…it’s like you know me too well…
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It’s not a question of whether it grips it with roundwounds or flatwounds, mate. It’s a question of weight ratios…
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Is that African or European?
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Or even…
That said, here’s my question: of all the lessons and advice in the B2B course, what do you consider to be the most important to a new bassist?
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Honestly, I’m sure @JoshFossgreen will have a better, more informative answer (well… duh?!), but mine would be:
Stop making excuses, and just start learning. Took me 47 years.
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My answer…the last one of the course, means you finished and are well on your way.
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After finishing the course, what direction would you suggest we take to become bass masters?
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No, but I DO know someone named Tim the Enchanter!
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If you had to do it again, would you still use Billie Jean?
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Super cool thread Josh, and thanks to Eric for suggesting it.
My question.
How do I read thru al these posts and get any sleep tonnight?
Answer
Whats sleep
LOL
I will think of something, I have a few more days to go.
Thanks
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Hello Josh. Thanks for your cool course.
I can play a bit of guitar, and I’m doing your course to get competent at bass for a band project.
I’m up to Module 11.
My question is about fretting hand finger placement… playing guitar, strings are (usually) pushed onto the fretboard with the apex of each finger. That allows each string to ring out (as I’m sure you know).
I’m doing that with the bass, too. However it seems that in the lessons, you often/usually hold down strings with the pad of your finger (opposite the nail, where your fingerprints are), rather than the apex…
Could you give some clarity on this please?
Thanks again, mate.
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Not meaning to take anything from what Josh may answer, however, when I played guitar, I used the tips except when doing finger rolls or barre chords. On bass, the pad just down from the tips gives me more consistent fretting and does allow me to complete a finger roll without buzzing. Not the full flat fingered pad though, just a little bit of it. YMMV.
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Which brings up an excellent point, especially for those of us transitioning from guitar — muting. Holy crap, this is so much more important now!
I realize that a lesson on how NOT to play notes is probably pretty tricky, but a quick demo on the wash of mud that comes through your amp if you don’t cover every other freaking string and how to keep that from happening would be great.
Any plans for an in-depth (or even quickie) tutorial on muting?
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Oh, it really depends. There are a lot of tones I feel that way about. Jamerson, obviously. Tim Lefevbre’s more modern flatwound P bass tone - so good. I love Krist Novoselic’s tone on Nevermind with the Gibson Ripper!
And that Marcus Miller slap sound on the 70’s J bass always makes me salivate.
6’7"
Probably learning to shut up and play less notes, that took me a few years. 
Still working on my groove. I think it’s good, people like playing with me, but I’ve always got my eyes set on sounding more like Pino Palladino on the Voodoo record. 
I’ve got… I dunno, 10? It’s a mix of basses that I actually play, and basses that I mostly just use in videos. No Steinbergers. Headstockless basses weird me out.
Never had a formal electric bass teacher. I took upright bass lessons with a woman named Karen Zimmerman, who played bass in the Santa Rosa Symphony, and I owe a lot of my attention to detail with technique and practice to her stern supportive style.
Not initiating anything myself, but a few of my sideman gigs have resurfaced. Still would like to be doing more!
Most of em, the ones that actually sent me the tracks when they were finished!
I liked playing with Lauren O’Connell a lot, here’s the most recent record of hers I played on -
Half my pedals. 
Yes! This
Ha, yeah, I think most people have. Sometimes you just have to say no to driving 4 hours to play in a grimy bar with a bad band for $50 where people won’t even be listening.
Playing live, so so much more. Recording is cool and I enjoy the challenge, but nothing like the rush of playing with a good band for a good crowd. Those are the moments that keep me going as a musician. Being in the studio is so dry comparatively - for me anyway.
Tons! Like any classic funk or Motown line, never gets old. Even the James Brown tunes I put in the B2B course, I’ve heard them infinity time but they only get better.
Nope! I don’t sell gear any more than I need to, occasionally I’ll ditch an amp or a pedal or whatever.
Lol… nope, never been to Russia, and I’m sure any actual Russians would find that video annoying, ha! That’s my sister, and a friend who also did the animation.
Groove! Play with drums, play with a metronome, record yourself, and focus on groove! Everything else is forgiven when you have good groove (and show up on time ).
Classical Thump by a long shot, IMO. Depends on where you’re starting from though!
I make the same boring-ass smoothie every morning, so I don’t have to think about breakfast before work.
And for food to take to a gig, probably some rice and beans, or as most people on earth call it, “food.” 
I don’t think it does! I think a lot of pop music sucks, but is still popular, for the same reason McDonald’s is - people keep eating it even though it has no nutrients. They wouldn’t make it if people started demanding musical richness and complexity!
Drums! Funk drumming and metal drumming would be my starting point, seems so effing fun.
Honestly, I am “between routines” right now, meaning it’s intermittent! A lot of my musical goals don’t have that much to do with the instrument specifically, so a lot of what I do is just listening and feeling new things in music, rather than specific finger drills and stuff. (already did some thousands of hours of that!)
African or European?
(EDIT: @EddieJones beat me to it)
Keep going! Don’t stop just because you hit a hurdle!
Sit idly by until the next course comes out.
But serious, it depends a lot! Working on groove like I said above would be my best general advice.
I’ve thought about this a lot, and the answer is yes! I would present it a little better, make the challenge element more explicit and less WTF-y, and maybe put it a bit later in the course. But challenges are good.
I’m wondering the same thing!
They’re both good, for different reasons. Yet another thing that gets drama-fied on bass forums usually, but really tips and pads both have their uses. Pads are great for muting (flattens out your fingers so they can cover other strings), and you don’t smash the metal string into your bones as directly. Tips are good at other times, for super clean/articulate/fast kind of stuff. Lots of room for personal choice though!
Done!
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Well, there we go then 
I guess my search-fu was off today. Thanks!
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Ok, I’ll ask the question no one wants to….
You wake up tomorrow in a world with either flats OR rounds. You must choose which one you play for the rest of your days. You choose ______?
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Lauren Oçonnell sounds a little like Jewel imo.
Nice song 
, nice bass line, plenty of space and builds with the drums, very cool.
you should be playing in the NBA 
Cheers Brian
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Because I have experience with only set of rounds and one set of flats, I’d go with the flats every time.
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Before this blows up here, everyone but Josh should probably just use the poll for this religious debate.
Especially you flatwound heretics!
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If someone handed you a blank check and said you had to use it to buy any bass you want, new or used, what would you buy and why?
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