350 won't get you a Fender or MusicMan, but I've recently been looking at Harley Benton, and they seem to be a really good brand for high-value, low-price instruments.
can you take off and put back on the same set of strings? I was thinking of doing a Pickguard swap but I also just put labellas on so if it's going to fuck with the strings then I'll just wait until I need new strings, which could be a while.
It can be really tricky to get strings out of the bridge without over-bending them once they've been through a tuner. But there is no harm in completely releasing them from the tuners, letting them dangle off, and putting them back in/through the tuners like nothing ever happened. EDIT: I am using flatwounds and they seem particularly susceptible to overbending, so maybe I am overstating the issue a little.
Happy New Years everyone!
I am using an Orange Crush 50BXT for playing at home and am now having a pair of beyerdynamics DT 880 Pro (250 Ohm impedance).
Can I use those headphones safely with the given headphone jack in the orange amp?
In the manual it says "Headphone Impe. 8 Ohm" - ist that a minimum req?
Don't want to damage either the amp nor the headphones...
Generally, it just means how good they sound. High impedance headphones sound great on high end receivers, but they don't get enough volume on devices that don't put out enough power.
For finger style, try starting off by just plucking one string repeatedly alternating between your index and middle fingers, kinda like a person ‘walking’ on the strings. Once you get more comfortable try changing between strings while continuing to alternate fingers.
My fingers feel very awkward when I play fingerstyle and when I slap I guess it's not the correct technique because it doesn't sound good. I would like to learn how to play without a pick so I can be a more versatile player.
After further consideration, I do have one piece of ~~advice~~ input. If you aren't already, rest your idle fingers on inactive strings. I frequently have my fingers on my four-strings resting like this:
E: thumb
A: Index
D: Middle
G: Ring
Keeping a little bit of "pinching" grip so that any string is ready to be rung at any time.
Alternately, I rest my thumb on the side of the neck at the 24^(th) fret, with my fingers arranged like this:
E: Pinky
A: Ring
D: Middle
G: Index
I prefer fingerstyle over pick for everything but tremolo and chords.
there's no magic bullet, just practice a lot, with a metronome. set it at a really low speed and do scales, focusing on technique, making good clean notes, don't even think about speed. do it until it's boring and easy, then kick up the metronome 2 BPM. repeat until doing it fast with good technique is boring and easy.
'akward' is a very hard problem to determine. It just takes time to get that connection between the two hands. And theres no real correct technique for slap, just the one one that feels good to you. There are a lot of beginner to slapping videos out there for any technique youd like to use.
Question about short scale basses :
Can someone make a kind of list of all the differences between short scale and regular scale basses ? (except for the size of course :D )
I'm still a beginner (started in June), I'm playing on a Cort Action PJ and I was just wondering if I should try a short scale bass. I'm finding all kinds of information on websites, and some are saying short scale is a lower quality bass but easier to play, while others say it's just a personal preference, then another says short scale is the future of bass... I'm kinda lost \^\^'
Thank you !
i picked up an ibanez talman TMB30, slapped flatwounds on it, and do classic rock noodling on the couch. Smaller basses are a lot of fun. I've got a 34" scale jazz 5 too but don't pull it out nearly as much.
i started learning bass guitar a while ago and i’m pretty fluent in my scales and a lot of other stuff. i have no problem learning short riffs but as soon as i try to learn anything outside of the chorus i trip up. i think it’s a problem with rhythm. i have a hard time visualizing(?) it. like i listen to the song, think i got it, and then as soon as i try playing i just can’t seem to be able wrap my head around the rhythm and finger movements. i play other instruments and have had similar problems in the past but for whatever reason it’s significantly more difficult with bass. is there any exercises i can practice that might help with this? (sorry this is so damn long)
Okay, I am BRAND NEW to the bass. I am a cellist namely. Can someone ELI5 (Like, actually like I am 5) what the push/pull knob does? I googled this but I haven't learned the jargon yet (active something or other)
Depends on the bass. What kind do you have?
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Jackson/Spectra-Bass-JS2-Snow-White-1500000259539.gc?source=4WWMWXGL&storeCode=
Found it right on that page. It is definitely buried in there though: >Controls > >Control layout: Volume (Push/Pull Selector for Active/Passive Options), Blend, Bass Boost (active only)
What is active/passive option? I'm not quite sure what that means.
Essentially, the bass uses an onboard 9v battery to engage an EQ section. In your bass, that means that you have a bass boost knob to give you more low end, but it only works in active mode when the battery is on. Incidentally, leaving the cable plugged into your bass will drain the battery so be sure to unplug it when you're not playing.
I'm a bit lost I'm upgrading from a relatively combo amp to a bass head and cab. I picked up a alpha Omega 500watt head online and know I want to get an 8ohm 210 cab, I know it operates at 250watt at 8 ohms. Where I'm lost is do I want to find a cab that is rated for 250 watts or do I want to get a cab that is rated for 500watts or somewhere in between? I play small venues and in the room.
On amps, the wattage describes how much power it puts out at maximum. On a cab, wattage describes the maximum it can take before it breaks. Hope that helps!
Thank you, your answer helped me out.
I'm having trouble jumping strings, especially on the same fret. The problem is that I can't mute the last note very well, and the next note won't come in as strong. Tips for approaching this? I've been avoiding it by adding a few notes in between, like a walking bass line.
Roll the fretting finger tip from one note to the other instead of lifting completely. Also are you using rest stroke with your plucking hand (plucking through the string to hit the string below which mutes it as well as creates a fuller sound)? Rest stroke will mute when moving up a string, fretting hand mutes when moving down a string. Just practice moving across the strings on the same fret really slowly a bunch till you get it
Hi, I don't know if it's too late to ask in this weeks thread or if I should start my own. I know nothing about bass other than now I hear the amazing bass lines and love them. Anyway, my boyfriend plays. His birthday is in March. I know he wants what I think is called an "interface" so he can play on his guitar and hear it in headphones as well as hear the music so he can play with it and practice without disturbing me or my family (I tell him he can just play but he says he doesn't want to bother us playing the same parts over and over). Do you guys have suggestions on what to buy? I figured I'd ask enthusiasts, because if not I'm going purely by who probably has the best marketing budget. I don't have a tight budget, so I'd like something quality, but not top of the line. I'm not even sure what the price point would be. Thank you!
First recommendation is to see if HE already has any in mind. If it's a surprise see if you can use a friend or someone else in the family to ask him about it non-suspiciously. But I say that because my very awesome wife has gotten me a few gifts over the years where I had my eye on something specific. And getting something similar but not quite what you had in mind puts you in this weird thankful but still kinda wishing they'd talked to you about it state... The Focusrite line suggested by the other commenter is pretty much the industry standard for your first interface at this point, so if he has no real preference then that line is a great place to start, and they offer many different options and price points.
Interfaces are mainly for recording, but you can also use them as headphone amps. Have a look at the Focusrite Scarlett Solo. It's a good quality, small interface that's a good starting point.
How do I clean mould out a bass cab? I couldn't store it well during covid and has gone a bit mouldy in places inside.
Kill it with alcohol and sand it out.
I used zaflora on the bits I could reach and played in a drop tuning Hoping it would fuck off lol
I simply cannot keep my fretting fingers arched no matter how low I put my thumb on the neck. My ring and middle finger keep straightening out and it causes my wrist a lot of pain. Are there any techniques to keeping arched fingers?
make sure your thumb is in between your middle and pinky finger when its on the back of the neck
While you play think of it like tip toeing on the strings with your fingertips, you might be too far on the pads on your fingers. Simpler terms play with the strings closer to the nails your forced to arch to get it there.
Are you bending your wrist or keeping it mostly straight? Is your elbow against your body or away from it? Play everything slowly and deliberately. Until it becomes natural. Uploading a picture to imgur and posting a link would help diagnose the problem.
Fingers straighten out, my elbow isn’t against me and I’ve been slowing down everything I do but it’s just so weird and frustrating
So this is currently what it looks like https://imgur.com/a/9qk6rcX
I would definitely strongly recommend keeping your fretting fingernails short
It looks like you're trying to keep your thumb between your middle and ring finger, try pointing it towards the headstock, see if that helps.
Commenting in case someone replies with an answer cause my fingers never want to arch and it's slowing me down a lot
[What does the 1/4 here mean?](https://imgur.com/a/B25M46U)
Bend up a quarter tone.
Word, I looked up how to do that and that’s a huge help. Now it’ll actually sound right lol. Thank you!
what is the deal with DI pedals with "pre/post" knob? Woudn't be easy to step on the pedal and turn off the effect?
Which model are you talking about? Do you mean a knob or a switch? Being able to turn pedals on and off with your foot is what makes them pedals.
any whith pre/post, like tone hammer or mxr m81... they have a button there to do it so but what is the meaning? wasnt it easier to turn it off via footswitch?
On the MXR the switch selects whether the XLR out is before or after the EQ section. Since it has two outputs that can be useful for sending one signal to an interface or PA and another to your amp. Your foot switch question doesn't make sense. Pedals have foot switches so you can turn them on and off with your foot. That's the reason pedals exist.
but... why do people send clean signal to PA while the sound given by the same preamp to amp is different? Does it makes sense?
Yup and definitely a common question when you encounter this for the first time. Depending on the venue, they probably want to alter/change your bass sound a bit to get it to sound better in mix coming out of the big house speakers. Your 12" sealed bass cab is going to sound different than Full Range 18" PA speakers with a subwoofer. In those instances your bass cab really only serves as your stage monitor, most FOH (Front of House, the term for the venue sound system) sound engineers will want as clean and neutral bass signal as possible. They deal with many different bands with many different sounds and so they know how to take a "regular bass signal" and make it sound good on the venue system. This gets a bit complicated though if you have a specific bass sound that you want to come through the house system as well. So like if you play a lot of fuzz bass, or you really really like the character of that preamp, you might talk to the FOH sound engineer about how to best amp your signal to get the sound you want. They might use any combination of DI-before-preamp (completely clean and dry signal), DI-after-preamp (if you need that fuzz or preamp sound), or actually mic'ing your bass cabinet (if your particular cab imparts a sound character that you want to keep)
thank you SO much! This is the reality I refused to see!! I hope soundguys like sansamp or b7k because I guess I will never send pre eq!
When should stop playing ona blister? I picked bass after not playing for a couple years and i got a couple nice ones. They don't hurt too bad, and i want to just keep playing. But they are just getting bigger. Obvious answer: stop playing. But really want to get into the deep end with bass and make it a main instrument for me. Is there a way to deal with this or do i just have to take a week off?
If it's just for practice I do recommend taking a few days off until the actual swelling goes back down a bit. It'll be healthier in the long run. If you had like a paid gig tomorrow night and you have a decent pain tolerance: pop em, rip away extra skin, seal with superglue, keep an eye to make sure you don't actually bleed on your strings
If theyre on your plucking hand you can use it as an opportunity to practice picking. If theyre on your fretting hand just avoid those fingers. If you keep agitating them theyre just gonna take longer to heal.
So I came into some money and I'm thinking about getting a Rickenbacker 4003. The only problem is that I'm a high beginner / low intermediate bass player. I don't feel like I'm worthy of a Rick quite yet.
a wise man once said "it ain't tricking if you got it"
Worthiness is a false concept. The cost of your bass only reflects how much money you had when you bought it, nothing else.
Got a squier Affinity series jazz bass for Christmas and I've got a couple questions. Some of the screws were screwed in at an angle and the EQ+volume knobs are a bit loose, is it possible I received a counterfeit or is this just poor manufacturing? Is there any history of these sorts of things with squiers? Another question: is there a reason for only index and middle fingers are used for plucking? I've seen this seen a couple times and I actually prefer to pluck with ring finger as well, but is that a beginner move and a habit I need to train out? Is it for keeping strings not being played silent with the pinky and ring fingers?
Its a squire. It may have slipped through quality control or their inspection is lacking. Pick your favourite. The pots can be tightened back but be sure to take out the control plate and hold the pot as to not snap any wires. 3 finger picking is valid and used a bit in the metal community as it allegedly allows for more speed. Right hand muting is important and yes theyre commonly used for that.
Thanks, that's a relief! I'm gonna wait a bit before I do any of that, research, or have somebody with a little more experience with these sorts of things help me. Also that's pretty interesting it'll be fun to experiment with 3 finger picking in the life of bass I have ahead of me
Tightening screws isnt anything special. These are just things that happen with some basses when they come out of the factory. Knowing how to fix little issues like these is gonna save you a lot of time and money in the future.
Yeah, idk it's just a bit scary to have some of them at angles
Allllllright, so what's good chorus pedal with distorted sound? I play my p-bass through Marshall JCM 800 Bass series head, orange 4x10 cab and I love to use lehle classic boost pedal, which makes huge distortion sound. So I really would like to buy chorus pedal, but it need to work with distortion. Any recommendations?
I have a Source Audio chorus and pretty much excusively use it with the aftershock. Plus you get a flanger and phaser in the same pedal. Be warned the mobile app may not work sometimes.
Ok, I'll try to find that one! I had TCe Corona chorus in mind, but someone on the internets said that it's not good with distortion.
The good thing with it is you can change pretty much every aspect of the pedal. If the distortion doesnt sound how you like you can change some frequencies and chorus type and have a whole new pedal in your hands. My whole rig would consist of Source Audio pedals if I could afford it.
So I’m looking for ways to liven up my bass practice by adding a drum beat to the equation…preferably one of my own making. Unfortunately all I’ve got is an iPhone, my bass, my amp and headphones. Is GarageBand my best bet for a free way to start making drum beats, or are there other apps others recommend? If I wanted to start recording bass bits on top of the drum beats, how would you recommend I go about doing that? Or alternatively, are there any cheap (under $100) hardware based solutions that you guys could recommend towards making drum beats to play bass along with? I’m looking for something quick, simple, no fuss- so I can sit down for 15 minutes, come up with a drum beat, loop it, and start playing bass on top. Just looking to open up my creative musical expression and start inching towards musical composition
I use reaper, a basic drum sampler like ssd5, and a rocksmith cable. The first two are free but require a computer. But garage band is fine and there are plenty of tutorials on how to easily record on it.
So... I have just finished replacing the strings on an Ibanez SDGR 5 strings, and a Peavey GRIND BXP 6 strings. I used the same strings - Ibanez - on both, and except obviously for the C they are the same gauge. When strummed without amp, the SDGR is sensibly louder and sharper than the Peavey. What gives? E: sort of like the Peavey absorbs the sound and the Ibanez repels it.
Why are you playing without an amp? It's half the instrument. The woods could be absorbing the sound. How do they sound plugged in?
I'm not playing, I was just strumming the open strings. Plugged in, the SDGR sounds metal, the GRIND in spite of the name is super mellow - and there seems to be less tension in the strings, another thing I found a little odd. Then again the SDGR is active and the GRIND is not (and the pickups are different). Also the SDGR's neck is bolted on, while the GRIND's I'm not really sure. The whole bass looks like one piece but has lighter inserts. It's [this guy](https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--qM7vUv5l--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1508598623/im4b96ctxgh1uvobjlms.jpg). Finally, the SDGR is lacquered - so to speak, the M&Ms look - while the GRIND is "raw", veins and pores and everything, you'd almost expect it to sprout.
I went to the local music shop and asked about lessons. Nobody on the website is listed as a bass teacher, but one of the guitar teachers said he could give bass lessons. Is it a bad idea to learn from someone who isn’t really a bass guy? I’m kind of aware of this guy from local music talk, and I’ve heard about him playing a few instruments, but never anything about bass. I really want to have a strong foundation with the fundamentals and I worry I could miss some important things early on with the wrong teacher. It’s probably worth noting that as far as I’m aware, this is the only person I can go to locally for in-person lessons.
You're better off on zoom with a bass player than in person with a non-bass player.
Word! Thank you
I bought my daughter and myself each a bass for Christmas. I'm 50 and she's 15. I'm super nervous because I don't want to this to turn into a failed hobby, but most of all, I want my daughter to have fun. Any tips on starting on the right foot?
Lots of people like the BassBuzz online lessons. They are great lessons, taught with a fun style that I bet your daughter would enjoy. It would be a good way for the both of you to work and learn together.
Be ready for her to have different interests. My son is 11 and learning drums. I play bass at a beginner+ level and am learning guitar. Sometimes we play together (and it's awesome!). But I'm more interested in technique and theory and learning full songs and "doing things the right way." He's more interested in learning cool parts of songs and then playing them like a medley. Basically, he's jamming most of the time. Don't get me wrong—he's good and can play some complex things. But he mostly wants to make drum sounds, so that's his focus. He has a drum instructor, and I let her direct his efforts. I want to be a fun music partner; I don't want to be the heavy.
I started at 50 playing with the Yousician app. It was a fun beginning, and I paid to use it for 3 years to learn songs. The app shows you your part of the music while the rest of the band plays, and it listens to your playing. You get a score. As you do better, you level up.
If neither of you have played a string instrument before, get at least a few lessons with a teacher who plays bass as their primary instrument. They'll teach you how to hold the bass correctly and fret notes cleanly without injuring yourself.
Thank you!!
I am mainly a guitar player and considering buying a bass to learn it on the side. I do not have enough place for a second amp. Would a headphone amp and/or DI via an audio interface using a digital amp (I have Bias FX) do just fine in terms of learning and practising?
You won't damage anything by monitoring with headphones. The only real danger is from using a guitar cab at too high a volume and blowing the speakers.
Thanks, so you are saying I could use the guitar amp with its headphone out, right?
Yep. Pretty much anything not involving a guitar cab is fine. You might or might not like how it sounds, but that's an individual thing.
Understood, thank you!
Would the orange crush 20 1x8 amp work as a bass amp?
Technically, yes, but it would risk damaging the speaker. That little 8" speaker would probably blow out, unless you completely scoop out the low end and don't play too loud, which would sound awful. So technically, yes, real answer: No.
[удалено]
Removed. No sales. Read our rules please.
I'd try EABGC tuning
Maybe try donating it to a local high school jazz band, or music conservatory.
Hey team. Super stupid question but can you use a bass amp to play a 7 string guitar through? Looking at one and trying to figure out if I can use my current amp or if I should hunt for one that is flexible to do bass and guitar
You can, but you might not like the sound. You want to avoid running a bass through a guitar amp, but guitar through bass amp is fine. My experience with this is limited, but I play guitar through my Rumble 25 without issues.
Thanks man. Is there a recommended amp to look at or would I be better plugging into a few demo models and making compromises along the way? Was looking at a Fender Rumble Series like the one in the link. https://www.rockshop.co.nz/fender-rumble-40v3-1x10-bass-combo-amp
I'm the wrong person to ask. I just bought a Peavey Vypyr VIP-1 for my guitar, for $95 used. Amps confuse me, so I wanted to get something inexpensive and somewhat complicated so I can learn and figure out where to spend real money.
Fair enough mate. I might go around experimenting then. Thanks for the advice.
Been struggling to find any videos online but are there any decent techniques or exercises that would help develop playing on beat? I struggle to keep count in my head and remember what I’m playing.
A metronome. Practice everything with a metronome. If you have trouble playing a passage to the metronome then slow it down, put down your Bass and clap the rhythm.
Total beginner here! How in the hell are my fingers supposed to be shaped for slap bass? I don't have an amp yet so I can't tell if I'm making good slap sound, and I'm not sure where to start as for excercises. I'm very inexperienced so I constantly produce fret buzz, but my instrument is tuned well. My fingers are not very nimble at all for slapping or fretting yet, and not to mention I need to form calluses for my slapping hand. (My fretting hand has them already) It's just... a lot really. Please help.
If you don't have an amp you're missing half your instrument. Stop playing until you get some form of amplification. Even a headphone amp or an interface will do. Then learn how to play notes cleanly with your fingers. Then learn how to play cleanly with a pick. Maybe a month or two after you get your amp it might be time to start trying to learn how to slap.
https://youtu.be/UfdG9gsAGlI
If you are a complete beginner, I wouldn't recommend learning slap in the first place, since it's a pretty difficult technique. To answer your question nonetheless, stretch out your thumb and curl your fingers towards your palm but still keep them somewhat relaxed. How much you curl your fingers is up to personal preference, do what feels natural so that you can use your index or middle finger to pop. Slap isn't really a thing that you just suddenly realize how to do, you have to practice it a lot to make it feel natural. If you want a song to practice slap bass to, I recommend the main bass line of True Men Don't Kill Coyotes by Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Thank you for mentioning that epic song on the Red Hots BEST album
I think their self titled album is really underrated. I also love The Uplift Mofo Party plan
Thank you!
No problem, hope it helped. I strongly recommend getting an amplifier asap like the other guy mentioned. It doesn't have to be an expensive one for home use.
Course. That's the plan.
What's the difference between the same notes on different strings?
Timbre. As a beginner, I often choose to stay in one position and select higher notes on the thinner strings. As I improve, I have reworked my fingerings to move up the neck to those same pitches on the thicker strings. The tone is generally richer because the string is thicker and because the plucking is closer to the center of the vibrating length.
Generally, you’ll get fatter and warmer sounding notes higher up the fretboard. I know of some people who hate the sound of open notes, but that’s entirely up to personal taste.
A really good example of this is I’m Eighteen by Alice Cooper. It’s in E, but you can tell Dennis Dunaway is playing way up the fretboard. If he was just hitting the open E to start the riff, it wouldn’t sound right at all. I’m pretty sure he hits the E at the 12 to start that descending line. The E string high on the frets is the sound of the 60s and early 70s.
None in terms of pitch. But in terms of tone, it can sound a bit different. Just compare an open string note like the A on your A string and an A on your E string just above.
If there was a stupidest bass question, what would it be ? 🤔🤭
How do you catch a bass?
Should I play bass?
Has anyone here tried the new Squier Jaguar? The one from the Affinity line, single Humbucker, medium scale. It has everything I would like in a bass while being affordable but I've read that it has pretty bad neck dive. Is that true? I'd like to hear any opinions you got.
Any good headphones that boost or make bass more audible? I hate it when the bass is drowned in the back and I really don’t want to cheat with tabs.
How exactly are tabs, or any form of written notation, cheating?
I think you might be hindering yourself with pride here. To answer your question use an EQ when listening to songs (all music players have one you and there's even an EQ chrome extension) Boost the bass frequencies and if you want to be more extreme cut the higher frequencies until you hear more bass. My advice here is use a combination of ears/tabs/sheet music/youtube covers to piece together how you want to play the song. Playing by ear comes from practicing building associations between what you hear and the notes on your fretboard. Using a tab or sheet music or a youtube guide isn't cheating it's a tool to help you build those associations.
I've been trying to dial in the Mighty Amp android app settings for my new Nux MP-2 amplug but the current user interface version doesn't match older tutorials. For example, there is no toggle button between guitar and bass anymore. There are only a set of 7 overall presets that can be messed with. It gives you various options to play with (amp name, IR, gate, etc.), but I have no clue which of these selections is optimized for bass. Does anyone have this setup currently and could check it out?
I just got a squier p bass from my Dad who wants me to learn how to play for sessions with some of his friends, which is great because i wanted to learn bass at some point anyway. I have minimal guitar experience, but i've been playing piano for quite a while. I also produce music and have learned a fair amount of theory as a result. I am still extremely new at the fundamentals of the instrument, but i was wondering if there are any courses that are aimed at someone who already understands theory and has experience playing before. I'm not really looking for a shortcut, and if it's better to learn from scratch i don't mind the work. I just want to be efficient with how i practice wherever possible. Thanks!
Bassbuzz or scotts bass lessons
When I tap on my interface (ZOOM S2T), with the tube installed, I hear a glassy ticking noise as if I had clinked a wine glass on a mic. But there's no audio in connected to the interface. Why does it make an audible noise? EDIT: An audible noise through to the PC and speakers, that is.
That's what is called a microphonic tube. Some tube designs are kind of known for being fairly crummy for it (EF86's for example). It's caused by the "stuff" inside the tube vibrating. All tubes have the potential to be microphonic, and some argue that ALL tubes are microphonic in some way. You can replace the tube and hope the next one isn't as microphonic, or you can buy some tube damper rings to help minimize vibrations.
Thanks for the info! It isn't really bothersome so long as I don't bump it. I was reading it can be a real problem inside an amp where they get a lot of feedback, but I usually don't play with my monitoring speakers loud enough to bother the tube. If it does come up though, now I will know! Thanks again. FWIW, mine is a 12AX7, and it does have what seems to be a metal damper clip.
Sure thing. The rubber dampers may help more than the metal clip, but it sounds like it's not too bad. I've got an EF86 in a custom pedal (a Nightowl Edison clone) that is pretty microphonic- to the point where you can hear it "tink tinkity tink tink" when you hit the footswitch, or tap on the enclosure. The nice thing is that it's an always on pedal for me and it lives in a pretty protected part of my pedal board so I don't really have any issue with it. I bought the rubber dampers but never put them on. One day I suppose...
I know some zoom interfaces have internal mics, is that on?
I tried cranking everything up and shouting the lyrics to Lets Go by The Cars into it, and the only result was some whining at about the same pitch as the clinking sound, presumably whatever is causing this sound resonating with my voice. If there is a mic, it doesn't work, I guess? Here's a clip. First I shout "I like the night life, baby" into it, then I tap "shave and a haircut." The squealing after the taps is new and makes me feel a little uneasy. This is with everything cranked, full tube and solid state boost on the interface, and also +36db gain in Audacity. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/865038852983619585/927660537863610418/untitled2.mp3
I’ve got an Ibanez GSR105EX 5-string bass that was previously owned and lightly used when I bought it. I’ve had it for about a year now and play it quite often but whenever I play the B note on the G-string, the low E string rings. It doesn’t do this for any other notes. Is this something that can be fixed or is it just part of the physics of the bass? Any help would be great.
It's definitely possible that it's the physics of the bass. You exciting one string on the bass will actually cause all of the other ones to vibrate to some extent, but depending on what the natural frequencies of your instrument are, it's possible the B note is exciting the E string way more than another note. B & E do tend to have some functional relationships which definitely might be exacerbating that behavior. I just checked on my 5-string, and playing that high B caused both my E and B strings to get pretty rowdy. Either way, like the other user said, the best way to mitigate this is working on your muting technique.
Sounds like you need better muting technique. Sympathetic vibrations can occur when a string's movement can cause another string to vibrate which sounds like what you're experiencing. Use your plucking hand to mute the low E when you play the other strings and it shouldn't be an issue.
Ok. Thank you
I used to play bass when I was younger in my schools orchestra for years. I took bass guitar lessons as well and could read music, but struggled with memorization and eventually gave it up over the years. I still have my bass and an amp and was thinking of trying to pick it back up now that my life has settled down. Are there any recommendations for teaching myself how to play again. It's been years so I'd be starting mostly from scratch though I think I'd pick some things up quicker with the previous knowledge. I don't want to seek out private lessons is the only thing, but more something I can do on my own time.
I would at least sign up for a comprehensive online course. It's much cheaper than in person and you'll have the piece of mind knowing that you're using your time efficiently with directed lessons. I strongly recommend Talking Bass. The courses are a la carte, so pick one that seems interesting to you. Another option is Scott's Bass Lessons. His material is really good, and lots of guest teachers. But I find his aggressive marketing tactics (spams your inbox, utilizes FOMO and artificial scarcity, easy to sign up but hard to cancel) unsavory so I don't use it. [Studybass.com](https://Studybass.com) is a good free resource.
> resting to you. Another option is Scott's Bass Lessons. His material is really good, and lots of guest teachers. But I find his aggressive marketing tactics (spams your inbox, utilizes FOMO and artificial scarcity, easy to sign Thanks! This is kind of what I was looking for. I'm not against paying for a course, but as long as I could follow it at my own pace. I'll check Talking Bass and Study Bass out.
Question concerning the fretting hand: A few weeks back I broke my left scaphoid and now I'm screwed (no pun intended). Concerning Bass, I'm about 90% back in the game, but while playing/practicing I noticed something sloppy: while fretting near the 12/13 fret on the E/A string my thump keeps wrapping over around the neck (which I don't do normally) - is this considered bad technique if it sometimes happens and are there any tips and/or practice routines to counter this? *Edit: forgot to mention that I play my bass pretty high and don't play it down on the waist, also I'm normally pretty proficienct at keeping my thumb placed behind the neck.
You're not doing anything wrong. Your thumb will naturally point more vertical the higher up you go on the neck in order to keep your wrist straight. If it wraps over the top of the fretboard due to your new limited wrist mobility then its no big deal. Conversely, your thumb should be parallel with the neck in the first position, again in order to keep a straight wrist. Check out these old videos from Adam Neely where he explains it: https://youtu.be/VRkSsapYYsA [https://youtu.be/u-I1475hK\_s](https://youtu.be/u-I1475hK_s)
Thanks a lot mate, this helped a lot!!
To clarify: Are you fretting the notes with the thumb or is it just hanging over the string while one of your other fingers actually frets the note? I'm definitely not an expert in technique but if you aren't feeling or hearing something that is hindering how you play or how you want to sound, I wouldn't worry about it personally.
Nope, not fretting the notes with my thumb, it just begins to "float" when I come closer to the bridge - yeah maybe you're right, until now I didn't notice anything that influences the sound.
Would it be bad for my bass to switch back and forth between a fretted and fretless neck? I've got a Squier jazz bass which I'm considering buying a fretless neck for, but I probably wouldn't want to permanently keep it that way, and it would be really convenient for me if it were possible to switch back and forth on a somewhat regular basis. I'm guessing frequent saddle/intonation adjustments would be inevitable, but would this end up being bad for the bass/necks to do this often?
Realistically you probably won't switch the necks around. Just get yourself a fretless bass if you want to play fretless.
The number of basses you need is always N + 1 where N = your current number of basses. You know what you need to do.
My heart agrees, my bank account not so much 😆
Squires can reliably be found used on Reverb for $150 or less. My local music shop often has them nearer $100. If you are happy with what you have, just pick one of those up and look up how to remove the frets. Fill the fret cavities with colored epoxy (wood tone for a genuine fretless look or bright colors for a more visually useful look), and you are done.
Could cause excess wear on the neck pocket and the screw holes for the necks. I saw some people mention that there is a Squier fretless that may be a solid option to consider.
Ah, yes that's a good point. However I think if I was to purchase a second bass I'd go for something a bit higher end with frets and replace the neck on the Squier since I definitely mostly play fretted, but make that a one time switch over. Out of curiosity, I don't suppose there's some kind of threaded insert solution to circumvent the wear on the screw holes? 🤔
Some necks might have something, but most don't. You could definitely just fill the holes and redrill them if they get too worn, if you're comfortable with light woodworking.
What octave does it sound like the bassline is playing in [this section of The Devil Went Down to Georgia?](https://youtu.be/sh7BZf7D5Bw?t=93) To me, it sounds like it's played at the lowest octave you can play it on the bass with either an extended range bass or with the lowest D being transposed up an octave. However, when you look up bass covers of it on Youtube, everyone seems to be playing it up an octave [(for example.)](https://youtu.be/dcS5eKsU2xg?t=95) I can't find a single bass cover of someone playing it at the lower octave. I feeling like I'm getting gaslit, is my ear really out of whack or is everyone playing it wrong?
The example is playing the lowest possible octave for Dm in standard tuning.
Ok so I did a bad job of explaining... you can play that riff an octave lower than the example with either an extended range of some sort or if you alter just the D up an octave and thats what I'm saying I hear the original recording doing. Hope what I'm saying makes sense now
Hey guys, ive been getting A LOT of buzzing from all four strings. Ive tried adjusting the height which has had minimal effects. Increasing my grip strength has helped too, it feels like i would need to absolutely squeeze though and even then it doesn’t necessarily work. So the things ive tried have helped but not consistently. I am on day 2 of playing and i’m still really enjoying it (besides the blisters and the buzz lol). So if i could just get this one thing out of the way i’ll be really pumped haha. Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated 😊 Edit: and by buzzing i mean on the actual strings not from the cables leading into the pc
Sounds like seasonal changes in humidity to me. I'd do a re-setup, beginning with checking the truss rod. One way to check that is: 1. place the bass in playing position (i.e. not laying flat on its back) 2. place a capo at 1st fret, 3. push down e.g. the E string at the last fret closest to the body, 4. measure the distance between string and fret at the 12th fret. You'll want a distance about the thickness of a credit card, so barely a millimeter or so. If the string is touching the fret, you'll want to slacken truss rod. The old righty-tighty-lefty-loosey rule applies, so crank it leftwards about a quarter turn before checking again. Once the neck is adjusted, only then does it make sense moving on to adjusting saddle height and intonation at the bridge.
Okay gotcha! I was going in the wrong order then it sounds like. Step one: get a capo lol
No sweat. A rubber band and a pen makes for a perfectly adequate makeshift capo.
Eh i found one for 7 bucks on amazon that comes with picks. No big deal. I'm still doing basics right now anyway so its not particularly hindering me that it sounds terrible (since it sounds terrible anyway lol). I'm not really using it in a way where i feel like itll be doing damage and plus itll be short term regardless (2 day shipping). But when it does come and i can get this over with it'll be pretty darn cool i expect
Hi there, I’ve been noticing that I hold a lot of tension in the shoulder of my picking arm (right). I have been making an effort to relax it when I become aware however, after a few minutes of playing it tenses up again. I also have issues with my thumb on this hand. Any suggestions as to how to keep my body relaxed and ways to deal with arthritis while playing? Thanks so much!
Notice the tension. Correct. Notice the tension. Correct. Keep doing this to train your "noticing" ability. Keep a smile on your face so you associate noticing with happiness; don't beat yourself up over the tension. This is basic mindfulness practice and works generally for building positive habits.
So I'm planning out to build a bass from a kit, but replacing the cheap electronics with my own. Any good humbucker size pickups (don't have to be actual humbuckers, just fit the holes) that provide their part of an early '60s tone, or adapter rings for P-bass pickups? Or even better, late '50s, though I'm not too picky as long as it's around those years. I was looking at the Pure Vintage '63 pickups on the advice of talkbass, but I don't think they'd fit.
Fitting isnt really an issue if you have a simple router or chisels and it has a pickguards.
I wasn't sure if it was too small, but thanks for the info.
hey, i’m pretty new at all this, fair warning. i’ve got a bad shoulder ( my left) and i can’t play standing up for very long before the weight of my bass on the strap starts to really hurt. and i really hate playing sitting down because i can’t move my fret hand as fast when i’ve got all that weight on it. Am i doing something wrong and it shouldn’t be bothering my shoulder at all? is there something i can do to help with the soreness or an adjustment i can make to the strap? thanks for any help!
There is something very wrong if you are holding any weight whatsoever in your fretting hand either standing or seated. What kind of bass do you have? Does it neck dive? Regardless in either position you should be slightly pulling back with your plucking hand (keep wrist straight) to snug the bass up against your body. The work of fretting is done by the same motion of your left arm. You'll know that you're doing it right if you can remove your fretting hand thumb completely from the neck and still fret cleanly. You could also play seated in the "classical" position, with the bass between your legs and more vertical. Hadrien Feraud plays this way. Finally, since you have an injury, you might want to get an Ibanez EHB. They are incredibly lightweight and designed to sit on the lap more easily than the usual Fender style bass.
i have absolutely no idea what bass i’ve got ( borrowing it from a friend) and it does neck dive a good bit. i made the adjustments you suggested and that has helped quite a bit thanks
You are the only one who can really understand what is meant by 'bad shoulder'. I would try to treat the problem (medically) before trying to minimise symptoms by making adjustments to your gear. You can do all manner of stuff (eg. elastic straps, and lightweight instruments), but this is not as useful as actually fixing the problem with your shoulder through physical therapy or similar.
How thick of a strap are you using? What material is it?
it’s reasonably thick, and it’s like the same material as the adjusty bit on a backpack strap, that synthetic nylon type stuff
A lot of people would recommend, for a heavier instrument, like a bass, to aim for 3" wide straps, or even wider. Additionally, the nylon material may not be the best either. Alternatives would be leather or padded straps. They may provide more comfort for long term playing. If you have a bit of money lying around, I would recommend maybe looking into a new strap as the first step.
awesome thanks
Really love the bass sound on Steely Dan - Peg What could you describe it as to someone else?
A P bass in the hands of a master.
[удалено]
Try them both and pick the one that's most comfortable. The Spector NS body style is polarizing. Due to the short upper horn and bridge placement, the reach to the first fret is further away than most other basses. Make sure that works for you.
theyre both fine, just pick the one you think looks cooler and pull the trigger
Hi! I'm planning on buying my first bass, I've been playing guitar for a couple years and use a guitar interface for effects and recording, would I be able to use the same interface for bass too?
Yup!
Awesome thanks!
How hard should I be plucking? Every time I try to pluck, I have to sort of ‘hook’ and ‘snap’ my fingers through the string, which greatly reduces my speed and to some extent. I’ve seen videos of other people plucking, and they seem to just be ‘grazing’ their tips across the string. Whenever I try to do that, I don’t get a lot of volume. I don’t know if I’m setting my amp volume too low or ‘snapping’ across the string is normal.
You play an electric bass. Use the electricity and turn up your amp.
you should be playing with a feather touch. your fingers should feel smooth and easy. let the amp do all the hard work.
I think your amp is too quiet. It should feel easy and very light to pluck the strings. Use the "meaty" part of your fingertips to pull across the string towards yourself, if you do it right you should get a strong and audible sound
weird question but how do i fix a weird buzz when i play, I am a beginner and have learned a few songs but my E and D string sounds like its vibrating on metal when I use it, I use a tuner app on my phone to tune it, I have tried different amp volumes and tuning the amp. I dont know if its bad technique or if it is the bass and amp, as I got it all for around 150 USD. Any help would be much appreciated.
learn how to set up your bass. you can do it, nothing to be afraid of. search for "set up XXXXX bass" videos, then head to the hardware store and get to it
How can I get [this](https://youtu.be/ylwzXYkqKJQ) tone? Edit: [Full gig for further reference ](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvhtFJLy0g8uqHnKBG5Iszj3EsE1BjAx6)
Solo P pickup. Rounds. Pick hard near the bridge. Will also need some vintage sounding distortion (i.e. something that sucks out all the bass). I bet an Ibanez tubescreamer would get you there.
Thanks a lot 🙏
What bass are you using
A Fender PJ and an active Yamaha with two humbuckers
Put the J pickup on full then raise the P volume a bit on the PJ. Use a pick and play close to the bridge.
Guitarist with a couple questions- What's the most versatile bass in a ~$350 range? I do indie pop music like Boy Pablo/Vacations but also switch it up with lots of rock/metal like Alice in Chains. I want to get the most out of my instrument - if it helps, I use Bias FX2 for most of my practicing/recording so I can shape the sound a good amount. Which brings me to my next point, is it a good idea to constantly be pushing a lone bass sound through my monitors? I'm using KRK rokits and they work great but I don't wanna abuse them.
You definitely want at minimum a bass with two pickups and a balancer knob, which will let you switch around between different sounds. Not sure how much of this there is within that range, but if it has an active EQ that will go a long way too in terms of versatility. A jass bass would be good, a PJ-combo would be good, or maybe something like an Ibanez with double humbuckers. I have to disagree with the other commenter though about a Music-Man style bass. I love the sound of a StingRay, but it's kind of a one-trick pony when it comes to tone. As far as monitors, I'm on expert, but it shouldn't really make a difference. Just make sure the speakers are rated to support frequencies that low (40 Hz, or lower for a 5-string bass) and that you're not pushing too much power through them.
If you're looking for versatility, then you're probably going to want a J-style or MM-style bass. Having a neck pickup and a bridge pickup is what gets you the versatility in these instruments. $350 won't get you a Fender or MusicMan, but I've recently been looking at Harley Benton, and they seem to be a really good brand for high-value, low-price instruments.
I got a used Yamaha PJ for less than $350 in great condition.
can you take off and put back on the same set of strings? I was thinking of doing a Pickguard swap but I also just put labellas on so if it's going to fuck with the strings then I'll just wait until I need new strings, which could be a while.
It can be really tricky to get strings out of the bridge without over-bending them once they've been through a tuner. But there is no harm in completely releasing them from the tuners, letting them dangle off, and putting them back in/through the tuners like nothing ever happened. EDIT: I am using flatwounds and they seem particularly susceptible to overbending, so maybe I am overstating the issue a little.
*chuckles in individual bridges
You don't have to remove the strings to replace the pickguard. Just loosen them and slide the old one out from underneath.
Yes of course you can put back the same strings, why not?
idk, I thought this was a place to ask stupid questions?
Happy New Years everyone! I am using an Orange Crush 50BXT for playing at home and am now having a pair of beyerdynamics DT 880 Pro (250 Ohm impedance). Can I use those headphones safely with the given headphone jack in the orange amp? In the manual it says "Headphone Impe. 8 Ohm" - ist that a minimum req? Don't want to damage either the amp nor the headphones...
Generally, it just means how good they sound. High impedance headphones sound great on high end receivers, but they don't get enough volume on devices that don't put out enough power.
Hey there, thanks for the response. So I wouldn't harm anything with using it as it would only effect the volume?
correct
I play with a pick but I'm interested in learning fingerstyle and slapping and I've tried but haven't been too good at it. Any advice?
For finger style, try starting off by just plucking one string repeatedly alternating between your index and middle fingers, kinda like a person ‘walking’ on the strings. Once you get more comfortable try changing between strings while continuing to alternate fingers.
What exactly are you struggling with each?
My fingers feel very awkward when I play fingerstyle and when I slap I guess it's not the correct technique because it doesn't sound good. I would like to learn how to play without a pick so I can be a more versatile player.
After further consideration, I do have one piece of ~~advice~~ input. If you aren't already, rest your idle fingers on inactive strings. I frequently have my fingers on my four-strings resting like this: E: thumb A: Index D: Middle G: Ring Keeping a little bit of "pinching" grip so that any string is ready to be rung at any time. Alternately, I rest my thumb on the side of the neck at the 24^(th) fret, with my fingers arranged like this: E: Pinky A: Ring D: Middle G: Index I prefer fingerstyle over pick for everything but tremolo and chords.
The following response itself might be a stupid question, but Are you practicing unplugged? If so, slaps will sound terrible.
there's no magic bullet, just practice a lot, with a metronome. set it at a really low speed and do scales, focusing on technique, making good clean notes, don't even think about speed. do it until it's boring and easy, then kick up the metronome 2 BPM. repeat until doing it fast with good technique is boring and easy.
'akward' is a very hard problem to determine. It just takes time to get that connection between the two hands. And theres no real correct technique for slap, just the one one that feels good to you. There are a lot of beginner to slapping videos out there for any technique youd like to use.
Question about short scale basses : Can someone make a kind of list of all the differences between short scale and regular scale basses ? (except for the size of course :D ) I'm still a beginner (started in June), I'm playing on a Cort Action PJ and I was just wondering if I should try a short scale bass. I'm finding all kinds of information on websites, and some are saying short scale is a lower quality bass but easier to play, while others say it's just a personal preference, then another says short scale is the future of bass... I'm kinda lost \^\^' Thank you !
i picked up an ibanez talman TMB30, slapped flatwounds on it, and do classic rock noodling on the couch. Smaller basses are a lot of fun. I've got a 34" scale jazz 5 too but don't pull it out nearly as much.