I was messing around with my bass and I created this thing. I think it sounds pretty cool. I'll keep posting random bass tidbits here, because I am sick and I have noting better to do today.

http://www.iftguild.com/VictorVanBass.mp3

sounds pretty.

thats as useful as my comments go...

if(getThingFlags(source) & 0x8){
  do her}
elseif(getThingFlags(source) & 0x4){
  do other babe}
else{
  do a dude}

sounds familiar... like i've already heard it in a song somewhere

Like a song by Default, DrkJedi?

That's a delicious bass.

It would sound ok, if it wasn't for the fact that you have no sense of timing.

What is so horrid about the timing? It isn't perfect, but it isn't that bad.

Yeah, I'm hearing something familiar as well. The timing is horrible, not only with the lead melody but the open string you're hitting as well. Try using a metranome. Otherwise, it just isn't impressive. Give anyone who his familiar with bass or even guitar under a half hour and they could figure it out, less than that even. I'm not going to argue that it could fit in with the rest of a band, no one's really going to harp in on your technique, if they can even hear it though. Hearing it alone as a solo piece though, it just isn't very pleasant to the ears. It might be a nice melody, but your technique is not at a level right now where it would sound good. If that actually is your own melody, it's not a bad one to work off of. As your technique gets better and you learn a few tricks or two, or even the basic foundations of bass playing, add onto it. You could really develop that into something good; add onto it, develop it as you get better.

It sounds familiar because it's pretty much a simple riff (if you want to call it that) with nothing else going on. This is why so many bands rarely incorporate a bass solo into a song. Because unless you're damn good at bass - it's pretty much a yawn fest. Best bass solo's I've seen live were Stratovarius's new bass player, Rhapsody bass player, and of course - John Myung (DT).

There's a difference between a bass solo and a bass solo piece. You really don't have to be amazing at bass to pull off a great sounding song. Anyone can really do a impressive sounding bass solo, especially for a live audience. Most never see anything beyond the normal slower rhythm/ in the background playing, so anything out in the open/louder/faster will be to them this whole "oh my god you're an amazing bass player!" deal. What really is skill and great bass playing at any level, is the ability to make just a great sounding piece. Take Stanley Clarke's "Silly Putty" (or primus' cover of it, they sound the same), the bass is a large part of the song, but he's able to maintain a great sense of rhythm and melody throughout the piece, while still playing in a lead style. The drums lay the basic foundation for timing and rhythm, the bass adds onto it, makes that second layer and melody, then the other instruments layer over those two to create the song. It doesn't have to be a "yawnfest", the tradition "bump....bump...bump bump bump......bump" sort of deal, play your instruments!

If you can't check out Silly Putty, this is a great example of slower, but melodic and "great sounding" playing.

http://www.barefoot69.com/Solo%20Bass/Video.htm

Even John Myung, I'm not going to doubt his skill or ability, I've only really heard so much of Dream Theater to judge, but I don't see anything really special with his solos. Sure he can play fast and accurately, but I don't know, a monkey can do that. There's no emotion, no melody, no creativity.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7248899069016162867&q=awakening

That's a great piece right there, almost entirely bass but it's both a solo and a song, exactly what I was talking about. It's by Claypool, called "The Awakening"

Mmmm thats delightfully funkadelic.

Personally, I love what this guy does though http://www.myspace.com/jeanbaudin

That's what I'm stating Matrix.

If you've saw Stratovarius on tour when they came here to US (probably doubt it), their best did exactly what these videos showed. He did do a bit of a shred/super fast fest, but then he started going into the slap funk type things as we've seen in these videos. Had melody, showed talent, and was damn entertaining (even the parts he didn't go fast).

for all bass, listen to Lightning Bolt.

SAJN.

If I could be stranded on a desert island with only two things it would be a guitar and a metronome.

it won't let me download for some reason.

you still play with a pick? i should write a special fingerstyle lesson for the next column., just for you!

About 90% of the songs I play, I play with my fingers. I use a pick only when I'm recording bass on my PC with a mic. When I record bass using the PC (Sound Blaster X-Fi lets you plug the bass right into the PC) I use my fingers because it's direct, but for some reason when I have to use my mic it comes out sounding muffled.

The clip in this thread is played with a pic only because the computer with the X-Fi (My brothers) was at Digital Overload all weekend.

[QUOTE=Victor Van Dort]About 90% of the songs I play, I play with my fingers. I use a pick only when I'm recording bass on my PC with a mic. When I record bass using the PC (Sound Blaster X-Fi lets you plug the bass right into the PC) I use my fingers because it's direct, but for some reason when I have to use my mic it comes out sounding muffled.

The clip in this thread is played with a pic only because the computer with the X-Fi (My brothers) was at Digital Overload all weekend.[/QUOTE]

When you record with a mic (with an amp, I assume) you need to change your tone somehow, to get the same town. Upside down, but whatever. Wether on the amp or bass, or even in the program. A microphone interprets the sound a little different.

Playing bass with a pick isn't necessarily bad though, it's just good to be able to play it in lots of ways. I know a guy who plays a six string bass like a guitar, including sweeps and taps and it sounds pretty awesome.

After the first full phrase there was a perfect opportunity to start rocking out or for the rest of the band to come in and nothing happened. I was saddened.

Nightwish's bass player plays with a pick!

Nuff said!

I personally like it when a bass player can go smooth between pick, finger, and slap. That's a great skill, to me.

Indeed. A good bass player should be able to do all three. There's a couple songs that I play where I switch between the three - usually a more mellow verse (fingers), driving chorus (pick), and instrumental breakdown (slap).

I should give bass a try..