Guide to getting and playing better gigs
The Bass Page
It's easy for players to spend many years playing "OK" sounding basses - just getting by. They do this partly because of the high price of custom basses, or maybe they just haven't experienced what a difference a really fine bass can make to their playing and sound. Your bass sound is your musical voice. Your perceived ability to play is very dependant on your tone and if you don't sound great, you probably won't be perceived as a great player.
Your best tone starts with your hands. A firm stroke of the string with plenty of the pad of your fingers addressing the string; with your plucking hand placed between the bridge and the end of the neck (not right by the bridge, this yields a thin tone). Play with a firm attack at all times, but without killing the string by playing too hard. Learn to back off a touch when a verse or soft section comes around, while still playing your notes with authority and not losing control of the bass (the term, "velvet hammer" is appropriate here). Playing strong is fine, but can you play good bass and not wake up your sleeping baby in the next room?.. touch is everything.
Many beginners find their first encounters with the bass frustrating. The bass presents problems to new players that can only be overcome by patiently dealing with them head-on. In short, newbie bassists need to develop strategies if they're going to develop more musical experience.
Physical Demands:
Many players find it difficult at first to handle the demands the bass places on their hands. Mastering the small movements required means using different sets of muscles than we normally use. We all want to play well as quickly as possible. And even as musical understanding grows, the hands often lag behind. So the time spent practicing must be far greater than the time spent in performance. Jamming with recordings is fun, and it’s time well spent, but physical mastery of the bass requires exercise, just as with any instrument. We practice scales and arpeggios more for our muscles than our minds.Listening:
When first starting on bass you'll soon discover that bass is hard to hear. The instrument’s range lies mainly outside of singing range and low pitches can be difficult to hear well for physical reasons as well. One way of improving your pitch is to sing as you play. Give yourself a note to start with, and pick out a song that’s familiar to you and sing along with yourself. Eventually you can move from this, to singing along with scales, and then to singing harmony with yourself as you play.Playing With Others, Playing Alone:
The irony of the bass is that you must play alone to play with others. Most of your time is spent playing by yourself, yet the chief role of the bassist is to accompany others, no matter what style we play. Working independently is difficult. So it’s a good idea to get together with other players, even if not for a band rehearsal. In fact, you can be working with another player toward your mutual goal of including others and in the short term, your partnership with another player will give you direction as you work to master a common set of songs or other musical materials.Play Something:
A lot of newbies, especially teenagers, take up the bass because they want to play music. The instrument itself is secondary. It’s not unusual to play several instruments before settling on the one that will be your major focus. So if you’ve begun playing bass without any particular attachment to it, or to its role in music, ask yourself these questions:1) Do I like to play a supportive role in most situations, or do I prefer to be in the foreground?
2) Do I want to play an instrument that demands to be played with others, or would I rather not have to play with anyone else?
3) When I listen to music, is it the rhythm as much as the melody that captures my interest?
4) Don’t I really want to play guitar?
Just kidding about that last one! But seriously, it’s not that any instrument is more or less demanding, it’s that each instrument has its own roles to play in music, and its own demands. We should try to find an instrument that puts us in a role we find comfortable.
Some Strategies:
Plan your time with the instrument, so you know what you’ll be doing when you pick it up.Set time aside to play for frequent, short periods. Long stretches of playing are hard on undeveloped muscles.
Vary your practicing so it doesn’t become too routine. If it does, or if you can't seem to master what you’ve set for yourself, you know you’re stuck, and that it’s time to seek help elsewhere!
It also helps to have a thorough working knowledge of your equipment like what makes it work and is it comfortable to play? Find out which strings are best suited to the way you play. Some may have a different opinion on this, but learn to play a four string before you try to play a five or six string bass. Know what each control does. What kind of pickups does it have? Does it have active or passive electronics? Sounds a bit scary but it isn't. Knowing your instrument goes a long way to becoming a better player.
The same can be said for your amp. Whether it's a combo or a head/rack system, it pays to know it. Is it compatible? Does it do what you need or want it to do? You need to know how it all connects together so you get optimum performance. Knowing the control settings on your equipment helps you become a better player. If you know all these things about your bass and what runs it, you can spend more time on what you do best, play music!
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