Online Bass Lessons

Learning Bass Chords - Video

2008-02-23T04:25:00.000-08:00

Here is a video I just posted on You Tube. It is a free lesson on how to learn chords for electric bass guitar.

Have fun!
Bass Guitar Lessons Online

Feel the Music – A Tribute to Jackie Orszaczky

2008-02-17T03:49:00.000-08:00

Bass player, vocalist, composer, arranger, producer, Jackie Orszacsky died on 3 February 2008.

This tribute to Jackie is purely a personal one. Although seeing Jackie perform live several times, I never met him and I know little about his personal or even professional life. I do know, however, how his music, his depth of groove, his funkiness, his innovativeness, affected my playing and musical outlook … and inlook.

Jackie is my favourite bass player in Australia. Listening to him play teaches about space, about laying back, not rushing, letting the music be felt – in short, Jackie’s playing IS about FEEL. Stuff everything else – technique, speed, theory etc. - emotional content is what music is about. This is what every body takes in.

Jackie was one of very few musicians who taught me how to completely give in to the music of the moment, to let go, let flow, let groove.

Thanks Jackie. Your playing, and therefore your person, has changed my life. I’ll catch up with you in the future.

George Urbaszek
Australian Musician Bass Columnist
Creator of BassLessonsOnline

A Music Lesson in Easy Improvisation

2008-01-20T04:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a lesson in creative improvisation in only 4 steps:

1. Play the notes of a G7 chord as an arpeggio - G B D F
2. Precede each chord tone with a semitone (half step) from below - F# G, A# B, C# D, E F
3. Use any combination of the two-note groups (approach note plus chord tone) making sure, however, that you always end on a chord tone (G B D or F)
4. Be creative with your rhythms and choices of register.

The great thing about this approach is that you don't even have to know the note names of the chords you are improvising over. Nor do you have to know the names of the approach notes. And you will be using eight notes out of twelve possible notes (of the chromatic scale) for your creations. All you initially need to learn are the arpeggio shapes.

This lesson - and many more - brought to you by Online Bass Lessons

Girls on Bass

2008-01-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

At last female bass players are emerging!

As a male bass player and music teacher I'd like to present some of my observations regarding the emergence of female bass players over the past 32 years. (That's how long I've been teaching music).

In 1976 there was hardly a female bass player in sight. This applied across the board, in any music genre. Things were changing, however, in all walks of life. Emancipation of both males and females was a priority in many minds. Especially art forms were undergoing the (r)evolution instigated in a huge way in the 1960s, and music was a driving voice.

The bass guitar had only been commercially available for about twenty years - just one generation. It is a lot less cumbersome than the double bass, and apparently more suited to petite hands. The double bass, however, after being set up correctly, is only slightly more physically demanding. Both instruments fulfill the same function in almost all musics: to provide the center of rhythm and pitch.

My main comparative observation - so far - has been that females intuitively have a superior sense of both rhythm and pitch (sorry guys). That's a killer combination, because the result is usually melodic bass playing (I'm in heaven!).

In my teaching, I've gone from zero female bass students to about 15%, which roughly equates to the real world of music performance and recording. I would love to see this percentage increase dramatically - because I love bass and I know what girls on bass can do.

-- George's mini CV --

Besides being an innovative and highly respected music educator, George Urbaszek plays double bass, guitar, bass guitar and bassitar. He has over 3000 performances and 120 recording sessions to his credit and has toured Australia, Central Europe, Canada, USA and the Pacific Islands.

George has performed with artists ranging from Rolf Harris through to Judith Durham, Beccy Cole, Marina Prior, George Washingmachine, Thelma Housten and the New York production of Porgy and Bess. His former students include Brendan Clarke (winner of the Australian National Jazz Award), Kim Khahn (Robbie Williams, Mel C, Natalie Imbruglia) and Rory Quirk (John Butler Trio).

After lecturing for thirteen years in the Jazz Department of the Australian National University, George is now residing near Byron Bay, Australia, where he works from home teaching students from all over the world using an innovative approach of step-by-step online bass lessons. These lessons cost as little as US $3.46 each and are available at Bass Lessons Online.

This article first appeared on the net at Ezine Articles in January 2008

Bass Practice Advice

2008-01-13T02:42:00.001-08:00

Practice Minutes

Here is a personal observation I made while a student of classical double bass

Fist of all I must tell you that I am a lazy person. As a matter of fact, I am so lazy that I don’t want to do things twice. The result is that I organize myself! I consider this to be the highest form of laziness.

Anyway, back to the (related) observation.
As a music student I sometimes was too lazy to rosin up my bow, tune my bass, and get some practice done … especially if I only had about 15 or 20 minutes “downtime”. So what did I do? Nothing really, just hung around and waited for the bus, a friend to show up, or whatever else was next on the agenda.

Until one day it dawned on me! If I were to do SOME practice in my “downtime” every time, the minutes would add up to hours, to weeks, to months. Yes, I even did the calculation that converting 15 minutes of daily downtime to uptime amounted to a staggering 91 hours of additional practice per year. Whoa! Ninety-one hours! I was in! And since then I have retained the same attitude. So that’s my Laziness Conversion story.

Find out how my "laziness can help you become a better bass player at Bass Lessons Online

George Urbaszek
Serving Bass Players Worldwide since 1996
Bass Lessons Online

Transcription Techniques – Part Four

2008-01-09T20:52:00.000-08:00

Today’s Lesson
Transcription Techniques – Part Four

With the guidelines provided in the previous three lessons on Transcription Techniques, you should now be well equipped to follow this lesson and work out further bass lines on your own.

This lesson involves getting the actual bass notes of “I Feel Good” with instrument in hand. Enjoy!

Again, I will be “thinking out loud”.

Listening – This time WITH bass in hand (YEAH!)

Vocalize the central note, the first note of the bass riff.

Pause the CD, hum the note and find it on the fretboard. It is D.

Resume the CD, listen to the first bar of the bass riff. Pause the CD. Vocalize the bass riff.

How many different notes in the first bar? Three. LOW – HIGH – MID = Root – Octave – Seventh (alternating) = D D C# D C# D C# D.

Play the notes to check if OK. Good. Next.

Second bar. The syncopated rhythm (worked out before) uses notes 1 – 8 – b7 – 5 (D – D – C – A) and back to 1 (D) for the beginning of the next bar.

Play the 2-bar riff in one position between the 5th and 7th frets.

Play along with the CD. Fine.

Bar 5 goes to the IV-chord – starts on low G, 3rd fret, E-string – same shape as before.

Bar 7 goes back to the I-chord (D). But wait. It doesn’t go D D – it goes C D. Problem cleverly solved.

Bars 9 and 10 go V V (A A) IV IV (G G) – easy.

The ascending unison line in bars 11 and 12 sounds like it begins with a major triad. Hum it. Yes.

Ah ha, the next note is the flat 7. Of course, it is a dominant 7 arpeggio.

The next note is higher still and seems to “hang” a bit openly. Play a couple of frets up the board. It is E.

The unison line is D F# A C E.

The next verse is the same as the first. Play along from the beginning, just to make sure.

The Bridge is just sax and drums, but I will work out the notes anyway (because they sound so funky and I like the challenge.)

Same root as before (D) with octave, flat 7 and that last note … so cool – the flat 3 (F)

“When I hold you …” descending bass line, sounds like the IV-chord.

Hum it. Play it. With CD. It is the IV-chord.

Bass starts on G, does 2 G’s, 2 F’s, 2 E’s, 2 D’s – times 2.

Goes back to the I-chord – same bass sequence: DD CC BB AA x2

Goes back to the same sequence off the G.

Ends differently – 3 quick notes.

Have another listen. Hum. “Up-to-five” – chromatic from G to A, i.e. G G# A

Back to chorus.
That’s almost it.
Play along from the beginning.
Get the right changes.

The tag is the same as the end of every chorus except for the extended ending.
Let’s have a good listen to that.

It goes up to the 9th and then appears to descend over the minor pentatonic scale.

Let’s check that. Yes, from E to D C A G F D.

Check it out! All notes of the descending run are on the “dots”, the fingerboard makers; this makes it very easy to visualize.

That’s basically it. A few more play-alongs from beginning to end wouldn’t hurt.
Get it tight and have some fun!

George Urbaszek
Serving Bass Players Worldwide since 1996
Online Bass Lessons

Bass Amp Purchase - Part 2

2008-01-07T22:46:00.000-08:00

(Continued from Part 1)

EQ – Equalization can be graphic, parametric, semi-parametric, or a variety of combinations. What suits you? Usually shop staff are knowledgeable and will assist.

Compression – Most high-end bass amps have good in-built compressors. A touch of compression is not to be overlooked in your sound. All recordings have a degree of bass compression and it is an excellent asset for live playing too. (All of my lessons are recorded with bass compression. Have you noticed? If not, that’s good. Online Bass Lessons are available at CreativeBassLessons.com)

If you purchase separate pre-amp, power amp and speakers, you can always mix and match. This is a great way of achieving your ultimate sound. You can try tube/solid state amp combinations with speakers and speaker cabs of various sizes and quality.
Many amp heads now have the option of blending tube and solid state pre-amps. Some do amp simulation (of well-known and successful combinations) too. This will enable you to find out what is most suitable.

My current setup (for the past 12 years) is an amp head containing two 250W power amps plus all the other shbang such as DI with output control, a good compressor, semi-parametric EQ, shelving (graphic) EQ, headphone jacks, tuner and effects in/out plus more. And very importantly, a tube pre-amp. This makes the amp sound better as it warms up. I run both power amps into bridged mono, giving me 600W RMS into a 350W RMS 2x10 speaker cab with an attenuateable horn. The cab can handle peaks of up to 800W.

A note on speaker cabs – 2x10 has approx. the same surface as a 1x15 speaker. Therefore the 2x10 has a similar amount of bass depth as the 1x15, yet a better, faster, clearer response, making it fine for 5-string basses.

Although the info provided above might seem in-depth, it is not really. Many issues have not been mentioned. I trust I have provided you with enough insights to get you onto YOUR path.

George Urbaszek
Serving Bass Players Worldwide since 1996
Bass Lessons Online

Bass Amp Purchase Advice - Part 1

2008-01-05T01:40:00.000-08:00

Time for a new amp?

I am often asked for advice about purchase of a bass amp. Although there are many resources on the net and elsewhere, I will throw in my thoughts on the subject. I hope you will gain useful insight.

First you must consider your budget. This issue can impact considerably on your purchase.

Do you need a better amp very soon, or can it wait a while until you can afford what you want?

Portability – transport and maneuverability are important factors to consider. I prefer to carry smaller, lighter items as opposed to large, heavy items – been there, done that. (If you always have roadies, portability is not an issue for you.)

Sound – This is a major factor and depends a lot on the genres, styles and techniques you play. If you have already identified your (current) favorite sounds, then check out what equipment those bass players are using. Remember, however, as Jaco said “The sound is in my hands.”

Solid state, tube (valve) or a combination of these and other technologies?
The pre amp shapes your tone and can be a stand-alone unit. It can also be integrated with a power amp and/or a speaker cabinet. The latter is commonly called a “combo”.

Watts – There is a common misconception that the speakers should have much higher RMS wattage than the power amp. Often inexperienced bass players and salespeople believe that a 150W amp combined with a 300W speaker is a good, safe and powerful combination. It ain’t necessarily so.

Ohms – A 150W 8 Ohm amp running a 300W 8 Ohm speaker will result in ca. 80W output – not much for bass. Bass requires headroom. When you push the volume and have no headroom you can get distortion and speaker and amp damage.

My advice: Get as many watts as you can in the amp head. 500W – 800W is not unreasonable. This will even work with a 300W speaker cab. Why? Without getting technical, here’s an analogy: A large car with a V8 engine will be purring comfortably at 80MPH, whereas a small car with half the engine size has to work much harder at the same speed. The speaker is being driven very hard with the small amp but is not being pushed at all using the amp with more headroom because that amp is not straining.

If you are not convinced, go to your local music store, plug a 500W speaker into a 50W amp and check out the bass sound. Then plug a 100W speaker into a 1000W amp and compare. (Now we are back to sound.)

Also check out the sound of 8 Ohm cabs versus 4 Ohm cabs as well as manufacturer-approved combinations. As always, let your ears be the judge. I prefer the more saturated sound of 8 Ohm cabs.

END OF PART 1

Check in soon for Part 2 of this article on Bass Amp Purchase.

George Urbaszek
Serving Bass Players Worldwide since 1996
Online Bass Lessons

Bass Loops

2007-12-28T23:27:00.000-08:00

A friend suggested I record bass loops - mainly groove and blues riffs. But before I begin such a project I want to find out if there is a market for blues and groove loops. Can anyone help with suggestions about researching market potential for such a project?

Your comments and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

George Urbaszek
Serving Bass Players Worldwide since 1996
Bass Lessons Online

Transcription Techniques – Part Three

2007-12-25T03:04:00.000-08:00

Today’s Lesson
Transcription Techniques – Part Three

I trust the resources provided in the previous two lessons on Transcription Techniques serve you well. This lesson will dig deeper. We will look at the process of working out the bass line to an actual song.

I am telling you exactly how I transcribe and this lesson will be “me thinking out loud”. I encourage you to use the information in your own unique way – whatever works for you. I have chosen James Brown’s studio-and-mostly-played-on-the-radio-and-TV-ads version of “I Got You (I Feel Good)” because

* Most bass players know the song and are required to play it at some time during their career.
* It has some “traps” and challenges not readily recognizable
* It should help improve your technique and groove
* It contains funky syncopation
* It aids musical concentration

Listening ONLY (no bass in hand)
First Pass (entire track)

The “I Feel Good” section (at the start) could be called the Chorus

Each chorus is a 12-bar blues form

After two choruses it goes to a Bridge with only sax and drums for four bars

I am calling the “When I hold you in my arms” section the Verse

The verse is eight bars long, begins on the IV-chord and completes another 12-bar cycle

Then:
Chorus
Instrumental Bridge
Verse
Chorus
Chorus
Two additional “So Good” bits with extended ending (tag) slowing down

Second Pass (still no bass in hand)

Beginning: “Wow” drum hit “I Feel Good” – The “Good” is the first beat of the 12-bar form

The horns match the bass from the second beat of the two-bar phrase to the first beat of the two-bar phrase

The bass rhythm is one quarter note and six consecutive eighth notes in the first bar

The rhythm in the second bar is quarter note, two eighths, eighth-note rest, eighth note, eighth-note rest, eighth note (making the second bar syncopated)

All instruments play unison hits with “So Good” at the end of every chorus

Guitar generally plays short stabs only on beat 4 of every second bar of the choruses

Bass drum plays some unison hits with sax during bridge and quarter-note rhythm on ride cymbal

Bass plays a type of descending walking bass line with two eighth-note hits per note during the verse

Guitar plays quarter notes during the verses

The end of each chorus (plus the tag) is an arpeggio with all instruments in unison

The final tag descends before the “Hey” and last chord

I suggest you now get a copy of the recording (I can’t provide one because of copyright) and compare your listening notes to mine. You may hear more than I did on the first two passes. If so, that’s great!

Next time I will “think out loud” again, showing you how I find the bass notes.

Until then, Bass of Luck!
Bass Lessons Online

Hurdy-Gurdy and Double Bass

2007-12-22T05:30:00.000-08:00

Recently I played with Canadian hurdy-gurdy player Barb Dwyer (yes, she is a prickly person) at the Annual Ball in my home town (village) The Channon in Northern New South Wales, Australia.

This year’s theme was “Medieval” and just about everyone came in costume and appropriate mindset. The music and general entertainment was most suitable, too.

Barb began with solo hurdy-gurdy and vocals, playing tunes from far away in time and space. I joined for the next part of the set, playing my ca. 1860’s Mirecourt double bass, using both arco and pizzicato techniques as well as string slaps on the up-tempo dance numbers.

The dance floor was packed and it’s amazing how much rhythm and thump one can get out of hurdy-gurdy, vocals and double bass. In the true sense of the expression “a ball was had by all.”

Bass Lessons Online

Transcription Techniques for Bass and Guitar – Part Two

2007-12-20T04:46:00.000-08:00

Today’s Lesson
Transcription Techniques – Part Two

In the last lesson I mentioned “target notes” and “the skeleton of the line”. We have all made the mistake of attempting to work out the first few bars of a recording, getting stuck right there and giving up. What is the result? We know nothing – no progress has been made. Possibly worse, we have regressed because we fear we might fail when starting on another piece; this blocks all sorts of channels.

My advice is if you can’t work out a note after two to five attempts, move on to another note. You will probably find that other notes come easier. Moreover, you may work out the original missing note in another phrase and experience the “that’s it!” effect. Once you have worked out several notes – it does not necessarily matter in which order – you will be able to insert the missing notes with more ease.

Before getting into further detail, which will be discussed in the next lesson, I am going to tell you how I transcribe.

First, I listen to the entire track, usually without bass in hand. I listen for simplicity versus complexity. This gives me a general idea about what I am facing. It also provides me with an estimate of how much time I might require. (Usually it takes twice as long as you think!)

What do I listen for?

1. The form. This includes the intro, verse, chorus, interlude, repeats, outro. On the first pass, I usually take note of (remember) layering of parts such as two bars drums, two bars bass and guitar, the first verse is four lines long and uses the same bass riff, the chorus is also four lines long but the drums play a different rhythm … and so on.

2. Key changes. Does it sound like it is all based around the same group of notes or is there a definite change? If so, where does it occur?

3. “Inside” notes (within the key) or “outside” notes (such as chromatics).

4. Rhythmic structure. How does it develop? Does the bass become more or less intense in certain sections?

Once I have listened to the track between one and three times, I will pick up the bass and start to work out the notes. If I don’t get a riff or line within two or three attempts, I will go for target notes. They are usually the chord roots and other notes relevant to the core groove. Once that is done, I will have the skeletal structure of the song. One great advantage of knowing the skeletal structure is that you can play along with a track (or even with a live band) playing what is essentially your own version, i.e you make up the bits in between.

The next step (this could be a few days later) is to find the missing elements. For this I remind myself to use the knowledge gained from my first listen. If it sounds simple, it is simple. If it sounds complex, it is probably not hard to play; most bass lines are easier to play than meets the ear.

A final piece of advice to us all is to make sure we vocalize what we are attempting to work out.

Bass of Luck!

George Urbaszek

Bass Player and Music Educator

Serving Bass Players Worldwide since 1996
Bass Lessons Online

Transcription Techniques for Guitar and Bass – Part One

2007-12-18T21:11:00.000-08:00

Transcription Techniques for Guitar and Bass – Part One

To transcribe literally means to write down. In music we use the term more loosely to describe the working out or “lifting” parts off recordings.

IMPORTANT ADVICE: If you are having trouble working out individual notes, make sure you stop the recording exactly on the note you are attempting to find. Immediately hum that note. Then look for it on your instrument.

If you are new to transcribing, or lacking in experience, play each neighbouring fret until you find the note you are after (and preferably still humming). That way you are making sure you do not miss the note. (This simple step works wonders for beginners.) Most novices will jump all around the instrument, and usually end up never hitting the right note, often landing just next to it.

It does not matter a lot if you go up or down the fingerboard, because you will eventually find the note when playing every fret. Once you have found the correct note you can easily transfer it to the correct octave.

Be patient. Finding individual notes is usually easier and ultimately quicker than trying to work out entire passages - unless you are advanced.

This is also important for beginners: Ensure you remember the correct fret. Use the position markers on the fingerboard as a visual aid.

At first, don’t get caught up in intricacies such as ghost notes, hammer-ons, and other articulations. Go for target notes. You can fine-tune your transcription once you have the skeleton of the line.

It is advisable, even for advanced players, to re-visit the rudiments of transcription, such as listed in this lesson.

To hear well makes us play well.

George Urbaszek
Bass Player and Music Educator
Serving Bass Players Worldwide since 1996
Online Bass Lessons

How Important is Fretting-Hand Technique for Playing Bass Guitar?

2007-12-16T02:46:00.001-08:00

I am often asked how important the fretting-hand technique is when playing bass guitar. Usually the questions will be in relation to the one-finger-per-fret technique.

About two months ago I had a visit from a 55-year-old (novice) bass player named Rob who had bass lessons from a guitarist for almost one year. Rob developed severe carpel tunnel syndrome and had to have an operation on his fretting hand. His operation was only about a week old when he visited me, and quite frankly, it scared me to see an actual live case displaying the results of incorrect technique. Needless to say, Rob had been using the one-finger-per-fret guitar technique.

This case may be extreme, but there are many more instances of similar gravity. My opinion is "Why stretch if you don't need to." I can go into the finer details of anatomy, etc., but I won't in this this instance. An important thing to consider is that on the bass we usually are required to play mostly within the octave position, i.e. three frets apart. If arpeggio shapes are to be played over four frets, then the one-finger-per fret method is employed.

Do this test:
1. Place the pad of your right-hand thumb on the underside of your left-hand wrist.
2. Stretch your left-hand fingers to simulate the spacing of the four widest frets on the bass.
3. Now relax the fingers to a three-fret spacing and, with your right-hand thumb, feel the difference in your left wrist tension.

What it comes down to is to USE THE TECHNIQUE REQUIRED FOR EACH PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCE and not a one-technique-suits-everything approach.

George Urbaszek
Serving Bass Players Worldwide since 1996
Creative Bass Lessons

PS Rob is now taking my online bass lessons and has no problems with his fretting hand.

Online Bass Lessons

2007-12-15T01:42:00.000-08:00

Online Bass Lessons is a step-by-step eCourse of bass guitar lessons online, including free bass lessons.

You can subscribe to more than 102 bass guitar lessons online, including free bass lessons at http://www.creativebasslessons.com

Here you will find many free music lessons relating to playing the bass guitar.

Drop into this site often to receive and download your free bass guitar lessons. The first free lessons - also good for guitarists - are on the topic of ear training and how to work out songs off recordings.

Until the next post ... Bass of Luck!
George Urbaszek
Bass Player and Music Educator
Serving Bass Players Worldwide since 1996