BETA Records - Your music matters!

Yep that's right people! I have always thought that the bass was the sex in music. It's the foundtion of most great songs, and it should be given more credit. For sometime now, hmm, probably since the first time I heard Metallica, I have wanted to get and learn how to play. Eons later, it's finally come to pass. My fiance' bought me my beloved bass for my Bday this year (April4), and in my favorite color, Orange. It's also an Ibanez (picture is below), which totally tickles my fancy. And, along with that, I bought myself a Marshall Bass Amp, dunno much about them, but I like it. Do I know how to play? Hellz No! However, my fiance' and my son do, and some friends, so with that I hope to catch on. My dream would be to be able to play like Les Claypool, so I best get moving right? If your going to dream, might as well make it bigger than life.







Ibanez SR300 Bass Guitar

Roadster Orange Metallic



Since I know not what the fuck I'm doing, I'm completely open to suggestion, anything you've got, but I must say, I really am not interested in learning how to play by note, I will do tabs, but not the fuckin' notes, I'm not in high school anymore. I thought i'd start out with Tool's 46and2, cause I kinda like it, and it might be doable. Again .... I'm open to suggestion. Perhaps after a couple month's down the line, my son's band will even pick me up........lol Just kidding, they've already got an awsome bass player at only 17 yrs of age. He amazes everyone he plays for (he's that good). He offered to help me, but I think I'll wait till I'm not such a lametard at what I'm doing. But I'll look good doing it, and that halfway counts.



So, I thought I'd look up some info on tabs, and here is some of what I encountered (by study bass.com).

Other Bass Tab Markings



Many of the other markings found in bass tabs indicate the way notes are to be played. These are not standardized. You may see many variations. Often these markings are defined somewhere at the beginning of the bass tab. Some common bass tab markings you may encounter:



For markings on the strings:



* A forward slash ( / ) indicates a slide moving up in pitch.

* A back slash ( \ ) indicates a slide moving down in pitch.

* A caret (^) indicates a bend.

* An X (x) indicates a ghost note.

* An H (h) indicates a hammer-on.

* A P (p) indicates a pull-off.



For markings beneath the strings:



* An S indicates a thumb slap.

* A P indicates a pop.

* A T indicates a tap. Often which hand is used is marked with an L or R and assumes you are right-handed.



Looks like I will be going back to school. Hopefully, it's only looks confusing. Then, as I was reading on I found an article on mistakes bass players make. It made alot of sense. Such as, not learning more than one genere of music. In doing so, you develop your own style, and who wants to be a cookie cutter dipshit anyway. Patience. Now, that's a biggie, and, it makes sense, however not one of my better qualities to be sure, but for something I love, I will do my absolute best. Trying to learn too much at once, well I don't think that will be a prob for me. I know from other things I have learned, and I really like to concentrate on one thing till I have a good understanding before moving on. I will keep my temptation for new songs at bay by not printing anything out, until I've learned the previous. Another common mistake was not playing with others soon enough. I love to play with others.....lol.



Sounds like a buttload of fun, and I can't wait to begin..........patience red, patience.