always glad to help, let us know what you end up getting :thumb:

Don't laugh...

This is me attempting to play random stuff after 4 days of owning my bass:


And this is after 1 week of learning bass (easier version of an Incubus riff...)


Honestly, how am I going? I still think I suck a lot. I pick up everything by ear so it's probably wrong. And I've only been learning bass for about 7 days! But I have to say I think this is going to be my favourite instrument I've gotten into so far...

good form with your fingers, really sounding out the notes. good job, keep going with it!

glad to hear your digging it. what kind of bass is that? it looks HUGE on you but your 'puny little hands' don't seem to be having a hard time fretting notes :p:

one thing i did notice in the first clip, you play the low string a lot louder than the other strings. not as noticeable in the 2nd clip though, getting a consistent attack on all 4 strings will give you a better sound overall. then again it might have been an amp setting.

there's also a bit of a trick when plucking / strumming chords on a bass. generally speaking you shouldn't strum more than 2 bass strings at once otherwise it just ends up sounding muddy (especially with fuzz). on the other hand plucking 3-4 of the strings at the same time makes a bass chord sound awesome.

but you are nailing those octaves hehehe

^ Thanks for the tips, mr dave! :) Seriously, seriously appreciated! You're definitely right about the 'muddiness' in strumming/hitting more than 2 strings at once, mostly in that first video I was just messing around with what sounds I could make because I had pretty much just gotten the instrument. I'm also having issues with accidentally making certain strings vibrate when I'm strumming another string or having the sound ring on too long because I tend to get 'muddy' and fuzzy as you say. So I'm working on that. But as I said... I've only had the guitar for about 7 days so I guess in time I'll just gradually progress little by little (I hope...)

Also in the first clip I think it was the amp settings! Also my microphone is a piece of shit and doesn't seem to like the lower notes on the bass...

Oh, and the bass is a Hartke... an SB-15 I think. It's just a very basic beginner's bass but I'm not complaining because 1) I AM a beginner! 2) It sounds alright and 3) I pretty much got it for free from my best friend!

Thanks again for all the tips; this thread has been an enormous help to me :bowdown:

You're sounding really good. Much better than me after a week when I started playing.

Okay got a question. I'm thinking of buying an acoustic bass, and I don't wanna buy some cheap lil acoustic, I want something that will last and sound amazing. Any suggestions on what to look for and where to look?

Oh and Lateralus you sound pretty good, I take it you like Tool, so I would suggest learning Schism, it's really fun to play on bass. Was one of the first songs I learned and its simple.

I've played bass for 14 years. I don't have any favorite bass players, I just anyone who sounds good.

I play with a pick 99% of the time, and don't favor finger picking or pick playing, I just find playing with a pick easier to control. I do, however, hate slap bass. It simply sounds like a mess of notes without definition to me. It's too spastic for me to enjoy. Other than that, I'm open to almost anything.

That's interesting. I personally love finger picking, but that's only because I suck with a pick. I've been practicing with picks more often though cause it doesn't hurt to learn. I love slap bass but not all the rapid **** you see Wooten do. I mean he's talented, but when he's playing all fast it just doesn't sound good to me. My friend tells me it's all fills, but you can't just play a song of fills, it sounds ****ty.

This is the next bass I'm thinking of getting. What do you guys think?
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...0917091235.jpg