Learn to play Bass Guitar

Improvisation Tips

2012-01-10T11:51:00.005+08:00

Hi,

Happy 2012!

Anthony Wellington did a clinic for Aguilar and he was sharing some soloing tips.

First you loop this chord progression: Am7 (A C E G) Bm7 (B D F# A) Em7 (E G B D)

If you do not have a looper maybe can ask your guitar or keyboard friend to play.

Instead of thinking arpeggio or modes for each chord, just try to hear and play within the
G major Scale (G A B C D E F#).

Some notes may not sound that nice over the chords, so shift around and hear.

You can explore more ways but this is something that even a beginner can try.

Have fun!

C Major Scale Slapping Groove

2011-12-06T13:34:00.004+08:00

Hi,

Recently I was playing around with my bass and came out with this simple exercise which sounded quite impressive when I slowly increased the tempo.

The notes from the above exercise are all in the C major scale.

Please note that the ghost note(x) is crucial for this exercise.
Make sure that you do not skip it.

(h) is hammered on. This technique will help you play fast when you slap.

Do practice this exercise using finger plucking as well.

Have fun!

Minor ii V i

2011-11-09T22:41:00.004+08:00

Hi,

This is part 2 of using Chords to play ii V I

Instead of playing Dm7 G7 Cmaj7 which is ii V I,

for the minor ii V i, try Dm7(b5) G7 Cm7.

This is how a Dm7(b5) looks like on a 4 string bass.

---10----
---10----
---11----
---10----

I love the sound, hope you like it too.

Cheers

Tapping a Minor 9th Chord

2011-10-05T23:14:00.005+08:00

Hi,

Bass player can play like a pianist on the fretboard by using the tapping technique.

This exercise will show you the arpeggio of a Gmin9 chord.

The notes are G on the 15th fret (E string), D on the 17th fret (A string), A on the 19th fret (D string) and Bb on the 15th fret (G string).

Use your left hand to tap the G note, followed by your right hand on the D and A note and the Bb with your right hand.

Beautiful sound!

Enjoy.

Using Chords to play ii V I

2011-09-14T23:27:00.003+08:00

Hi,

A simple way of playing the ii V I progressions using chords on bass.

You will notice that the 5th is not used and you still get the jazz sound.

Have fun.

Chromatic Approach - Walking bass

2011-08-04T16:06:00.002+08:00

Hi,

Chromatic approach note is where you play a note above or below the targeted note.

Here is an example of how we can play a common jazz progression with the chromatic approach.

The note inside the bracket is the chromatic note.

Hope this helps.

Have fun.

Double Tap

2011-07-05T23:45:00.003+08:00

Hi,

Here is a simple double tap exercise to make the bass more interesting.

Use your right hand (index and middle) fingers to simultaneously press on the 12th fret D and G string. Play around with rhythmic patterns.

Hope this exercise will help you explore more ways to create music with bass.

Cheers

3 Positions for G Major 7

2011-06-03T23:32:00.005+08:00

Hi,

The exercise below will help us to understand the fretboard and explore more ways to play the Gmaj 7 arpeggio.

The proposed fingering can be changed to your preference.

Do try the fingering on other major chords like Cmaj7 and etc.

Have fun.

D Melodic Minor Scale

2011-05-15T00:10:00.004+08:00

Hi,

Most of us are familiar with the Natural Minor Scale (Aeolian) but seldom practice the Melodic Minor Scale.

The formula for Melodic Minor Scale is 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7

Therefore the D Melodic Minor Scale will be D E F G A B C#

A simple exercise to try this scale is over the II V I progression in C

The chords are Dm7 G7 Cmaj7.

When the musicians play a G7 chord, try playing the D Melodic Minor Scale.

It is equivalent to a G dominant Lydian Scale. Sound even more jazzy now!

Have fun.

Minor Pentatonic Exercise

2011-04-08T10:33:00.004+08:00

Hi,

If you are bored of playing the same minor pentatonic scale over and over again, try the below exercise.

It is quite a good stretch and breaks away from the standard pattern.

This is the C Minor Pentatonic Scale.

Try reversing the exercise from the 15th fret back to the 3rd fret.

Have fun.

Walking Bass Without Root

2011-03-06T18:01:00.005+08:00

Hi,

Before reading this lesson, you might want to review Basic Walking Bass and Simple ii V I Progression Using Chord Tone.

As I already explained before about using chord tone to construct our walking bass lines, today's exercise is similar but no root note is used.

To avoid using the root note is challenging but the bass lines produced is more interesting.

Below is a simple ii V I IV Jazz progression in key of D.

I used the 3rd as the first note of the chord.

E.g. The notes in Em7 are E(root) G(3rd) B(5th) D(7th).

The first note I used for Em7 is G.

You can choose to play the line on a lower register.

Hope this is clear.

Cheers

Bass Clef

2011-02-25T13:53:00.004+08:00

The first step to sight reading is to know the notes within the staff.

Some music books use phrases like Good Boys Don't Fight (G B D F) and All Cows Eat Grass (A C E G).

For me, I recognize by chords.

G B D F is a G7 chord and A C E G is an Am7 chord.

Whichever works for you, use it.

Start reading something simple before going into complicated rhythms.

Cheers

Minor Chord Substitution

2011-02-03T13:02:00.004+08:00

Chord Substitution is common in our music today.

We can replace a chord with another related chord.

Often the substituted chord differs by one or two notes from the original chord.

Before you read this post, it will be good to take a look at my previous lesson - Introduction to Chords Substitution

For example, we can replace an Am7 chord with a Fmaj7 chord.

The notes in the Am7 chord are: A C E G

In the Fmaj7 chord the notes are: F A C E

There is only one note difference between these two chords.

If we have an Em7 chord, we can replace it with a Cmaj7 chord.

You can also replace the Em7 chord with a Gmaj7 chord.

The notes in the Em7 are: E G B D and G B D F# for Gmaj7.

Again the difference is only in one note. You can call this a relative chord.

Hope this helps.

Universal 9 Volt DC Power Supply

2011-01-28T10:51:00.004+08:00

Recently I bought an effect pedal and realize that the adapter that comes with it supply only 120v but my country uses 220-240v.

To get a transformer to step up could be quite troublesome and bulky.

I found out that we can use an Universal 9 Volt DC Power Supply.

The auto-sensing circuitry runs off 100-240 volts and can use it anywhere in the world.

Take up only one outlet space and makes it easy to travel.

You can check out '1 Spot' by Visual Sound or 'Power All' by Godlyke.

Hope this information is useful.

Improvise using the 5th

2011-01-03T00:01:00.003+08:00

Hi,

We are going to take a look at using the 5th of the chord tones when we improvise.

This lesson helps us to break away from landing on the root especially during solos.

For example if the chord is a Cmaj7, you can land on the G since it is still within the chord tones.

Now try playing the G Arpeggio.

The notes in the G Arpeggio are G, B and D (end with G octave).

G is the 5th of Cmaj7, B is the 7th of Cmaj7 and D is the 9th of the chord.

Have fun.

Right Hand Technique ( 3 fingers)

2010-12-30T00:24:00.003+08:00

Hi,

I would like to share with you the 3 fingers technique which I am trying to improve and apply.

The plucking concept is similar to that of playing on a classical guitar.

You can check out Bass players like Dominique Di Piazza and Damian Erskine for more applications and examples.

T - Thumb
m - middle finger
i - index finger

Practice slow and gradually increase the speed.

Have fun!

Playing Chords on Bass (3 positions)

2010-12-08T21:57:00.004+08:00

Hi,

We know that a basic chord is formed by 1 3 5.

For example, the notes in an A chord will be A (1) C# (3) E (5).

I have tabbed out three different positions of an A chord.

Some of you will know them as inversions.

Remember the shape and shift it around to play other chords.

Hope this is clear.

Have fun.

G Major Scale Exercise

2010-12-03T15:45:00.004+08:00

Hi,

The exercise below is an alternate way to practice the G major scale.

Sometimes when you improvise in the key of G, this pattern can be quite useful.

This will help you to be more familiar with the fretboard.

You can practice playing backward as well.

Have fun

Choosing a 4, 5 or 6 String Bass

2010-11-25T11:09:00.003+08:00

Dear all,

This video by Russ Rodgers is a good introduction for beginners who are deciding what basses to get.

Hope this is helpful

Cheers

C7 Chord Arrpegio

2010-11-04T22:59:00.005+08:00

Hi,

The dominant chord is very common in most genre of music like blues, funk and gospel.

It is important as bass player to know the pattern and notes of a chord.

The chart below shows the notes in a C7 Arrpegio.

The notes in a C7 chord are C (root) E (3rd) G (5th) Bb (b7).

Practice this pattern and slowly move up the frets to find the other notes in the chord.

Have fun.

Double 5th Exercise

2010-10-02T23:01:00.003+08:00

Dear friends,

If G is "I", the "V" is D

If D is "I", A is the "V"

The exercise below is useful when you are playing a lick in G.

All the notes are from the G major scale.

From the G on the 3rd fret of the E string to the G on the 12th fret of the G string.

Try this out and play some variation.

Cheers

Basic Bass Chords Chart

2010-09-05T16:32:00.004+08:00

Hi,

Playing chords on the bass is easy, fun and nice.

We know that a major chord has a formula of 135.

Example in a G major chord, the notes that formed the chord is G B D (135).

G minor will be G Bb D (1 b3 5) and G Dominant will be G B D F (1 3 5 b7).

The 5th is not necessary when playing a bass chord.

The chart below will give you a good introduction of playing chords on bass.

Have Fun.

Funk and Blues using Dominant 7

2010-08-02T23:48:00.005+08:00

Hi,

This is a simple exercise for those who are exploring funk and blues.

The dominant 7 chords are frequently used in these genres.

The exercise below can be played over a A7 and D7 progression.

You may want to add some bending and sliding to create more feel.

You can practice the above as a slapping exercise as well.

Have fun.

Introduction to Chords Substitution

2010-07-06T23:41:00.004+08:00

Hi,

This post is an attempt to understand basic chords substitution.

This is useful when the chords for both the verse and chorus of a song are the same.

Let's list down the chords in G major.

I II III IV V VI VII
Gmaj7 Am7 Bm7 Cmaj7 D7 Em7 F#m7(b5)

For example, the chords of a song uses I VI IV V progression.

The chords will be Gmaj7 Em7 Cmaj7 D7.

We can substitute I with III.

Instead of playing Gmaj7, we change to Bm7.

The new progression will be Bm7 Em7 Cmaj7 D7

The notes in a Gmaj7 are G B D F#

The notes in a Bm7 are B D F# A

Out of 4 notes, 3 are the same, therefore it will sound correct.

Hope this helps.

Have fun.

Arpeggios 3rd

2010-06-05T15:31:00.002+08:00

Hi,

When we are playing bass, sometimes it is good to start on the root but end on the 3rd (10th)

How do you do it?

Let say you want to improvise over a G chord.

You can follow the notes below:

--------------------------------------------
-------------------------5(root)---9 (10th)-
---------2(3rd)--5(5th)--------------------
-3(root)------------------------------------

You will be surprise by this simple technique.

Cheers

Power Chord Slap

2010-05-01T13:40:00.004+08:00

Hi,

A Power Chord is a chord that consist of the root and the fifth.

For example, to play a F Power Chord, you press the F note (root) and the C note (5th).

Now the exercise below is a triplet slap exercise.

---------5(p)--------7(p)---------9(p)-------
--0-(h)3------0-(h)5------0-(h)7------------
----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------

Practice slowly and gradually increase the speed.

Have Fun.

Open Hammer Pluck

2010-04-02T16:32:00.002+08:00

Hi,

Just to follow up on the previous post.

If you gave it a try, you will be surprise how fast you can play with little effort.

Now let's try another technique called the open hammer pluck.

All you need to do is add a pluck after the open hammer.

------------6(p)--------8(p)--------9(p)---
--------------------------------------------
----0-4(h)-----0-6(h)------0-7(h)---------
--------------------------------------------

Have fun!

How to sound fast?

2010-03-01T12:02:00.004+08:00

Hi,

There are many ways to sound fast in your bass playing but what I would like

to share is to make use of the open hammer-on.

You may like to use your thumb (slap) to play this exercise.

----------------------------------------
-----------------0-5-7-----------------
---------0-5-7----------0-5-7---------
-0-5-7-------------------------0-5-7--

The above is a simple Em Pentatonic Scale.

Use your thumb to strike the string, than you can use your left index finger to fret the note followed by the hammer-on using your ring finger.

Have fun.

9th Chord

2010-02-01T18:15:00.004+08:00

Hi,

There are some players who are confuse with the 9th chord and I hope to explain clearly here.

The notes in a C major scale are - C D E F G A B C ( 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8(1) )

The notes in a Cmaj 7 chord are - C E G B (1 3 5 7)

The notes in a C7 chord are - C E G Bb (1 3 5 b7)

To play a 9th chord, it is simple.

For a Cmaj 9, the notes are - C E G B D (2+7 =9)

For a C9 , the notes are - C E G Bb D

So do not mix up Cmaj9 and C9.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Basic Paradiddle on Bass

2010-01-03T00:04:00.004+08:00

Hi,

A paradiddle is a drum rudiment which consist of a four-note pattern of the form Right Left Right Right(RLRR) or LRLL.

This pattern can help us improve our rhythmic and percussive style of slapping.

Let's try this pattern on the bass where "R" is your right hand slap thumb and "L" is using your left hand to slap the fretboard.

Slapping with your left hand on the fretboard requires some practicing.

Now try the pattern RLRR LRLL and repeat it.

To get the percussive feel, mute all the notes.

Once you are more comfortable, you can increase the speed.

Experiment and you will be surprise what you can do.

Cheers

Bass Sessionz Vol 1

2009-12-31T14:49:00.001+08:00

Hi,

Very good bass players in this video.

Enjoy.

Basic Improvisation

2009-12-22T23:10:00.007+08:00

Hi,

I would like to share a simple tip on improvising on the bass.

When we improvise or solo, one best way is to play chord tone but not using the root note.

e.g. When the harmony is an Am7 chord, instead of playing the root (A), we can play the

third (C) or fifth (E) or seventh (G).

I'm sure most of you are familiar with that.

Now the fun think is using the similar concept and apply it over chord changes.

Let say you want to improvise or solo over Am7 D7, the common approach is to play the

Am7 arpeggio followed by D7 arpeggio.

Instead of doing that, try playing a C arpeggio over the above chord changes.

Notice that C is the third of Am7 and seventh of D7.

To sound nice depend on your "landing".

Hope this approach can open more ideas for creative playing.

Cheers,

Inversion Chords

2009-12-02T21:16:00.005+08:00

Hi,

I was playing with a song with chords like these recently:

E E7 A Am7

If the bass just play the root note, it will be quite boring.

What I did was to play the inversion.

E E7/D A/C# Am7/C

It's a natural walk down bass line and much more interesting than just playing root.

Give it a try.

Cheers

Major Pentatonic Scale (Start on the 3rd)

2009-11-25T14:44:00.007+08:00

Hi,

Previous lesson we covered playing the Major Pentatonic Scale starting on the 5th.

This time round, we will try starting on the 3rd.

Major Pentatonic Scale is derived from the Major Scale.

Just skip the 4th and 7th note of the Major Scale.

e.g. C major Scale - C D E F G A B C
C Major Pentatonic Scale - C D E G A

------------------------12--14-----
-----------------12--14------------
----------12--15-------------------
--12--15---------------------------

The notes are E G A C D E G A

Have Fun.

Chord Tone Proximity

2009-11-04T13:46:00.004+08:00

Hi,

Chord Tone Proximity is something that bassists, Gary Willis and Victor Wooten had talk about.

You're never more than a whole step from a chord tone. Take for example a C7 Chord.

The notes are C E G Bb. You can't find a note that's more than a whole step from any of these notes.

Which means you are just either half a step or whole step away from the "right" note.

Hope this helps.

Major Pentatonic Scale (start on the 5th)

2009-10-04T19:01:00.008+08:00

Major Pentatonic Scale is derived from the Major Scale.

Just skip the 4th and 7th note of the Major Scale.

e.g. C major Scale - C D E F G A B C
C Major Pentatonic Scale - C D E G A

The exercise below starts the C Major Scale on the 5th (G).

All the notes are still inside your C Major Scale and by starting

on the 5th, it gives a different voicing and sort of allow us to have more notes to apply.

Give it a try.

|--2--|-----|-----|--5--|
|--2--|-----|-----|--5--|
|-----|--3--|-----|--5--|
|-----|--3--|-----|--5--|

Have fun!

Ghost Note Exercise

2009-09-02T14:38:00.002+08:00

Hi,

I find the below exercise useful to practice ghost note.

Ghost notes are muted notes that can be achieve when you lightly touch the fretboard
with your left hand and pluck/slap/pop with your right hand.

Practice the exercise with plucking first than slap. The "X" is the ghost note.

Make sure the harmonics do not ring out.

Enjoy

Abraham Laboriel & Justo Almario

2009-08-10T22:17:00.001+08:00

Thank You Jesus

Funk Groove Part 2

2009-08-03T18:26:00.005+08:00

Hi,

Another easy and cool funk groove for you to practice and apply.

You can shift the pattern to suit the chords played.

For the above example, get your musician to play an A and D chord (1 4 progression)

Have fun.

Power Chords

2009-07-03T11:59:00.002+08:00

Hi,

Power chords is the most used chords on guitar and can be used on Bass as well.

The best thing about power chord is that the fingering is the same for major or minor chords.

You can choose to pluck, slap or strum the chords on the bass.

Just play the root and the 5th. e.g. C power chord = C + G

Below is a 6 4 1 5 chord progression in key of C.

Some of you might find this tune familiar :)

Have fun.

Simple ii V I Progression Using Chord Tone

2009-06-03T16:23:00.004+08:00

ii V I progression in the key of C is Dm7 G7 Cmaj7

For the above exercise, the notes are all within the chords itself.

This is an easy way to start learning walking bass as well.

Notice that the first note I played on the Cmaj7 is a E note instead of the root.

Since my last note on the G7 chord is a F, it will sound more smooth going to E which is the 3rd of a Cmaj7 chord.

It is not necessary to always land on the root note of the chord.

Experiment and have fun.

Cheers

Slow Funk

2009-05-17T14:34:00.002+08:00

Hi,

A simple slow funk exercise where you can repeat over and over again.

Don't rush and try to feel the groove.

Have fun.

Using 9th

2009-05-04T16:39:00.003+08:00

Hi,

This bassline make use of 9th. Get your friend to play a G chord and C chord.

Have fun.

Diatonic Harmony

2009-04-23T10:48:00.003+08:00

Hi,

The term diatonic means that the notes come from the same key.

Chords and notes that fall outside those made from these scales are not diatonic.

In the key of G major,the seven notes are– G, A, B, C, D, E, and F#.

A Cmaj7 is a diatonic chord in the key of G major since the notes are - C E G B which fall inside the G major scale.

A Cm7 is not a diatonic chord in the key of G major since the notes are - C Eb G Bb,
where Eb and Bb fall outside of the G major scale.

Hope this is clear.

Thanks

Dominant 7th

2009-04-03T11:33:00.004+08:00

Hi,

Dominant 7th Chord is frequently used in many genres especially in Blues.

The above example is the pattern and notes for G dominant 7th chord.
All you need to do is study the fingering pattern and you can form other dominant chords easily.

Formula for Dom7th chord - 1 3 5 b7

G7 chord consist of G, B, D, F.

As for finger position you can try:
R (middle)
3 (index)
5 (last)
b7(middle)

Have fun.

Guitar plucking on Bass

2009-03-07T13:50:00.003+08:00

Hi,

Bass can sound melodic too.

This article talks about plucking the bass like a guitar.

Use your thumb to hit the root note, follow by your index finger plucking on the open D string and middle finger plucking on the open G string.

For the left hand, you can use your index finger to fret the root note, ring finger to fret the open D string and last finger to fret the open G string.

Follow the above tab and you should be able to get what I'm trying to say.

Have fun.

Basic Flea Slap Style

2009-02-04T12:45:00.003+08:00

Hi,

For those who are interested in Flea's slap style, this lesson is a good starter.

Slap on the C and hammer on to D, followed by a mute slap and pop.

The mute slap and pop is crucial to create the percussive feel.

Try it slow and as you increase the speed, you will be amazed that such a simple exercise make you sound so experience.

Enjoy!

Relative Scale

2009-01-13T15:48:00.003+08:00

Hi,

Every major scale has a relative minor scale and every minor scale a relative major.

They share the same notes.

For example, a G major scale and a E minor scale are relative scales.

The notes in a G major scale are - G A B C D E F# G (G Ionian)

The notes in a E minor scale are - E F# G A B C D E (E Aeolian)

The different is the starting note.

The root of the relative minor is always the sixth note of the major scale.

The root of the relative major is always the third note of the minor scale.

This work for all the keys. Let's try key of C.

The notes in a C major scale are - C D E F G A B C (C Ionian)

The notes in a A minor scale are - A B C D E F G A (A Aeolian)

Have fun

Chord Tone Improvisation

2009-01-02T18:10:00.004+08:00

Hi,

One of the best ways to create bassline is by using chord tone,which are the notes in a chord.

Let use Cmaj7 for an example.

The notes in a Cmaj7 are C E G B (1 3 5 7).

What people tend to do is when the other musicians strike a Cmaj7 chord, we bass player naturally play the C, which is the root note,or sometimes followed by E -> G-> B than to the next chord.

You can start simple improvisation by experimenting different placement of the note. i.e 3 1 5 7 or 5 1 3 7, or 3 5 1 7 or 7 5 3 1 and which ever ways you can come out with.

By doing this, you will break the fix pattern of playing 1->3->5->7.

Hope this helps.

Have fun

Arpeggio Exercise

2008-12-01T16:27:00.004+08:00

Hi,

Arpeggio is playing the notes in a chord one by one instead of simultaneously.

In a G chord, the notes are G B D.

This arpeggio exercise is in G and helps to make it sound more interesting.

Hopefully this can give you some ideas to use arpeggio to create your bassline.

Have fun.

G Major Scale Octave Exercise

2008-11-01T13:57:00.004+08:00

Hi,

This G major Scale Octave exercise can help you to practice for Stanley Clarke's "School Day".

First you try to play it using finger style, next move to slapping and popping.

When you pop, try to keep the note short.

Try to practice it with a drum machine or metronome.

Have Fun.

Different Tuning

2008-10-02T16:36:00.003+08:00

Hi,

Most 4 string bass player will probably tune their bass with the standard E A D G.

We are expose to players like Stanley Clarke and Victor Wooten who tuned their bass to
A D G C(tenor bass).

Some people wonder if they are to tune the G string up to C or how?

For me, I will buy the high C string from a 6 string pack and use it instead.
Another common tuning is the drop D - D A D G. Either you can manually tune down to D or fix in the Drop D hipshot.

Standard 5 string bass tuning is B E A D G, but you can also tune it to E A D G C (standard+tenor bass). Many bassists tune it this way as they wanted to do more melodic stuff on their bass like Steve Swallow and Dominique Di Piazza.

I also see some people tune their 5 string to A E A D G(Drop D concept).

Standard 6 string tuning is B E A D G C. You can also tune it E A D G C F or F# B E A D G.
I personally haven't tried it before but I'm sure it is nothing new.

Michael Manring Hyper Bass is another interesting instrument where the tuning is C F Bb Eb.
Different songs he will tune it differently. He is so scary.
You guys can read up more if you like.

Cheers

SMV Thunder Tour (Singapore)

2008-09-20T10:36:00.005+08:00

It was my privilege to witness the historical assemblage of Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten in their once-in-a-lifetime Asian tour.

Nothing beats watching them real live on stage.

Most of the songs played were from their Thunder album.

I personally enjoyed Marcus's bass clarinet playing and slapping tone, Victor's looping solo and Stanley's double bass percussive slap and solo.

The show ended with the famous "School Day" tune where the whole audience stood up and clap along.

I believe most musicians that attended the concert is further motivated to bring music to a higher level.

Cheers

Basic Harmonics

2008-09-01T10:47:00.006+08:00

Hi,

Adding harmonics in your bass playing can be pretty musical.

The example given show a note pressed and the <5> is harmonics on the 5th fret.

You just need to place your finger lightly against the string but not touching the fret.

Try plucking it nearer to the bridge pickup and have a higher treble setting on your amp.

If successful, you will hear an unique chime sound.

For more advance study, please listen to:
1. Jaco Pastorius
2. Stu Hamm
3. Victor Wooten
4. Steve Bailey
5. Vail Johnson
6. Victor Bailey
7. Jeff Berlin
8. Billy Sheehan
9. John Myung
10. Michael Manring
11. and etc

Have fun

Melodic Minor Scale

2008-08-04T15:05:00.004+08:00

Hi,

Another scale that you may want to consider having in your toolbox is the Melodic Minor Scale.

The notes in the C Major Scale - C D E F G A B C (you should know by now :))

The formula for Melodic Minor Scale - 1 2 b3 4 5 6 7 1(8) = C D Eb F G A B C

We can apply this scale on a minor chord but preferably not on a minor 7 chord. Try it on a Minor Maj7 Chord.

You can also apply the C Melodic Minor Scale on the (V7) which is G7 in the key of C

The notes in a G7 = G B D F, which are also inside the C Melodic Minor Scale.

You can try the D Melodic Minor Scale, F Melodic Minor Scale and the Ab Melodic Minor Scale.

Have fun.

Walk Down

2008-07-25T10:38:00.002+08:00

Hi,

G D7 Em7 Bm7 C G Am7 D7

Find the above chord progression familiar? Maybe for some of you.

The natural approach for beginners are to play the root note.

To make things more smooth, we can use the walk down approach.

Something like this - G D7/F# Em7 Bm7 C G/B Am7 D7

Bassist will play the slash note on the right - e.g D7/F#, we play the F# note and let the guitarist or pianist play the D7 chord.

Some people call this "inversion".

Basically, instead of playing the root note which is D in the D7 chord,
we play the 3rd which is the F#.

As mentioned in our previous lesson, Dominant chord are formed by the formula 1 3 5 b7

D7 = D F# A C

Therefore we can use the G to D7/F# to Em7, creating a walk down.

Using the same approach we can apply it on the C G Am7 to become C G/B Am7

Since you can walk down, you can also walk up, depending on the chord progression.

Hope you enjoy this lesson.

Cheers

Funk Groove

2008-07-03T11:56:00.002+08:00

Hi,

Here is a simple exercise for those who are interested to learn Funk.

Important thing to take note is the ghost note and the Funk feel.

Chromatic scale was used as well.

Have fun

2nd Dominant

2008-06-08T16:11:00.002+08:00

Hi,

As some of you already know, the 5th degree in a Major scale family chord is a dominant chord.
I.e. G7 in the Key of C.

Looking at a common chord progression(1 6 2 5) in key of C , the chords are C Am7 Dm7 G7.

Now, playing the same progression, instead of playing the Am7, play a A7 chord.

You will notice that the voicing is even more jazzy, creating a tension.

That is an example of applying the 2nd dominant.

You can try also changing the Dm7 to a D7 chord, but perhaps play a Am7 instead of A7.

Experiment around.

Have fun.

Bass Workshop

2008-06-02T14:24:00.003+08:00

Praise God for the first Bass workshop conducted on 1st June 2008.
There were sharing of good bass players in the world and watching their video.
There were teaching and discussion on melody, harmonics and techniques.
Most importantly, everyone enjoyed themselves.

Slap Exercise

2008-05-04T20:51:00.006+08:00

Hi,

The key to slapping the bass and allowing people to enjoy and tap along with you, is by adding ghost notes to your playing.

The above is a cool slap groove which is not too complicated but yet a good practice.

Make sure that the ghost notes (X) can be heard.

Have fun

Rock Exercise

2008-04-06T17:45:00.007+08:00

Hi,

This exercise is simple but yet fun when play fast.

Try it slow first and slowly build up the speed.

If you do not have a band or drum machine to practice with, can use an online metronome.

The basic chords are G C D C G.

Have you have queries, please feel free to email me.

Enjoy and have fun.

Blues Scale

2008-03-21T22:33:00.003+08:00

Hi,

The blues scale is a pretty common scale and sometimes we use it without even realizing it.

Remember the pentatonic scale? Say G minor pentatonic, its G Bb C D F right?

You need to add a flat 5th into the minor pentatonic to form the blues scale.

So the G blues scale will be G Bb C C# D F.

Hope this information helps.

Cheers

7th chords

2008-02-27T22:43:00.002+08:00

Hi,

Often you will see chords like Cmaj7 or Cm7 and etc.

Basically they are just chords with a 7th note.

As we already know, chords are formed by 1+3+5.

A Major 7th chord will be 1+3+5+7.
E.g Cmaj7 - C + E + G + B

For Minor 7th chord, it will be 1+b3+5+b7
E.g Cm7 - C + Eb + G+ Bb

For Dominant 7th chord, it will be 1+3+5+b7
E.g C7 - C E G Bb

How about Sus 7th chord? It will be 1 +4+5+b7
E.g C7sus - C F G Bb

Trying adding the 7th to your chord now. :)

Chords from Major Scale

2008-02-03T16:42:00.000+08:00

Hi,

Chords are 2 or more notes pressed together simultaneously.

From the major scales, we can form 7 basic chords.

Let's take a look at the notes in the C major scale: C D E F G A B C

To form a basic chord, we can press the 1 and the 3 together.

If 1 = C ,E will be 3, we get a C chord.

Now we move to D. If D= 1 , F = 3, that is a Dm chord.

Next, E=1 than 3 must be G, that is a Em chord.

F=1, A=3, we get a F chord.

G=1, B=3, we get a G chord.

A=1, C= 3, that is a Am chord.

B=1, D=3, a Bm chord is formed.

The basic chords in a C major scales are: C Dm Em F G Am Bm C.

Some people play it this way: Cmaj7 Dm7 Em7 Fmaj7 G7 Am7 Bm7(b5) Cmaj7.

Have fun.

Minor Pentatonic Scale

2008-01-28T12:55:00.000+08:00

Hi,

We have covered the major pentatonic scale in the previous post, let's take a look at the minor pentatonic scale.

Minor pentatonic scale consist of 5 notes from the minor scale.

The notes in a G minor pentatonic scale are: G Bb C D F (a common fingering pattern).

So when an instrument play the Gm or Gm7 chord, you can play the notes in the G minor pentatonic scale.

Have Fun.

Pentatonic Scale (Amazing Grace)

2008-01-07T11:10:00.000+08:00

Hi,

One of the most useful scales that help guitarists and bass players is the pentatonic scale.

We will look into the major pentatonic scale for now.

Major pentatonic scale consist of 5 notes from the major scale.

The notes in G major pentatonic scale are : G A B D E (a common fingering pattern).

You can play the melody of the song, Amazing Grace by using the G major pentatonic scale.

If you would like to play using harmonics, find out the melody first,follow by the harmonics on the bass frets and pluck near the bridge pick up(turn up the treble).

Have Fun.

Dorian Groove

2007-12-16T16:16:00.000+08:00

Hi,

This exercise is based on the G Dorian Scale.

Sound pretty interesting when you play it fast.

Here we go,

G Bb C, G C D, G E F, G F G, G

To make it more groovy, you can add a ghost note (X).

Like this,

G X Bb C, G X C D, G X E F, G X F G, G

Start slow and gradually increase the tempo.

Enjoy

Basic Walking Bass

2007-11-20T17:15:00.000+08:00

Walking Bass lines are used in rock, blues, jazz, gospel and many other genres.

I would like to share the basic idea of building walking bass lines using chord tones.

Let's try playing a 4 chords progression in the key of G.

The chords are - Am7|D7 |Gmaj7| Cmaj7|.

We need to identify the notes in these chords.

Am7 - A C E G
D7 - D F# A C
Gmaj7 - G B D F#
Cmaj7 - C E G B

Now, each note is a quarter note (1/4).
The timing is like this - 1234|1234|1234|1234 (one note each).
The basic idea is always to play the root notes on the "1".
You can try different arrangement of the notes,
the exercise below is an example of what you can play.

e.g. ACEC|DCAF#|GBDG|CBDG

Get a guitarist to play along with you and experiment which notes sound better.

More complicated walking bass lines can be formed using modes,passing notes and need not start with the root note.

Have fun.

Famous Slapper

2007-11-14T16:13:00.000+08:00

To be a good slapper on the bass, one need to have a good sense of rhythm and know what notes to hit (Ghost notes play a big part in funk slap style).

Would like to name a few good bass players whom we can study.

1) Stanley Clarke
2) Victor Wooten
3) Stu Hamm
4) Abraham Laboriel
5) Louis Johnson
6) Larry Graham
7) Mark King
8) Marcus Miller
9) Vail Johnson
10) Flea

There are many others in the world but these 10 listed are some of my favourites.

Play around with your amp settings, pickup selection, frequency cuts to get the tone you like.

Cheers

Night School

2007-11-01T09:22:00.001+08:00

Hi,

For those who are familiar with Stanley Clarke, will surely know this song "School Day".

There is this part at his lastest DVD titled Night School, where many popular bass players improvise School Day with their style.

Some of the bass players include Stu Hamm, Brian Bromberg, Jimmy Johnson, Marcus Miller, Wayman Tisdale and etc.

Grab a copy now. :)

5 Steps for beginners

2007-10-20T09:46:00.000+08:00

Recently I was sharing with some friends how to improve their playing.

I figure that most people these days just want to play but not learn the theory.

One reason I feel that theory is important - You will know what notes you can and cannot play.

Below are 5 steps to give self taught beginners a kick start.

1) Memorise the fretboard - Start with the first 5 frets (all strings) and slowly move up.

2) Learn the Major Chords and Scales ( Major Chord = 135, Major scale = 221 2221)

3) Practice plucking the strings alternating with 2 fingers (right hand)

4) Practice with a metronome / drum machine ( Start with 1 note per click)

5) Choose a song that you love and hear how the bassist play (Ask a friend or teacher to guide you)

Techniques like slapping, popping, tapping, chords, harmonics and etc are to help produce music.Learning to apply the techniques to your music is the challenge.

Internet resources, videos and books are your friends.
We are constantly learning new stuffs so don't feel pressure if you need more time. Email me if you need any elaboration.

Cheers

Minor chord family

2007-08-26T20:49:00.001+08:00

Dear all,

Was great to see Stu Hamm performance live at the art house on 23rd August 07.

I think some who came were just accompanying their friends but nevertheless, I still enjoy myself.

For those who listen to Stu's music, you realize that he compose quite a lot of songs in minor key.

Let's refresh on the chords in the major key.

In the key of C - C Dm7 Em7 F G7 Am Bm7(b5) C

Try tapping that and you can play the Prelude in C.

Next the minor chord in key of A (based on A natural minor) - Am Bm7(b5) C Dm7 Em7 F G7 Am.

Do check out the minor chord family for Harmonic Minor and Melodic Minor.

Cheers,

Ben

Basic Tapping

2007-06-05T11:16:00.000+08:00

Hi,

One way to make the bass sound more melodic is by playing chords.

Tapping can achieve a guitar plucking/piano playing type of sound.

The motion is similar as hammer on.

We will try a G chord for this explanation.
The 4 notes that you are going to tap are G (root) D (5th) G (octave) B (10th).
The fingering is similar as playing bar chord on the guitar.
Now your left hand fore finger on the root, followed by right hand fore finger on 5th , middle on octave and left ring finger on the 10th.

Give it a try :)

Melodic Lead Bass

2007-05-30T08:47:00.000+08:00

Former NBA Star, Wayman Tisdale is one of the better and few bassists that play melodic lead lines throughout the whole song. Wayman Tisdale is a left handed player. If you like smooth jazz and sweet bass lines, than check him out.

The album "Way Up" is what he consider one of his most fulfill title so far.
For more information and sample of the album, please visit www.waymantisdale.com

Grooving for Heaven series

2007-05-24T13:32:00.000+08:00

Hi,

For those who do not know Norm Stockton, you probably also didn't know that he produced 4 instructional DVDs called the Grooving for Heaven Series.

I encourage all beginners to grab volume 1 and learn the basics techniques and theory. If you have benefited from it, then try vol 2-4.

Do note that the notation are sold separately.

You can take a look at the video example from http://www.normstockton.com

Have fun!

Bass Floor Pod

2007-04-28T13:44:00.000+08:00

Hi,

Want to get a cheaper Line 6 effects?

Check out the new Bass Floor Pod.

The effect comes with 5 different bass amp model and the knob make it easy for you to choose.

Not only that, the Bass Floor Pod has an OPTO compressor and effects like octaver,envelope filter and chorus, making it possible to get a variety of sound.

The in-built pedal definitely make it an essential tool for live performance.

Check it out at http://line6.com for demos and more information.

Any comments? Value for money?

Simple Hammer on Tap

2007-04-15T13:51:00.000+08:00

Hi,

Will like to share with you a simple hammer on tap technique that can sound real fast and not difficult to execute.
Basically, it is just a hammer on with your left hand and a right hand tap.

A right hand tap is achieve by simply pressing the string onto the fingerboard with the tip of your finger.
We will use the G string for this example.

Place you left hand index finger on the 9th fret( E) followed by a hammer on the 10th fret( F) with your middle finger followed by your right index finger tap on the 12th fret (G).

Subsequently, you just hold your left index finger down and alternate between your left hand middle finger(hammer on) and right hand index finger(tap).

When you are comfortable with this position, try moving your right hand index finger to the 14th fret and back to 12th fret. Left hand remain in the same motion.

Give it a try.

Cheers,

Slap Pop Exercise

2007-03-25T14:52:00.000+08:00

Hi,

This is a nice and not too difficult slap pop exercise.

You can loop it over and over til you get a nice slap tone and also slowly increase the tempo.

Just note that the G and A are triplets.

Slap G on the 3rd fret twice and pop the octave G on the 5th fret.

You can break it into 3 parts

1. TTPT
2. TTP - triplets (123)
3. TTP - triplets (123)

Ok have fun

Rub Alcohol

2007-03-22T22:35:00.000+08:00

Someone once asked me if it will improve his bass playing speed by rubbing alcohol on his hands.

My answer to him was practice, not rubbing alcohol or drinking.

Anyway why some people rub alcohol on their hands is to prevent the strings from rusting. By doing so, it will keep your hands dry.

You may also use it as a string cleaner.

I have dry hands so not a problem for me.

Sweaty palms, this is your helping star :)

Adjusting Intonation

2007-03-16T21:21:00.000+08:00

To adjust your bass's intonation is as important as adjusting the neck action, but slightly easier.

The tools required are screwdriver and a tuner.

When tuning the screw at the bridge, it will move the saddle either forward or backward.

1. Now hold a note at the 12th fret and check it with your tuner.

2. If the note is too sharp that mean the string is too short. Move the saddle away from the neck.

3. Tune again to check if it is accurate.

If you are not confident to do it yourself, do send in and get the pros to do it. Also get them to adjust your action as well.

Cheers

Arpeggios

2007-03-04T14:48:00.000+08:00

What are arpeggios?
Arpeggios are chords pluck note by note instead of pressing all at the same time.

When guitarist mention 'play arpeggios', they usually pluck string by string on the chord that they are pressing.
For us bass players, we do the same as well.

As we already know, a chord is formed by pressing root 3rd and 5th together.

So just press note by note of the chord now. e.g G arpeggio - G B D (3rd fret on E string, 2nd fret on A string and 5th fret on A string).

This is useful when your band is playing one bar of G, instead of just holding the G note, you can play the G arpeggio - G B D G.

Now trying going further up the fretboard.

Starting with:
G B D (3rd fret on E string, 2nd fret on A string and 5th fret on A string),
followed by:
G B D G ( 5th fret on the D string, 9th fret on the D string, 7th fret on the G string and 12th fret on the G string).

By doing this exercise, you won't be restricted to just play within the first few frets(obtain different tone) and it also help you to be more familiar with the fretboard.

Try reversing back from the high G ( 12th on the G string) back to the low G ( 3rd fret on the E string).

Have fun!

Scales in C

2007-02-17T17:23:00.000+08:00

Hello,

Today, I will list down 7 scales in key of C which is often used.
I have mentioned some of the scales before in my previous post.
If you are interested to scroll through, just subscribe to my RSS and place it on your browser's toolbar. :)

Ok, although it is more easy for you to practice the fingering if I post the tabs,
but I think it is good that you can find out the position of the notes this time.
You can either use the C on the 3rd fret of the A string or go further up the fretboard.

C Major - C D E F G A B C
C Mixolydian - C D E F G A Bb C
C Dorian - C D Eb F G A Bb C
C Natural Minor - C D Eb F G Ab Bb C
C Major Pentatonic - C D E G A C
C Minor Pentatonic - C Eb F G Bb C
C Blues - C Eb F F# G Bb C

There are lot of good articles out there to explain how you can apply the above scales.

Have fun!

Slap Bass DVD

2007-02-11T11:40:00.000+08:00

Hi, usually the good slap materials out there are pretty dry and those fancy ones we can't learn much.
I would like to recommend this Dvd by Ed Friedland - Slap Bass (The Ultimate Guide).
This Dvd provides the essential of playing slap style(beginner, intermediate) and it's not boring.

You will learn the techniques of playing triplets, 16th notes and more using the slap style. Very useful material to guide you play like Louis Johnson, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten and etc.

Go for it man!!

Basic Rhythm and Note Duration

2007-02-02T17:47:00.000+08:00

Thought this might be useful. You can read up from the web for something more complete.
I'm just giving a brief explanation. :)

Play on the "Bold" only and count out loud.
e.g Playing a whole note with G - G 2 3 4 G 2 3 4 G 2 3 4 G 2 3 4

Whole Note - 1 2 3 4 1 2 34 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Half Note - 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Quarter Note - 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Eighth Note - 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 1 & 2 & 3 & 4

Sixteenth Note - 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a 1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

Hope that will give you a headstart.

Are Tabs evil?

2007-01-18T16:27:00.000+08:00

Hi,

I came across quite a few beginners who learnt by memorizing the notes position without knowing what notes they are pressing.
Some learnt by reading using tabs.

So is it wrong or not very musically inclined to learn a song by reading tabs instead of transcribing with your ears?

In my opinion, one should strike a balance. Firstly, you definitely need to know what notes you are pressing and not just memorize by position (i.e 5th fret on D string is a G note).

Tabs are good tools for beginners to kickstart, but as you grow musically, you should try to use your hearing and figure out the notes.
You may occasionally referred to it when certain songs or bass lines are difficult to transcribe.

After you look at the tabs, see if you can derive the theory behind it and not blindly follow. Maybe from the tabs you learnt that by pressing this note and that note it form a certain chords. See, you are learning something.

Be the master over your learning tool and instrument! :d

Cheers

Hartke Bass Attack

2007-01-07T12:12:00.000+08:00

Hi,

Just a short sharing of how I use the Harkte Bass Attack VXL Tone Shaper Pre Amp cum DI(Direct Input) if you have no time to read the manual.

1. Plug in your bass to the input and adjust the "Bass" and "Treble". 5 is neutral. My "Bass" is 3 and "Treble" is 6.

2. Step on the "ON/OFF" switch and adjust the "Harmonics", "Mix" and "Brite". " My "Harmonics" is at 4, "Mix" at 1 O'clock(not too dry) and "Brite" at 3.

3. Step on the "SHAPE" switch and adjust the "Shape" knob. I set mine at 850Hz frequency.
For "Shape", it can affect your slapping tone.

For this setting, it depend what sound you want and how you adjust your output's EQ. It also depend how you adjust your bass's preamp(if any). You can get the pure sound of the bass attack by connecting to the effect loop of your amp.

If your bass has a built in preamp, adjust the sound you like first before setting the "Harmonics", "Mix" and "Brite".

Take some time to explore and experiment.

A typical set up propose by the manual is, your bass to input of Bass Attack,the XLR output or line output to mixer and parallel output to amp.

For me, instead of using the parallel output to amp, I used the line output and set the amp as my monitor.

Harkte Bass Attack is designed and engineered in the US by Samson Technologies. Made in China :)

Rugged Aluminium Chassis. You can use a 9V battery or DC adaptor.

Cheers

Warm up exercise

2006-12-31T17:04:00.000+08:00

If you are planning to play in a gig or practice for a longer duration, you can start off by doing some simple warm up exercise.

There are probably hundred of exercises for warm up, but today I'm going to introduce the spider scale. Most people will know it as chromatic scales.

On a 4 string bass starting from the E string.
Postion your left hand on the fretboard. One finger per fret and for right hand just play normal alternate fingering.
Start from the first fret, F(fore) F#(middle) G(ring) G#(pinky) than move to the A string and press the Bb B C C#.
Do the same fingering pattern for the D and G string.
Reverse the pattern. On the G string, B(pinky) Bb(ring) A(middle) Ab(fore) to D string and all the way back to the E string.

Now start from the 2nd fret on the E string and repeat what you have done. Once you reach the 12th fret your fingers should be warmed up.

You do not have to do it very fast. Start slow and build up the speed. Objective is to stretch your fingers and also get a clear tone. Speed is not the objective of this exercise, but eventually it will help you play fast.

Have fun and explore other patterns. As usual, you can also practice your slapping with the chromatic scale.

Cheers

Ghost notes

2006-12-21T15:15:00.000+08:00

Hi,

A simple ghost notes exercise to help you "feel" the groove.

Ghost notes are produce when you place your left hand lightly on the fretboard of and pluck with your right hand. Try to place your left hand in between the frets and not on the fret if not you will get the harmonics out.

Now try playing the G major scale as followed where "x" is the ghost note.

GxGGx AxAAx BxBBx CxCCx DxDDx ExEEx F#xF#F#x GxGGx. Simple?
you can also try slapping the exercise if you want.

You can also imagine the "x" to be like the snare drum. and the note to be the bass drum(ask your drummer friend if you are not sure which is the snare).

Try the above pattern on different scales and experiment other patterns.

Have fun!

Cheers,

Ben

Relative Minor

2006-11-27T23:49:00.000+08:00

For those who have been grooving around might have come across this term 'relative minor'.

How I remember or recognise the relative minor of each key? Simple!!

For me, I know that the vi is the relative minor.

e.g. The relative minor for A is F#m,also because both keys have 3 #

So what do we do with this relative minor? Let's use Key of C to explain.

The notes in the Am scale are A B C D E F G A. Hmmm isn't that the same notes in the C major scale? Correct. Am scale in key of C is also called A Aeolian scale.

So when someone play a C chord, you can solo within the Am scale or C major scale.

Have fun!

1 3 5

2006-11-20T10:00:00.000+08:00

Hi,

After you have memorize the fretboard on the bass guitar, it's time to create some simple bass lines.

If you have a song with chord progression like G Em C D, you should have no problem playing the root note (i.e G E C D )

You will sound right just playing the root note but now you also want to start playing a bit more. You can use 1 3 5 (notes inside a chord) to create something more interesting.

Let's write out the 135 in each chord:

G - G B D
Em - E G B
C - C E G
D - D F# A

Say I start with G and want to link to the next chord Em, I can play G B D E.
Next from Em I can play G B B C then E G G D

This is just the basic idea of creating bass line using 135. You can take it from here and explore which note sound better and try to get a nice line.

Cheers

4,5,6 String Tuning

2006-11-09T09:51:00.000+08:00

For those who are new to bass playing, you might want to know what are the common tuning for the 4,5 6 string bass. There are 7,8 12 string bass as well.
Anyway let's not stress ourselves.

4 string bass - E A D G ( E is the thickest string)
5 string bass - B E A D G ( B is the thickest string)
6 string bass - B E A D G C ( Same as 5 string but with additional high C)

Some people said that for beginner it is better to start with the 4 string bass as it is more easy to handle.
I think it is up to individual.
There are many people who started out playing 5 or 6 string too.

With the additional strings, you will have a wider range of voicing. A person who played 5 or 6 string bass does not mean that he or she is more superior than a 4 string bass player.
You can decide which bass to start with and put in effort to control it.

Here are a few famous bass players that you can listen and learn from.

4 string - Victor Wooten(He plays a tenor bass too A D G C), Marcus Miller, Jaco Pastorius.
5 string - Nathan East, Abraham Laboriel, Richard Bona
6 string - John Patitucci, Gerald Veasley, Jimmy Haslip

Victor Wooten plays in a band called Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. He has his own solo album as well.
Marcus Miller is more of a solo artist. For Jaco, you can find his solo album or some of the old Weather Report album. Jaco Pastorius Big Band is a tribute to him.

You can find Nathan East playing in some of Eric Clapton's album and the Fourplay.
Abraham Laboriel Sr has his own solo album and he played for many artists including Lee Ritenour, Stan Turrentine, George Benson and etc.
Richard bona was featured in Jaco Pastorius Big Band and has his own solo album.

John Patitucci has his own solo album. He played for Chick Corea in the akoustic and elektric band.
Gerald Veasley was featured in Jaco Pastorius Big Band and has his own solo album.
Jimmy Haslip is in a band called Yellowjackets. He was featured in Jaco Pastorius Big Band as well.

There are too many good bass players like Chuck Rainey, Stanley Clarke, Louis Johnson, John Myung, Stu hamm and etc. Take your time to listen to their music.

Right Hand Technique

2006-10-26T14:03:00.000+08:00

I guess there are many ways to increase one's fingering speed. One of them is to practice your scaling, plucking near to the bridge area.
Reason is simple since the tension is greater at the bridge area, it require more strength to pluck.
So as you practice more, your finger will be strengthen and hence can play faster and longer duration too.

Billy Sheenhan make use of his bass pickup and his 3 finger technique in order to play fast. You can check out his DVD to see his live examples.

Victor Wooten uses his unique thumb and finger technique. The concept is thumb down, thumb up, pluck with forefinger and pluck with middle finger. He teaches that on the bass Day 98 DVD. That is a "must watch" DVD for those who are interested to explore bass.

Abraham Laboriel uses Thumb follow by pluck with forefinger and middle finger. You can also learn about chords and thumping at his Beginning Funk Bass DVD.

Bass Strap

2006-10-06T09:41:00.000+08:00

This is a simple but useful tip about bass strap.
Some people asked why when they practice a bass lick at home and it is smooth but when they jam with their friends, that bass lick has more difficulties to come out.

One possible reason is that the bass strap is not adjusted to the comfortable length when you stand and play, while at home it rested nicely on your lap.

If you want, you can practice at home with the strap on as if you are standing.
Many rock and heavy metal bass players like to put the bass near their waist. For people with long arms you can do that but might face slight difficulties when slapping.

cheers

Listen to them

2006-09-22T10:43:00.000+08:00

Here is a list of bass players whom you can listen to.

Abraham Laboriel
Anthony Jackson
Bill Dickens
Billy Sheehan
Brian Bomberg
Bootsy Collins
Chuck Rainey
Chris Squire
Christian McBride
Ed Friedland
Flea
Francis Rocco Prestia
Gary Grainger
Gary Willis
Geddy Lee ( Haven't hear him play)
George Porter Jr
Gerald Veasley
Jaco Pastorius
James Jamerson (I haven't hear him play but he is a legend)
Jeff Berlin
Jimmy Haslip
Jimmy Johnson
John Entwistle
John Patitucci
Larry Graham
Louis Johnson
Marcus Miller
Mark King
Michael Anthony
Michael Manring
Nathan East
Noel Redding (Haven't hear him play)
Norm Stockton
Oteil Burbridge
Paul McCartney
Richard Bona
Stanley Clarke
Steve Bailey
Steve Harris (Haven't hear him play)
Sting
Stu Hamm
Tetsuo Sakurai
Verdine White
Victor Bailey
Victor Lemonte Wooten
Will Lee

That's all for now. There are too many good bass players in the world. Don't stop listening

In The Pocket

2006-09-09T23:23:00.001+08:00

We often ask ourselves (at least for me), how come a season player sounds more groovy when playing the exact same notes than that of an amatuer player.
Beside knowing how to accent certain notes and playing ghost notes to add some feel, the main reason is TIMING.

Top priority for a bass player in any genre of music is keeping time. Sorry it is not just the drummer's job but it is everybody's job to keep time in a band.
For the groove to be happening, the band have to play together.

I was demonstrating to a friend recently, playing the blue scales. With the metronome clicking, the groove is there. You can feel the music as the 12 bars flow through smoothly.
I also showed him that playing funk do not mean you have to slap. It's the timing.

For bass player, we have to locked in with the drummer. When both can play together, it will formed a solid rhythm section.

For examples of people playing in the pocket, please listen to Rocco Prestia, Victor Wooten, Abraham Laboriel and etc.

If you can sound groovy on a metronome, you will sound even better on a drum machine. If you don't have any tool to keep time, either buy one or use the online metronome.
Remember, the tool will not lie. If you can't groove, the problem is with you not the machine.

Rock Music Can Boosts Our Brain Power

2006-09-05T17:23:00.000+08:00

I read an article recently that claim that listening to rock music can boost our brain power.

Researchers believe that rock-based songs by Flea, Noel Redding and etc can help improve concentration and boosts memory.

Recent studies suggested that by listening to classical music, it can improve your intelligence, especially material by Mozart.

As group of volunteers were asked to listen to Beethoven's 2nd symphony and a piece by Steve Vai. While the classical music improved the concentration and memory of both groups, there is also a significant effect of the rock fans.

To read the full article : http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-2340869,00.html

Personally I prefer more Jazzy stuff and I think it will also boost my brain :)

Glossary of Common Bass Terms

2006-08-27T23:53:00.000+08:00

Bass Guitar - 4,5,6 (or more) low frequency electric or acoustic guitar

Chord tone/notes - Note within a chord (G major chord consist of G, B and D)

Crescendo - Gradually get louder in volume

Flat (b) - Lower the pitch of a note by half step

Genre - Type of style of music (Jazz, Blues, Rock, Metal, Classical and etc)

Groove - Playing on time, creating a feel and rhythm to the music (Locked with drums)

Hammer on - Generate a sound of a note with the force of your fretting finger

Harmonics - Touch lightly on the strings or fret (Natural harmonic on 5th 7th 12th fret)

Interval - Distance between 2 pitches

Legato - Long note

Mute - To muffle or lightly touch the strings

Octave - Interval of 12 semitones

Open string - A string is played and not fretted

Pentatonic - scale made up of 5 notes

Pickup - Magnetic coil that transfer the signal to an amp

Pinced Harmonics - nice sharp harmonics (something like artificial harmonics)

Pluck - Use your fingers to play the strings (Pop is to pull the string)

Preamp - Increase the electric signal ( include bass, treble, mid, tone and etc)

Root - The first note of the chord (G is the root of a G chord) also know as the tonic

Scale - Notes that followed an interval formula

Sharp (#) - Raise the pitch of a note by half step

Slap - Using your thumb and strike at the fret to create a solid tone (or left hand strike the fretboard)

Staccato - Short note

Strum - Use your fingers and go through the strings (Just like guitar)

Tap - Hammer on the notes with your left hand and right hand (2 hand tap)

Thump - Use your palm or finger and strike accurately on the string

Vibrato - Waver the pitch of the note

Whole step - Distance of 2 half steps (2 frets)

Basic Slap Concept

2006-08-26T10:59:00.001+08:00

Been messing around with some pentatonic scales lately. This slap concept is not exactly following the pentatonic runs but using the notes within the minor Pentatonic.
I used quite a bit of ghost notes in between to fill up the gap and also give a slight funk feel. This groove is done in key of A and plays around with the 7th in the beginning. Ending with a Asus to Gsus chord, making it a bit rock. Sorry for the not so good video quality and sound.

For those who are not sure about pentatonic scale, the basic are the major and minor pentatonic scales.
Just like the pentagon is a polygon with 5 sides, the pentatonic scale has 5 notes.
Take a look at the formula below:

G major scale - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 (G A B C D E F# G)
G major pentatonic scale - 1 2 3 5 6 (G A B D E)

G natural minor scale - 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 1 (G A Bb C D Eb F G)
G minor pentatonic scale - 1 b3 4 5 b7 ( G Bb C D F)

Have fun!

3rd Forward

2006-08-17T11:00:00.000+08:00

To all enthusiastic bass conrades who want to play more. This exercise is what I called the 3rd forward.
By now I believe most of you already know your major scale. Playing the scale up and down can be a little boring sometimes although it is a good exercise.
This 3rd forward exercise is from the major scale but after you play the main note, it will be followed by the 3rd of the main note. i.e Press G then follow by B and so on.
This exercise is in G and should help widen your melodic thinking and hopefully increase your creativity.

You can also do double 3rd forward which means play each note twice. After you go down the scale, try to come up. Try to play in different keys and have fun.
Cheers,

Hair Band for bass?

2006-08-11T01:30:00.000+08:00

Beside using your hair band to tie your hair, Victor Wooten used it on his bass.
He learned it from his brother,Regi Wooten, who does amazing things on the electric guitar. He uses it as a capo sometimes too.

So why did Victor put a hair band on his bass? Well I think most of you who read about him will know that it is to reduce vibration when doing the thumb up and down technique.
That is onlya temporaily solution as he said that we should practise using our left hand to control the vibration. You will feel handicap when using your friend's bass who might not have the hair band.

I got mine for 50 cents and it serve me well when I slap classical thump. Another bass player that follow Victor is Norm Stockton ( Grooving for Heaven).

When I compare the sound with and without the hair tie, I find that it sound brighter without the hair tie (Common sense? depends!)

Give it a try, no harm. You can watch Bass day 98 featuring victor wooten and also Victor Wooten & Cater Beauford DVD video to see more of the hair band mention.