Hey guys,
Posted here a while back. But my parents won't let me borrow my friend's bass yet. I am really influenced by classical (mainly Russian composers), classic (Pink Floyd,Cream,Dire Straits, Bob Seger, The Boss, Thin Lizzy, etc), and have recently gotten into Daikaiju, M-AM?, Dick Dale, and a couple of low publicity surf rock bands. Anything I can do to prepare to elarn bass and overall surf music. Just to mention, I am planning on picking up guitar possibly.
Thanks for the tips,
Matt
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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Surf Musician »
Surf Bassist
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Joined: Dec 13, 2008 Posts: 38 Grand Rapids, MI |
Posted on Mar 10 2009 01:02 PM
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Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 11046 Berkeley, CA 
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Posted on Mar 10 2009 01:38 PM
Bassists need to know basic music theory just like guitarists. Start with learning the notes in all major and minor chords. Simple scales will help too. Surf bass is typically kept quite simple, as too much just makes a mess of things. Just like fills are the art in drumming, the transitions between verse/chorus/bridge are often the art for the bassist. Pay attention to how other bassists work their way from and to the various parts of the songs and help stitch them together to make it flow better. I'd also get a metronome and spend lots of time hammering out 1/8th' notes trying to get them clean and steady, building up your right hand strength and improving technique. If you get bored with that, put on the Ramones first album and play along with it. Good luck. —Danny Snyder Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF |
Joined: Aug 27, 2008 Posts: 1570 New York
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Posted on Mar 10 2009 01:43 PM
Good advice.. especially the part about The Ramones. |
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Joined: Dec 13, 2008 Posts: 38 Grand Rapids, MI |
Posted on Mar 10 2009 02:54 PM
Thank you for the advice. The scales are going to be east because I already know all of them for my bassoon. Darn Microsoft doesn't have The Ramones for sale, so I got their first live album, with all teh songs on it. Thanks again, |
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Joined: Aug 27, 2008 Posts: 1570 New York
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Posted on Mar 10 2009 03:26 PM
I didn't really give any advice, Danny did. |
Joined: May 14, 2007 Posts: 1753
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Posted on Mar 10 2009 04:37 PM
If you are looking for inspiration or just to be able to hear more clearly how a good surf bassist functions in group, I would suggest the album "Locked and Loaded" by The Penetrators. Inventive lines, and especially recommended because the bass is so prominent in the mix. We are fortunate, because the bass player Trace Luger has a "Play bass with Trace" on his Myspace page where he has the bass parts of four Penetrator's tunes isolated and solo! Here: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=51084560 "50 Bucks a Midget" is the only tune from "L&L", but there is also "Melodie's Dilemma" and that one is available as a sound sample on the Penetrators website: Anyway, check it out if you haven't already! |
Joined: Feb 25, 2006 Posts: 19265 Des Moines, Iowa, USA
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Posted on Mar 10 2009 06:02 PM
Trace is definitely an inventive bass player, and does a lot of stuff you don't normally hear in surf music. You might also try listening to Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. Not really a surf band, but I always thought they had some interesting bass parts. I think these guys influenced the Penetrators as well. —Site dude - S3 Agent #202 "It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea |
Joined: Jul 27, 2007 Posts: 1099 4 faces. (Where the buffalo roam)
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Posted on Mar 10 2009 07:12 PM
Watch Dick's bassist do a little shredding. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOCJUUOLbPE P.S. I'll send you a beginning bass players lesson book with an accompanying vhs tape for free if you're interested. If so p.m. me. |
Joined: Jun 17, 2006 Posts: 1010 Bay City, Michigan
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Posted on Mar 11 2009 11:26 AM
well that all depends on if you wanan go towards the traditional bass stuff or more modern...the more modern stuff on bass is more reminicent of punk if you ask me, just look at Sam Bolle!! but if you want good trad bass playing, go for the Lively Ones or Surfaris. those are good things to start off with, but for more advanced stuff my best suggestion for trad bass being Carol Kaye. Listen to the bass in the Super Stocks' recordings...pure bass heaven. she is my favorite bass player of all time. — |
Joined: Nov 05, 2008 Posts: 745 Colorado, home of The Astronauts
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Posted on Mar 13 2009 11:13 AM
You can't go wrong studying James Jamerson either! (though he's not surf, more soul + r&b). However, I'm a guitar player, so take my advice for whatever it's worth. —Plus! Other stuff not surf: https://soundcloud.com/jamesmileshq |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 3546 mojave desert, california
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Posted on Mar 13 2009 05:05 PM
man, there's a lot of great advice here already: Ramones I'd like to suggest a few for your consideration: The Bitch Boys,The Madeira,The Space Cossacks...all have way-cool surf bass playing... Also, don't forget The Ventures...man, Bob Bogle's "Perfidia" line is still a finger-twister and a mind-boggler |
Joined: Mar 25, 2009 Posts: 76 Gypsy Caravan
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Posted on Mar 26 2009 03:35 PM
In 30 years of playing guitar and bass, and gigging heavily in many bands between 1982-1998 (as a bass player about 70% of the time) I have to echo the advice above (Dan?) about not overplaying. My personal feeling is that bass shouldn't be approached as a low-tuned 4 string guitar. I think it requires a different outlook. As a bass player, you are both the rhythmic melody instrument and the melodic rhythm instrument in a band. It's an important, foundational spot to occupy in a mix, even if (ideally for most kinds of music) it is to some extent in the background. Especially in traditional surf music, I think it's very important to play cleanly. That doesn't mean you have to play strictly root notes right on the beat--there's a lot of room to be inventive and support the song and the lead instruments without being flashy, showing off or muddying up the proceedings. I'm not tooting my own horn...I'm hopefully a little above average as a bass player and have good, steady rhythm and sense of melody/harmony, but for my money it is really hard to find a good bass player, or a good drummer (much less both a good bass player AND drummer) who can and will stay in the pocket and not try to be "bass god" or "drum god"--it can be magic when you find a drum/bass duo who have that psychic musical link when playing together... I guess, in short, my best advice about playing bass is learn how to best support the song and the lead instruments. Map out your space in each song, but don't step on the toes of anyone else and don't try to be in the forefront or overplay and get too busy. |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle
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Posted on Mar 26 2009 04:18 PM
I'm all for overplaying, just not from crummy bassists. And technically I'm not for what I would consider overplaying, just what others might. As long as it isn't bass shredding and you are tight with the drummer please play anything you want(presuming it is in key). Also, this advice is only for good bassists. You don't want me doing anything on the fly. |
Joined: Mar 04, 2006 Posts: 278
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Posted on Mar 26 2009 06:33 PM
break out the bassoon! |
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Joined: May 14, 2007 Posts: 1753
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Posted on Mar 26 2009 06:44 PM
And anybody interested in bass should be spending some time over here: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=45 A great resource with tons of members and archives that could keep you busy a long time. |
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Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 3546 mojave desert, california
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Posted on Mar 28 2009 11:51 PM
talkbass is a pretty cool forum...for a while, there was a decent "ask mike watt" forum going on...but, the watt forum seems to be dead for the last few years... |
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Joined: May 14, 2007 Posts: 1753
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Posted on Mar 28 2009 11:55 PM
Yeah, I was sorry I discovered that too late to get in on it while he was posting--although I understand he was busy with touring and projects a lot and didn't check in too often. |
But, I will take credit for agreeing with his expert opinion.
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