Timing

Its all in the fingers, or is it?

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Timing

Post by Bg »

Have spent a few weeks going back to bass. I love the precision(sic) of it and being able to push and pull the timing. It really has helped me get back to being precise in that regard!

Having played so much stuff on bass lately, its stopped me thinking like a guitarist (thankfully) and I remember how many guitarists think they can play bass by hitting roots or being a lead bass guitarist :D

just saying really, but maybe some might appreciate.
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

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Re: Timing

Post by philly »

oh i hear you..
did some recording recently in sydney. .. guitar went great... but big name aussie bassist didnt show up ( no surprise there...)
before i'd only done live bass for a favour and some home demos
couldn't believe how hard it was ... not just the the timing on when you play the note.. but when you stop the note ... or just take yer fingers off
totally different dynamic
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Re: Timing

Post by Molly »

Ya mean y'can't just widdle away in key and show those bass plodder blokes how it's done?!

That's my back-up plan fucked.

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Re: Timing

Post by JHorner »

Molly wrote:Ya mean y'can't just widdle away in key and show those bass plodder blokes how it's done?!

That's my back-up plan fucked.
Works for me when everyone gets bored and we all switch up instruments. Widdle around till you find something that fits, and then you're allowed to play that 8 times in a row! Maybe even 16!
Bg wrote:many guitarists think they can play bass by hitting roots or being a lead bass guitarist
I resemble that remark!

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Re: Timing

Post by Bg »

Molly wrote:Ya mean y'can't just widdle away in key and show those bass plodder blokes how it's done?!

That's my back-up plan fucked.
Of course you can... if you want to look like a failed guitarist ;)

Bass playing is a lot like programming. Programming consists of repeating a lot of rather dull tasks, lots of cutting and pasting and repeating patterns. And bass playing is the same, only with drugs and alcohol.
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

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Re: Timing

Post by Bg »

JHorner wrote:
Bg wrote:many guitarists think they can play bass by hitting roots or being a lead bass guitarist
I resemble that remark!
That only works if you're Hooky.
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

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Re: Timing

Post by philly »

just a different sort of microscope
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Re: Timing

Post by Danger Mouse »

Pfft, playing bass with a guitar playing background is easy, you just stop concentrating on what you're doing and start concentrating on what the drummer is doing.
The older I get, the more disappointed in myself I become.

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Re: Timing

Post by Molly »

Bg wrote:
Molly wrote:Ya mean y'can't just widdle away in key and show those bass plodder blokes how it's done?!

That's my back-up plan fucked.
Of course you can... if you want to look like a failed guitarist ;)
Isn't that why we're all here? A failed guitarist support group? ;-)

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Re: Timing

Post by Bg »

no. I'm a failed bass player, I took up guitar because of my bad timing :(
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

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Re: Timing

Post by werdna »

My timing used to be bad. Learning some Van Halen fixed it a bit. It took many hours of practice though.

Van H used to be a drummer. His rhythm playing is extremely tight. Lots of 16th notes, gaps, upstrokes and counterpoint. Incredibly tight, but never clinical like some of those who followed him.

Just to test it out, try the intro to House of Pain on 1984. Simple sounding but rhythmically challenging. Then try the break down at the end. It swings, it skids on the brink, and it is played with awesome precision.

There is very little about guitar playing that we cannot learn from Van H. The trouble is that he set the bar so high sometimes it all seems unattainable.
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Re: Timing

Post by Danger Mouse »

werdna wrote:My timing used to be bad. Learning some Van Halen fixed it a bit. It took many hours of practice though.

Van H used to be a drummer. His rhythm playing is extremely tight. Lots of 16th notes, gaps, upstrokes and counterpoint. Incredibly tight, but never clinical like some of those who followed him.

Just to test it out, try the intro to House of Pain on 1984. Simple sounding but rhythmically challenging. Then try the break down at the end. It swings, it skids on the brink, and it is played with awesome precision.

There is very little about guitar playing that we cannot learn from Van H. The trouble is that he set the bar so high sometimes it all seems unattainable.
VH is a master of timing. For instance, the main riff for Hot for Teacher he plays slightly ahead and slightly behind the beat in the pattern to accentuate certain parts of it and make it really boogie. Like you say, he makes it sound so simple...
The older I get, the more disappointed in myself I become.

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Re: Timing

Post by hamo »

Danger Mouse wrote:
werdna wrote:My timing used to be bad. Learning some Van Halen fixed it a bit. It took many hours of practice though.

Van H used to be a drummer. His rhythm playing is extremely tight. Lots of 16th notes, gaps, upstrokes and counterpoint. Incredibly tight, but never clinical like some of those who followed him.

Just to test it out, try the intro to House of Pain on 1984. Simple sounding but rhythmically challenging. Then try the break down at the end. It swings, it skids on the brink, and it is played with awesome precision.

There is very little about guitar playing that we cannot learn from Van H. The trouble is that he set the bar so high sometimes it all seems unattainable.
VH is a master of timing. For instance, the main riff for Hot for Teacher he plays slightly ahead and slightly behind the beat in the pattern to accentuate certain parts of it and make it really boogie. Like you say, he makes it sound so simple...
This is great news for me, I'm always ahead of or behind the beat...
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Re: Timing

Post by sirvill »

Sometimes i think bass is more like playing drums than guitar.

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Re: Timing

Post by foal30 »

I am working out "Since I've Been Loving You" by Led Zepplin

It's a minor blues in 3/4 time
Genuine Old Frontier Gibberish

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