Questions tagged [bass-guitar]
For questions about the bass guitar, whether acoustic or electric.
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Would it be possible to start learning bass guitar with a fretless bass?
I wonder if learning bass with a fretless is doable, because most of the music I play is Jazz. I have no prior experience in fretless instruments, I have played jazz guitar for 3 years, and want to ...
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Is there a name for when the notes of a bass guitar slowly go up and down
There is a thing I have noticed in a bunch of songs where the bass guitar plays slowly and the notes go up then down and back up again.
This is one example I found where it's pretty clear but I have ...
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Tips for beginner guitarists and bass player to practice together?
Once two beginner players, guitarist and a bass player, get together for practice, it can easily end up in disaster. I would like to know how to make it workable, with which easy songs, maybe backing ...
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Practicing triads/sevenths or both?
For eg, if we are learning the key of C, do we need to Learn all triads ie. ceg, dfa etc or can we just learn 7th chord qualities like CEGB, DFAC etc. and those will indirectly give access to the ...
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guitar keys, capos and the effects on playing bass
I am playing bass for a church retreat. The guitar players will change keys by moving their capos. What is the easiest way for me to tell what the new key I should be playing in on the bass. I know ...
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Bass Guitar Metallic Ringing / Resonance?
I have a MIM Fender Jazz bass from the early 2000s that has sounded ridiculously good... until just last night. I noticed that now when I play the A string open there is a very strange acoustic noise ...
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Left hand bass muting when playing the first fret
I've been practising a piece that plays the open A-string followed by the E-string at the first fret. Normally I would just mute the A string whilst fretting the next note, but because it's only at ...
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Walking bass line/chord help
I've been playing bass for about a year, so pardon my question, what is the relation between chords, arpeggios and scales? I always learnt and played scales, but in order to learn this new jazz ...
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Is it normal that my bridge is this low the sides?
Since a few weeks ago, I have been noticing that the outer screws of my bass's bridge (the 1st and 8th one in the picture below) are completely "unscrewed". This means that the outer ends of the ...
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Piano questions from a former bass player: Is it better to think in note names or think in intervals?
So I was a (mostly Funk/Jazz) bass player for a long time, and as a bass player, I had a strong understanding of music theory. The reason that I had such a strong practical/intuitive understanding of ...
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Im having issue with my bass guitar
I'm new to bass, and I just got a new 200 dollar fender.
The issue that I'm having is a clanging noise when I play in the upper frets. The strings are a lot higher from the upper frets than the ...
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I want to start recording some bass riffs in FL studio to use them later in making songs. What are good practices for this?
I have heard before it is good to record clean audio in a separate track and apply effects later. I am very new to this and any advice would be appreciated.
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Very little time to learn pretty complex songs. What should my strategy be?
I got invited to join this band. They've got plenty more experience than I do, but I've been playing with one of the members for quite a while and, I guess, I wasn't doing so bad, since he's now ...
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What do I need to consider when changing to a Bassist Vocalist from Guitarist Vocalist
I have played the guitar for about 17 years now and I have become quite comfortable with the instrument. I have also been singing for about two years and though its not a very long time, I am okay at ...
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How do I achieve this bass tone?
How do I achieve the bass tone that can be heard at the beginning of this song? What combination of playing technique and equipment is being utilized here? Does this kind of sound have a name?
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Bass buzz how do I fix it?
I’m quite new to playing the bass guitar and I’m hearing a lot of buzz. I mainly play with my thumb. Could that be contributing to it? I do play somewhat hard and I’m trying to calm down with it, but ...
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Approach notes on bass guitar clashing with vocal
When I write bass lines, I find that they sound better with approach notes but I also find that sometimes the approach notes clash with or clutter certain run-in vocal phrases that start with a few ...
user35708
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Finger picking on bass vs finger picking on guitar
I'm learning bass after playing guitar for a long time. Anyway, it seems that the bass finger picking style is significantly different from the style I would use on the guitar. The standard bass ...
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Can an F# replace an A?
I play the bass in a band. We are playing Ray LaMontagne's "A Falling Through." The chords for the intro and verses are C/G and F, but our guitarist prefers playing C Cmaj7 Am and F. The problem ...
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How did I make this noise?
This is a really specific question, but I was fooling around on bass guitar and made a really cool (imo) noise which I couldn't replicate afterwards. I happened to record it. If someone could tell me ...
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How to change bass guitar tuning in Sibelius 8?
How can I change my bass guitar tuning? In this case I want to have a whole step down standard tuning (DGCFAD) (for 4 string bass it should be DGCF). How can I do it?
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When creating a bass line, how do I know what notes I'm allowed to use?
I've been playing bass for about two years now. I've learned plenty of beginner/intermediate songs and play with some friends about once a week. I have no problem playing the songs, but I kinda just ...
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Bass Guitar Strings for Chordal Playing
So I play a lot of chords on bass, (I loop a progression and walk over it) my chords sound good besides the fact that my strings are outdated and kinda give them a bad tone. Does anybody have an ...
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Melody vs harmony and context
When a song is playing, what the bass is doing is called harmony.
But what if you mute all the other tracks: would the bass alone be called a melody?
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How do I approach music theory practically?
I am an amateur bass guitar player. At some point I decided to do something about my lack of theory knowledge.
Now I know a few basic scales and can read sheet music in simple keys (from zero to one ...
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How to cut off a pick noise a little bit using an equalizer?
Maybe this question has an answer already, but search bar didn't help much :(
So I have my bass guitar part (in MIDI) and I'm using IK Multimedia MODO BASS as my bass guitar emulator (synthesizer or ...
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How to understand a minor chord using the harmonic series?
I play bass guitar and I have often wondered why a bass note would synchronise well with both major and minor chords of say a piano when we consider the harmonic series.
For instance, the C Major is ...
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Practice for skill maintenance with busy life
When I was younger I learned piano to grade 6 level, and I also picked up some bass guitar along the way. I enjoy playing music and composing from time to time. But life is busy (PhD thesis/work/etc.) ...
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Chord chart - who plays what part
When looking at a chord chart like the following,
D G/D D
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
Looking specifically at the G/D, is it true that typically the bass guitar plays ...
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Having trouble understanding my homework
I have some questions about this and my teacher is not understandable at all so I came here looking for answers.
I am supposed to write a bassline that has C Am F and G chords on a provided ...
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How does a Guitar Sustainer Clamp work?
I've encountered a few stores peddling sustainer clamps, and am absolutely blown away by the idea that they could do anything at all.
Can a solid metal clamp on the headstock of a guitar or bass ...
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How do pink floyd create their groovy basslines?
I'm heavily inspired by Roger Waters' basslines, and they are the reason I picked up bass - Yet, there's a problem -- I can't find any tutorial on how to create basslines like they do. For example, "...
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Help with string gauges for my vintage bass
I need help with my vintage 1956 Danelectro bass, its in a baritone style body and i believe its either a short or a medium scale neck. I'm just terrified of what gauge strings to give it, cause i ...
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Pain in hand while playing bass and hand positioning
I have been playing bass/guitar for around 2 and a half years, and still my left hand (fretting hand) hurts while playing and i need help with hand positioning my hand and wrist have to go to a 90 ...
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Fret buzz-Harmony H22
So I've been trying to look at ways to find fix fret buzz on my Harmony H22 bass guitar; it doesn't have a whole lot of buzz and I find it be on multiple frets. I'm not sure if it's just me or if it ...
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What is the difference between the speaker in a bass amp and sub?
I have a 12 inch 100 watt speaker in my bass amp and no subwoofer. The subwoofer I am looking to buy is also 12 inches 100 watts.
Is there a difference between the actual speakers found in a bass amp ...
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Bass line melodies
Can a bassline act as the melody of a song or be the focal point over a melody in a song? Listen to the instrumental below for example. It sounds like the bass-guitar is the lead tune throughout the ...
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Bass guitar: how to avoid sound when string hits fret
I picked up the bass a few months ago, and I've noticed that when I'm playing something, the strings make loud clicky sounds when they hit the fret. This happens especially when I'm trying to play ...
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Bass needs a cleanin'
So I bought a used bass and I can tell the previous owner has stickers on it because the pick guard is an eggshell color and the shape of the stickers is still white. Any idea on how to clean this?
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Using a bass guitar on a guitar amplifier through a bass pre-amplifier?
I've read that plugging a bass guitar into a guitar amplifier is not advisable as it can fry the speaker. However, could a pre-amplifier solve this problem (adjusting output power and impedance). I'm ...
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Should I be worried about buzzing on my bass?
When playing the 4th fret string D there is a buzzing sound. You can't hear the buzzing when the bass is plugged into my amp, only when the bass is alone. Should I be worried about this? Any solutions?...
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String ordering - Top vs bottom?
I've always been dyslexic when it comes to this turn of phrasing - Top strings connote the strings at the top of the fret-board in my mind. Even after years of playing, I sometimes have to wrench it ...
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How much common ground is there between applied theory on guitar vs bass guitar?
I'm currently just getting into playing bass, as a guitarist. I've noticed that a lot of the online lessons I see are very similar to guitar lessons e.g:
You MUST know all the notes on your fretboard ...
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How to get Steve Harris' bass tone?
I've recently tried a bass amp (without using a pedal) at a shop and it really sounded like Iron Maiden's Steve Harris' tone, so I bought it.
When I tried it at home with my bass it still sounds just ...
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How to understand which bass strings are best for my Yamaha RBX 170?
I need to do my first strings change on my RBX 170 and I don't know which kind of strings I have to buy.
How can I understand which one are best for it?
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My wrists hurt after playing bass for a long time
I've been playing bass for about 3 years, but only as a hobby. I've never had a teacher either. Usually I play for around 1 hour a day, sometimes up to 3 hours, but now I've got a gig coming up, so I ...
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How can i add simple bass guitar in my simple songs?
Hello i play guitar and sing for 1.5 year. I know the very basics of music theory, and i am writing and recording (with an audio interface) simple songs. With simple songs i mean just a guitar playing ...
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How to tell what is broken with my bass guitar
I have a weird problem with my bass guitar and I wanted to have some sort of background knowledge before I bring it in so I understand what the repairman is saying and/or so I don't get taken.
I have ...
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What are the advantages/ disadvantages of 4 or 6 string basses for a beginner?
I've been researching the topic and I like the 6 string bass, but looking on YouTube, Yousician, and other resources, most guides on how to play the bass are for 4 strings. Even Yousician, which I was ...
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Active Bass with circuitry removed?
I have bought a 1989 fender MIJ Lyte bass. The owner took out the active wiring saying he likes the sound better. He offered to put it back. Whats the best advice here? Thanks in advance, Cheers alf
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