[Music] Creating a bass line (Reply)
Posted by: tfegan <tfegan@...>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Peter Sharp [mailto:psharp@au1.ibm.com]
> So, how long have you been playing bass? For me, I realised one day after
> I'd been playing for maybe 10-12 years (is that slow, or average, or
> quick?) that things just 'clicked' & I began playing pretty much what
> jumped into my head.
> God bless,
> Peter Sharp
> Ballarat Australia
>
> -----Original Message-----
FWIW, there's a work of research that states it takes about ten years of
doing something every day to get really proficient at it (that's the very
condensed version). That doesn't mean there's nothing new to learn after ten
years, but that's about how long it takes to be really comfortable in what
you're doing. Of course, there are all sorts of variables to qualify the
whole thing, but the long and short of it is that your experience is about
average.
Also FWIW, I remember the first bass line I learned off of a record (a round
piece of vynl with a spiral groove pressed into it that was used to record
and reproduce sound back in the 1900's); "Wonderful Tonight" from Eric
Clapton's "Slowhand" LP. I also remember the first time I listened to a song
and determined I could make my own bass line: "When Will I Be Loved," by
Linda Rondstant. Both were somewhere around twenty years ago ...and I'm
still learning new bass lines and making up my own as well.
Most of the notes come from either chord tones or major and minor scales
(surprise, I'm sure). I think my playing got a large shot in the arm (no pun
intended) when I got comfortable playing two-octave major scales in all
keys. Remember to say the notes to yourself as you play the scales too.
After some time, your brain will be able to see patterns on the fretboard
and in your mind's eye as well.
As it happens, I've been working on coming up with a bass line for a song I
usually play guitar on. Because I've been playing and singing it so long, I
can do that part in my sleep (though, don't tell the audiance that ;-).
Playing the bass line has shifted my focus quite a lot and, in some ways,
it's like learning the whole song over again. Nonetheless, it's an enjoyable
process and keeps me coming back as often as I can.
As I type this, I'm mindful of all the skill, ability, and talent posessed
by the members of this list across a wide range of genres. It's really quite
a diverse group and, while some may be intimidated or feel inferior by not
being as "_________________" as another (fill in the blank with whatever
fits at the moment), such diversity is really a good thing and, in fact,
speaks to the adaptability of the instrument and the musicians who play
their instrument to comunicate via music; either solo or as part of a group.
Regardless of the years or the gigs behind you, each day is an oportunity to
use what you've learned before either to hone a certain aspect of your art,
or to stretch out into new areas. This is true no matter if play nothing but
roots or entire compositions on your instrument. So, the whole purpose of
such a sappy paragraph is an encouragement to y'all to stay in the woodshed,
encourage and help each other out, and, as Michael Card might say "find joy
in the journey."
In Christ,
Tim Fegan <
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tfegan@kconline.com
http://www.members.kconline.com/tfegan
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"I have never met a person I could despair of,
or lose all hope for, after discerning what lies
in me apart from the grace of God." --Oswald Chambers