Questions tagged [bass-guitar]
For questions about the bass guitar, whether acoustic or electric.
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Intonation problems with a low b string
I just got a Warwick Thumb NT 6 and my b string is still sharp on the 12 and 24th fret but I cant tighten the screw anymore. What should i do? is it normal for the top few frets to be really out?
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Strap button repair
One of the strap buttons on my bass is stripped. I’ve seen several methods for repairing this, all of which involved filling the hole with some bits of wood.
Insert matchsticks, toothpicks, or a ...
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New set of strings on (bass) guitar with no adjustable intonation
When I restringed (re-strung?) my electric guitar, I had to take it back to the store because I belatedly realized that the intonation would have to be corrected.
Now, I have two acoustic guitars and ...
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Bass fret board position knowledge
I`ve been playing 6 string bass for quite a while now, but during live performances with low light, l sometimes find it difficult to find the right notes on the fretboard, esp C on the E string ...
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Any heads-up tips for recording bass guitars?
I'm getting myself into recording (bought several equipment already) and I'm really having fun!
I've only tried the drums yet and it goes well so far. I want to move on to the bass guitar next.
...
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Achieve samplepad/keyboard synth sound with a bass guitar for playing live?
I play bass in a pop band and for a new song we want to add a synth bass similar to the one in this song:
The estudio recording part is easy, so the question is if ...
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Finger Picking vs. using a Pick on Bass Guitar
Before I played bass I played guitar, so when I started to play bass I naturally used a pick. Eventually I learned how to finger pick and now typically use both picking techniques interchangeably as a ...
Dom♦
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Where along the strings to pick?
How does picking position affect a guitar’s sound? I can make some general observations – the strings are brighter near the bridge, and they can be more percussive near the neck – but I’m not sure how ...
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Guitar Pro 6 – electric bass is quiet
First time I'm trying to write music in GP6 with bass track and I noticed that I cannot hear the electric bass. I checked out a many of its settings, but nothing helps me; all I can to check that it ...
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Alternating fingers or direction?
In typical fingerstyle bass technique, you alternate between two fingers, always pulling the strings in the same direction, up toward your hand. In contrast, with picked bass you alternate pick ...
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What is a "flat wrist"?
Bass legend Carol Kaye writes that she uses a "flat wrist" technique when playing bass with a pick.
What does she mean by this?
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Can I use bass pick as guitar pick?
First of all, I don't really know about the difference between both picks, but as far as I know, the bass pick is slightly wider.
Can I use it (the bass pick) as a guitar pick (for guitar, of course)?...
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Risks of adjusting a truss rod?
I know that you can break a truss rod by over-tightening it. Repair guides warn not to tighten the rod if you meet excessive resistance or hear squeaking noises. For example, from the Fender Bass ...
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Alternate picking for fingerstyle bass
I’m familiar with the different approaches to alternate picking with a plectrum, from economy picking to strict alternate picking. I personally prefer to use down-picks for downbeats and up-picks for ...
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Exercising fingerstyle bass technique
I'm looking to improve my fingerstyle technique on the bass guitar. I'd like to develop good habits, especially regarding alternating my fingers, as I currently tend to overuse my index finger and ...
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Fingertip care for guitarists
I have built up calluses enough to avoid most fingertip pain from playing guitar and bass, but I have rough and slightly cracked fingertips. My fretting hand isn’t bad, but my right hand is very rough ...
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Bass guitar shifting vs pinky emphasis
I'm learning to play the bass guitar and I've come across a lot of phrases that span 4 frets (call them 1,2,3,4) where notes on 2 and 4 are emphasized.
I've played these using two methods and have ...
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How often should I wax my bass?
When I bought my bass, it came with a surface finisher (beeswax). I've been waxing my bass about once every month/month and a half.
Why should I wax my bass and how often is it recommended I do it?
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How to learn Jazz Bass Guitar?
I have been learning bass guitar for one year. I have the basic in the major and minor scales. Basically, I am able to figure out the bass line of a song I hear, like pop song or rock song. But, when ...
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Bass guitar amplifier [duplicate]
I have a guitar amplifier at home and I am playing bass in a band. I am practicing at home and I wonder if I can use the guitar amplifier with the bass or will it damage the amp?
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Guidance on buying a bass guitar amp
I'm looking for basic guidance on buying a bass guitar amp. I currently own an Acoustic B200 and I've tried other small learning amps. I would like to find one that matches the sound I'm going for ...
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How do I make a song swing?
I've been trying to play some swing bass lines, and while technically I can play the swing feel (the 16th notes with some triplets), it doesn't sound like it's swinging.
It sounds kinda boring and ...
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Thumb tension while playing bass guitar
I am doing "spider exercise" from JOHN PATITUCCI Bass Workshop 1 3 Left Hand Dexterity Builders chunk 1,
After a couple of minutes I start feeling increasing left thumb tension, in 10 minutes it ...
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What do you use to train your sense of rhythm?
I am a keyboard player and recently decided to study bass guitar playing. I cannot spend much time for practicing - approximately 40 min a day, so the most of that time I am doing "spider exercise". ...
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Learn bass consistently
What would be a consistent way of learning to play the electric bass guitar ? I aim to play jazz/blues and some funk, i would like to be able to do more than just learn tabs which I think I already do ...
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What is the purpose of plastic thumb in slapping?
I have in some videos people wear a big plastic thumb when they slap.
What is the purpose of that?
Here is an examplewhere Buckethead uses it:
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Bass pickup height adjustment
I've recently set up my bass with the help of this youtube video:
I'm really happy with it but one question remains. Fender recommends 2mm space between the ...
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Is loosening the truss rod of a bass the correct thing to do after changing to a lighter string gauge?
I bought some new strings for my bass and was informed that 40 is what you find on most basses when they come out of the factory. I restrung my bass today and the stock strings are actually thicker ...
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Bass alternative tuning picture
I am a bass player and I use alternative tuning - DGCF to be more specific. I was searching for some nice picture of a fretboard with this tuning but found none (I could, of course, make myself one, ...
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String configuration on a bass guitar
Having swapped my 4 string bass about 12 years ago,for a 5 string, I'd never go back. Lots of players love them, but some hate them. The advantage for me is having an extra low string, not necessarily ...
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Howto: Electric Bass Guitar - Home Recording
My question should be quite clear from the title, but, I want to know what devices should I look to home recording my bass guitar, I've tried connecting my amplifier output to my notebook's microphone ...
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Passive and active pickups for bass guitar
What is the difference in sound quality of active and passive pickups? At first it comes to me that active is best, always, but is that really true?
Also, can anyone point me if THIS specific bass ...
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How to connect bass to windows box and record the session? [duplicate]
Basically I would like to connect my bass to my PC running Windows.
I have read about two forms:
Connect my bass to my pc using the MIC jack in the box or and USB cable but I can get a problem about ...
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How to modify Trace-Elliot Velocette amp to make it more suitable for use with bass?
I have a Trace-Elliot Velocette that I'm very satisfied with. This amp works very good also for recording bass, but the low notes will be much less sturdy when recording through this amp than if I ...
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Tips and tools to help transcribing a bass line in tablature
I'd like to transcribe a song that I couldn't find a proper version of on the Internet. Transcribing the guitar and drums (I'm a guitarist and beginner bassist) was not really difficult but I find ...
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Which F to use on a bass?
What F is sounds best for a bass guitar/electric bass. First fret on E string (sounds too dark) or third on D string (sounds too bright). The tune is in F minor and the next chord is Eb.
Some choices ...
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What are some of the strength building exercises for Bass players?
What are some of the strength building exercises for Bass players, especially for the left palm/fingers?
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Unwanted sound while recording Fender P Bass
When I try to record my Fender P bass, I get a small unwanted sound along. I am posting a sample:
http://host.jsplash.com/audio/Sound-Bass.wav
Is this a hum, hiss, noise or what? Is it normal? What ...
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Electric fretless bass guitar intonation
Is there a specific way to check the intonation on a fretless bass, i.e. adjusting the string lengths at the bridge, or does it simply not matter, as we're keeping in tune by ear anyhow?
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Fixing fret buzz on Bass guitar, coming from the fret itself
My bass guitar has had some terrible fret buzz lately. The buzz is coming from the fret itself, not the head or anything. I tried differing the amount of pressure on the left and right hands. It will ...
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Learning to play bass guitar: Fretless vs Fretted
I took bass guitar lessons years ago, but decided I was going to start self-teaching again. I have 2 basses, a Squire P-Bass, and a Fender fretless J-Bass. I was thinking about teaching myself to ...
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Is it possible for an unamplified acoustic bass guitar to be loud?
One of the groups I play for, a renaissance-faire-friendly folk act, is considering investing in an acoustic bass guitar, for both amplified and unamplified use. However, acoustic bass guitars have a ...
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Why should you begin plucking with the index finger when playing the bass?
According to this question and answer and elsewhere I've seen and read online, you should start the plucking action with your index finger.
Naturally, for me, middle then index is more comfortable ...
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How can I learn timing from a guitar tab?
When playing guitar/bass from tabs, I find that I can learn the fingering easily, but the timing is often wrong when I play with a backing track. I'm fairly noobish to music notation/tablature, but I ...
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What should I look for in a metal bass guitar?
I am playing bass in a humorous metal band. The idea is to make parody out of metal using as many cliches as possible (at the same time respecting the scene and having fun, of course). We have some ...
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Tool to adjust truss rod on a bass guitar
As a follow-up to this question:
What tool will I need to adjust the truss rod on a bass guitar? The guitar in question is a Peavey T-40 with too much relief on the neck.
While I've found a ...
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What is the true definition of Drop C tuning?
Since I play bass I will tackle this question from a bass guitar perspective.
I've had some musicians state that the following tuning is Drop C tuning (E is dropped to D, and then all strings are ...
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What is the correct way to use your left hand on a fretless bass guitar?
I just recently bought a used fretless bass ($200 for a Schecter Diamond series = can't pass up) and it is the first fretless bass I have ever owned. The neck has fret inlays & markings, so it's ...
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What is the correct way to modify a bass bridge to accept thicker guage strings?
Recently, I tried to restring one of my 5-strings and found out that the low B string wouldn't fit through the bridge. The bass is an LTD B55
I was thinking of drilling/boring the hole to be wider, ...
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Bass Guitar - Practicing and Improving
I've been playing bass for about four years now. Before that I had some experience with guitar and piano but once I picked up a bass I loved it.
I'd consider myself at about an intermediate skill ...
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