Need some help!!

Hello Kris, I'm very very happy that I found you on You Tube, I am a beginner, well compared to you anyway, and it's so hard for me to work and play and I love bass, and what you do is amazing really, I can't begin to tell you how much you help me every day thank you for that!

I've been a metal freak since I was 15 I think, my brother plays in a band as well he's a drummer and a bass player too and I was into bass all my life but never had the time to be perfect at it, anyway he's in a different city so I never really had a proper teacher I just did it by ear and that, I realize now, is just not enough.

In you lessons I found everything I need to know and now I can't wait to have some time off every day so I can practice with your videos, and I hope soon I will be able to buy some premium lessons, you are a great artist let me tell you.

Anyway, my huge dilemma is that I play mostly metal like Pantera, Down, Slipknot and stuff like that, well I try to play anyway, and the bass seems so different from the other lighter rock songs, or maybe just seems to me but anyway what I would like to know, if you have time, is to actually see the difference between a rock bass and a metal bass because I just can't get it right, I know it's a stupid question but for me it's very important.

I really hope you read this and I hope you can help, please don't forget I am at the beginning and maybe I can't even ask the right question but I hope you understand me.

Thank you for everything you are doing for every bass player out there and never ever stop doing it OK?

If its a sound issue you might be able to fix it by using a pick.(it sounds like you mean your hitting all the right notes, but getting the wrong sound)
Flesh on metal makes that low round sound.
Most metal songs don't use that, plastic on metal brings out your tone, so it'll give it that heavy hitting sound you want in a metal song.
I hope i understood your question.

Thanks very much, yeah that is I think the problem because it sounds so different than a classic rock bass and I will try what you said and hopefully it's be ok this time, I don't know it just seemes harder to play metal bass, maybe I just need to practice more si I'll do that and thanks very much!!

I've always believed the best way to learn is to watch a pro. I mean really watch. Get on youtube sometime and play very very close attention to some of your favorite players. Watch it three times. Once for left hand, once for right hand, and again for overall method and timing. Pay closer attention than you ever have. You'll notice more than you think.

If I understand your question you are looking for a certain sound from your bass guitar that is used in metal. - correct me if i'm wrong but there maybe a bit of effects involved in the audio chain to create the desired sound - so even if you got your hands on exactly the same guitar as the bassist in your favourite metal band you still wouldnt get the same sound unless you studied their audio setup.

I know absolutely nothing about metal so I wont even try to guess what effects and amplifiers are used but i am sure that some of the more knowledgeable members will help you.

I've played metal since I started and I've also done some classic old school rock.

As far as sound goes, the first difference is in the EQ. If you're going for a heavy sound, give it a lot of lows and highs and kill the mids (turn them down).
If you want a more aggressive sound, try putting the highs and lows on flat (12 o'clock) and crank the mids higher. The mids bring out the crunch of a sound. If your bass is particularly on the low side, add some highs. Mine brings out the high end nicely, so I focus more on mids so I don't lose the actual bass sound.
Rock bassists focus more on the lows. Their sound doesn't cut through the mix as much as the mids setup.

In terms of playing, the difference is in the attack not the tool used. There are rock players who use picks and get a round sound and there are also metal players who use fingers and get a crunchy aggressive sound.
I don't use a pick, so I can't give reliable info on that.
As far as fingers go, rock players play it traditionaly - by plucking the strings. You bring the pad of your finger to the string and pull on it until your finger slips past the string and rests on the string above.
In metal, you bring the tips of your fingers down hard on the string and hit it. Your fingers still have to end up on the string above, if they don't you're not doing it correctly. If you hit the string hard like this and play closer towards the bridge (the end of the strings away from the neck) the strings will bounce on the frets and create a nice "clang!" sound.

As far as the style, the bass plays pretty much the same stuff it would in rock, except lower and sometimes in dropped tuning.

I agree with what stryfer has said and about playing with a pick.
Other than that it should just take some practice.

Lol, i guessed Stryfer would have more to say.
When i posted i was going to edit in a little note, but i only had a minite to be out of the dor for the bus.

Anyway i would recomend to pay attention to what Stryfer said refering to the metal part.
And Dtl's advise is pretty much god anywhere.

(at risk of going off topic, but i think its worth saying)

Southernstar wrote:I love bass, I really want to be good even if for a girl obviously it's not that easy,

You should throw out the gender thing, just aim to be a good bassist.
No one is made to play bass, you'll run into the same issues most oter bassists will run into, and you and you want to walk into the situations with the idea of always becoming better, if you settle then you won't learn anything.
(i may be wrong, but it sounded like you were lowwering the standard because your a girl, even if other people will, you shouldn't go along with it.)

Thanks very much for the advice it really helped me and I will practice even more now keeping in mind what you guys said, these advices help a lot!

I'm sorry if it sounded like I'm less of a player because I'm a girl i meant that, here, some people don't see a girl playing bass that good, but that's why I want to be even better because bass is my life and I know I can be good and with hard work even better.

Thanks very much guys!

What also helps with the sound is try to find out what your favorit bass player uses for gear. Just so you know how the sound you hear is achieved other than the way of hitting the strings.

Thank you Fran I will do that!

I wholeheartedly agree with what Blackdragon said, it doesn't matter what gender you are!

Practice hard, play with passion and above all enjoy yourself!

That's true thanks I will enjoy myself because playing bass is all I care about!

Southernstar wrote: I really want to be good even if for a girl obviously it's not that easy, but whatever I can take it,

¬¬ I think girls have just as good a chance to be as awesome as men..

Totally agreeing with you of course we can be good, it just was hard for me in the beginning that's all but I got over it now!

akyra wrote:

Southernstar wrote: I really want to be good even if for a girl obviously it's not that easy, but whatever I can take it,

¬¬ I think girls have just as good a chance to be as awesome as men..

Oh god, not this again...

I deleted it ok? The last thing I wanted is to hide behind the gender thing so sorry for that!

Oh my God! Leave the girl alone.
She obviously lost confidence because some guys had to play macho and tease her about being a girl and playing.
It's out of her system now that she's actually found support...so yea...drop the issue

Stryfer wrote:Oh my God! Leave the girl alone.
She obviously lost confidence because some guys had to play macho and tease her about being a girl and playing.
It's out of her system now that she's actually found support...so yea...drop the issue

In my defence for bringing it up, i was just pointing out that if(not going to jump to that) some guys went and teased her, then some guys are douche bags, and that she shouldn't think anything of it.
I was attempting to remedy the lose of confidence(or what ever seemed to make her feel she might not be as good), i didn't want the subject to get beat to death.(my bad...)

Remember, Tal Wilkenfeld... Wait for it... -End topic.-

Blackdragon wrote:Remember, Tal Wilkenfeld... Wait for it... -End topic.-

This.

The original question has been answered: There are no specific rock or metal basses, but instead the metal sound is produced by technique (playing with a pick for example), and EQ/effects. You may wish to think about 5 strings, or long scale necks to help with lower tunings if you use them more


After that, we're going a little off topic...