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Playing the bass question
28 Dec 2006 16:21:45 -0800
rec.music.beatles
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Richard Fangnail...
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In a band, can't you play the bass notes on a regular guitar instead of
on a bass guitar? I mean doesn't a guitar contain the same notes as a
bass guitar??
rforman61...
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I'll field this one if nobody minds....no, the bass has lower notes.
Jeff...
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He knows that. He was wondering if the last 4 strings of a guitar are
the same as a bass guitar.
Dale Houstman...
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Same notes, but a lower octave. The band I'm in has no bass player (yet)
Jeff...
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If you are just recording..you can send me a CD, and I'll add the bass.
:-)
Dale Houstman...
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Nice idea. I'm always telling my friends that the track is finished, all
we need to do is erase everyone's contribution and have professional
studio musicians redo everything!
Love writing the songs: the rest is just work for the most part,
although I do have the occasional singing part I am not totally
embarrassed by, and my guitar playing also has its good points here and
there. But still, I'd like to just compose the songs and turn them over
to - say - Andy Partridge, whose recordings sound the way I wish we
sounded...
Jeff...
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Writing songs is very hard work to me...though I can knock one off if
I'm in the mood..pretty
easy. It's the mixing of the the instruments that is harder, than
playing them.
Dale Houstman...
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I didn't start writing songs until I was 50: I played a bit of guitar at
Jeff...
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50? I was 21 when I started really..but I did write some tunes on the
piano when I was about
9.
I played a bit of guitar at
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my friend's house, and told him I wrote poetry. He put the two together
and asked me to try writing a song. I haven't been able to stop since,
and have written a few hundred really. Turns out I'm a natural, although
Jeff...
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Amazing..but you probably have a band to record them. I just play all
the instruments myself, and that's why it takes me so much time to get
all these songs recorded. I should
have asked other musicians to help me out...but they were more into
Hard rock..so it was
like..no deal. :-)
Turns out I'm a natural, although
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not in Cole Porter's league by about several leagues. It is essentially
easy - one needn't even know how to play an instrument. Or even know
Jeff...
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That's true..and especailly with pop/rock music..it's very easy.
Or even know
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what a chord is: initially I let my friend just listen to me sing the
words and he would add the chords and all. Then I wanted a bit more
Jeff...
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He is a VERY good friend. It was always me that had to figure out all
the chords for the members of a band...though I'm about ready to do a
posting..asking what the first 2 chords
of a song are..just so I can move on to the next song. It's quicker.
LOL
Then I wanted a bit more
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control over the process and began adding the chords myself. I had taken
a fundamentals of music class, so I had an idea of structure and such.
But really all it takes is a slight "inner ear" for melody and a way
with words. One of my other acquaintences (under pressure from me) has
Jeff...
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Something that I never had..with the words.
One of my other acquaintences (under pressure from me) has
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begunwriting songs also - mostly these 1920s "straw boater" sorts of
tunes; different takes on "Honey Pie" and such. He cannot play an
instrument, doesn't have a clue what a key is, and - frankly - can't
sing either. But that doesn't seem to matter much. He did write a nice
parody of 1960s "universal love" songs called "Love Bubble" which
eventually turned out pretty nicely. But mainly he creates little songs
about bad relationships and dumbass trailer trash lovers.
Jeff...
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hahaha. As far as the singing goes, I feel that people ought to just go
ahead and sing.
and enjoy themselves the best that they can. I'm not a good singer
either..but better than
I was 8 years ago.
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Jeff...
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I'm lost, Dale. Did you want me to add any bass parts to the songs? I
would be glad to do it. E-mail me if you're interested.
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mcnews...
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and so we often have to (on recordings) use a regular guitar. It's
adequate to the need, but it sure isn't a bass. There are computer
programs you can use to lower the octave, but the results are less than
satisfactory - at least with the programs we've used.
donz5...
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On one of the tracks on our CD, "Red Horizon," Tad (my musical partner)
played the bass part on his electric guitar. I eq'd the track so that
it approximated as best as possible the frequencies of a bass.
You can hear a one-minute sample of it here:
It's the last sample, #8: "Straight Time."
Dale Houstman...
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It sounds okay. The guy in our band (such as it is) is VERY particular
(to the point of immobility sometimes) about an entire range of things.
Left up to the other two members, we'd be turning out bizarre little
pieces of sub-standard sound all the time. He's about the only one who
really really cares about such details. I just write most of the songs,
and want to hear them performed (in a more or less reasonable form) and
the other fellow pretty much doesn't care about anything at all. So I
have to let "Mr. Perfection" take the lead on sonic matters, as he's the
computer engineering wizard. I can barely play the guitar, and sing. He
doesn't like the bass sounds we get by this process - even EQd it seems
- although they sound fine to me. If I had my druthers, I'd just be
writing the songs and letting handsome and capable frontmen do all the
dirty work...
donz5...
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Yeah; I think it's good that you have someone in the band as particular
as that. Let him do his thing, hoping that he'll let you do yours.
Dale Houstman...
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Exactly. And he does give me a long leash on things I do by myself: odd
little things I work out on my own computer, mostly electronic
soundscapes and "surreal" tunes I squeeze out with just my acoustic and
my bad voice...
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IBen Getiner...
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What's your instrument, DALE...? The skin flute?
Gee... I really do hope I hurt the poor little faggot'z feelings.....
Dale Houstman...
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Like a puddle of frog urine insulting a redwood.
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IBen Getiner
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Dale Houstman...
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Different octave, same notes...
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IBen Getiner...
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Lower octaves on a bass. IOW, the ability to play the same notes as the
regular guitar, except down deeper... Listen to Johnny Cash sing 'I
Walk The Line' and you'll hear a good example of this..
BTW: The song Red House by Jimi Hendrix has but two people playing on
it. Jimi on the lead and Noel Redding playing the bass line. Except
he'z not playing a bass guitar. He's playing a regular guitar (and they
did it in one take, I might add). You do whatever sounds right, man.
Jeff...
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Sounds like a bass to me. I'll have to have another listen. Thanks for
mentioning it.
IBen Getiner...
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The following quote appears in the 4-CD Hendrix box set 'Stages' (1991
Reprise Records 9 26732-2), from the liner notes for the 2nd disc (1968
Paris)...
"When the JHE recorded their first album, Noel used a guitar to learn
the bass pattern for Red House. After he ran through the song once with
Jimi, the take was perfect. There was no need to record it again using
Noel's bass. A year later in Paris, the JHE recreated this studio
effect on-stage. "That's two guitars, no bass" Noel says of this live
version of Red House, " 'cos we thought we'd try it as on the record.
Jimi's playing the lead guitar, and I'm playing the rhythm guitar,
playing bass lines. It was Keith Richard's guitar, a Les Paul with a
gold top, on full bass. We just sort of found Keith, 'cos we were
saying, "Does anybody got a guitar?", and he said "Use mine".
IBen Getiner
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Moe...
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You sure can. Only it sounds like the bass player got kicked in the
nuts.
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neptune...
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It's the lower tone, duuuuude.
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