this is for experienced bassists..

[lightmrwan_sg]

hey fellow bass players..

i want to ask..

how does a bass player know that, he has mastered the bass?
is it when, he could play a complicated bassline really fast?
or, when he could come up with a bassline almost immediately?

 

[rottenramone]

i don't think the learning process ever stops eh

 

[bassics]

when you tell yourself u have learnt enough, your skill goes down. you never stop learning because music is always evolving. Thats what makes a good musician. ALot of the great bassist that are around now came about that way, the never dying "anything is possible with practice" attitude and the "i havent learnt enough" kind of mindset.

 

[lightmrwan_sg]

ooooooooooo

 

[80s_people]

haha, bass cannot be mastered, too many things to master, different genre styles, slap pop, then on to jazz, the learning never stops, i guess u just gotta look at how far you gone and keep pushing.

 

[engz]

well, i think although i agree that the learning process never ends, these are my personal benchmarks, which i haven't reached of course

1. when u hear a bass note, u immediately know what note that is, maybe even to which octave it is
2. when u look at tabs (numbers or taugeh) you can "hear" the melody in your head (i think steve vai said this)
3. your learning process for new songs becomes incredibly fast
4. you can spare wit a drummer and last for a good 1 hour

well, hope that somehow helps u benchmark =]

 

[BongHong]

1up to bassics

 

[jackyboyboy]

There are so many techniques to learn. Mastering a few good techniques take more than years to acheive. So it will never stops. As u play with different ppl. Do projects with ppl. You still learn new things...

 

[Scorpion]

hey jackyboy, awesome bass.

 

[jackyboyboy]

hey jackyboy, awesome bass.

lol thanks.

 

[forpyned]

heh..softies, softies

That question, is really simple to answer. To know if u're there or have competent mastery of your bass is when, u strip down your expensive effects, amps, basses. Pick up a cheap china bass, plug in to a 15watt bass amp and groove in E. Thats all. If u are able to groove in one note, without the effects, modulators and such, then u have truly have a competent understanding of the bass. Sure u can have the best stuff in the world..but if u ain't got the groove, u are nowhere. Groove can only be explained, taught(maybe), but it is the bassist that can make the bass sound like a million bucks, REGARDLESS what brand he or she is playing. I use to teach bass, i had students who has really good basses, but when i put on the metronome at 80-90, they simply can't groove just using a single note. Play with feel, emotion, thats the key to be a great player, musician and human being. No feel, no groove. Approach the instrument like u would approach a lady. Get to know her, talk, feel her man. Heh! Thats when u will get groove. Pick the right notes. Practice makes perfect. So practice more, talk less.

 

[benjso28]

Practice makes permanent.. if you practice the wrong technique and etc will nvr be perfect.
These day China made basses are quite good la, although I know where you are coming from.
Than again, we need to balance our skill with our gear.
A nice bass with lousy action and tone can affect your feel and capability to play a nice groove. No skill with expensive bass also no use.
People who spend lots of $$ on their bass should make sure they are good stewards lo.

To be able to play with the drums and formed a tight rhythm section is one of the keys.
Many things to be a good player.. Keep exploring and learn.

Cheers

 

[CrispyEgg]

@ forpyned: not entirely true.

A seasoned bassist is PARTICULAR about the tone he's getting, just like how the F1 race-car driver will NOT sit in a car with broken engine parts. If what you said is true, then are you "Picking up a cheap china bass, pluging into to a 15watt bass amp and grooving in E."?

@ benjso: err could you rephrase this "Practice makes permanent.. if you practice the wrong technique and etc will nvr be perfect."

From what i infer, you don't like what forpyned said either? Anyway, I don't think "Practice" will make something become "permanent". Music is a language, and language is learnt through habits, and habits CAN be corrected no matter how die-hard they are.
---
My input for this topic is: You never stop learning, once you "think" you've mastered something, there's something else to learn. You may have mastered the major scale, but some other guy has firm knowledge of all scales. Then when you have reached his level, you lose out to the guy who can improvise melodically without knowledge of ANY scale - it goes in a viscious circle.

 

[benjso28]

Not really disagreeing but just saying what I think.

What I meant was if you practice the technique wrongly but put in alot of effort, you will not be perfect..maybe perfectly wrong lo.
That's why practice makes permament not perfection.
We will nvr be perfect but can work towards that.
agree that music is a langauge.

Cheers

 

[basstze]

Woah, even the great Victor Wooten said that there are still quite a few techniques that he hasn't gained proficiency in! And he started playing the bass when he was 3! So yea it's really hard to know when one has really "mastered" the bass.

However, you will know that you've "made" it in bass when you have understanding of all the different styles of play (funk, slap, jazz, soloing,etc) and are able to just walk into a session and play other people's music. Also, I believe that a seasoned bassist has a keen ear and is musically highly adaptable. They're also fast learners when it comes to learning a new style of play or technique. Also to quote from Nathan East, a great attitude is very important to a musician!

 

[shinobi]

Woah, even the great Victor Wooten said that there are still quite a few techniques that he hasn't gained proficiency in! And he started playing the bass when he was 3! So yea it's really hard to know when one has really "mastered" the bass.

haha but gotta take a pinch of salt when someone like VICTOR WOOTEN says that he hasn't mastered everything lah. he probably hasn't nailed down triple quadruple arpeggiated thumb or some other sick, insane skills.

on the other hand, he has developed some skills that he has yet to incorporate into a form of music. techniques are only useful to allow you to express yourself in a kind of music. so where that is concerned, it's all limited to how creatively you can use a bass

 

[shinobi]

@ forpyned: not entirely true.

A seasoned bassist is PARTICULAR about the tone he's getting, just like how the F1 race-car driver will NOT sit in a car with broken engine parts. If what you said is true, then are you "Picking up a cheap china bass, pluging into to a 15watt bass amp and grooving in E."?

a certain F1 race car driver called michael schumacher once paid a taxi driver 200 euros to let him drive, because he was late for a flight.

anyway, i think what he is trying to say is that the tone is also in the fingers. wouldn't you agree?

 

[midnite]

Bass and music

To me what makes you a good bassist.. actually it does not only apply to bassist only this applies to all musicians or singers, there;s alot of things you can take into account, but to me everyone can learn the bass or lead guitar or anything( im talking about instruments), yes you can go to G.I.T or anywhere, you even play like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, or Billy Sheehan, Steve Harris or anyone else, BUT if you can't create your own style of playing, you are still far behind! and yes i agree with the concept - if you claim ure a good bassist but u cant even play a very low end bass, then don't claim ure already there, but again that depending on individual skills, if youre a person whos not that well to do you prolly own a low end bass but congrats you will own good skills and practices in the long run once you get a good bass with good made and quality + with the tone in your hands, you will produce good sound off your bassing this applies to guitar as well, you can have the all high ends effects and stuff, usually great musicians would say " It's not the guitar it's the player".. and i heard this from a legendary guitarist of the old rock band " Sweet Charity" when i was his singer.

 

[logicdroid]

hey fellow bass players..

i want to ask..

how does a bass player know that, he has mastered the bass?
is it when, he could play a complicated bassline really fast?
or, when he could come up with a bassline almost immediately?

You pick up an instrument, start playing, and soon everyone stops, stays and watch.

 

[digihub00]

that's a good observation