Hi,
I'm a guitar player and recently started playing bass. It's especially in the right hand that the difference is felt. I practice some drills but what songs could you recommend to a (almost) beginner to work on this right hand ?

 

Hi Lou, I can give you several song to work on, but as the thread was not about playing a real bass, it would be much better to open your own thread in the instrument section / bass , so in the futures other members with the same question could find it easily.

The answer could depend of the kind of music you like. But one of the songs I suggest to my student is "There's nothing like this" from Omar

Because it's slow, it uses a big part of the neck, it's arpeggio concept, and it's rhythm is "simple" but not so easy to achieve with real swing. Also it's harmony is a good base to explain major scales.

As I said, there is more, but that would be for a dedicated thread.

 

I don't understand what you mean.
edit: ah, because it doesn't swing, it's straight?
It's just played relaxed, a bit behind.
Btw, I played keys for him!

 

Last edited: Aug 20, 2020

@Smoove Grooves, If you're contrasting straight with extreme swing, even shuffle,
then obviously yes that song's rhythm is straight.
But I think you'll find Oly is thinking about something far more subtle when he refers to swing.
And what a rich off topic discussion that could become.
Suffice to say swing is a very overloaded word and means many different things, at different times, to different people.

 

As I say, it's straight, but some notes are behind the beat. It's relaxed That's all.

I disagree, from my time in this profession.
But hey, as you say, it's off-topic.

 

Ok, I will do that ;-). And thanks for the song, I will try it.

 

Oly meant "groove" for sure

 

It's just played relaxed, a bit behind.
Yes, that's what I mean, not the jazz swing, but some musical flexibility in the groove and notes length

 

Nina for President

 

Which brings up a point I'd like to share.
Having done a lot of studio & live session work, the real-life usage of the word differs in practice. Please understand my name now!:
A 'groove' is a pattern, most commonly either a drum pattern (also called rhythm) or a bassline and a drum pattern. Maybe more.
So by default, something can not 'have' groove.
But something can be and/or have 'a' groove.
So 'Groove-boxes' and Live's Groovepool are related to this usage of word, just indirectly.

FEEL, on the other hand, equals how we play a part. And it is contextual to another instrument; ie kick/snare, drums/bass.
For instance 'Relaxed/laid-back' etc may mean just regards rhythm ie playing some or all notes late in relation to a cick or drummer (or your snare in relation to your own kick!), and/or it may involve longer note-length or more relaxed note-offs, different velocities, different fingering, different playing position, different pickups, and different fret position.
Same goes for 'tight'.
This is feel.
Feel is not a groove.

 

Look at the amount of practice you put in to learn how to stand upright, walk and coordinate your body movement or to learn speech and be able to express yourself vidmate instasave

 

Last edited: Aug 19, 2021

For sure, I've walked enough in my life to be able to do it in my sleep.