I am choosing to play some bass parts of songs for my own pleasure against the original recordings. I have access to some excellent tutorials that sound perfect. However each pro transcriber/demonstrator chooses to play the same notes in various ways on the neck. I am looking at Lady Madonna right now. Some play it more on the bass most strings and up the neck, while others play more vertically and some combined the two. Are there any principles around choosing how to arrange notes of a cover in general or is it all just personal preference of hand movement. Obviously higher strings will have a lighter timbre, but to my listening I can't hear any significant difference. Thoughts?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
Welcome to TalkBass! Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Playing a bass cover philosophy
- Thread starter Photonic
- Start date
It all depends really. If you're trying to get a dead nuts part, you try and find the way the artist actually played it. This is easier said than done sometimes. The Beatles are a classic example. I learned not to always trust my ears because the Beatles did a lot of tweaking in the studio for the things they put to tape. I'd suggest the Beatles Bible songbook (The Beatles: Complete Scores I mean). But I've even heard some of those aren't completely accurate. At that point I'm like 
So again, just depends. Where you play it on the neck can lend a lot to feel and tonality. It's like trying to play a scale all the way up a single string. Will it sound the same if you played it across the fretboard? Yes and no. Like you said, different timbres and reverberations happen. Like when you play a B in the E string opposed to the B on the A string on the second fret. Sounds the same (sorta) but feels quite different. Especially amplified. Especially amplified through a house system.
So again, just depends. Where you play it on the neck can lend a lot to feel and tonality. It's like trying to play a scale all the way up a single string. Will it sound the same if you played it across the fretboard? Yes and no. Like you said, different timbres and reverberations happen. Like when you play a B in the E string opposed to the B on the A string on the second fret. Sounds the same (sorta) but feels quite different. Especially amplified. Especially amplified through a house system.
Nope. Notes are notes. Play the way you play it best.
Thanks for that. Since am just trying to have fun, perhaps this is an excellent opportunity to lighten up and, well, just have fun and choose the moves that I find attractive for what ever reason and give up always trying to "be right". This is a tendency that often drives me. Perhaps it is a good exercise to say "who cares" and just play around. I appreciate your comments. All other thoughts welcome.
That made me laugh and also seemed to be very wise. Thanks for that.
There are differences as you move up the neck and to larger string but you’re the only one who will notice. If you’re more comfortable and more efficient with your movement you might play better. That’s what I mean.
The tone and dynamic shape of the note envelope changes as you play higher on the neck. I generally prefer the sound playing closer to the nut. My point is the specific tone you are trying to produce can be a factor in what part of the neck you use.
I started on 4-string. To play across a wide range required playing up the neck. My primary bass since about 1995 has been a 6-string (Yamaha TRB6P). Over the years the logic I use to navigate the fretboard has changed. Now I am more inclined to play across the neck rather than up and down the neck.
The strings that were originally on the TRB6P had a thin sounding C. I frequently avoid using the C close to the nut, to avoid the thin tone. The transition zone where sound become more normal occurred between the 5th and 7th fret. So for several years I played the 6-string like it was a 4-string with two extra strings.
I don't change strings very often, but eventually I put a new set on, and the C string sounded fine close to the nut. As a result, the way I navigate the fretboard started to evolve. I am most comfortable and fluent on 6-string. I can still play a 4- or 5-string, but I have to stop more to figure out how to play certain lines. Also I find if I play a 4- or 5-string very long that it starts to degrade my fluency on 6-string. Because of this, I rarely play anything but the 6.
Hopefully you see how this relates. There are all sorts of reasons that impact why someone might play a line using a certain finger pattern...and those reasons may be idiosyncratic to the player.
IMHO, use whatever fingering works for you as long as it allows you to capture the required tone and nuance.
I started on 4-string. To play across a wide range required playing up the neck. My primary bass since about 1995 has been a 6-string (Yamaha TRB6P). Over the years the logic I use to navigate the fretboard has changed. Now I am more inclined to play across the neck rather than up and down the neck.
The strings that were originally on the TRB6P had a thin sounding C. I frequently avoid using the C close to the nut, to avoid the thin tone. The transition zone where sound become more normal occurred between the 5th and 7th fret. So for several years I played the 6-string like it was a 4-string with two extra strings.
I don't change strings very often, but eventually I put a new set on, and the C string sounded fine close to the nut. As a result, the way I navigate the fretboard started to evolve. I am most comfortable and fluent on 6-string. I can still play a 4- or 5-string, but I have to stop more to figure out how to play certain lines. Also I find if I play a 4- or 5-string very long that it starts to degrade my fluency on 6-string. Because of this, I rarely play anything but the 6.
Hopefully you see how this relates. There are all sorts of reasons that impact why someone might play a line using a certain finger pattern...and those reasons may be idiosyncratic to the player.
IMHO, use whatever fingering works for you as long as it allows you to capture the required tone and nuance.
If you're playing for fun, it doesn't matter.
If you're playing for a cover band, it doesn't matter.
The timbre may change, but... it doesn't matter.
If you want good practice, learn to play a given melody/phrase several different ways. Work on your technique to even out the tone on string crossings.
If you play the right notes with good articulation in time and in tune, nobody will care about much else.
If you're playing for a cover band, it doesn't matter.
The timbre may change, but... it doesn't matter.
If you want good practice, learn to play a given melody/phrase several different ways. Work on your technique to even out the tone on string crossings.
If you play the right notes with good articulation in time and in tune, nobody will care about much else.
Practicing it several ways will give you more versatile technique in the long run, plus help you form your own opinion about how you prefer to play.
Here's something I think about when working through difficult passages slowly. Each note that you play can set you up for the next note. If you choose the right setups, then your shifts can be more fluid and graceful. The whole thing will sound smoother and more consistent. For instance you can often avoid the need for big jumps.
My son's cello teacher used to challenge him by saying: "You can choose any fingering you want, so long as you can justify it."
Here's something I think about when working through difficult passages slowly. Each note that you play can set you up for the next note. If you choose the right setups, then your shifts can be more fluid and graceful. The whole thing will sound smoother and more consistent. For instance you can often avoid the need for big jumps.
My son's cello teacher used to challenge him by saying: "You can choose any fingering you want, so long as you can justify it."
I play covers and my starting point with a new one is to figure out how exactly it is played in the original recording, including frets positions. That's because I assume that the original bassist already figured out where it sounded best, all consider (timbre + technique).
Then of course every bassist (and every bass) is different so what was best for them on their bass isn't necessarily the best for me on my bass. In fact many times the same bassist might play differently live, and not the same each time, if they think that what was best on the record isn't the best somewhere else. But as a starting point, why jumping already to a variation without at least trying once the original way?
That said, many transcribers simply don't know how the original was played exactly.
Didn't read the responses. Shoot me. 
Many tabs are machine generated, with no regard for playability, string timber, or, you know, stuff. The horrible thing about guitar/bass is that there are many ways to play the same note/riff/chord. As a wise man once said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it!" i.e. find your own way, grasshopper...
Many tabs are machine generated, with no regard for playability, string timber, or, you know, stuff. The horrible thing about guitar/bass is that there are many ways to play the same note/riff/chord. As a wise man once said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it!" i.e. find your own way, grasshopper...
Really whatever is most comfortable and smooth for you, that being said depending on the song and how much I care about it, I try to watch videos of the original artist playing it, and try to play it the same. However Paul played it, sounded good
If it doesn't matter why is it always a topic of conversation? Of course it matters - what sort of musician doesn't care about the music they produce and doesn't consider how they go about it to achieve the best possible outcome? And who are any of us to presume that individuals in our audiences will notice or cannot hear/recognise the efforts put in by the players to understand how the quality of their playing effects the music? IMHO "phoning it in" shows disrespect for the audience. IME a "phoned in" performance is easy to spot and the disrespect soon becomes mutual. I'm not talking about note-for-note reproductions here, more about presenting your own interpretation and performance with integrity and musical purpose.
My take is this: As long as your rendition sounds musical and does not somehow violate the spirit of the song, anything goes. If you want to get extra-experimental, that’s what side projects are for.
That having been said, since neither you nor I have ANY stake in the royalties accruing to the covers we play, neither do we have any stake in delivering them note-perfect. But we DO have to be true to them as far as giving them a compelling, listenable, coherent reading, or else few will recognize or feel what we’re bringing.
Not to put too fine a point on it, the original artists rarely play their popular songs with note-for-note fidelity, but they would be foolish to play them in ways that are not instantly recognizable.
A song and/or performance can be outstanding without being a clone of its source material. That’s what makes a performance. Ya always gotta remember that this is showbiz.
Last edited:
There are lots of reasons why a cover won’t sound exactly the same as the original and in a lot of cases, this will be a pretty minor one. In some cases it might make a real difference, but if you can’t hear it, I doubt the audience will. If one fingering feels better to you, then chances are that it will also sound better. Generally speaking, the more comfortable you are playing something, the better you sound.
If I can play it better or more comfortably with an alternative fingering (if I can even know what the original was), I’d always choose that one over the original fingering. I rely on my own judgment: what sounds and feels better when I play it on my bass?
If I can play it better or more comfortably with an alternative fingering (if I can even know what the original was), I’d always choose that one over the original fingering. I rely on my own judgment: what sounds and feels better when I play it on my bass?