Help! Guitar player turned bassist and going to a Jam soon!

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Hey all, I’ve only been briefly part of this community and currently going through the B2B course but I’m at Module 4. Despite knowing theory and having played guitar for 6 years, I can see that the bass requires a completely different approach. I’ve been really trying to avoid the typical technique errors and taking it at my pass. However, I am required to play in a jam soon (well I want to!).

The issue is that we always have plenty of guitarists and other melodic instruments. This was honestly my motivation to pick up the bass and I feel like I’m coming out of the closet and can fully embrace the bass as I always just wanted to lay down sick rhythms instead of lead guitar stuff.

In this regard, the jams are super spontaneous and I probably just need to follow chords or establish a good rhythm. So I don’t want to do anything fancy yet. Using root, 5ths and 4ths, perhaps an octave.

In the B2B course, it’s still very basic as of now but I know the theory and wonder if there is any good survival technique that may help me to trudge through a jam.

The unique challenge that presents itself is that I am probably the most experienced musical person at the jam but I don’t know how to lead others with a bass guitar. I am not sure if I’m overthinking it because there might be no drummer and our current “leader” is absent.

My plan was just to follow some chords but if anyone could give me some advice or point to some cool lessons of Bass Buzz, I’d greatly appreciate it!

Cheers!

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I am at work and really can’t search for it, but Josh has some videos on the Blues box and it gives advice how to play an improvised bassline

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I would suggest looking at Module 15.

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If you are taking the “lead” on the bass then the Chromatic fills are useful as it helps others by showing them what’s next. Simple pentatonic fills are plenty awesome. Don’t over think it.

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Trust me, if you do nothing but hit the root on the one, you’ll be fine and the guitar players will all be glad you came.

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It makes me sad how accurate this is.
Play roots with a rhythm that sounds cool with the drums.

…

Just had a moment where I realized this is 90% of bass playing and felt (not for the first time) that I’ve been overplaying for 90% of all gigs.

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That’s so not fair as it was so true. On the flip side us bassist, are looking for the rhythm guitar fills as a cue or the right drum fills for or bass parts. :rofl:

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Wow, I never meant to give @Gio a sad! Just wanted to give encouragement to one of us newbies.
No shade was intended on all the many creative bass lines I love.
:grin:

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Ha -
No shade taken.

Read “sad” as “think with comic chagrin and some good chuckles at my all-the-notes-playing past”

All with good humor and good fun on my end.

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I would suggest that it’s often good to throw in leading tones. Simple 1-3 note walk ups/downs to the next root - can be scale or chromatic. Then hit that root solidly on the 1.

That is the best way you can drive those changes as a bass and the simplest way to add momentum.

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