# any guitar/bass players?



## rsdan1984 (Jul 31, 2009)

ive recently become inspired to play bass guitar again. i got my dean edge q5 5 string bass back last week off my mate after i sold it to him a few years ago. ive spent the last week going through scales and chords with a view to getting really competant on the fret board and using the scales to build little funky bass fills.

do many people on here play? got any usefull tips? or videos? im currently working my way through studybass.com which is proving really usefull.


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## Gruffs (Dec 10, 2007)

I play guitar. 

Iim teaching myself (I had some musical knowledge before from the Trumpet) but i have now got to the stage where I need to learn and practice my scales to help with lead parts and general musicality.

It's so bloody boring. It's so hard to sit downand go through the scales when AC/DC made rocking out so simple.

If you have an iPhone, ultimate-guitar.com have an app for tabs which is really useful and Gibson have a 'learn and master guitar' app (not sure about bass).


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## m4rkie23 (May 19, 2009)

If you do have an iPhone, spend a few quid and buy Guitar Toolkit. It is £5 (iirc) and has Guitar and Bass Tuner, Full Interactive Fretboard, Metronome, Full Chord Book, all scales/arpeggios etc. Is a great tool. 

I've been playing guitar for over 10 years. Personally, if you want to learn how to PLAY the bass, learn the theory. Learn the notes, scales, techniques. 
If you want to play along to songs, then get the tabs and work through them.


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

Practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice
:lol:

I have been playing guitar and bass for about 16 years and in bands for 14. When I first started I found the easiest thing to do was to pick up a couple of song books for albums I liked and play along to them a song at a time - I learned the chord shapes that way and found it a lot easier. Once I'd learned the chords, I think it helped develop my ear and makes it a lot easier to be able to play by ear and learn stuff without looking at charts. I know very little theory and I can't read music, but I've done alright so far. If you can play by ear it will help massively once you start looking for tabs on sites like ultimateguitar.com as a hell of a lot of them are wrong and you'll spend twice as long working the song out properly as you will finding the tab. Guitar Pro is also a very useful tool to own.

What I would suggest if you are playing a 5 (if you don't do this already) is move your playing position (or anchor or whatever you want to call it) up to the fifth fret so you play your bottom E at the 5th fret of of the bottom B string. Sorry if that's teaching you how to suck eggs, but when I started playing a 5 I found moving up to that position made a lot more sense.


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## Red_Cloverleaf (Jul 26, 2009)

Yep, I play. Learned by chord diagrams then picked things up by "ear". I cant read music and a guitar tab is my limit as far as the paper stuff goes.

As mentioned earlier, practice, practice, practice.......

Currently have a 52 Reissue Tele through a Fender Reverb and a 1981 Les Paul Standard, through a Mesa Boogie.

Standing in the corner is a Musicman Stingray, which rarely gets used.


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

Red_Cloverleaf said:


> Standing in the corner is a Musicman Stingray, which rarely gets used.


Send it to me I'll look after it.
I was very interested in the 52 RI Teles, is your USA or Japanese? I have parted with all of my Les Pauls sadly and am currenly playing an *early* G&L Asat Special and a 72 RI Custom Tele 5:50 as my two main guitars through a Mesa Express and have one or two other bits tucked away.


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## Ti22 (Mar 24, 2009)

Yep.. been playing on an off for 15ish years. some more off than on! 

currently rehearsing for my 1st gig in August!


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## rsdan1984 (Jul 31, 2009)

thanks for the advise guys. i dont have an iphone - not hip enough!!

im not too interested in learning songs, although i will learn a few of my favorites/ones with cool bass lines. im pretty good at listening to songs and picking out the bass lines, i have a good ear for it. as i said im more keen on the theory this time around - ive bookmarked a few sites to work through and have been watching some cool videos on youtube.

i think its just a case of practicing (as said earlier). ive been working on moving scales up and down the fret board and just using them to jam out soloey riffs.


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## Gruffs (Dec 10, 2007)

Well,

I have been reading and playing music for 21 years. Though i'm not so hot on the chords names (you're really talented if you can play a chord on a Cornet :lol.

But the rest, Crotchet, quaver, Breve etc. i can help with if you need it.


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## Red_Cloverleaf (Jul 26, 2009)

johnnyguitar said:


> Send it to me I'll look after it.
> I was very interested in the 52 RI Teles, is your USA or Japanese? I have parted with all of my Les Pauls sadly and am currenly playing an *early* G&L Asat Special and a 72 RI Custom Tele 5:50 as my two main guitars through a Mesa Express and have one or two other bits tucked away.


The Tele is a Custom Shop USA and it's a diamond.

I have to admit that I prefer the Gibsons and I'm on the lookout for a decent 335 if you fancy a trade with a Stingray?


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

Got more use for a 335 these days to be honest. I had a mint 2002 Stingray in black/black/maple - sold it with the BEST Precision I ever had (out of the five I've owned) to buy a 335. Beautiful guitar, I got lucky and picked a REALLY good one but then got an 87 LP Custom and one of them had to go - unfortunately for me, the 335 went first - more unfortunately the LPC followed. I can't remember what I got after that, another P Bass and a USA Strat, but they've both gone now as well!

My mate has a peach of a Stingray 4 at the moment. Natural finish, ash and must only weigh about 7-1/2 - 8 lbs. Amazing bass and much better than mine was (and I thought mine was great).

With Stingray values up and down like BP shares, you'd have to find some cash to add to your 'ray at the moment.


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## Red_Cloverleaf (Jul 26, 2009)

I'm not really wanting to off-load it to be honest and another six-stringer is a bit excessive to add to what I've already got, to be honest.

I know where you are coming from though.


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

I always thought, "You can never have enough guitars"! I had a big clear out earlier this year and sold my beloved Les Paul Standard with Pearly Gates, my USA Strat, my last USA P Bass and God knows what else over the last 18 months (I was up to 16 guitars at one point and most of them never got played) including my LP Custom, my Goldtop Standard, a Ric 360, the list goes on. I am now playing my CIJ 72 RI Tele and an 80s G&L Asat which is the best sounding electric guitar I've ever played (and I thought my PG equipped LP was good) - I don't like the neck or the black hardware, but I'm prepared to see past them for the tone. I used to use a Laney LC30 which sounded great with the LP but since switching to a Mesa I've found that Teles and Strats seem to work so much better with an American voiced 6L6 powered amp - I don't know if it's because they're so similar to Fender but designs or tones or what, but it works. 

Anyway, apologies to the OP for going WAY off topic!


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## Red_Cloverleaf (Jul 26, 2009)

My two favourites I now own and I dont have a hankering for anything else to be honest, so the two will do for me as I get everything out of them that I want. Especially the Tele.


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

Top man! The Tele has to be the most simple but effective guitar I reckon.


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## Jed (Aug 1, 2010)

I play bass, but not normally! I play high end melodic bass lines influenced by Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order. I also play keys and a bit of guitar, but not too good on guitar, too many strings in a small space for bassist!

you can hear some of my tracks here www.myspace.com/bassbandits

Always welcome feedback, even if it's bad!
:thumb:


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## Pandy (Jan 19, 2008)

Ive started to pick my bass up again with the same intensions as the OP, learning how to actually play it rather than copying tabs

Desperately needs setting up and a new set if strings though


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## Jed (Aug 1, 2010)

Pandy said:


> Ive started to pick my bass up again with the same intensions as the OP, learning how to actually play it rather than copying tabs
> 
> Desperately needs setting up and a new set if strings though


I'm self taught in everything, just play by ear and play very often, i can't read music but I have read many books on writing, arranging, chrod progressions and song structure, so I'm not completely winging it.


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## Pandy (Jan 19, 2008)

Yeah ive been on that studybass.com website and it looks great.

Can anyone recommend a good string set for a 5 string active bass?


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