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How NOT to Play Bass like a Guitar Player Playing Bass
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How NOT to Play Bass like a Guitar Player Playing Bass
Evan Skopp, Inside Track International
Sales and marketing reps for Musopia, Reunion Blues, and Q-Parts.Tags: None
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Re: How NOT to Play Bass like a Guitar Player Playing Bass
A guitar player might have trouble with bass for one reason in particular: string gauges. Electric bass strings are about 10 times thicker than the most popular gauges.
After the first minute of a song, the hands will cramp up. Then they reach for a pick, and they can't fret properly. They start sounding like a 5-year-old trying to play a toy ukelele.
(This also happens to out-of-practice bass players.)sigpic
"Add about a half-a-teacup o' bass...."
--'King' Curtis Ousley
Visit me on Facebook
Originally posted by LewguitarIn our heart of hearts we're love. That's who we really are.
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Re: How NOT to Play Bass like a Guitar Player Playing Bass
Originally posted by ginormous View PostA guitar player might have trouble with bass for one reason in particular: string gauges. Electric bass strings are about 10 times thicker than the most popular gauges.
For myself, it's easy to spot a guitarist-turned-bassist because they're not filling the primary role of the bass; to act as the musical liaison between the harmonic and rhythmic foundations. Much like when two people are dancing and can't figure out who is supposed to lead, if you don't know your primary role, anything else you add to that just won't fit. That's where I find many guitarists fail as bassists.
And conversely, I know a number of guitarists in the area that are SMOKIN' bassists as well, and they all cite that it's due to knowing the mindset and role of the bassist as opposed to the guitarist.
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Re: How NOT to Play Bass like a Guitar Player Playing Bass
I disagree. I know several bass players who use a pick and can fit into the role of a bass player well. It might not be traditional, but it's what works for the player.
A similar look is that there are guitar playing bassists who use the right techniques, but don't fill in the traditional role. Michael Todd from Coheed and Cambria is well known for the fact that he played bass with his fingers and didn't stay in the root position of the chord, instead playing thirds, fifths, and octaves.
Lastly, I felt David Ellefson answered very hypocritically in this article. I don't know any Megadeth song that the bass player goes outside of the guitar pattern, except Hangar 18. If you can provide me a list of then, then I will retract my statement, but to my knowledge, none come to mind. He is the definition of a bass playing guitar player.Schecter ATX Blackjack C7 BKP Painkiller (B) and Abraxas (N)
Hagstrom Hj800 Jazzbox stock pickups
Fender Jazz Bass EMG MJ Set
Music Man SUB Ray5 stock pickups
Line 6 Helix
Dunlop Strings and Picks
The opinions expressed above are my own and do not reflect normal levels of sanity.
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Re: How NOT to Play Bass like a Guitar Player Playing Bass
I'm a guitarist that play bass. I have incorporate many guitar knowledge into my bass playing but never thinking the bass as a longer guitar version. The role of the bass player is clear... keeping the groove, and when you can (experience will tell you that) add some tastiness.
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Re: How NOT to Play Bass like a Guitar Player Playing Bass
Originally posted by vinta9e View PostThe easy answer is: play like a drummer.sigpic
"Add about a half-a-teacup o' bass...."
--'King' Curtis Ousley
Visit me on Facebook
Originally posted by LewguitarIn our heart of hearts we're love. That's who we really are.
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Re: How NOT to Play Bass like a Guitar Player Playing Bass
You have to bridge the drummer and guitarist. Your picking hand needs to support the rhythym of the drums and your fretting hand needs to support the melody of the guitar. It's your job to seamlessly fill the void between them with your playing while at the same time doing your own thing that makes you unique, which isn't very hard. You shouldn't lean too far one way or the other though, unless your role in the band calls for it. For example: depending on the music you play, a bass player will occasionally need to take the roll of a rhythm guitar player to fill in the sound more. This could be appropriate if there happens to be only 1 guitarist in the band that likes to solo a lot. Other way around, the band has 2 or 3 guitarists and the bass player doesn't need to work as hard to fill the melody so he fits his playing more into the drums and rhythm section to strengthen the band's fundamental sound. Good examples are Rush and Judas Priest respectively, but there are always exceptions. This is because it's whatever you believe the music creatively demands from you. The song type, the members of the band, the genre played, the song structure, etc... All must be taken into account as well as one's own ear to make sure that you aren't playing too much or too little, and WHAT you're playing is appropriate. But that's just me.Last edited by Falloffthebonetone; 09-03-2013, 02:22 PM.
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Re: How NOT to Play Bass like a Guitar Player Playing Bass
As long as I don't attempt to play anything out of my comfort zone I think I can play bass pretty well, but my comfort zone is"Blues shuffles""So you will never have to listen to Surf music again" James Marshall Hendrix
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will know peace."-Jimi Hendrix
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Re: How NOT to Play Bass like a Guitar Player Playing Bass
Bass guitar was the first stringed instrument I learned to play. I took lessons for about 6 months until I knew enough where I could learn things on my own, and I've now been playing for about 15 years. I sort of taught my self guitar based on chord charts plus my existing knowledge of the fingerboard, so my chord fingering is probably not very traditional. Anyway, I've been reading a lot of TalkBass forums lately and have seen discussions about guitar players playing bass coinciding with many people having an aversion to playing bass with a pick. For most rock influenced music I play, I like to use a pick, so I've started to wonder if my playing style would be what some consider to be playing like a guitar playing bass even though I would never consider myself a guitar player. However, I have been told by probably the best guitar I know that I am "the most solid bass player" that he's ever played with, so I guess that should count for something.
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Re: How NOT to Play Bass like a Guitar Player Playing Bass
Originally posted by poit57 View PostBass guitar was the first stringed instrument I learned to play. I took lessons for about 6 months until I knew enough where I could learn things on my own, and I've now been playing for about 15 years. I sort of taught my self guitar based on chord charts plus my existing knowledge of the fingerboard, so my chord fingering is probably not very traditional. Anyway, I've been reading a lot of TalkBass forums lately and have seen discussions about guitar players playing bass coinciding with many people having an aversion to playing bass with a pick. For most rock influenced music I play, I like to use a pick, so I've started to wonder if my playing style would be what some consider to be playing like a guitar playing bass even though I would never consider myself a guitar player. However, I have been told by probably the best guitar I know that I am "the most solid bass player" that he's ever played with, so I guess that should count for something.Schecter ATX Blackjack C7 BKP Painkiller (B) and Abraxas (N)
Hagstrom Hj800 Jazzbox stock pickups
Fender Jazz Bass EMG MJ Set
Music Man SUB Ray5 stock pickups
Line 6 Helix
Dunlop Strings and Picks
The opinions expressed above are my own and do not reflect normal levels of sanity.
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Re: How NOT to Play Bass like a Guitar Player Playing Bass
Originally posted by poit57 View PostHowever, I have been told by probably the best guitar I know that I am "the most solid bass player" that he's ever played with, so I guess that should count for something.
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Re: How NOT to Play Bass like a Guitar Player Playing Bass
Originally posted by speed2dirt View PostThat means you have great timing. I'm a "solid bass player" that keeps time extremely well even in weird time signatures, but not so flashy like other bassists. I feel the groove and fill in between guitar and drums, but don't go for solos or that extravagant stuff. Each band has different requirements, but I will say keeping time and the groove are the first and foremost role of a bass player. And consequently, that's what a lot of guitarists lack when they play bass.Go Packers!
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