So how's the bass playing coming along guys?

First of all I want to say: Thank you Dman!!!!!
All of your lessons have been really helpful in my first year of playing bass. :]
I love playing bass and I think it has been one of the best decisions in my life. I'm really excited to be growing as a bass player and I've been working on improving all of my skills. You're a very inspirational person!
I think it would be super helpful if you gave some information and advice on gigging as well as working with other musicians when writing music. :]

Pastichio wrote:Looking into getting a band together actually. Ive been playing a good few years now and I feel the need to play with others. I feel that as a musician you are only as good as the people you play with, if that makes sense lol. I mean that with others you can learn your limitations and learn to fit in with theirs. You know fitting in with a drummers style etc. I played with a 'band' in my younger days when I first started playing bass, I was the weakest link and was removed from the equation. I got a lot better since then. In college every week I would jam with other students in the studio, we recorded Led Zeppelin's Rock N Roll (Wish I still had the recording of that )and was fortunate enough to play with a very very good drummer and guitarist. That was nearly three years ago and my playing has improved drastically since then. So I feel the need to start a band.

The thing is I'm not sure how to go about starting a band. When I look for ads and such its usually established bands looking for a replacement bassist, I feel that I would like to start something fresh. Maybe Ill just advertise looking for like minded musicians wanting to jam and see what happens.

Sorry for the long post lol

Better finding some friend of yours and starting up a band...

Cliff em' all wrote:

Pastichio wrote:Looking into getting a band together actually. Ive been playing a good few years now and I feel the need to play with others. I feel that as a musician you are only as good as the people you play with, if that makes sense lol. I mean that with others you can learn your limitations and learn to fit in with theirs. You know fitting in with a drummers style etc. I played with a 'band' in my younger days when I first started playing bass, I was the weakest link and was removed from the equation. I got a lot better since then. In college every week I would jam with other students in the studio, we recorded Led Zeppelin's Rock N Roll (Wish I still had the recording of that )and was fortunate enough to play with a very very good drummer and guitarist. That was nearly three years ago and my playing has improved drastically since then. So I feel the need to start a band.

The thing is I'm not sure how to go about starting a band. When I look for ads and such its usually established bands looking for a replacement bassist, I feel that I would like to start something fresh. Maybe Ill just advertise looking for like minded musicians wanting to jam and see what happens.

Sorry for the long post lol

Better finding some friend of yours and starting up a band...

That would be great if any of my friends played an instrument lol.

Dmanlamius wrote:Are you all making good progress? Have any of you given up?

How much did my lessons help? What did you do after learning my lessons?

How many of you are out and gigging now? Wouyld anyone appreciate gigging tips? Setting up, approaching venues, charging etc?

Just checking that you are all ok!

I think i'm making a very good progress...As far as theory and note stuff goes,i have a great teacher!I know the whole major scale(b mj,d mj,etc...) and all their chords.About timing i've reached 16th(don't know how to spell it in english)but i play songs with a lot faster tempo...I just don't seem to be doing the exercises well...

Your lessons helped me a lot!A lot!I learned to slap and pop,and to tap.Also i jammed with you a lot!I've gotten this tendon exercises into my daily routine.And many many more...

Right now i am gigging in a death/thrash metal band which consists of 4 members.We'll be probably giving lives next year.We have a myspace you can check out.We haven't recorded any songs yet,so all you can see is photos.I write the lyrics for the band.We are named Black Nexus.The one with the metal stuff.Check us out.And yeah i would like some tips for gigging stuff...

I'm pretty much stuck at the major scale.

Well... Stuck isn't the right word for, it's more like fiddling about.
Getting a touch for it.

I can find most of the notes by heart now, wich gives it a more relaxed feeling.

Just wish i could find that minor scale

lokki wrote:I'm pretty much stuck at the major scale.

Well... Stuck isn't the right word for, it's more like fiddling about.
Getting a touch for it.

I can find most of the notes by heart now, wich gives it a more relaxed feeling.

Just wish i could find that minor scale

The minor scale will be coming soon, bud

I think Ive been progressing very fast thanks to Dman lessons and the fact that I spent like 6 hours daily with my bass since I started playing a few weeks ago, I think that if it wasnt for this site I wouldnt know what to do with my bass. As for progress I can play all of the simple riifs in the lessons except the funky, still can get it to sound good, but with time ill get it Ive also managed to get a few songs on my own from my church they are simple ones but ill start adding stuff to it. Also if anyone is interested there is a good book that has helped me a lot to read music notation and explains some good techniques, its mostly for beginners but for the price i think its pretty good it is called Hal Leonard Bass Method complete edition. It is not a song by song book it teaches in a acumulative way so that you have to use more techniques as the book goes by, its pretty similar to dmans way of teaching but it uses music notation. So if anyone wants to learn notation this is a good way.

My update: So in my first week of playing I logged about 30-35 hours of practice in on my bass and I hate where I'm at. I'm not a fan of traditional, incremental learning and prefer to just fiddle with whatever I'm learning until I figure a way to learn things on my own. As of now I can play about six or seven songs at half speed and the intros to about three or four songs, again at half speed. I don't like this because my only issue now is hand speed and that's kind of hard to focus practice on. Once I can develop good ways to log good, long periods of hand speed practice in I think I'll be on my way to looking like a natural on this thing.

I'm setting a goal for myself and aiming for the end of the month to master the songs I can play at half speed and complete the songs whose intros I know. After that I'm hoping I'll have mastered the art of simple recreations and can start learning how to write and play my own stuff as well as start in on some harder bass playing.

I am still doing well .....

Going to take 4 or 5 one on one lessons here in town to help out a little ( I hope )

Thats all I can aford at the moment

I start on Wed July 1st

Wish me luck

*wish*

I'm going pretty good i think..
I only really play maybe an hour a day, but i think i'm going ok
When i get my new bass i'll probably play a lot more

Dmanlamius wrote:

lokki wrote:I'm pretty much stuck at the major scale.

Well... Stuck isn't the right word for, it's more like fiddling about.
Getting a touch for it.

I can find most of the notes by heart now, wich gives it a more relaxed feeling.

Just wish i could find that minor scale

The minor scale will be coming soon, bud

I actually wrote the tab for both the basic major and minor scales below Dman's lesson in the Lesson section.
(when i say basic i mean the ionic (Maj) scale, i dont kno the name of the minor one i know though)

Ok back on topic, I've been playing 1 and a half years, discovering Dman 11 months into learning (around December '08), this was when I had only just got the hang of slapping, then I refined my slap technique with Dmans videos. When I learnt riff 8 of Dmans funky riffs (which took about a week to get nice and solid) I didnt want to play anything else, it was great.

To date I've played 6 gigs through my school and have 2 more scheduled this year, I'm getting better at 'performing' aka not standing still not moving at all because I have fun when I play.

Daytripper was one song that I had on my list to learn but i couldn't find tab for it, so I am very grateful for that lesson, also Come together has helped me slide up the string without falling off, and i the lyric "ooonnnee aanndd ooonneee aaannddd one issss three" is the most silly lyric ive every heard.

The Jam series is pretty good but I dont know how to record my bassline to put as a response to get feedback, I dont have a Mac so i cant use garage band. Lots of fun with the Jams but the last rock one is a little confusing because I am a stranger to those chords used.

One thing I will say though is Dman is begginer sensitive which is great.....for begginers, I think Ive moved on a bit from that and are in the Intermediate phase and im looking for something funktastic (if thats a word), Ive lernt too many chili songs because thats all I like song-wise, I can make my own basslines to guitar lines, I want another funk riff 8. I dont mean to be demanding but I find myself playing the same songs over and over.

Regardless of my needs, Dman is awesome for getting people hooked on our awesome instrument.

Lesson suggestion alert-
Good Times - Chic

I know its already been suggested, thats how i found it in the first place.
But when I learnt the main riff, when I tried to play it without the video play-along, id forgotten the last 2 bars
so i improvised. thats what I do everytime i play it now because impro fits so well with the riff, and its really easy.
Its a pretty easy riff to play so it can be a good introduction into improvising aswell as a good riff.

K thats enough from me

Malice

i m not playing very long yet,
i'm busy with learning radiohead creep
i m able to do: stand by me and 7 nation army

and the major scale... not on full speed yet XD

Well, I found this site a little while ago, and it really did inspire me to start playing again. I had been playing for a little bit, but completely stopped for some reason I can't remember. Now, because of you, Dman, I can't stop! You really got me out of my slump, and inspired me to start playing again. I owe it all to you! So i've been playing for a couple weeks now, and I'm still stuck on a Squier Affinity P-Bass. Now I don't want to come out and say I'm not a beginner anymore (which I know I still am), but I feel that I'm at the point where I feel like I should grab a new bass, because I previously went through all the basics and such when I played beforehand. Now I've looked at the, "Which Bass For A Beginner" video, and I've read the discussion, but I'm wondering if that still applies to the beginner - early intermediate level. I've been looking at an Ibanez GSR200, or the vintage Squier Jazz Bass. My budget is around $300, $400 at most. If anyone has any input, or has any other basses to recommend, please do!

Thanks again Dman, you ignited my passion to play again!

SHRIIIIIMPBoats wrote:I've been looking at an Ibanez GSR200, or the vintage Squier Jazz Bass

Both basses will be great, I have the GSR200 and it's excellent value for money IMO, and as for the Jazz, well, you can't really go wrong with a jazz. Just see if you can try both of them out (and other basses in your price range) and choose the one that you like best

I have been playing for about six months and thanks to DMan I think I am doing okay. I had no background in any type of music so I do get lost on a lot of things. I am like a lot of others that want to be able to do more then just play song to song.

Thank you Dman for all your help.

xXMaliceXx wrote:


(when i say basic i mean the ionic (Maj) scale, i dont kno the name of the minor one i know though)

Malice

i think its harmonic minor scale

ive been playing for about 1/2 a year now and im doing ok
does anyone have any tips on getting into a band
maybe there are sum forums for that kind of stuff i dont know
pls tell me if you have any ideas

maxf13 wrote:

xXMaliceXx wrote:


(when i say basic i mean the ionic (Maj) scale, i dont kno the name of the minor one i know though)

Malice

i think its harmonic minor scale

Aeolian is the natural minor

Harmonic Minor is a bitch to get the hang off! When you come back up its different notes!!! Im still yet to find a use for it, though of course there are some!

maxf13 wrote:ive been playing for about 1/2 a year now and im doing ok
does anyone have any tips on getting into a band
maybe there are sum forums for that kind of stuff i dont know
pls tell me if you have any ideas

I don't have any tips other than this: Friends. I started a band with a friend who started playing guitar around the same time as me (he's pretty great at guitar already ) and I got into a jazz band at school (I can't really call it THE school jazz band because it's not officially linked with the school but it's lead by a music teacher so I guess it's semi-official) via a friend who sits next to me in maths

Ive been playing for around two months and I just learned runaway by jamiroquai, probably the hardest song ive learnt so far....

danthewelshy wrote:

maxf13 wrote:

xXMaliceXx wrote:


(when i say basic i mean the ionic (Maj) scale, i dont kno the name of the minor one i know though)

Malice

i think its harmonic minor scale

Aeolian is the natural minor

Harmonic Minor is a bitch to get the hang off! When you come back up its different notes!!! Im still yet to find a use for it, though of course there are some!

i think u are thinking of the melodic minor
where its different when u got up from when u come down

SuperMaximo93 wrote:

maxf13 wrote:ive been playing for about 1/2 a year now and im doing ok
does anyone have any tips on getting into a band
maybe there are sum forums for that kind of stuff i dont know
pls tell me if you have any ideas

I don't have any tips other than this: Friends. I started a band with a friend who started playing guitar around the same time as me (he's pretty great at guitar already ) and I got into a jazz band at school (I can't really call it THE school jazz band because it's not officially linked with the school but it's lead by a music teacher so I guess it's semi-official) via a friend who sits next to me in maths

i no what u mean problem is all my friends either dont play an instrument or they dont want to be in a band

I have the opposite problem, everyone wants to be in a band, im definately the bassist, another guy definately the drummer, then we got aload of ppl wanting to do vocals or guitar......maybe i should send some of my friends to where u live?

yh good idea lol
i live in leicester btw XD