A little help here?

[EveryThingStartsWithCore]

I'm in a band with a few friends and one guy's being a bit dramatic threatening to quit there are two things that could happen, 1.We convince him to stay (hasn't worked out very well so far) or 2. He leaves and We need to post for a new bassist at our age (14) bassists are hard to find. Anyone been in this spot before if so what did you do?

[FatherAlabaster]

Drama drags bands down. If he doesn't want to be there, let him go. You have plenty of time to find someone else. And since you're starting off, you'll need to get used to people coming and going 1) as their tastes change, 2) as they grow up and start making other choices, 3) as they go through the various identity crises associated with adolescence, 4) as they move away for schools/college/jobs/families. Shit happens, it'll be ok, just stay dedicated to your own music.

[BlackFuckingMetal666]

Well FA just said it damn well so go and listen to what he said he obviously knows what he's talking about.

[EveryThingStartsWithCore]

Thanks, helps a bunch

[RelentlessOblivion]

Our forum mod BlutAusNerd is in a band so if you're struggling with this sort of BS he can probably help you out with advice. If the guy doesn't want to be a part of the band it's better to let him go especially if he's only a bass player (you can tell I'm a guitarist eh ) I'm anticipating similar teething problems when I look to start a band but I have some nasty habits which have creeped into my guitar playing I desperately need to correct before I can even consider anything like that

[FatherAlabaster]

Hey now, a good bass player is hard to find, and they're worth a lot. What you don't need is a "failed guitarist" who thinks bass is easier 'cause it has less strings. What nasty habits are you talking about? I guess it's probably a topic for "guitar talk"...

[BlutAusNerd]

Hey now, a good bass player is hard to find, and they're worth a lot. What you don't need is a "failed guitarist" who thinks bass is easier 'cause it has less strings. What nasty habits are you talking about? I guess it's probably a topic for "guitar talk"...

Guitar players and vocalists are everywhere, they're a dime a dozen. Drummers and bass players that know what they're doing are difficult to come by.

[FatherAlabaster]

Does that mean that you and I are each worth 1/12th of twenty cents?

[EveryThingStartsWithCore]

I'm the (O.K) drummer

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: A little help here?

Does that mean that you and I are each worth 1/12th of twenty cents?

In human trafficking terms, yes. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

[Tommy the Race Car Driver]

Funny cause I'm in this band

[FatherAlabaster]

Are you the guitarist? If so, you're worth 0.8333 cents.

[Metalhead Steve]

Who really needs a bassist when chances are he's just going to play a deeper rhythm guitarist's riff at a volume that no one can hear? If he actually has presence, then congratulations, you are doing what 90% of metal bands don't.

[RelentlessOblivion]

What nasty habits are you talking about? I guess it's probably a topic for "guitar talk"...

hmm let's see well my hand tends to slide towards the body of the guitar meaning I can't play bar chords properly half the time, I don't arch my fingers enough so often I deaden the string below, alternate picking is a problem because I'm not used to doing it, palm muting was a problem having never been shown how to do it correctly. Oh and because of my hand position my pinky has a tendency to creep below or behind the fretboard slowing my playing down immensely. All these habits crept in because my old teacher never bothered to make sure what I was doing was technically correct. My new teacher is frankly amazed I'm able to play at all with so many flaws but we're slowly rebuilding my technique and fixing things. Fortunately I'm ace at bends, slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs

[FatherAlabaster]

Who really needs a bassist when chances are he's just going to play a deeper rhythm guitarist's riff at a volume that no one can hear? If he actually has presence, then congratulations, you are doing what 90% of metal bands don't.

I want to clear a couple things up. One: Playing bass is hard. They're thicker strings. You especially notice it if you play with a pick (tonal choice, not necessarily easier). You have to hit harder, move farther, and start sooner than you would if you were playing guitar. As a metal bass player, if you're doing the right thing, you're beating the everloving shit out of your strings with finesse, style, and groove. And arguably, you have to be tighter. Your rhythm drives the band. The drums control the "feel". Two: You have to play what the music demands. Metal is usually guitar-driven and so the guitars can be busy. If you have two guitarists and a bass all trying to be distinctive at the same time, that might be too many cooks in the kitchen. So you might end up playing root notes and it might not feel glamorous. But if your tone and the guitar tones are what they should be, you're doing your part. That's really what's important, because it's all about the song, not whacking off over how good you are... but even so, if the song is any good at all, you'll have a little space to breathe. If you're tuned an octave down from the guitars, which is normal, you have 1) the actual root note the guitars are playing, 2) the octave below that - moving between these two can be enough to really add motion to a song, and 3) the fifth of the chord, which will really be a fourth below the root of the guitar, and should be used sparingly but can sound heavy as BALLS in the right spots. Any of these three can probably be played safely at any given time, and that's not even getting into melodic improvisations up the neck, other unusual voicings, counterpoint, or sometimes even complete re-working of the chord structure. I played bass for a black metal band for a while, they tuned in E flat and I learned their songs in my tuning, which was drop B. So I had even more notes available to me on the low end - sort of like the idea with the 5 string bass before everyone started tuning their 7 string guitars to drop A. The point is, you can do a lot without sticking out like a sore thumb, and most of the time it's the kind of thing nobody would notice until it's gone. And it's essential, or it should be. Steve - I know you know this, but this kid is fourteen and I don't want him growing up disrespecting bass players. So it's primarily directed at ESWC. Bassists take a lot of shit, but if they're doing the right thing, they are completely indispensable. I've been playing guitar for a while, and I can tell you, bass is a discipline. Just cause everybody else does it wrong, doesn't mean you should.

[FatherAlabaster]

hmm let's see well my hand tends to slide towards the body of the guitar meaning I can't play bar chords properly half the time' date=' I don't arch my fingers enough so often I deaden the string below, alternate picking is a problem because I'm not used to doing it, palm muting was a problem having never been shown how to do it correctly. Oh and because of my hand position my pinky has a tendency to creep below or behind the fretboard slowing my playing down immensely. All these habits crept in because my old teacher never bothered to make sure what I was doing was technically correct. My new teacher is frankly amazed I'm able to play at all with so many flaws but we're slowly rebuilding my technique and fixing things. Fortunately I'm ace at bends, slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs[/quote'] It's really great that you're catching this stuff now. I know people who have been playing for ten or fifteen years with their pick all pinched up and their right wrist bent almost ninety degrees. Bad technique is everywhere. But honestly a lot of this just sounds like stuff that will get resolved with practice. The best way that I've learned anything new was by writing stuff that was really hard for me to play, and then playing it over and over. It helps if you're playing good music while you learn, and learning other people's songs properly is also a great way to root out bad habits and make yourself more flexible. Do you like your teacher? Are you stoked on what you're playing?

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: A little help here? I don't really have any professional training and I'm sure my technique is terrible, I'm just playing it the way I play it. I get better as I go, but I'm still a newbie, so I'm always catching up. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

[RelentlessOblivion]

It's really great that you're catching this stuff now. I know people who have been playing for ten or fifteen years with their pick all pinched up and their right wrist bent almost ninety degrees. Bad technique is everywhere. But honestly a lot of this just sounds like stuff that will get resolved with practice. The best way that I've learned anything new was by writing stuff that was really hard for me to play' date=' and then playing it over and over. It helps if you're playing good music while you learn, and learning other people's songs properly is also a great way to root out band habits and make yourself more flexible. Do you like your teacher? Are you stoked on what you're playing?[/quote'] Yeah my teacher and I get along great, he's a massive metalhead and a funny dude so the stuff I'm learning is all related to metal and improving my playing. Just finished learning "Electric Eye"

[BlackFuckingMetal666]

In human trafficking terms, yes. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

Wtf hahahaha and on the bassist thing just look at the bassist from Dying Fetus he is fucking amazing just watch his solo on You're Treachery will Die with You, it will blow your mind. In my opinion bassist are the most under rated part of a band and one of the most essential if used right and allowed to express their full potential.

[FatherAlabaster]

I don't really have any professional training and I'm sure my technique is terrible' date=' I'm just playing it the way I play it. I get better as I go, but I'm still a newbie, so I'm always catching up.[/quote'] Good technique is whatever sounds good and lets you play what you want, as easily as possible, without hurting yourself. I know a couple of guys who went to Berklee for guitar, and they're awesome. I've been playing for twenty years and I still feel like a newbie. I only had a year and a half of lessons from a guy in the neighborhood when I was 13. But the best guitarist that I know, one of my good friends, is entirely self-taught. I feel lucky to be friends with a few people who are hands-down better than me, doesn't matter how they got there. Your stuff sounds fine to me. In another thread you said you were trying to learn to play faster. That's all about relaxing and building up endurance. IMO accuracy is more important than speed. I know plenty of guys with tons of raw speed, but their rhythm is all over the map. Playing to a click is great to build accuracy. However, the thing that really put on speed for me was playing with a fast drummer who couldn't control himself. We just had to pick up the pace and follow along. Not great for songs, but awesome practice.

[RelentlessOblivion]

I'm correcting these technical faults because it has been seriously affecting my ability to play guitar. I was making headway until that shoulder injury a couple weeks ago caused two weeks of no practice. Now things have gotten worse again and it's a massive pain trying to fix. Also found out in my last lesson songs my former teacher had taught me were just plain wrong...and I was so proud of having learned Holy Wars...The Punishment Due until then too

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: A little help here?

Good technique is whatever sounds good and lets you play what you want, as easily as possible, without hurting yourself. I know a couple of guys who went to Berklee for guitar, and they're awesome. I've been playing for twenty years and I still feel like a newbie. I only had a year and a half of lessons from a guy in the neighborhood when I was 13. But the best guitarist that I know, one of my good friends, is entirely self-taught. I feel lucky to be friends with a few people who are hands-down better than me, doesn't matter how they got there. Your stuff sounds fine to me. In another thread you said you were trying to learn to play faster. That's all about relaxing and building up endurance. IMO accuracy is more important than speed. I know plenty of guys with tons of raw speed, but their rhythm is all over the map. Playing to a click is great to build accuracy. However, the thing that really put on speed for me was playing with a fast drummer who couldn't control himself. We just had to pick up the pace and follow along. Not great for songs, but awesome practice.

Our drummer for this new band has most of his background in death metal and grindcore, so he's pretty damn fast. It seems like every time we write a riff, we end up playing it faster with him, it's quite the workout, with lots of quick movements across strings and frets, lots of trills and alternating palm muting, but I'm getting there. Practicing slow seems to help get my head around the pattern, but I can never quite play it right unless it's up to speed, don't know why that is. I'm working on consistency with rhythm and picking, that's my biggest problem right now. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

[KSMASH]

Our drummer for this new band has most of his background in death metal and grindcore, so he's pretty damn fast. It seems like every time we write a riff, we end up playing it faster with him, it's quite the workout, with lots of quick movements across strings and frets, lots of trills and alternating palm muting, but I'm getting there. Practicing slow seems to help get my head around the pattern, but I can never quite play it right unless it's up to speed, don't know why that is. I'm working on consistency with rhythm and picking, that's my biggest problem right now. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

I laugh at people when they talk about lazy players that hide behind the speed of the music. You really have to get that shit pretty accurate, especially for recordings! Doesn't matter how fast you can play if your 16th and 32nd notes are all over the place. I will admit to some inaccuracies in the live setting, and yes the energy of the show might mask some tiny mistakes, but glaring errors in picking don't sound good at any speed!

[FatherAlabaster]

I laugh at people when they talk about lazy players that hide behind the speed of the music. You really have to get that shit pretty accurate' date=' especially for recordings! Doesn't matter how fast you can play if your 16th and 32nd notes are all over the place. I will admit to some inaccuracies in the live setting, and yes the energy of the show might mask some tiny mistakes, but glaring errors in picking don't sound good at any speed![/quote'] You're right that accuracy is the most important thing, but I've known lots of lazy players who hide behind speed. Recording reveals a lot of these flaws, but so many dudes play with soooo much gain that you couldn't tell a 32nd note from cable noise. I've tried producing demo recordings for some of these guys and it is pure misery. Drummers who can't control their tempo and can't quite count out their blastbeats are the ones that really get on my nerves, though.

[RelentlessOblivion]

I'm just focusing on the accuracy part at the moment. I was encouraged hearing that many guitar players have to fix their technique after a few years of playing. That being said one would think guitar teachers would teach the correct technique in the first place wouldn't you?