Questions tagged [bass-guitar]

For questions about the bass guitar, whether acoustic or electric.

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Bass playing additional fifth below what it should

I have a Squier affinity j bass V that I bought about 9 months ago. It was working great but the last couple days for some reason when I play there hear a low fifth playing under the note.
Samuel's user avatar
  • 133
4 votes
3 answers
301 views

How do I try out a new bass before buying?

I am in the market for a new bass for myself (Schecter Stiletto 5-Studio), and none of the retail music shops (Guitar Center or Sam Ash) carry it because it's not a new model, and of course the ...
nixhex's user avatar
  • 41
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

Ridge along the backside of the neck of my bass guitar

Three months ago I purchased a Warwick Pro Series Thumb BO 4 string from my local music store and recently I've discovered a ridge that runs along the grain on the back of the neck. It appears the ...
tcoy's user avatar
  • 51
0 votes
3 answers
11k views

Do Scale Shapes change with different tunings?

All the scale diagrams I've seen are shown in E standard tuning. Would the scale shape change in another tuning, like Drop D for example? Alternatively, do I just keep the same scale shape regardless ...
Dedwards's user avatar
  • 656
2 votes
1 answer
550 views

How is the "fuzzy" effect in Funk bass achieved?

I'm curious about the bass in the Funkadelic and Alegria songs. It sounds fuzzy to me, but when I search "fuzzy bass effect" I get videos that give a more rock/static sound than the warm/fuzz I'm ...
Chuck's user avatar
  • 123
6 votes
4 answers
7k views

open tunings for bass?

Long time bass [hack] player, also play a little bit of guitar, working on learning some music theory to expand my understanding of the mechanics of creating music. I'm curious about open tunings on ...
David's user avatar
  • 61
4 votes
1 answer
462 views

Do the note positions on a U-bass correspond to a Bass guitar?

I can't find any images of the layout of notes on a U-bass fretboard. Would a fretted U-bass play the same as a bass guitar, but with a shorter scale? As far as I've found, the 4 strings share the E-...
Dedwards's user avatar
  • 656
11 votes
5 answers
8k views

Can a U-BASS be considered a serious bass replacement in a band?

I'm quite taken with the idea of the Kala U-Bass - it's a bass in the form-factor of ukulele using special super-thick rubber strings. They look pretty well-built and the price suggests they are not ...
Mr. Boy's user avatar
  • 9,802
13 votes
2 answers
3k views

Why are eighth notes seemingly so important in bass guitar?

In an effort to push through a plateau in my playing, I've started really digging into method books and even getting lessons (I'm mostly self-taught). Quite a few books, and my instructor have all ...
Dedwards's user avatar
  • 656
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Hum from amp when strings left open

I've started playing bass using an old one my father owned. It has not been serviced for ages as far as I know. I've plugged it in to a new Vox Pathfinder practice amp with a new cable. I notice that ...
Mr. Boy's user avatar
  • 9,802
2 votes
1 answer
188 views

What should I consider when buying Bass pedals? [duplicate]

I've been playing guitar for some time, and recently switched over to bass. I've picked up a decent practice amp and have been diligently plucking away. I want to start digging into the different ...
Dedwards's user avatar
  • 656
7 votes
4 answers
5k views

Should a new player start with flat or round wound strings?

This question discusses the differences in sound between flat/round bass strings: Flat-wound vs round-wound strings However as someone who doesn't yet play bass this doesn't help me too much. Are ...
Mr. Boy's user avatar
  • 9,802
4 votes
1 answer
530 views

Why is it so uncommon to see electric basses with flat fretboards?

I am interested in this as I build my first bass and it took me the whole summer, so any ways to make the handbuilding process simpler, faster and still reliable. Classical guitars have flat ...
Emílio Dolgener Cantú's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
3k views

How to learn to play bass guitar from chord sheets as a rhythm guitarist?

I'm primarily a rhythm (acoustic) guitarist with a little bit of music theory. Mainly I play songs from a chord sheet in my church band, no score. I'm interested to learn a bit of bass as I was given ...
Mr. Boy's user avatar
  • 9,802
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

What to use for Electric Upright Bass Amplification? [closed]

Lately, I've been fascinated by electric upright basses. It started with seeing one in a store, and now I've been looking at EUB's of all price ranges online. I realized, though, that I'm entirely ...
Ryan Kinal's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
268 views

Bass Guitar rasgueado?

How does Victor Wooten do that super-fast tremolo plucking? It looks like his fingers are always curled and right on top of the strings. Is he slapping with 3 or 4 fingers rapidly or is he plucking ...
luser droog's user avatar
  • 15.1k
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

Do I need an amp for my guitar if I have an audio interface?

I've been playing the bass for a few years now and want to start recording some of my songs. I've also just moved cities and am trying to save on space/money/number of belongings, so I'm a bit unsure ...
king_geedorah's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
1k views

Low tuning recording

I play in a band that uses drop A tuning. That's 55Hz on guitar. That'd make 27.5Hz for a drop tuned 5 string bass? My question is, am I suppose to be chasing down studio monitors that can reproduce ...
cab00t's user avatar
  • 105
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

Lowered or drop tuning interchangeability

Let's say I want to play "Master of Puppets" by Metallica but I like the heavy sound of D standard. Can I play the riffs in that tuning using the same chord fingerings as in E standard to get the ...
H3R3T1K's user avatar
  • 429
3 votes
0 answers
1k views

Could I turn a bass guitar into a large ukulele? [closed]

I'm a massive fan of having larger ukuleles and therefore if I got a bass guitar and replaced the strings and tuned it to a ukuleles standard tuning, would I have a working ukulele ?
Ben Maddison 's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
6k views

Brand new bass, annoying fret buzz

I know this question has come up multiple times here on this website, but I think that it's kind of strange to have fret buzz with a brand new bass. This happens most on the two middle strings, and I ...
Afonso Muralha's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
350 views

Plugging an Active Bass into M-Audio Profire

so I'm going to record direct input but apparently this bass is an active bass (which I think means there's a pre-amp built into the bass. Can I just plug this thing directly into my profire? Trying ...
Kellen Stuart's user avatar
7 votes
4 answers
6k views

How do (bass) guitar players stop a note?

I don't play (bass) guitar, nor do I have a desire to. However, this question has been bugging me for quite some time now, as I have yet found the answer myself by viewing guitarists playing, mostly ...
Decent Dabbler's user avatar
4 votes
4 answers
7k views

Bass picking technique

I play the bass in a metal band, so I usually need a pick to get both a more fitting sound and reach the right speed. But I cannot find the right technique to use it and I don't have much precision ...
user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
376 views

Re-harmonize the chord with the bass?

Hi i'm a bass player and as any other bassist i was looking to improve my bass skills and I've always wondered how I could change the root note of a certain chord to give it a different feel. For ...
Rui Miguel's user avatar
4 votes
7 answers
11k views

Can you strum a bass guitar?

I always had the idea that you can strum a bass guitar. An idea I got from watching Mark Hoppus play. Recently the bass teacher I know told me that you mostly play lead lines with a bass. I'm not sure ...
Neil Meyer's user avatar
  • 14.8k
4 votes
3 answers
17k views

Auto-bass accompaniment

Is there any kind of software or a DIY-hack, that can give one the effect of having a bassist, without actually having one. Of course, I do not expect it to be half as good as a real bassist, but ...
bdutta74's user avatar
  • 759
3 votes
3 answers
279 views

Method Book questions

For those of you who are aware of it, I'm using the Hal Leonard bass method. I've been working on it for several months by myself and got to exercise 75 or so. However, everything feels so ...
tapir435's user avatar
  • 139
7 votes
2 answers
3k views

In MuseScore, is it possible to add tab to an existing bass notation so I'd get both notation and tabs for bass?

I'm using MuseScore 2 and I've been wondering: Is it possible to add tab to an existing bass notation so I'd get both notation and tabs for bass like you can have it for regular guitar? Basically I ...
user30935's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
736 views

Lefthand to righthand bass guitar conversion

Can I simply rearrange the strings of this bass to make it right handed, without changing the pickups? Does the position of pickups matter?
amphibient's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
569 views

How to transpose music written for bass to flute?

My jazz band is playing a song called "It's About Swing," and I'm playing the flute for this song. However, there is not flute part written in the chart, so my band teacher gave me the bass part. (I ...
thatweirdpandanextdoor's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
3k views

Why does the neck of a bass get wider?

I've noticed in many basses (not sure if this happens in all of them), the top of the neck starts at a certain width and towards the bottom, it is wider. Here is an example: This happens to my double ...
Shevliaskovic's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
893 views

How is a jazz bass different from a normal bass guitar?

I'm trying to get a jazz bass guitar (active) and I've been looking at the Ibanez range. The only problem is that it doesn't quite say whether it is jazz bass or not for most of them. For example, how ...
John_dydx's user avatar
  • 163
2 votes
3 answers
2k views

Behringer guitar link and ASIO stuff

I've been searching the web like crazy for some help. None has been found to date. I've acquired a guitar link from Behringer, model UCG 102. It turns out that I can get my bass to be played on ...
Andrew's user avatar
  • 21
4 votes
2 answers
668 views

Bass Guitar Theory: playing with lead sheets

When playing with lead sheets (which is how I always play), I sometimes have a hard time when to go "off script" and go from boring old root-note playing to walking up or down and hitting passing ...
Wayne Harling's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
14k views

In a bass guitar, how do I mute the strings that I am not playing?

I am learning Bass Guitar on my own and muting looks challenging. For eg, when I am playing the A string, I find the G string sympathetically humming at times and vice versa. Such humming produces an ...
gigahari's user avatar
  • 1,122
7 votes
7 answers
12k views

Bass guitar - One finger per fret or not?

I have seen a few questions about this on guitar, but none on bass. When I started guitar, I instinctively used my four fingers to play stuff (five if you count the thumb for over-neck awesomeness) ...
fp123's user avatar
  • 101
11 votes
6 answers
6k views

Why are bass guitars so much shorter than a double bass?

As electric bass guitars are tuned one octave lower than regular electric guitars, I can't understand why they are only slightly longer. I would think that an octave lower means strings of double ...
ophirgv's user avatar
  • 113
7 votes
2 answers
608 views

In a Rock/Blues band who dictates the groove?

The song is Superstition by Stevie Wonder. The song sounded out of sync and rushed when we were playing it. I play guitar and try to lay back and play behind the beat, but should the bass player play ...
r lo's user avatar
  • 2,549
4 votes
2 answers
8k views

What is a 6-string bass guitar with normal guitar tuning called?

As I know, there're 6-string bass with B – E – A – D – G - C tuning. But, MusicMan release kind-of 6-string bass with guitar tuning which is E - A - D - G - B - e. You can see the bass here. Is it ...
seseorang's user avatar
  • 4,127
5 votes
5 answers
2k views

Are there any resources to self-learn the bass guitar for those who already know theory?

I am a Music teacher. I hold a Ph.D. in Music Composition, studied piano for several years, and now I want to play the bass. My concern is that every resource I find to become self-taught ends up ...
SeuMenezes's user avatar
  • 1,698
-2 votes
1 answer
337 views

What was Randy Coven's gear

I've been googling for it. He uses a Pavel "Randy Coven" signature series fretless bass and GK heads with ampeg cabs. Does anyone knows which effects and strings did he use?
Rodrigo Gurgel's user avatar
12 votes
16 answers
5k views

How to tune a guitar/bass without a tuner?

When I'm trying to tune my guitar/bass without a tuner, if a single string is in tune, I can tune the rest of the strings based on the tuned one, using the harmonics over the 5th and 7th frets. But ...
Shevliaskovic's user avatar
9 votes
4 answers
2k views

What are some good suggestions for a bass player's plucking fingers?

As a bass player I have run into situations where my fingers feel dry or sweaty and it ends up affecting my playing. When the fingers are dry, I end up getting a lot more friction, which has caused ...
Basstickler's user avatar
  • 7,429
4 votes
2 answers
850 views

bass technique for 4th and 7th jumps

Playing a melody with fourth or minor sevenths jumps on a bass guitar is usually a purely horizontal movement on the fretboard, staying at the same fret and just switching strings. It's not a problem ...
Bruce Fields's user avatar
  • 1,450
5 votes
2 answers
2k views

What to look for in a bass amp for extended range bass guitars?

I was doing some research on extended range bass guitars and it seems like there's not really any amp/cab than can handle the F#0 of a 7-string bass guitar particularly well. Be that as it may, it ...
user avatar
7 votes
4 answers
5k views

How important is string-muting when playing the bass?

I'm mainly an acoustic guitar player, branching out into electric guitar and (a bit) bass guitar. I don't know much of anything about bass technique - I just have one lying around and muck about on ...
Mr. Boy's user avatar
  • 9,802
2 votes
2 answers
3k views

Would it be worth buying better pickups for a cheap bass guitar?

I bought a really cheap bass guitar second hand. It works fine, but I'm wondering if it would sound better with more expensive pickups. Since I got it at a market for around £20 I'm guessing that the ...
Keir's user avatar
  • 330
15 votes
3 answers
9k views

Expand Bass Guitar Playing Beyond Root Notes

I am fairly new to the bass guitar and I'm in a band. So far, I almost always just play the root note of the chord. I sometimes hold it until a new chord and sometimes repeatedly play this same note....
bill999's user avatar
  • 267
6 votes
3 answers
956 views

Improving bass transcription skill

I’m trying to get in the habit of transcribing music. I don’t have a lot of experience, so my ear isn’t very good yet, and in particular I often have trouble distinguishing parts of the bass line from ...
Bradd Szonye's user avatar
  • 6,668