Any other aspiring bajistas out there?
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Iām not looking to learn but curious.
Do you have and instrument
Acoustic?
What does it look like?
Do you play now?
BTW - Welcome to the group. Iām sure youāll find there are many and varied bass enthusiasts on the site.
Are you from the DR? My wife and I have friends we visit from Santiago and Gaspar Hernandez (East of Cabarete on the North shore). We did some Bachata dancing last time we went; it was a good time. Iāve found some good videos on Youtube that got me trying some bachata on the bass. I just searched ābachata bass tabsā and looked at some of those channels for tabs and pointers. By no means am I a seasoned bassist but a lot of the bachata is easy to get into. Itās a lot of roots and fifths and some octaves here and there for a basic structure so itās a good starting point if youāre trying to learn a few patterns/shapes and then play them with the chord progression. Thatās kind of where Iām at. Iām working on getting better and faster at fitting a simple bassline to a song and following the chord progression on the fly. Good luck with your bajista journey. Unrelated, but we also stayed in Jarabacoa and hiked Pico Duarte. Absolutely gorgeous scenery. The produce (fruit/vegetables) is unreal as well. There were things I didnāt even know existed that they were growing and I was eating. The Dominican avocados were probably my favorite though. The best in the world and itās not even close in my opinion.
I am curious, could you tell us a bit about it?
Hey @bukbass - thanks for your reply! So electric bass (usually a 5 string but Iāve just started learning on a 4 string). Yes, Iām looking forward to getting to know people in this space. (bit more info on Bachata below)
hi @jacob thanks so much for your reply! Iām loving getting into bass- but hadnt found any bassists who knew much about bachata. Iāve loved getting into bachata music but I only know bachata dancers who donāt know about bass!
Yes.. it seems like a great easy way to start bass.. other than there not being much online ( other than pop bachata). Iāve been using chords AI alongside Chat GPT to tutor me. And yes.. as you say.. itās all about root and fifth and octave (kind of all new concepts to me- only just starting my bass āvoyageā really).
No- climate wise I couldnāt be further from the carribean in London.
Iāve been to DR a number of times and ( if you donāt go full on tourist hotel) bachata music is EVERYWHERE isnāt it. Love peopleās peopleās passion for music and dance: everyone- whatever age- seems to have a giant bass-heavy speaker in their car ready for emergency roadside or beachside music blasting. Iām very familiar with Santo Domingo, Las Terrenas, Bayahibe near La Romana and visited a few other places (just a day in Cabarete and Bonao) - would love to visit the places you taked about next time. Thanks so much again for your reply. let me know which songs you jam along to!
hi @Gloucestre thanks so much for your interest in my post and Bachata Dominicana! Iāve spent a lifetime liking different types of music but my default setting was always that post-punk/ punk revival sound (early cure, the strokes)- so Iāve always loved instrument-sparce music- guitars, percussion, good rhythm, nice melody, clear bass. Then got into latin dancing a bit and discovered Dominican Bachata - which is kind of all those things-but carribean- and in Spanish (so I get to learn Spanish too). So just starting my love affair with bass and my focus will be nice simple bachata songs and all my fave cure and strokes songs .
Anyway so: bachata. So far Iāve learnt āMi Gran Amorā Raulin Rodriguez which is super simple (itās just thereās noone sitting on youtube talking you through, so itās been fun, as a novice, working it out).
Romeo Santos (and Aventura) is the big famous New Yorker bachata star that you may have heard of. He does a lot of āpopā bachata which isnāt quite the same but some of his music really leans into the Dominican roots- for example āSuegraā -which is a really fun catchy sweet song (although the lyrics are darkly humorous! Suegra means Mother in Law). Next up I want to learn something with lots of fun slides like this one below by Luis Miguel De Amargue . Ultimate goal- be able to glance at chords and jam with a bachata band effortlessly. Shoot for the moon etc.
LUIS MIGUEL DEL AMARGE: Mi Triste Habitacion
ROMEO SANTOS- Suegra
RAULIN RODRIGUEZ- Mi Gran Amor
Thanks again for your interest! (oops thought I could include linksā¦ but check out the songs above)
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I like to play a little of everything just to try out different stuff. If youāre on Youtube, BassVideoLessons has a channel. There is a playlist that includes bachata with bass tabs. The tabs scroll so it helps you keep your place when youāre getting started. Iāve got a few in my play cycle that I come back to for fun.
As far as the root, 5th, and octave shapes: I did the B2B lessons and it helped me tremendously. Iāve been playing for a little over two years now and I credit all of my progress to the course. It hand-holds you through the fundamentals so you have the confidence to start exploring on your own. Kinda like training wheels to riding a bike on your own. Personally, Iām still not Evil Knievel but Iām definitely whipping up and down the block with the wind in my hair. And, Iām still getting better and having fun.
Lastly, I would definitely recommend Jarabacoa next time youāre back. The middle of the island is lush jungle and mountainous (4000 to 10000 ft or 1200 to 3000 m). Itās very scenic and the hikes are amazing. Hereās our friend buying fruit and produce for dinner right off the truck in Manabao on the way to Pico Duarte:
My only caveat is: watch out for the bugs. Jungle insects are big and foā real. Thereās a reason all of the beds are pulled away from the walls and have those cup things on the legs. If you get cornered youād better have your spray can and a lighter and make like Jeff Daniels. My wife slept a little lighter after seeing a fist-sized spider one of the nights. Ha ha. Mosquito repellent highly recommended too.
Anyways, good luck with your playing and I hope you find some of the music youāre looking for.
Cheers,
Jake
Fist sized spider!! Wow. Yes, definitely want to explore more inland. Love the photo.
Haha- yes, wind in the hair is what we want- but if youād jumped in a time machine two years ago and saw yourself now, I bet youād think āwow, look, Iām Evil Kenieval!!ā .
Thanks so much for the heads up on video basslessons channel! Itās mainly pop bachata but including Aventura and others that are loyal to the traditional sound (oh my there is online drama at the moment over cultural appropriation in Europe with artists and especially dancers using the term ābachataā to market something totally different (sensual bachata). But this is great as, as much as I enjoy the challenge and learning curve of working out lines myself, of course, i donāt get round to it! Really interested in seeing how it works on the 5 string (which bachata players always seem to favour). Am I gong to have to get a 5 string?? eek. Letās nail the B2Bcourse first as see!!
Lovely to connect and thanks so much for the advice! Good luck on the route to Evil K. status!!