Extreme Newbie Question (left hand technique)
I am learning the bass and have been working in first position. My question is how to I move to second, third, forth, etc.
Do I move my fingers (index-1st fret / middle-2nd fret / ring finger-3rd fret / pinky-4th fret) = 1st position to (index-5th fret/middle-6th fret/ring finger-7th fret/pinky-8th fret) = 2nd position?
I also do not understand how to read the note progression in a chord or scale. I am not sure what note to play first.
After your finish laughing at newbie questions toss me a reply
Thanks Bass heads,
Peter
Re: Extreme Newbie Question (left hand technique)
[quote=bishgup]My question is how to I move to second, third, forth, etc.
Do I move my fingers (index-1st fret / middle-2nd fret / ring finger-3rd fret / pinky-4th fret) = 1st position to (index-5th fret/middle-6th fret/ring finger-7th fret/pinky-8th fret) = 2nd position? [/quote]
You've got first position right. But second position, on electric bass, would start on the 2nd fret. Third position starts on the third fret, etc. The positions you are talking about are those used with the upright bass (using the Simandl method). Going by that method, the positions go like this: 1/2 position = 1st fret, 1st position = 2nd fret, 2nd position = 3rd fret, intermediate position = 4th fret, 3rd position = 5th fret.
Here's an interesting read comparing Simandl's system of positions for double-bass to Rabbath's method.
Most electric bass books will count each fret as a position, which is easier, I think. Everything about electric bass is easier than upright, as far as I can tell. :)
[quote=bishgup]
I also do not understand how to read the note progression in a chord or scale. I am not sure what note to play first.
[/quote]
Here I don't quite get what you mean. Do you mean a chord chart or standard notation?
Wheat
bassplaying.com
Re: Extreme Newbie Question (left hand technique)
You've got first position right. But second position, on electric bass, would start on the 2nd fret. Third position starts on the third fret, etc.
# OK. I under that 2nd position=2nd fret \ 3rd position=3rd fret\etc. So I just move the positons in that order?
1st position=1f\2f\3f\4f & 2nd position=2f\3f\4f\5f & 3rd position=3f\4f\5f\6f & etc ??
Do you mean a chord chart or standard notation?
# chord chart
The kids run in, I get
The kids run in, I get distracted and you post up before I hit submit. ;)
For a chord chart then the best is to stick with the root note. What you do after that will depend on the tune you are playing.
Hazz
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There are a couple of ways
There are a couple of ways to tackle chord charts. You have to know the chord symbols and then either an arpeggio or a scale that will fit over that chord. Here are a few examples. There can be more than one way to go about these. And which arpeggio/scale you choose will depend to some extent on context:
C, CMaj7, C6 = major scale or major arpeggio (C, E, G)
Cm, Cmin7 = natural minor scale minor arpeggio (C, Eb, G, Bb)
C7 = mixolydian mode (i.e. major scale with a flat 7th) or dominant 7th arpeggio (C, E, G, Bb)
Cm7b5 = phrygian mode (i.e. minor scale with a flat 2nd and 5th) or minor arpeggio w/ flat 5th (C, Eb, Gb, Bb)
The root will always work. The five is safe except on diminished chords (where it is flatted) and augmented chords (where it is sharped). If you see any "slash chords" (e.g. C/G), play the root to the right of the slash.
For most jazz and blues songs written in 4/4 times, play four quarter notes to the bar. There will usually be one or two chords per bar. For those two-chord measures, sticking with the root and fifth is the easy way out. If you have an entire measure (or more) of one chord (as in a blues), you can stretch out more and use more of the scale tones (besides just the R, 3, 5, 7). When in doubt, use your ear. If your note clashes, remember that you're always within one or two frets (i.e. a half or a whole step) of one that will work.
If you have a particular piece you're working on, post the chords or scan it and we can try to help you analyze it. If it's a standard, just name it.
Wheat
bassplaying.com
You can tell Wheat likes
You can tell Wheat likes this part of it. ;) Blah blah blah. Just messin' with ya Wheat.
Reason I say stick with roots and did not mention 5ths is because I already polished of the Tequila. :)
Seriously though, I only mentioned roots because when some one says "chord chart", to me that could mean many variations. I get charts that just have the chords, do not state what key it is in or let you know where the changes occur and need to figure them out.
Some charts I get show only chords, some numbers, some roman numerals and some times someone will say something like, "Oh, its in the key of G and I would like you to do a 1, 4, 5 pattern." I get some weird stuff.
The best I ever got was I asked for a chord chart and got 4 pages of standard notation.
Hazz
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Rabbath
Yeh, Rabbath has some great ideas, but I have found that his disciples can sometimes have really dogmatic and inflexable ideas. One Rabbath-o-phile that I know tried to convince my son to hold his german bow as if it were a fench bow!!! (an extremely painful, and even dangerous thing to do). He also pontificated on the absolute nescessity of having 45 deg., spike.
Personally, I find his positional ideas to be great, but some peices he wrote for bass are ridiculously difficult without being musically brilliant.
Fat man, fat bass.
Just to clarify, are you
Just to clarify, are you referring to first position as starting on the first fret and second starting on the 5th?
Or as Wheat explained the positions, just going from one fret to the next?
Either way, how you get to the next fret will depend on what you are playing. If you are just doing a 1 2 3 4, like what you described then yes, you would move your hand up the fret board so you can place your first finger (index) on the 5th fret.
For your second question the answer is simple for a newbie, stick with the root note. If you see, for example, a G#m6 (it's a guitar thing) chord then you would play the root note G#.
If someone says "play a C major scale" then you would again, start with the root note "C". Same would go if you were asked to play ohhhhh . . . an F minor scale, start the root note F.
Hope that helped
Hazz
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I've actually had a
I've actually had a guitarist in bands where I was sitting in say "you're the bassist, why do you care?" when I asked if a chord was major or minor. :)
Wheat
bassplaying.com
Thats why I do not say a
Thats why I do not say a thing and just play what I want. Most of the time the guy who says that has no idea anyways. ;)
Hazz
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"Carburetors man!! That's what life is all about."
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