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#1
09-12-2004, 07:26 PM
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Bass guitar and improv - tips/suggestions?
I have a question about bass guitar and improv for worship/praise songs.
Someone in my youth group is trying to learn bass and I want to let him know what he's free to do. Ok, for example, a praise song's progression goes "E B C#m A". If you're playing the bass and you play the E and you want to fill in the time before you reach the B with some improv, are you free to play any note that lies within the E scale? Then when you get to the B are you improv'ing according to the E scale or B scale? Also, if you have any tips/suggestions/lessons about playing bass and improv for worship/praise music feel free to post...it's much appreciated. thx! 
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#2
09-12-2004, 08:54 PM
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as my guitar teacher says...
the bass lays down the groove for everyone. he also says, if you want to be able to play you have to know the melody of the song.....if you want youre bass player to really do some improv...dont know if this will work for praise music....id recommend that you make him listen to some good ole 70's funk or da blues..........then let him listen to jaco pastorious or victor wooten so he can get his mind blown..............
__________________
2003 Taylor 414ce L2 and 410 L2 1975 Guild D25 M 1999 Taylor 25th Annv. 710-B 2004 Fender "American" Stratocaster Deluxe 2006 Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster 2005 Fender 52 reissue Telecaster 1997 Fender Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster 1992 Gibson Chet Atkins SST 1978 DiGiorgio Conservatorio #2 1967 Vincente Sanchis Badia Classical www.myspace.com/garagebossa
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#3
09-13-2004, 06:55 AM
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I am just starting to play bass. Yesterday was my first day on the Worship Team as the bass player. Luckily I have a very experienced guitar player on the team who is providing guidance. Yesterday I kept it simple for the first time out, playing the root notes for the chords. He told me to start playing 3rds and 5ths along with the root. I'll start trying to figure out when to put them in as I get better. I had a blast though!!
So maybe part of an answer to your question might be the advice our guitar player told me. Add 3rds and 5ths to the root notes. I'll keep an eye on this thread as it's very timely for me also!! wayne
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Wayne Taylor 714ce, 410R, Big Baby
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#4
09-13-2004, 08:46 AM
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To avoid "noodling" too much, I rarely stray away from outlining the notes in the chord in the progression. So for the first E chord, try and stay with E G# B.
So you can use any note in the scale, but use mostly the chord tones. To link it together, perhaps do: 1 2 3 4 |1 E G# F# B
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#6
09-13-2004, 10:23 AM
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Especially for a beginning player, I'd suggest having him work on groove more than improv. Generally for pop stuff (which is usually the style of worship music these days) bass players stick to the root and 5th of the chord.
There are no shortcuts to listening to music and imitating what you hear! There is no substitute for this.
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#7
09-13-2004, 10:59 AM
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Quote:
Quote:
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#8
09-13-2004, 12:21 PM
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Quote:
I will go through my bass book when i get home. Maybe another trip to Barnes and Noble is in the future. wayne
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Wayne Taylor 714ce, 410R, Big Baby
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#9
09-13-2004, 12:33 PM
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practice scales in all keys...get a method book, I know I'm being boring, but, in my experience, you pay your dues early, or you pay them later...may as well do itr up front....you wont believe how much you use scales in playing bass....I play at my church every week. Just like in guitar, you don't always play whole chords, somtimes, for fills, etc. you just play parts of chords, and so, you don't hardly ever play the whole scale, but you definately play parts of them....parctice broken thirds, thirds, apeggios, up and down in whole, half, 1/4 and 1/8 notes, practice harmonic and melodic minor scales, diminished scales and arpeggios.....it sounds like a lot of work, but the alternative is camping out at the level where all you play is I,IV, V, over and over, and that gets boring....most method book have cd's with them these days, so you can play along with them and hear what it's supposed to sound like....you get out of it what you put into it..it didn't take me as long as I thought it would to pick it up, and your friends will be amazed before you know it!
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www.friendincrises.blogspot.com Old age and treachery will outsmart youth and skill every time. - My dad...
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#11
09-13-2004, 01:42 PM
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the longest journey begins with a single step.
 even the pros were once where you are now...and those behind you wish they knew what you do.....i give you high marks for wanting to be above average. takes guts. don't quit, i'd like to help you any way i can. let me know.
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www.friendincrises.blogspot.com Old age and treachery will outsmart youth and skill every time. - My dad...
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#12
09-14-2004, 08:07 AM
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Quote:
ok, for example, if you're playing G C D C play something like this for G... ----------------- ----------------- ----------------- -----3-5-5-3----- ---5---------5--- -3-------------3- for c.... ----------------- ----------------- -----3-5-5-3----- ---5---------5--- -3-------------3- ----------------- for D slide it over to the 5th fret on the a string then for the last C, back to where the lowest note is a C.
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