107 BASS TIPS te ET ea Ca ed a Akad101 BASS TIPS STUFF ALL THE PROS KWOW AND USE BY GARY Wwitlis ISN O-b34-03747-0TABLE Of CONTENTS String Boiling Recipe Eye Contact ....... Take the 5th (For Improv) ‘So Many Melodies. ‘Speakers Up Drum Machine Don'ts The One-Chorus Solo Set Up On the HiHat Side . Imaginary Fingering. Got Phase? ....... Live Monitor Mix . Tool Kit List ..... Mental Games Bend New Strings . 5 AG SE 2 9 a Re-use Fretless Strings 0.2... 00. ccee esse eeeeeeeeeeeeees Rubbing Alcohol. on : : String-to-String Balance covet eeteeeeeteeeeeeeees Adjust Your Intonation Location, Location Go Low : Fretless Reading . Nut Height String Trimming ....... Parametric Parameters... Bass Reverb EQ Bass Tracking Cable Discipline . . Tweeter Adjustment ‘The Sound of Wood Compress for Finesse Dynamics vs. Even a “a Mirtor, Mirtor... 00060 c cee veeeeee cece Make Your Own Strap 2-5-5. Tsus Chords ..... Gain Structure... . String Height/Neck Reliet Adjusting the Truss Rod . = she Slee Adjusting String Height... 66.606 seeeeeeeees Fretless Practice... ..secee es eveeee Fretless Pivot A Fretless Don't rte ak ts well The LocTite Solution 0.22... sseeeeeeeeee Ste No TV! ‘Stee! Wool Trick ‘Two-Finger Test Left-Hand Accuracy . . Minimum Pressure ..... eee PAC AB RANG. oe nneo ni vnnanee os sv baiainecaeraneee woo mo eVWNaomae CD Track 12 18 13 14 15 1647100 101 Page Shim the Neok .. gr fis sats aos inadane are Sel Warm Up Under Control... 0. ..000eseeeeeeee cee 2 Bass Balance Sn we AB No Thumb .......+e00e 43 Solo Shape . 43 Ad Regional Neck Isolation Aa Pull-Offs 3 45 Memori 46 Machine Chops 47 Interval Learning ... . : 48 Bass Solo Symptoms... 48 Bigger Is Better : 49 Natural Harmonics 49 False Harmonics te 50 Imaginary 24th Fret . . 50 False Harmonic Trick . .. 5t Left-Hand Muting..... panne ome ee om “Jumping Bass" Syndrome ...... 0. ceee sap ep (BI Light Gauge Strings —_ Cable Infomercial Working Out . Muscle Memory . One String ataTime ..... Another Fretless Don't . . § Ear improv ...... 54 ‘Avoid the Salute + 58 ‘The Benefts of Playing Soft. ee 57 Dampening System .......... ans oe : 59 The Palm Mute 60 The Barre Joint : 61 Pinky Flex 63 Right-Hand Note Dampening 64 Record Your Practicing The Extra Mile. Look at the Neck .. ae ane aa Look at Your Right Hand... .. Senne seveee 66 Ear Training Exercise ars 66 PC Board Spacers... . 87 Chord Tones Thru Changes . 68 ‘Studio Tracking Setup 69 Secondary Dominants . . : ce 69 Static Harmony Fix... gfe ses sttdlsasto we 70 The Tiitone Sub... seeee ees nes Sle wae TERT Chord Tone Proximity... 0. ..eeeeeeeeeeee ames? Boomy Room Fix... cI singe ae eave The 2x4 Solution... ie ao ete an ens maT Passive Quirk .......- cece Th False Harmonic Technique. Diminished Chord improv Classical Posture .....- Appendage Time CD Track 18419 20-26 27 28 29 30 31-38 41-42 43-47 48-51 52-87 58-60 61-640 STRING BOILING RECIPE Ingredients One set of greasy strings One pan suitable for boiling (One square of tn fll suitable for wrapping and baking (One fork suitable for poking holes in the tinfoil 1.Wind the strings up into a circle small enough to fit into the pan you're using. 2, Boll in regular tap water for 15 minutes. 3. Carefully remove and dry with a clean towel (not paper towels). 4, Wrap in foil and perforate with the fork to let air circulate. 5, Preheat oven to lowest temperature possible, around 20°F. 6. Dry in oven for 15 min. 7. Remove and allow to cool. 8, Reinstall the strings for that bright “almost new” sound. EYE CONTACT In any band situation, eye contact is the cure for most train wrecks. But it can also cause train ‘wrecks if you're not careful when you use it. f you'e in charge for giving a cue ({elling the band when to move to the next section), then it's better to avoid making eye contact with anyone until ‘about two bars before the change. Then allt takes is a couple of raised eyebrows and wide open eye- balls, and everyone will get the message. With practice, everyone can learn to rely on your cues, and transitions can be made smoothly. ‘Sometimes you have a situation when you have to relay a cue to the rest of the band. In that case, you stare down the “cue-er* and don't make eye contact with anyone else until you receive the cue. Timing is everything. Say you're playing music with two-bar phrases. The best cue is given two bars before the transition happens. If a cue happens in the middle of a two-bar phrase, then a wreck is about to happen... Are we one bar away or is it coming three bars from now? By the time you can answer, half the band has already switched while the other half has got that “deer in the headlights” look...TAKE THE STH (FOR (MPKOV) ‘As a bass soloist, you have two strikes against you before you ever start soloing: 1. You've learned to hear and play music from the root up. 2. The register of your instrument keeps it lower in the harmonic spectrum. ‘This makes it difficult for the bass to sound lke i's playing “over” the music in a melodic fashion, ‘One way to get your ideas to sound above the harmony is to start your ideas from the Sth. It you're playing over a Cmai7, play as if you were playing a Gmaj7. Just playing a triad on G gets you the 7th and the Sth, which already sounds “above" the harmony. Even if you play that triad as low as you can on the instrument, it stil sounds above the harmony. Its important to keep the sense of separation between melody and harmony by avoiding roots at the beginning and end of any ideas you play. By thinking of Gmaj7, you'll avoid the ath (a.k.a. the root, C) and maintain that separation, Here's an example of centering some solo ideas around the Sith D coair Cmaj7 ts tT aeeny 7 7 3 se EE —— - = ‘The basic G, D, and B in the first bar create the sound of the Sth, Sth, and 7th while the C, A, and F in the third bar do the same. This results in a solo that sounds more like it's “above” the harmony, This is the same progression for you to work on: PES 7 Zz ey 20cmoO SO MANY MELOPIES.,, ‘As a bassist, you're used to moving the music along from underneath. The music won't go anywhere Unless you do. Its complelely diferent when you're the melody instrument. The music goes on underneath whether you play anything or not. Melodies can speed up, slow down, start late, or start early, and the accompaniment goes on, regardless. The more melodies you learn to play, the more you'll get a sense of the independence the melodic instrument has from the accompaniment. And the more you learn to interpret” melodies, the more you'll be able to personalize and interpret your own ideas. “interpret... you just play what's writen on the page, you're not really communicating anything. Melodies need to be interpreted. Make subtle changes in phrasing, coloration, decoration, whatever ‘you can add to make the melody more personal and human. © sreaccens ur Ifyou find thatthe bass is too boomy for the room, try raising your speaker cabinets off the floor about a foot. When they're on the floor, there's a “coupling” that goes on that makes the floor vibrate and reinforce the bass sound throughout the stage. Raising the speakers off the floor “uncouples” them ‘and gives you a tighter bass sound. Also, it puts the speakers closer to your torso and ear so you can turn down and still hear yourself well. Bass frequencies require huge surfaces before they reflect. This is why you might find that your volume setting on stage in a huge concert hall is actually less than the setting you use in a tiny rehearsal room. The walls in a rehearsal room are too small to reflect the bass frequencies, so you have to compensate with more volume.oo o BRUM MACHINE BOW'TS I you practice with full-blown, pertectly mixed drum machine grooves, then you'll create a dependency on hearing those full-blown, perfectly mixed drums whenever you play. You want the band to be able to rely on you for a sense of time and groove, so you should learn to rely on hear- ing less when you practice. The most reliable instrument in a drummer's kit is the hi-hat. Bass drums, cymbals, snares, and crashes can be all over the place. but the one thing that's consistent is the hi-hat. Usually its not the easiest thing to hear, but you can hear itn between the beats. Put the hi-hat on the “ands” of grooves. If @ groove is “quarter note at 120” put the hi-hat at 120 but make it on the offbeat. This forces you to come up with the downbeats and a sense of time while listening for the in-between ‘consistency of the hi-hat. The band can then rely on you for a sense of time without you needing the full-blown, perfectly mixed drum mix to play to. Here's a full-blown groove. Here's the same tempo for you to practice with, but with the hi-hat only (J = 106). Back in the day—O.K. I'm showing my age here, but back when I was learning to play—we didn't have drum machines. All | had was a Franz electric metronome with a loud “in-your- face” smack when the beater hit the side of the box. | did some modifications by covering the inside of the metronome with duct tape to dull the “clack” sound it made and occasionally put a pillow over it to simulate the softer presence that a hi-hat sound usually has in the mix. 6 THE ONE-CHOKUS SOLO A big challenge for bass soloists comes when its time to end a solo. Why? Because we have to seamlessly switch roles from soloing to accompanying without stopping. This transition period is often the most oritical, since a great solo can lose its momentum and impact if the end and transition is not handled confidently. If you wait too long before ending your solo and making the transition, then the rest of the band is usually not ready to come in. Ifyou finish too early, then there's not much the band can do except twiddle their thumbs until the beginning of the next section. Practice solos that only last one chorus, and really target the transition. Since you're usually higher ‘on the neck, definitely work on anticipating when its time to work your way back down to a register where you can comfortably resume your role. if you execute the end of your solo and make the transition confidently with the right timing, you'l immediately be rewarded by a tremendous standing ovation and a showering of gifts and possibly undergarments. Or at least you'll avoid a musical train wreckSET UP OW THE HI-HAT SIDE It may sound kind of obvious, but some people don't realize the importance of setting up on the hi-hat side of the drum kit. The other side is where you'll hear more of the less-consistent instruments like the ride cymbal, crashes, and toms. As well as having a better chance of hearing the snare, you'll want to set up on the side of the most consistent instrument in the drum kit. (‘See #6.) eo CMAGIAARY FINGERING You can actually get a lot of work done leaning the fingerboard away from the bass. Imagine a finger per fret, and use your thumb to contact the finger that corresponds to the note you're fretting, imagining string changes as necessary. Then start playing. Try starting off with “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” How about “Happy Birthday"? If youre listening to the radio, imagine the tune in C, starting with your second finger, and play along. If you find a note outside that initial four-fret area, straighten your thumb out to the side to remind yourself that you'e stretching for it. Odds are, the ext note will be back in your original four-fret area, had a student tell me he used this techingue while waiting oustide the door at an audition. By the time it was his turn to play, he'd learned the tune. GOT PHASE? If youre playing on stages with PA's, make sure you'e in phase with the PA before you play. When you're out of phase, the bass cabinet and the PA's cabinets will cancel each other out, and you won't be able to hear yourself. You'll end up turning up real loud and still probably not be able to hear your- self Here's how phase works, Two different speakers (in this case, the ones inside your bass cabinet and the ones in the PA cabinet) should inttaly move in the same direction to produce the same sound. A simplified explanation is that a speaker creates sound waves by pushing air out and pulling air back in. When two different speakers are out of phase, the first direction one speaker travels to create sound will be by pulling air in while the initial travel of the other speaker will be to push air out. Listened to in isolation, each speaker will sound fine. But when the sound waves from both speakers arrive at your eardrum simultaneously, the two will cancel each other out because they'll be asking your eardrum to travel in equally opposing directions at once. When this happens on stage, you'll find yourself compensating by turning up your amp so that you can hear yourself while the rest of the house is getting a heavy dose of stage volume from the unsuspecting bassist...you. To check if you're in phase with the PA, turn the master volume on your amp down and have the sound engineer turn up your bass in the PA. While playing an open low string, gradually turn up the volume of your amp. If you notice the bass and low end getting louder, then you're in phase. But if the sound gets weaker as you turn up, you're out of phase with the PA. The way to fix phase problems is to simply switch the polarity (the positive and negative) of one of the speakers. Sometimes the mixing board will have a phase switch so you can check and fix it that Way. But that's not always an option. Most amplifiers and some speaker cabinets have banana con- Nections that wil allow you to switch the polarity of the cabinets. if you have a self-contained “combo” amp, then usually there's a cable hard-wired from the amp to the cabinet that you can un- plug. Make a short cable that allows you to plug into it, and then into your cabinet, that switches the polarity.LIVE MONITOR MIX ‘On stages where monitors are used, the first thing | ask for is hi-hat. Once that's set, I'l ask for some ‘overheads and have them turn up the side with the ride cymbal (the side that's away from me). Usually, the kick and snare are blasting through the PA, so adding that to the monitors just drowns out the more critical time-keeping sounds like hi-hat and ride cymbal TOOL KIT List fuses for your amp and any other rack gear 9V batteries for active bass electronics, tuners, effects pedals (yours or the guitarists) {or dark stages ~ checking out wiring problems on the back of amps, or when the singer loses a contact lens sorewdrivers Philips and flathead, large and small allen wrenches 1o fit saddle screws and also your truss rod wire cutters ‘can't change strings without ‘em super glue to fix a broken guitar nut, knob, pickguard, strap, or even a fingernail electrical tape always handy Zipties to clean up sloppy cable routing or fix a busted pants belt band:-aids you never know10 MENTAL GAMES ‘Sometimes it happens...yourre on a gig, it might even pay well, but you're bored out of your mind... It's time to get busy. Try playing a tune with only your first finger on your left hand, or only two, three, or four. Try playing a tune without using your frst finger on your left hand, just two, three, and four. Play the chorus using only one string. Or, play @ tune using only your second and third fingers on your right hand. Just because the music isn't challenging, doesn't mean you can't improve. BEWb WEW STRINGS Bigger strings (A, E, and B if you've got a 5-string) tend to resist being bent over the saddle when they'te new. Check to see that they make a straight line from the saddle. If not, push down from the top and re-tune.After ‘Sometimes the same thing happens at the nut, but usually only on the B string. Press down on either side of the nut, and you'll get it to straighten out, CS RE-USE PRETLESS STRINGS It you'te changing strings on a fretless and a fretted, you can squeeze a litle more fe out of the fretless set by putting them on the fretted. Since they haven't been “indented” at al the fret contact points, they can sound a little more “alive” than it you tried boiling the fretted set for reuse. Better yet, bol the fretless set, then put them on the fretted. @ KYEBING ALCOHOL It you find that your strings are dying too fast, you might want to Keep your hands dry by using ordinary rubbing alcohol right before every time you play or practice. it makes a good instrument ‘string cleaner, and it's cheap too. Its not an issue of personal hygiene, it's just that some people have a body chemistry that results in more oil emitting from their hands than others. '™m lucky in that respect. | could be out in humid 90° weather, and my hands would stay perfectly dry... Go figure. 1"2 @ STRING-TO-STRING BALANCE One of the most important things about bass setup is the volume balance from string to string, Improper string-to-string balance can really make it difficult for your right hand to play every note at the volume you want efficiently This involves adjusting individual strings and also adjustment of the pickup heights. The first thing to look for is whether your strings are lined up with the curve of the neck. Here are a few strings that are out of balance and need adjustment. This D string is much too low compared to the G and A — Here it is property balanced Here you can see that it mantains the curve — Same with this E string. of the neck with the B and A Adjust your strings to match the curve in the neck, but make sure they play evenly without creating more buzzes or getting all the strings too high. Once the strings are adjusted properly, you need to make sure the pickups give you balanced output. Isolate one pickup at a time, and play a scale from your lowest string to your highest string. If you Notice an increase or decrease in volume, you need to adjust the height of that pickup. Obviously, the closer the pickup is to the strings, the louder the strings will be. If you find that a pickup is not moving toward the strings when you loosen the screws, youll need to place foam underneath it to help hold it up. Carefully remove the screws and pull out the pickup. (You'll ‘need to loosen the strings.) Cut a small piece of foam and place it on the side of the pickup that needs raising ‘Some older pickups have extra-strong magnets in them that prevent adjusting them too close to the string. If you notice a warbled pitch coming from a string that gets worse the higher you play, then your pickup is too close to the strings.@ ABLUST YOUKINTONUATION Adjusting the intonation on a fretted or fretless is a very simple operation. All you need is a tuner and a screwdriver. Basic intonation is done by adjusting the length ofthe string so that a note played at the 42th fret isin tune (that is, it matches the natural harmonic at that fret) ‘Turning the long screw at the back of the bridge will move the saddle forwards or backwards for intonation adjustments. Other bridge systems may have different mechanisms for moving the saddle forwards or backwards, but this method is the most common. Here's how it's done. Tune up the string and then play it at the 12th fret: + Ifthe note at the 12th fret is sharp, the string is too short. ‘+ Make the string onger by moving the saddle away from the neck. + Tune up the string and try again, 814 + Ifthe note at the 12th fret is flat, the string is too long = Make the string shorter by moving the saddle towards the neck. + Tune up the string and try again ‘Ona fretless, you should adjust the intonation according to how you want to play in relationship to the lines. Here's where | place my | set up the intonation for the fretless finger on a fretted. to be in exactly the same place.It's important to realize that to play in tune on a fretless, you have to adjust your finger placement depending on which part of the neck you'r playing, Its common for people to set fretless intonation so that a note is in tune when the line is directly in the middle of the finger. If this is done for the 12th ret, it forces you to play very sharp (past the line) in the lower registers. I you set it ike this, ‘You might have to play lke this in forthe 12th fret: the first few frets: Setting the intonation with the finger slightly behind the 12th fret gets these results: 12th fret 2nd fret 2Ast fret adjusted for slightly ines up in the much more ‘behind the line center of the finger behind the line 1516 LOCATION, LOCATION Unfortunately, a lot of bassists tend to find a place they're comfortable with for the right hand and stay there. There's a whole range of different tones available by playing from down near the bridge to up ‘over the neck. Closer to the bridge will get you a punchy midrange tone that will help your notes cut. The other extreme is up on the heel of the neck. ‘You have to adjust your right-hand intensity for this new range of positions. There's more resistance to your right hand closer to the bridge, so be careful about playing there all the time. It can lead to 100 much tension—and tendonitis—in your right hand. The strings are much looser feeling up over the neck, so you have to tone down your intensity or you'll be slamming the strings down onto the neck for ‘every note—a legtimate effect, but make sure you're in control. go tow Lower = Bigger On a 4-string bass, especially when you'e playing in the keys between E and G, don't get stuck in the upper register all the time. Of course, some grooves and patterns require that you have that string available below the root, but some clever transposition will allow you to play the same ideas down low so the band’s spectrum from low to high will sound broader. It you're new to a 5- or 6strng bass, don't avoid those extra low notes. Spend time getting comfortable playing in the keys of E> down to B with those low roots. There are times, of course, when you'll want fo save those extra low notes for just the right part of the tune, but otherwise make ita habit to hang out down there and get comfortable. Bigger is better. For 5- and 6-string players: Be aware ofthe difference in tones when you play, for instance, in the key of C (on the A string and C on the E string. Higher up the neck but on a bigger string will get you a darker, fuller tone that may be just what's needed for certain tunes,@ PRETLESS KEADING ‘Some consider it cheating, but | say use all the help you can get. If you find yourself reading on fretless and you don't feel lke you've developed that perfect-intonation muscle memory we all strive for (iknow I'm not there yet), then position the music stand so that the neck sits directly between your eyes and the music. That way, a quick glance at the neck won't interfere with keeping your place on the chart. @ WUT HEIGHT Try this test on your bass. You'll need a third hand to help you out. Play some ideas on the lowest part of your neck, something involving the tstfret—for instance, an F# major scale. Then have someone hold down all the strings on the 1st fret (like a capo) and play the same ideas up a fret. Feel different? ‘That's how your bass could fee! if the nut was cut accordingly. Look at the distance the string moves when you fret the first fret on each string. Then look at how much each string moves when you hold down the first fret and fret the second fret. That's how low the nut could/should be. ‘There are a couple of solutions. You can buy a set of fret files and file down the slots individually. Or, if all the strings seem to be the same cistance above the neck, you can sand the bottom of the nut fo remove enough material to make all the strings lower. Either way is risky and requires some basic skill and experience since you could damage the nut and possibly render it useless. If you have any doubts, take it to a pro, Hopefully, the tech will be the kind of person who wil let you watch the process so that you can try it yourself next time. Some bass designs alleviate this problem by including a Zero Fret: a fret located where the nut normally s, with the nut slightly behind. 7@ STRING TRIMMING For newer, smaller Gotoh"™ type tuners, you only need to leave about 2 to 3 inches of string to wrap ‘around the tuning peg. When installing new strings, here's how much string to cut: For older Fender™ style tuners, you can basically leave the string intact since the extra wraps around ‘the post help provide the grip to Keep the string secure. To save time, before you start winding, insert the end of the string into the peg and wrap the extra string around the post until there's just enough room to bend the string down over one of the slotted edges. 18PAKAMETRIC PAKAMETEKS Having a fundamental understanding of how a parametric EQ works is valuable in a number of situations. Bass amps, guitar amps, PA mixing boards, or the mixing desk of a recording studio are the most common situations where youl find parametric EQ devices. Most importantly, knowing the ins and outs of Parametric EQ allow you to get the best sound out of your own gear, plus it help when ‘you need to interact with PA and studio engineers who are responsible for translating your sound to the audience or on to tape. There are 3 main elements of a fully parametric EQ: frequency, level, and bandwidth. A fully parametric EQ will give you control over all three of these parameters, thus the name. Frequency is the central pitch of the area that you want to change. This unit has two bands of parametric EQ. The top one operates in the 180 to 1.2k range, while the lower band is adjustable from 1.3k to 7.5k. An open A string vibrates at 60Hz... That's 60 times a second, which is considered ‘to be in the range of “low’ fregencies. Lows, mids, and highs are relative to each instrument, but mids (on a bass are considered to be in the S00Hz to 1,200Hz range (also expressed as 1.2kHz). Highs on ‘a bass are everything above that. Once you get above around 500H2, you're not actually dealing with the fundamental pitches of the instrument but the overtones, harmonics, and eventually string noise (once you get above 2kH2). Level, like it sounds, is simply raising or lowering the frequencies or area of frequencies you're trying {o change. The boost or cut is measured in dB (decibels). A 34B boost is described as twice as loud, Bandwidth is area on either side of the central pitch that you want to affect. For instance, a wide bandwith boost at 60Hz will sound like you're turning up all the low end. Or, a very narrow bandwidth cout at 1.2kH2 will mellow out some “honk” in the upper mids without destroying the basic sound of the instrument Knowing the basics of how all three controls work will definitely come in handy every time you'e in the studio and want to intelligently talk with an engineer about what's going on with your sound or any other instrument. It's also valuable if you find yoursett playing through different amplifiers. Not every amp has fully parametric controls, but the ability to quickly dial up the sound you want makes re- hearsals, soundchecks, and gigs a lot more painless. 19(25) BASS REVERB EG. ‘A fullrange reverb sounds great on a bass by itself, but in order for it to sound clear in a track or on stage you need to EQ the reverb itself. In the studio, you can patch the reverb through an EQ or return it to its own tracks for EQ. I've gotten the best results by roling off everything below 500hz. That way you get the shimmer and spaciousness without the muddy lows rumbling around and ‘clouding things up. Live, you probably won't have the luxury of running your reverb through a ‘separate EQ, so just make sure the unit has EQ as one of the editable parameters. I that's not available, some will let you set the decay time of the low frequencies separately from the rest. That way you can shorten the decay of the lows and clear up the effect. BASS TKACKING When recording a bass track, try to send as pure a signal as possible to the tape machine, Go through as few electronic devices as possible, including the mixing board. The less signal processing you record with, the more flexibility you'l have to try diferent EQ's and effects later on. Ff course, the signal has to come back from the machine into the board so that you and others can monitor it, but at that point you're free to EQ and affect the sound without being stuck with the results on tape. If istening to your effects is critical to your performance, send the dry signal (preferably right from the direct box) to tape and the effects that you're monitoring to a second bass track. Again, you wor't be stuck with the processed signal, and you'll be free to try other effects, a different wetidry mix, or no effects at all ‘Since highs are a lot more predominant in headphones than what I'm used to hearing from a bass amp, Ihave the engineer reduce the frequencies ftom 2kHz and up while 'm tracking, and then we'll listen to playback with no EQ.CABLE DISCIPLINE ‘A well-trained cord is always well behaved and doesn’t get involved in intimate relationships with other cords. Do your cords look lke this? Make them look like this: Spare the twist, spoil the cord: Give ita little clockwise twist as you wrap it with your right hand, and itl learn to avoid the tangles and kinks that come from a bad upbringing. a22 TWEETER ABLUSTMENT ‘Alot of modem speaker cabinet designs come with a tweeter whose volume is adjustable from the back of the cabinet. These passive designs use the variable resistance within a coll to change the volume of the tweeter. Unfortunately, it you turn down the volume of the tweeter in this passive design, the amplifiers signal is going through fewer turns of the coil and the coil is more likely to heat up and cause problems. Instead of reducing the volume of the tweeter at the cabinet, run i flat (the middle setting) and use the EQ controls of the amp to reduce the treble, THE SOUMP Of WOOK (One of the biggest factors in determining the overall sound and response of a bass is the wood, especially the body wood. Learn how different woods behave, and make that a part of your decision in choosing your next instrument. ‘+ Heavy (dense) woods do a good job of compressing the overall sound and evening things up. ‘+ Lighter (less dense) woods like alder and ash generally have a wider response from sotts to louds, and their resonant frequency is closer to the bass tones you's trying to produce. Since different playing styles require different characteristics from a bass, choose your next instrument accordingly. COMPRESS FOK FINESSE Don't use the compressor when playing with your fingers. Switch it in when you slap, but out when you {go back to fingerstyle playing. That way, you'll save your right-hand fingerstyle technique from having to compete with the volume of your own funky spankin’.@ PYWAMIES VS. EVEW Everyone always talks about how important itis to get your eighth and sixteenths notes even, but what's missing in a lot ofthis talk is dynamics. The differences in individual volumes in a line are what ives a groove oa line its life and really affects the feel. Here's a simple exercise to get you working ‘on dynamics in your right-hand technique. Here's the same exercise played with a swing feel. Ons ge oS as er ae Sa poet Sito Tris deceptively simple exercise is meant to be played as slow as necessary to execute the details, First of al, you should play these notes lagato. That means absolutely no gaps in between the notes. In the first exercise, the first eighth note of every pair is soft, and the second eighth note is always louder (not loud). In the second exercise, the first eighth note of every pair is soft and long, and the ‘second eighth note is always short and louder. Dor't try to kill the loud note, just play the first note really soft so that you can start exploring the other end of the volume spectrum. After working on ‘dynamics for a while, you'll discover that getting everything even will be easy. @® MIRROR, MURRKOR... Watch yourself practicing in a mirror. Once you get over how good you look, unnecessary finger move- ‘ment (especially in the left hand), technique flaws, and bad technique in general really jump ‘out at you when you're watching from a different perspective. 23MAKE YOUR OWW STRAP ‘A good, wide custoft strap helps eliminate fatigue and is actually easy to make. 41) First you need the raw material. Ask for Latigo, and specify 2 ounce or bigger. That's about 1/8" thick. Latigo has a finished shiny side and an unfinished suede-like side that wor't slide off your shoulder. If there's not a hobby or cratt store in your area, try www.auburnleather.com (600-635-0617). A 5" wiath will distribute the weight of the bass on your shoulder better. To find out what length to order, measure your current strap from hole to hole and add at least 8 inches. The leftover leather is used for reinforcement. t a 2) Cut the length 2" longer than your hole-to-hole measurement. After that, make two cuts so that the general shape of the strap will 00k like this: ‘The first cutis determined by the distance from the end pin to the center of your shoulder. Make a cut that leaves 2 1/2" of width on the end to the full width of the strap at the distance you measured. Then ccut from there to the other end, also leaving 2 1/2" of width3) Cut the holes an inch from the end of the strap. If you don't have a hole punch, a pair of wire cutters will work just as well. Fashion a hole about 1/4” in diameter with a slit similar to this shape: 4) Use the leftover leather and glue a 3° piece on each end with rubber cement 10 reinforce the strap holes. Trim away the excess, and you're done. 252-525 When you're improvising over i-V progressions, except for the movement of one note, you can just imagine playing over the V chord and still get good results. In a progression with a lot of i-Vs, this will reduce the amount of chords you have to think about, allowing you to play longer ideas that aren't interrupted every time there's a chord change. The one note to be careful with it you're just thinking of the V chord is its major 3rd. For instance, the V of C is G7. Its 3rd is B, which is the 6th or 13th of D7 (the ii of C). The sound of that B over a Dm7 will create more tension than any of the other diatonic chord tones of m7—but only ifthe chord lasts a long time (ike four beats at a slow tempo). If the i-Vs are going by faster, as in two beats each per bar, then you'e less likely to notice the tension, and the B will sound mote like it “belongs” to your ideas. For each ii-V in this progression, | center my ideas around the Sth: > ad Dm ar Cmaj7 e i = ft tt = AH « mai? ee ft EF ——* En? | A7 Det GT maj fie p ay £ Fatt ete F Fes, aad Deter eet == == 4a = acer ae fe oe Here's the same progression for you to work on. © 0-75 Em? AT Dmaj7 Da? GT maj? oy es IE = PP ey |FSUS CHOKES When playing over a 7sus chord, you have to consider your role before you decide what to do. Your choice as a soloist will be different than your choice as a bassistacoompanyist. Think of the 7sus ‘sound as a minor or major 7th chord with a different note in the bass. For instance, a Dm7 (all our voices: 1-3-5-7) with a G in the bass will produce a G7sus chord. ° ‘The 1-3-5-7 of Dm7 become the Sth, 7th, 9th, and 11th of G7sus. The 7th of D (the C) provides the “sus” part of the sound. The relative major of D minor is F major, so an Fmaj7 with that same G in the bass will also give you a G7sus sound. C4 ‘Technically it could be called a G13sus with the 1-3-5-7 of Fmaj7 providing the 7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th of the G7sus chord. ‘Another way to describe these two voicings is as a minor 7th with the 4th in the bass or a major 7th with the 2nd in the bass. Here's where your role comes in. Obviously, your role as a bassist is to supply the roots. Play the root at the beginning of the bar, and then use the chord tones of the “other” 7th chord in the rest of the bar. For a G7sus, play the G at the beginning and then think of Dmi7 or Fmai7 for the rest of the bar. Here's an example of a bass line over a D7sus-F7sus progression.‘As a soloist you should be trying to sound “above” the harmony, 80 only think of the m7 or the maj7 cchord as it relates to the root of the 7sus chord. For instance, over G7sus, just think of the Dm7 and/or Fmaj7. Here's an example of a solo over the previous progression. O men Dies, (Am7 or Cmaj7) Pisus, (Cm7 or Exmaj7) a (Am? ot Cmaj7) F7sus _—__ (C7 or maj?) Disus ee Here's the progression for you to practice with. O 5 Diss Fras ey 2 ies@ GAIN STRUCTURE Getting the gain structure right in a bass system means optimizing the output of all the various amplifiers that are involved, in order to get them operating at their most efficient settings, so that you can get the best sounding signal to the speaker or tape machine... In other words: you have to get a bunch of knobs right. Ina simple setup, youll have the volume knob on your bass, an input knob on the amp, and a master volume knob on the amp. Each knob controls ampifer circuitry that feeds the next one. The higher you turn up the knob or gain on an amplifier circuit, the less efficient that amp becomes and the worse it will sound. Amplifier circuitry requires headroom in order to reproduce the wide range of dynamics that are coming out of your bass. (You do use dynamics when you play, right?) The most critical of these is ‘the input control on your amplifier. That's why most amps with this control also give you an indicator (usually an LED light) that changes color to help you adjust the input level to its most optimum setting. Other, simpler setups offer two different jacks that you can plug into: active or passive. ‘You mainly want to avoid any extremes for any of the knobs—except perhaps the bass output knob. Too much output from your bass might cause you to have to turn down the input stage and force you to compensate by really cranking the master volume; turning the input stage way down and then. amplifying it back up with the master will increase the amount of noise you hear. Too litle output from the bass will cause you to have to really turn up the input stage to a level where that input ampifer section runs out of headroom and the efficiency you need from it. Once you have the proper relation- ship set between the output of the bass and the input stage of the amp, use the master volume as ‘much as possible to adjust your overall volume. If you rely too much on the volume knob of the bass, you! upset the balance and efficiency that's achieved by dialing in the outputinput relationship. How loud should you turn up your bass? The standard output level that manufacturers used for years vas the old standby Fender Jazz® bass. With the preamps on basses starting to incorporate 18-volt (dual 9-volt battery) systems, its becoming increasingly possible to really overdrive the input stage of your amplifier. f you don't happen to have an old ‘63 Jazz laying around, take your bass to a music store and compare the output volumes. New ampifier input circuitry is more and more designed to hrandle the increased output of the newer active bass circuitry, but you should stil ry to optimize the settings in order to get the most out of your system. ties B® - QD: serrivg ue your oww actiow No, I don't mean you have to know “Vegas Vinnie's" cell number. “Action” in this case means the playability of your bass. Part of itis setting up the right amount of relief in the neck, which is controlled by the truss rod. The other part involves string height, which is adjusted with the individual saddles on the bridge. Both of these adjustments tend to intimidate a lot ‘of bassists, but they'e relatively easy to master once you understand the basies. Understanding the basic relationships between string height and neck reli is the first step, soit’ tip #37. Tips #38 and 39 show you how to adjust these two elements.STRING HEIGHT/WECK KELIEF String height and neck relief are related. You can't adjust one without affecting the other, so here's where understanding the basics comes into play. Take a look at how a string vibrates. A string vibrates in a slight but long curve througout the length of the string. That's why there needs to be some relief or bow in the neck to compensate for this curve and allow the string to vibrate freely but stay close to the neck. — Here's how you can find out how much bow is in your neck: + Hold down the A string at the first fret with your first finger. ‘+ Then, just past the end of the neck, hold down the A string against the neck with your elbow. When you press the string against the neok at the first fret and at the end of the neck, you've created a per- fectly straight line. How much that line (string) can ‘move tells you how much relief is in the neck. While the string is held down at both ends of the neck, use your first finger on your right hand to tap on the string. The amount it moves is how ‘much relief is in the neck. How much should it move? ‘On my bass, it moves about the thickness of a credit card. You want it to at least move a litle. If it does rit move at all, hen you need to loosen the truss rod. How much is too much? ‘The best way to tell ifthe right amount of relief is in your neck is to lower the strings. ‘+ Ifafter lowering the strings, the notes buzz only above the 12th fret, then there's too much bow in the neck. You'l need to tighten the truss rod. ‘+ If after you lower the strings, the notes only buzz in the first five frets, then your neck is too straight. You'l need to loosen the truss rod. ‘+ Ifafter you lower the strings, the notes buzz all up and down the neck, the neck’ fine. Your strings are just t00 low.&® ADJUSTING THE TRUSS kOb {A truss rod is actually two metal bars crammed into an exact fit undemeath the fingerboard. The ‘normal configuration is that the end of one of the pieces is threaded with an an adjusting screw or nut and passes through a sleeve welded to the other one. Once the screw or nut is tightened, it bends the other bar and, because of the tight fit, the whole neck. In addition to providing the ability to adjust the ‘amount of relief in the neck, a truss rod gives the wooden neck support so it can withstand the tension ‘caused by the metal strings. You can adjust the truss rod by turning the nut that sits underneath the fingerboard at the headstock or by turning the screw that's accessed at the heel of the neck. Loosening the truss rod If the truss rod adjustment is located at the headstock, you may need to loosen and move a string out of the way. Important! Turn the trust tod adjustment counter-clockwise only 1/4 turn. You should be able to see a difference after a quarter turn. If not, try a litle more, but 'd recommend no more than a half a turn per day. Wooden necks require time to “settle in” to truss rod adjustments. Tightening the truss rod Tightening isa little more complicated. Before you turn the wrench, you need to “help” straighten the neck a litle, This is easiest it you're sitting down. + Stand the bass on the floor. + Put your foot in front of it. + Put your knee behind it. * Carefully push on the front of the headstock Then, while you'e putting pressure on the headstock, make your adjustment clockwise to tighten the truss rod. Important! Again, only tur it clockwise 1/4 of a turn. You should be able to see a difference atter a quarter turn. If not, try a litle more, but Fd still recommend no more than a haif a turn a day. atABSUSTING STRING HEIGHT (One of the side effects of adjusting the truss rod is that the height of the strings is also changed. ‘+ Tightening the truss rod lowers the string height. + Loosening the truss rod raises the string height. ‘To compensate for these changes, or to affect the action along the entire length of the bass neck (once the relief is set), you'll need to adjust the height of the strings, You adjust the string height by raising or lowering the saddles where each string rests at the bridge. | try to lower the strings as much as possible but stil keep them from buzzing, Play every note on a string from the frst fret to the highest when you're checking for buzzes. On a fretless, it the strings are adjusted too high, fretless notes lose their characteristic “buzz.” When they're adjusted too low, the extra “buzz” chokes the note and doesn't let it “breathe” Some buzzing on a fretted is acceptable because, although it might be audible acoustically while you're setting up your action, i's not so noticeable when the sound comes out of your amp. ‘Almost all fingerboards are constructed with a slight curve or “radius” When you're adjusting the strings, make sure they follow the radius of the neck (see tip #17). Also, the larger strings need to be set up just slightly higher than the rest. If you set up your string height correctly, you should be able to observe this radius from the side. Hold the body horizontally, and look closely at the strings. You should be able to see each string come into view as you slowly turn the bass towards you. This means that the strings are following the radius of the neck.FRETLESS PRACTICE Record a “drone’—an open string played constantly enough so that you don’t hear it decay—and practice fretless along with it. For instance, record your open G as a drone and play along with the recording. Make sure your playback device is in tune. If not, use the G to re-tune your bass. You can start by playing G major scales very slowly. Be careful that each note you play is in tune. Make sure you work on different registers as well. You can also use C major, E minor, G minor, C minor, etc. Here's a G drone for you to practice with ¢@ FRETLESS PIVOT On fretless, the ability to pivot on the tips of your fingers with the left hand will improve your intonation and vibrato. Once you've set up your intonation on a fretless (tip #18) you'll have @ good idea for ‘where to put your finger to play a note in tune. If you don’t happen to hit that spot with deadly accuracy all the time (believe me, itll happen), then you'll need a way to coax the note to the right pitch without sliding. This is where the pivot comes in. Think of it as the needle on a tuner that's, searching for the right pitch. ‘The pivot is accomplished by controling the movement of each finger from the knuckle joint at your hand. The tip of your finger wil oll” parallel to the string and cause the note to go sharp or flat. This may not come naturally at first, So make sure that you're not moving your whole hand to get this to work. Eventually you should be able to control the pivot for each finger independently. Even if you do get your finger in exactly the right spot, a fretless note needs to have a little movement in order to retain its musical character. Practice moving away and returning with your pivot in a very slow and controlled manner. Try both sides of the pitch, sharper and flatter, in order to gain the most ‘control with your fingers. Start out with just single notes. Play the D, G, C, and F, and pivot regardless of whether you nail the pitch of not. The first four bars are an example of what it sounds lke. Notice that | intentionally pivot the note even though it might start out in tune. The rest of the example is for you to practice with. ® Later on, try playing octaves and Sths to get a handle on the pivot with the little finger. This abilty to adjust the pitch is central to having a musical and expressive vibrato. Too often, fretless players neglect to learn this control of their vibrato, and echoes of Ethel Merman are summoned from the grave... God rest her soul. You can, of course, choose whatever vibrato style you prefer, but a fast, ‘out-of-control vibrato loses its musical effect and ends up sounding like a “nervous habit.4 FRETLESS BOW’T have to remind myself of this one ocasionally. On a fretted bass, i's a common technique in lower registers to pull on the string of a note in the left hand to get a subtle vibrato or pitch movement out of ‘a note. This is a definite no-no on a fretless. You'll be grinding a metal string sideways across an epoxy-coated or possibly bare wooden fingerboard. Eventually the metal will grind away some epoxy ‘of Wood, and the useful Ifespan of your fingerboard will be compromised. You can get the same kind ‘of pitch movement by moving your finger parallel to the string, and it causes little if no wear on the fingerboard. 43) THE LOCTITE SOLUTIOW Ever notice your that your string height becomes drastically different after you change strings? Even if you used the same brand and gauge? What's happened is that when you remove a string, the saddle adjustment screws become loose and easy to turn. The vibration or buzz that you hear when you pull a string (most lkely a roundwound) through the hole at the back of the bridge can cause these loose adjustment screws to spin, and your carefullly adjusted string height becomes all out of whack. ‘Once you've got your string height set where you want it, use some blue (272) medium strength LocTite on the screws, and they'll stay put. The medium strength will allow you to still make adjustments from time to time but can prevent the out of control spinning whenever you change strings. Here's how to apply the LocTite once your string height is set + You need to expose the part of the screw that's being used in order to get the LocTite applied correctly + Extend the screw through the bottom of the saddle exactly three turns. + Apply a small amount of LocTite to the threads nearest the saddle. + Retract the screw back up into the saddle ‘exactly three turns. This will maintain whatever adjustments you've made but insure the LocTite is in contact with the threads and the inside of the saddle, It you really don't want to use the LocTite, you can physically hold the saddle against the bridge whenever you pull a string through, and this will help keep the saddle screws in place. Just make sure you only change one string at a time.@ wo ty OK, you're not grounded. But here's the rule: Do not watch TV while you run your scales and arpeggios and call it practicing. You'll be basically training your brain to ignore what your hands are doing the whole time. Hey, your brain is smart; it can usually keep track of letting your hands switch to automatic pilot while the other part of your brain is processing “Bay Watch” (that's while the bass is in your hands, of course). But you won't be getting any better at the bass. If you fee! ike your brain isn't challenged when you practice, then blow off those scales and arpeggios and start creating your own exercises. By giving practicing your undivided attention and applying concentrated, problem-solving, creative mental energy, you'll get a lot more ‘accomplished and probably in a shorter amount of time. @ STEEL WOOL TRICK Use #00 “Double-Ought" steel wool on the back of your bass neck. Make sure you neck is clean fist (#16) and then just rub it parallel to the neck. You'l find the neck much “slicker’ and easier to play. Be careful not to rub against the body, since it can turn a glossy finish into a less shiny “satin” finish. #0000 “Four-Ought” steel wool will give you the same results, butits finer finish seems to wear away and lose its effect sooner.@ TWO-FINGER TEST ‘Wondering if that fret buzz is because of a bad fret? Here's alittle test that can tell you what's going on. I you've set up your fingerboad truss rod adjustment according to tip #38, then your neck will have a slight bow to it. That means that out of any three adjacent frets, the riddle one should be just slightly lower than the other two—that's if you draw a straight line across the top of the outer two frets. In this, case, we can use an existing string to create that straight line. The middle fret should be just low enough for the string to ring, or you should be able to hear the string “click” against the middle fret if you tap on it Think of it as creating a little 3tret neck. Select the three frets you want to use, place a finger outside of the 1st and 3rd fret, and press down. Play the “note” that you've created or try tapping on that middle fret. You should be able to hear a very high pitch when you play it. Or if you tap on it, you should be able to hear a barely audible click caused by the string hitting the fret. ‘Try moving this two finger, 3-fret configuration up and down the neck. if you find a dead “note” or a {ret that won't ‘click’, it means you've found a fret that's too high or that the fret in front of it is t00 low. ‘The good news is that you've located the problem. The bad news is that i's probably going to require ‘some fretwork to fix it. Unfortunately, fretwork is beyond the scope of this book and should be left to professionals. You can compensate by raising your string height, but this shouldn't be considered a long- term solution.ries GB - QD: accuwacy awe mintmum PRESSURE FORTHE LEFT HAE Its possible to squeeze the heck out of the neck with left hand, and the only results are that you're inviting tendonitis and making the bass very dificult to play. By learning about accuracy in tip #47 ‘and teaching your hand relaxation with tip #48, you can make left-hand fatigue a thing of the past ‘and greatly increase your mobility on the neck. @ LEFT-HAWP ACCUKACY ‘Try this experiment on a fretted bass. Put your first finger directly over the dot that’s in between the B. and Con the string. Your finger should be exactly in the middle between the two frets. When you press down, the resulting note will be a C. Play constant, repeated C's in the right hand. Try letting up on the pressure and notice how quickly the note wants to start buzzing. Go back and forth from the clean C to the buzz to get a sense of the pressure involved. Now move your finger up to the C so that your finger is on or just slightly past the 3rd fret. Play the constant C's and try letting up on the pressure again. Notice anything different? You should be able to tell that as you lift up it doesn't want to buzz nearly as soon as when your finger is directly in the middle between the frets. ‘Again, go back and forth from the clean C to the buzzing ‘As you lft up, try to stop just before the C starts to buzz. That amount of pressure, right before it will start to buzz, is all the pressure that's needed to play a note on the bass. Is it less pressure than you normally use? | thought so. Probably a lot less pressure. By being accurate with the left hand and always having your finger in contact with the fret, you can use alot less effort to play the bass. Accuracy can be acquired just by being conscious of having your finger in the right place every time you play a note. However, you sill need tip #48 to teach your hand how to reduce the amount of pressure involved. Check it out.@ MUMIMUM PRESSURE Now that you know how to locate your fingers in the left hand to allow you to use less pressure, you ‘need to teach your left hand exactly where that pressure point is for each finger. We'll start with the 2nd finger on a G (E string, 3rd fret). Make sure that you locate that 2nd finger just touching or slightly past the fret you're using. Play constant repeated notes with the right hand just like in #47. Start out with your finger just touching the string (no note should sound) and then gradually press down all the while playing constantly with the right hand. Once the G stops buzzing and sounds cleaniy, gradually lift up with the 2nd finger until it begins to buzz again. Keep alternating buzzing and clean until you get ‘a sense of exactly how much pressure it takes to keep the note clean. Always be just on the verge of buzzing. Once you think you have a handle on the pressure, play each note of the G major scale for at least 30 seconds, just barely alternating between buzz and clean. Go up and down the scale at least twice this way. It would be a good idea to start out every practice session with this exercise, Here's an example of what the G should sound like: > Every once in a while, you can use this next exercise to test how well your fingers are learning the pressure points. Play the same G major scale again. This time, just attack the note once with the right hand, and with the left hand start out the note “clean” without buzzing. Then while its sustaining, barely ltt up the pressure with the left hand unti it just starts to buzz, and then return it to its “clean” state. If your fingers have learned the pressure point, you should quickly be able to make it buzz but be able to bring it back to clean without losing the note. If you release too much pressure while trying to get itto buzz, the note will die out. Once you're able to play a scale anywhere on the neck with this “clean-buzz-clean” kind of control, your left hand will be much more efficient. You'l be able to play relaxed for hours at a time and move freely up and down the neck with very litle resistance. Here's an example of what the scale “pressure test” should sound like: if