how to improvise on bass?

[bin4christ]

how do u improvise on bass?do u do it like lead guitar?wherby if the song is in Cmaj,u can play in Cmaj or Amin scales..or izit more restricted?

 

[rylche]

practise your scales, have a "feel" for the sound you want to create, like anticipating the next note. find the pitch axis between chord progressions, the note which binds both together, and then maybe improvise over it?

 

[reyrey]

no restriction in bass bro,what guitar can play,you also can play...improvising is good,but not untill the extent that you 'overfeel'

 

[bin4christ]

u mean i can run up n down the neck like a lead guitar player does,as long as it doesnt sound 'off'?

 

[zhifa]

rem u r playing as a band, u can be a great soloist, but if you cannot play as a band it defeats everything. fancy techniques come later after u can play with ur bandmembers well too. i feel that's very important especially for bassists.

 

[bin4christ]

have a "feel" for the sound you want to create, like anticipating the next note. find the pitch axis between chord progressions, the note which binds both together, and then maybe improvise over it?

hey,to do this,do u mean i hav to listen to the chords tt r played?
my aural skills r BAD...

 

[rylche]

yeah , in a way you have to anticipate the next note that would fit in the chord progression and that's through aural.

 

[Indigo_blues]

bassists can improvise fill-ins at the turnaround of the songs (between the verses or verse and chorus).. or in a full blown solo section(which is not very often actually).

during the actual verse and chorus of songs, u have to be careful not to overplay otherwise the bass line can become very fussy and become a distraction to the melody and vocals, which overall will make the song "Yucks!!". :lol:

u can learn by just listening to many different pop songs to see how the bassists play. Listen to the same song 20 times and analyse the bass line, play it out, then repeat again for another song, analyse, play it out, then repeat again.... u will improve in no time..

 

[deathblaze]

listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers
Flea kicks total assage
pop songs usually have very boring bass lines
maybe try Jrock songs they have nice bass tunes

 

[guitarman78]

well you just need to be clear about the function of a bass player in different parts of a song .... when you are doing a supportive role, you want to support and not stand in the lime light. Hence it's more important to harmonise to the song.

Bass players are music theory Gurus because to be a good bass player, you must have a ear to harmonise. Like whats the effect of playing B over G chord, A over G Chord, D over G chord? And knowing when to play inversions and hybrids all calls for good hearing. Nathan East is one of my fave.

During improvisation, you will be the lime light ... hence you can do whatever you want. But i guess the bass is hitting on the lower register ... so it will be ideal either to play notes more far apart like Arpeggios or play on the upper registars to get a more defined melody lines.

Aiya, just experiment and you will know ... it's exciting to see Bass PLayers solo ... especially Jaco Pastorius

 

[bin4christ]

Bass players are music theory Gurus because to be a good bass player, you must have a ear to harmonise. Like whats the effect of playing B over G chord, A over G Chord, D over G chord? And knowing when to play inversions and hybrids all calls for good hearing. Nathan East is one of my fave.

omgosh 0.0...i'm demoralised now ...

 

[jono007]

hang in there bin... just experiment too...

if you're in a band, what happens if you play the V all the way through the chorus. Or what if you play a bass scale over the changes...

I think it's all a matter of experimenting and listening...

 

[rylche]

practise all your scales, and find out what notes have tendencies to move on to WHAT notes. for example, just strum an E chord or play the E note. doesn't sound much right? then throw in a C ( fifth ). it would give the note added dimension, because you have established the context of the note. practise your scales and really really know the entire fretboard.

 

[bin4christ]

rylche:can this be achieved if i dont hav a bass?

 

[rylche]

hmm it applies to guitars and generally any instrument with pitch. i'm stressing more of the ear aspect of improvisation.

 

[jono007]

hey bin4christ... it's tough practicing bass if you dun have a bass...

recommend you look for a cheap second hand one...
or borrow... many people have spare instruments lying around...

 

[bin4christ]

hey jono...$'s not the biggest issue here..it's getting permission from my folks...they're afraid i'd play n play n play n neglect my studies...

 

[visa]

then study hard first and show them you can!

 

[exin]

Agreed .. but i think you can try persuading them lah .. =) .. then after that show them with your results ...

 

[bin4christ]

exin:they tried doing tt..u kno,during hols buy me fanciful stuff even tho i scrwd my recent exams...they thot by doing so,i'll be motivated..but i alwaes end up lacking discipline in the middle of skool term..tt's y my results 4 tests at the beginning of the semester is not bad but my exams is really bad ...
maybe i need to see a psychologist ...