Bass Articles at ActiveBass

1. How To Buy Your First Electric Bass and Other Sundry Items
   
   Chris Tarry (1920)
   Posted on 12/28/2007 · 6430 Hits
   The stories are varied, sorted, and some, like all good steely yarns are mythical. <br/><br/> "Dude, I walked in to this ol' fisherman's shop and there, hanging on the wall was the bass, the bass that would be the first and last bass of the r...(more)
2. So Ya Want a Home Studio?
   
   Chris Tarry (1920)
   Posted on 12/28/2007 · 5773 Hits
   Let me start off by saying that I am not the definitive word on today's modern home studio. I know what I use and I know it works well so I'm going to give you my opinion. Would you expect anything less? <br/><br/> So, if you're reading this,...(more)
3. Learning to Keep Time
   
   The ActiveBass Community
   Posted on 6/17/2004 · 39758 Hits
   From Lesa McCabe:<br> <i>As bass players our job is to hold together the "pocket" - to merge the drums and other instruments in the band together to produce a smooth rhythm. In order to do this properly, the bassist must be able to keep time. As...(more)
4. Mastering Fretless Electric Bass
   
   Matthew Brown (9286)
   Posted on 6/17/2004 · 84325 Hits
   Starting out on a fretted Fender Precision and listening mainly to rock music, I had an epiphany the first time I heard Jaco Pastorius' playing on Pat Metheny's first album, Bright Size Life. Bass guitar suddenly offered whole new sonic vistas ...(more)
5. Some Tips Learned Over The Years
   
   John Rudolph (200)
   Posted on 6/17/2004 · 44333 Hits
   After 25 years on and off from playing bass guitar, here's a "potpourri" of some neat things I have learned: <ul> <li>Avoid nylon or "smooth" straps. With the weight of the bass and movement onstage, the strap will uncomfortably slide all up a...(more)
6. Building Your Own Bass Cabinet
   
   John Hancock (3721)
   Posted on 4/8/2004 · 130599 Hits
   There are a huge range of bass cabinets and combos available on the market, both new and second hand. There is a box to suite every budget and ear. All this said there is nothing quite like pointing to a massively impressive quad that sounds f...(more)
7. Finding Your Niche, Part 1
   
   Greg Wallace (7283)
   Posted on 4/8/2004 · 24860 Hits
   After all of the hours in your basement or bedroom practicing - now it's finally time to surface into the real world and join a band. So you do - and then you realize that the people you are playing with each have their own individual personalit...(more)
8. Is Knowledge of Music Theory Necessary?
   
   D.G. (Gonzo) Grogg (869)
   Posted on 4/8/2004 · 31834 Hits
   Hello there fellow music lovers! I would like to welcome you to my third article for ActiveBass.com. I hope you all had a chance to check out my first two articles "Hand Coordination Exercise" and "Warm Up/Work Out" and found them both helpfu...(more)
9. Buying a Bass via the Internet
   
   Thor Iversen (7461)
   Posted on 7/3/2003 · 45921 Hits
   There can be many reasons for wanting to buy a bass via the Internet. Maybe you live in a place with no music stores? Maybe the only music store in your area only carries Fender? Maybe you came across a great deal on ebay? Whatever the reason...(more)
10. Position is Everything
    
    Matthew Brown (9286)
    Posted on 7/3/2003 · 65814 Hits
    There is little that proves more daunting for young bass players than realizing just how physically demanding it is to play bass. As novices watching our favorite bassists on video we think, "That doesn't look so hard! I can do that!" <br/><br/>...(more)
11. Practicing
    
    Kelly Marsh (11455)
    Posted on 7/3/2003 · 60479 Hits
    As a result of the many posts I have seen lately inquiring about practicing, I have decided to write this article. This, you see, is a much more economical way for me to get my decidedly biased opinion out to the greatest amount of people in the...(more)
12. Double Bass: Keep A Dying Instrument From Extinction
    
    Joshua Prentice (134)
    Posted on 5/7/2003 · 45706 Hits
    After looking long and hard, I have found a shockingly limited number of resources for double bassists and their instrument. There are plenty of resources for electric bass guitars, from periodicals to web sites, that may print articles for the ...(more)
13. Key Signatures - The Easy Way
    
    Bob Bonnington (338)
    Posted on 5/7/2003 · 60912 Hits
    As a beginner you may find it hard to remember what notes go flat or sharp in a major key. However you may be surprised to learn that you are not alone and that this is a common difficulty faced by many musicians irrespective of their playing ab...(more)
14. The Importance of a Contract, Part 2
    
    Lesa McCabe (60555)
    Posted on 5/7/2003 · 15041 Hits
    After several questions about damaged equipment at gigs, not getting the proper pay following a show, I would like to take this chance to again bring up the importance of "THE CONTRACT". I have submitted a copy of the basic contract I use when ...(more)
15. Jazz Bassics for Bassists
    
    Sean Benedik (4277)
    Posted on 3/25/2003 · 65172 Hits
    For most bassists coming from rock or funk influences, tackling Jazz is like looking over the ledge of a tall rooftop skyscraper; you could easily survive the frightful leap if you had the right gear. If you've ever thought of entering the wond...(more)
16. Warm Up/Work Out
    
    D.G. (Gonzo) Grogg (869)
    Posted on 3/25/2003 · 44328 Hits
    Hello there fellow music lovers! I would like to welcome you to my second article for ActiveBass.com. I hope you all had a chance to check out my first article "Hand Coordination Exercise" and found it helpful. This time I would like to share ...(more)
17. Everything You Need To Know About Wood
    
    Kasra Saboktakin (7772)
    Posted on 2/27/2003 · 82034 Hits
    Let's talk about the very first thing which produces the tone of an instrument, the wood! In this article I'd like to give you a complete information about the woods and their tone so that you can choose the suitable wood for your instrument,...(more)
18. Those Pesky Hands
    
    April Stevenson (14009)
    Posted on 2/27/2003 · 34585 Hits
    As bass players, we subject our hands to repetitive use of certain muscles and tendons in the arm, forearm, wrist and hand, often causing or worsening an existing injury that we may or may not know about. In the medical world, this is called Re...(more)
19. How to EQ Your PA
    
    Kelly Marsh (11455)
    Posted on 11/7/2002 · 40397 Hits
    Well, I finally saw one. One what, you ask? Let me tell you. Many, and perhaps most people misuse the EQ on their PA by immediately and automatically setting it in what I call the Smiley Face configuration. Mids cut, highs and lows boosted, with...(more)
20. Note-Reading Fingering System for Electric Bass
    
    Xavier Padilla (26)
    Posted on 11/7/2002 · 58103 Hits
    To read music in general we must understand first the standard music notation system, of course. But to read music with an instrument it is required to know, in addition, the particular fingering system of that instrument. That means that readin...(more)