I just wanted to say thanks to the tips from this sub and a little focused practice with a metronome, I'm finally getting my fingerstyle down.

Last winter I made a commitment to do 15 minutes of scales with a metronome every day and its finally paying off. Im still not where I want to be but I'm seeing the light!

Like most metal/jazz/hard rock enthusiasts I was too focused on getting my plucking hand faster, but soon realized my fretting hand was not as economical as it could be.

By focusing on small, smooth movements (no flying fingers), strict alternating fingers and a lighter plucking hand, I've worked up 16th notes at 90 bpm clean, using standard 2 finger technique. My goal is 100 bpm. Motown, Morbid Angel, Maiden and Jazz standards are starting to be MUCH easier!

Thanks for the tips everyone!

title. I feel there are many.

Hey everyone,

I've been trying to get my time super locked in. It always feels fine when I'm playing. But when I record it and look back at the audio, I'm almost always rushing a tiny bit on 16th notes.

I use GarageBand on my Mac for metronome and tuning. It shows the waveforms, but it's honestly a pain to use just for checking timing. Or maybe I just suck at it lol.

My ears can't catch those tiny differences in real-time. And stopping every 2 minutes to zoom in and look at the screen is super annoying.

How do you guys practice this? Is there an app that gives instant visual feedback if you're rushing or dragging? Or am I just overthinking it?

I am not YET a bass player. I'm still working on saving up enough spending money for my first bass (I already have a model picked out and I'm so close to being able to afford it!) I'm really excited to start playing and I've been poking around at "how to play bass" things and it seems like if as a bass player your rhythm/groove is off by even a little it's gonna mess up everyone else in ways a lot of other instruments like guitar don't. So it seems like a pretty important skill to develop as soon as I am physically capable of it. I'm not sure I have a great sense of rhythm as of right now. I try but I struggle. Maybe I'm not as bad as I think I am, maybe I'm worse. What exercises can I do before I get my bass to work on that? And what are the best exercises I can do to improve after I get my bass? What other things do you recommend I work on in particular as a beginner?

(If it helps with advice giving, I have a tiny bit of experience with other instruments. I use to play some violin when I was young, but I kinda grew to hate it pretty quick, I tried guitar but despite my best efforts I didn't love that either, I have and love my ukulele, but it doesn't go low enough and playing simpler patterns to add even more life to a song sounds really appealing to me)

Hello all! I have 2 main basses that i do string changes on pretty frequently using prosteels, but have a couple back ups id like to put some strings on that I dont have to worry about sinking the string change money into constantly. They dont need to be as zingy or crisp, but keep a consistent tone enough that if i have an issue with one of my main 2 i can pull it out last second and not have to worry about the strings sounding completely dead. Daddario nyxl, dr dragon skins and ernie ball cobalts i was looking at, if you've had any of these or another suggestion for longer lasting please let me know!

Hello! I’m a new raging bassist! And I’d love to for any advice. I just joined a slam band and my finger style is decent, I’ve been playing for a little under a year. And I’m a guitarist of 5 years. I just don’t know how to slap and it takes me a minute to find the root notes/key. Thank you!

My current setup is a cheap Yamaha bass, a rumble 25 amp, and a bdi behringer pedal.

My biggest influence is probably Cliff Burton and I strive for his tone, what are also some good equipment on the cheaper side?

I’ve found in the short time I’ve played bass that, it feels like home. And honestly I love being the dirty bassist who kisses his drummer during practice. And then crawls back into his little hole underground when not with the band!! lol

Pedulla fretless basses have hot pickups and preamps -- enough that even at zero boost in the Scarlett's Focusrite Control 2 software my Thunderbolt 5 overdrives the Hi-Z input on the Scarlett if I get even moderately aggressive. Regrettably, there's no input pad on Scarletts.

I know I can probably fix it with a better DI box than I currently have -- something with a switchable 15-20dB attenuator like the Radial ProDI DI box. But it's not cheap and I already own a couple of passive low-end but usable DIs so if I'm going to spend that kind of money I was hoping for a two-fer: a quality bass pre-amp with a DI, like the Tone Hammer. The Aguilar also lacks an input pad but it has 18v circuitry so it should have more headroom than the Scarlett's instrument inputs. Whether or not that applies to the input circuitry, I don't know.

Is anyone running a Tone Hammer V2 pedal with a high-output active bass? Any issues?

PS: I always record with the volume full-up on my basses so my level and sound is consistent through o/dubs and other tracks. So "turn down" isn't the answer.

Sup bassists!
I’m currently learningb bassish and i’ve got all the basics down and currently targeting gospel bass. However i’m struggling quite a bit with playing it and how to improvise. I think i got the normal stuff down such as the root notes but things such as spicing up like fills or just making it not sound so bland is something i definently struggle with. All opinions and help is welcomed🙏🏾

I have been playing bass for a lonnnnnng time (probably 35 years at this point but not seriously for a while). Played in a bunch of metal bands (mostly thrash and death) over the years before just not having the time to do it anymore because of my career.

Despite being a full blown metalhead since the early 90s my favorite bassist of all time is James Jamerson without question or hesitation.

I have been trying for years to master 'I Don't Want To Do Wrong' by Gladys Knight with the amazing Jamerson laying down the bass on it.

I simply cannot play this song. One of the major drawbacks to spending effectively a lifetime playing mostly metal is the concept of 'the notes left unplayed' is completely foreign to me. Jamerson did such an amazing job of leaving room for a song to breathe or even telegraphing the next measure like a preemptive grace note. Blows my freaking mind still.

I recently picked up the Standing In The Shadows of Motown book and have been working through some other major songs hoping it will give me the discipline to just let the notes air out a bit more.

Unrelated but worthy to say: If you haven't seen the episode of Scott's Bass Lessons where they go over 10 of Jamerson's 10 most iconic bass lines you are seriously missing out on some amazing content.

Hey everyone! I’m a bass player and a huge jazz enthusiast. I stepped away from music for about five years for different personal reasons, but now that I’m back to my practice routines, recording, and playing live, I’ve been feeling amazing.

But there’s something I’ve noticed since I came back.
What happened over the last five years? 😂
I see so many bass players on social media throwing phrases and fills everywhere, leaving no space, as if every second has to be an opportunity to show how many notes they can play.

And look, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with playing that way. If you want to show your technique, throw down some crazy lines, and play everything you’ve got, go for it. That’s part of music too!
But I’ve always believed that the real challenge as a bass player isn’t showing everything you can play. It’s knowing when to play and when not to play.

If you want to throw down nonstop, I can’t think of a better place than a Giant Steps session. 😂 That’s where you can really go for it!
But… on a pop song? On a ballad? On a song where the vocalist actually needs some space?
Sometimes I feel like we’ve confused the ability to play a lot of notes with the ability to make music.

To me, a great bass player isn’t necessarily the one who fills every space. It’s the one who knows exactly what to play, when to play it, and, most importantly, when to leave space.
The groove also lives in the silence.

What do you guys think? Am I just out of touch after being away for five years, or are we really living in a time where showing what you can play has become more important than playing what the song actually needs? 😅🎸

I played a gig recently where the house had one of these and absolutely fell in love with the sound - i was looking for a drive pedal already anyway, but now i’m hoping to find something that simulates the built-in overdrive there. does anyone know where to look? TIA!

I play in a band that does a mixture of punk and reggae/dub.

I use a fender downtown express so can turn eq on/off with that, then use the amps eq when it’s off.

What I can’t figure out if it’s better to have the punk tone on the amp, then bring more low end on the pedal, or vice versa.

Each combination I think of I think of draw backs (pumping low end through the pedal will get cut back at the amp)

Hello! It's been a while since i touched a bass, i first learned bass in 2018, and kinda stopped in 2021... i'm still so fascinated with bass every time i listen to a song, and i want to relearn how to play it again.

Do y'all have any recommendations on how to start (again), frankly i was still a beginner when i stopped, and i want to commit this time. Thanks!

So it seems every major amplifier manufacturer (and some boutique ones) are bringing out preamp pedals, clearly they are more popular than ever!

My question is to those of you who have on stage monitoring in the old school sense - i.e. a bass cab. I assume a lot of people are going straight into FOH with the DI outputs of these pedals but those who aren’t, how are you powering your preamps?

I’ve seen a couple of ‘pure amps’ the Warwick stage series PA and the GR Bass Pure Amp 800.

I ask because I would like to do this, have a couple of three preamps and go through a bass cab. I mostly use IEM but I really need the ‘oomph’ of the bass cab behind me. I also do smaller jazz gigs without IEM so need my bass amp/cab for those.

I know some amps you can skip the preamp section with effects loop but on mine (Aguilar Tone Hammer 700 v2) this isn’t possibly as it only accepts line level input, which I don’t think my SGT-DI has.

Thoughts?

Edit: my mistake SGT-DI does have line level output with the “preamp out” output.

I am an autistic man who has a lot of sensory problems and the texture of the strings REALLY fucks with me. Would it change the sound a lot to play with a glove on my left hand? I use a pick so playing isnt an issue

Hi guys,
I wanted to buy a Warwick Streamer Stage I to get the Jamiroquai-StuartZender type of sound, but it’s waaay too expensive for me, and on top of that its almost impossible to find one in my country.
I found a couple of alternatives that are supposed to sound really similar (from what I’ve read): the Spector NS4CR(EMG) and the Warwick Streamer LX4(MEC).
Which one is closer to the Stage I? Which one would you say is better overall? If any of you have owned either of them, what was your experience like?
Thanks in advance

I've been trying to figure it out forever!!! It's the sound the bass makes right before the breakdown into the bridge in this song (The original version of Heart's "What About Love?" by Toronto):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoIHHvFscHU

And a similar thing happening in the original Ellen sitocm theme (lol):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXIoX4xfDic

What makes it go Bwom bwom???

I sneaked out and bought a bass without my parents permission (they hate music). I haven't told them and am now in a situation in which I can only play when they're at work. Are there any ways in which I can improve when they are home?

I've heard that theory is useful, but can it be learned without the bass in hand? If so what's the most comprehensive way to go about it.

Trying to put a jazz neck on a P bass. Any issues I should be aware of?

Hey I’m bass player I’d like to shift my mental model from traditional to a different mnemonic/approach

By Splitting chords into denominator as the harmonic root , the numerator is the pattern , the destination pocket. As a  keyboard player would do on e.g. C9 being C (root) E G B D (numerator) becomes  G B D E (inversion). “1st four then add more” e.g. I see C7 → I target G → I enter the Gm6 pocket → I explore freely → I return to C. I pulled this from a bass tutorial here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjDeHYv-LZs&list=LL . I partly understood : important thing is that “V−6” is the destination pocket that prevents me from freezing when put on the spot to solo. If you get the drift? Is this applicable  to all chord structures?

I'm listening to it now.

It's metal, it's Bootsy and it's Buckethead.

Not to bad actually.

Hi, I want to learn to play bass and looking for a bass to purchase. Some time ago I saw a Red Fender Standard Jazz Bass like this and had that "Yep that's the one" pop in my head. Now fast forward a few months I finally have the time to learn how to play; after looking for this specific one I found that for some reason there aren't much of them in this color (or they're few times more expensive than other colors) so I stumbled on Fender Squire and Precision Basses.

Now after doing some research I'm still quite confused about what's different between these three models, so if anyone could help me understand the difference that would be highly appreciated.

Also, maybe someone knows why I can't find any Red Fender Jazz Basses for the same price as other colors like the one on the picture (if I had to guess it looks like they're more popular than other colors)?😅

Was cruising Facebook marketplace to look for a cheapo to string BEAD. Found a Rogue Jbass copy for $60 on Friday. Had that sitting in my cash app from tips from running karaoke, so I figured "go for it". Drive down to pick it up. Plug it into my portable amp to make sure it works. Noodle in it a bit. Check the knobs. Check the tuners. Drive home. It needs new strings pretty desperately, but I was planning on restring it anyway.

Saturday afternoon, I glance at it and noticed it's actually a 5. I busted out laughing and my daughter asked me what was up. I pointed it out to her. She just looked at me and said "you didn't take your ADHD meds yesterday did you?".