pleez help!

i am having a hard time coming up with a really amazing bass solo... if anyone knows any really good bass solo tricks i could use i would really appreciate it
thanks!
metaldeath

My bassist is a pretty phenomenal player, and if I asked him, I can guarantee you he's say "look at some Primus bass riffs" I'd have to agree with that. Also, Victor Wooten...Umm, lemme see, you can use slap techniques...umm, when I play bass, I usually use tapping...A cool one is to tap up the scale with a drone note every other note. So you'll go up like this:

E|--5--t7--p5--t8--p5--t10--p5--t12vvvvvv--

Like that...uhh...that one's in Am...On the low E string... and then just repeat it. That kind of thing...You could also use a walking bass, but that's mainly for blues.

Learn how to slap, and if not, play way up high on a fretless. That usually impresses people, especially in combo with a volume pedal. If not, play exactly what you'd play on guitar. It is another guitar afterall. If not, use a pick and hammerout the notes as fast as possible. Doesn't matter which. lol.

1. Use alot of arpeggios. Although bass can't play chords, when you play chords broken it sounds really good on bass. SO skip through some arp patterns.

2. Use pedal tones. Hit an open A while playing some crazy licks on the G string.

3. Use larger interval skips in runs. Unlike guitar where you can just run up and down scale steps, the bass is prone to more skips in 6th's and octaves. So use 'em.

4. Most important is bass is a rhythmic instrument so the more you vary the rhythm the better the solo will sound for bass. Add rests, and off beat pops.

Those are my tips for a bass solo opposed to a guitar solo. Everything else that has to do with guitar soloing will fit bass. Ex. like tapping, sweeps.

A bass can play Chords...Les Claypool does bass chords all the time.

Originally Posted by: Jolly McJollysonA bass can play Chords...Les Claypool does bass chords all the time.

I sooo knew you wouldn't be able to resist piping up!!

:rolleyes: :mad:

Originally Posted by: iamthe_eggmanI sooo knew you wouldn't be able to resist piping up!!

:rolleyes:

What? All that happened was I noticed his mistake! Ah? GET IT? (and I can make smileys too.) :D

:rolleyes: Yeah and he sounds like arse when he does it too. 2-note harmonies sound good on bass, but full chords. Sounds like arse to me. I mean try playing a dominant 7th chord on bass, it sounds awful. Did I meantion chords sound like ARSE on bass. :p

Well, I didn't mean anything beyond a powerchord. Hahaha, I'm not saying he should play diminished chords on a bass or anything. Crime fighter, Eh? I fight crime by night as well...under the name of "Zeebo, the Magnificent."

Yeah I know man, I was just messing with that last reply. If you didn't realize by the redundant message in that responce. I meant chords as in a guitar plays chords. You could play them, but are they going to sound good? Powerchords are cool but then again there only an interval, octaves are nice too IMO. And you may know me as "Mr. Bigglesworth" and I pretty much fight only those smaller than me.

Buy (or somehow recieve) Magnus Rosén's cd Empty Room(s). That will inspire you more than a.e. John Myung's DVD or whatever..

:D
thanks for helpin' me out! I play lead guitar sometimes but i have recently gotten into the bass and was looking for something cool to play. you guys have helped thanks
metaldeath

I think that chords on bass sound like **** if you allow them to. By that I mean, if you're gonna play bass like a rhythm guitar then yeah it's not gonna sound too good, but by throwing some chords into the fray for an added emphasis, then what's that gonna hurt? I play chords every so often on my bass, not as often as I do other stuff but plain and simple I do use them. In fact. I'm gonna make a song using a lot of bass chords just to throw at you. Now, in response to the question of the thread. What made my bass skills jump is I'd watch others play, get some good videos of les claypool, victor wooten and any other really good bassist you can find. I have some videos of Alex Webster from cannibal corpse doing all sorts of things on bass from slaps to taps and it was quite impressive. I'd just watch what they'd do and see what I could do with those same motions and so forth, but you'd be amazed at what you can learn just by simply observing.

Originally Posted by: Cryptic ExcretionsI think that chords on bass sound like **** if you allow them to. By that I mean, if you're gonna play bass like a rhythm guitar then yeah it's not gonna sound too good, but by throwing some chords into the fray for an added emphasis, then what's that gonna hurt? I play chords every so often on my bass, not as often as I do other stuff but plain and simple I do use them. In fact. I'm gonna make a song using a lot of bass chords just to throw at you.

Haha. :rolleyes: No offense but go ahead. I'll still tell you sounds like ****, well maybe **** is a strong word but it doesn't sound nearly as good as just playing an interval from the chord or a single note. If you want emphasis play an octave, it sounds so much better. Chords played on bass just sounds like muffed noise, there's no clear distinction of anything. In case you didn't know I've been playing bass for about 12 yrs now and I have been through the "experimental" stage and played chords on bass. I've learned from that, and that's the bass is so much clear and gettin the idea accrosst is better done without playing chords (let the rhythm guitar do it). A full chord strummed on bass is just too much, and it's muddy as hell. So go ahead and write muddy bass lines.