Playing Bass this Saturday night....HELP!

[cheyenne]

Keep it simple, and relax. "Feel" the song.

[bassduke49]

And don't forget, it's the drummer's responsibility to keep a steady beat and the bassist's responsibility to make sure the drummer does!

[Danotron]

Thanks guys, all good stuff! I'll keep it simple, root and 5ths with a few octaves for pizzazz and a light touch.

One last question, I don't have a bass amp. Is it OK to play through the PA or should I borrow a bass amp from our Bassist (who can't make the gig)?

Dan

[jingle_jangle]

Don't forget to plug in?

[larsongs]

Stay loose, keep it simple & lock on the Kick. It's the Rhythm Section Man! Dress Cool!

Above all, have fun,

Glenn

[jingle_jangle]

Bass amp.

[s4001]

An amp if you can. Even a guitar amp. Unless you're singer and you and the drummer are used to the bass always being direct, it may be more trouble than you expect.

[rickenbrother]

Thanks guys, all good stuff! I'll keep it simple, root and 5ths with a few octaves for pizzazz and a light touch.

One last question, I don't have a bass amp. Is it OK to play through the PA or should I borrow a bass amp from our Bassist (who can't make the gig)?

Dan

Let me know if you want to borrow my amp.

[LONNIE4003]

Playing bass ? with a rickenbacker ?? Hey this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship !!!

[bartyclue]

Hello to my Bass playing Rickenbacker friends!

My band, Los Mysteriosos, got asked to play a Birthday party for a friend this Saturday afternoon. We were asked about a month ago. He really likes the band and comes to all the shows and we were happy to say yes. It's going to be a pretty big party, lots of fun, catered, stage, the whole thing. No problem.

Just yesterday our Bass player had a family matter come up and he can't make it. We didn't want to cancel because the guy is a friend and really excited that we're going to play, so........................Since I have a bass and know the songs, I'm playing bass this Saturday

Cut to emergency practice tonight (Thursday), first and only one we're going to have, me on the Jetglo '73 4001 I had at SCARF that Joey set up. I got through it OK. I don't know how to play bass but I do know my way around the neck. I pretty much stuck to the root notes, E and A string stuff with a few octaves thrown in here and there; and I play with a pick.

Any tips for a guitar player playing bass for the night? Stay simple? Go for the big walks? Any "easy to learn" tricks I should know about?

Your help is appreciated.

PS.
My fingers are aching...............how do you guys play those huge strings!

Enjoy it and have fun is my advice.. once you go bass.. you may never go back!

[libratune]

Good luck, Dan!

This may sound like heresy to the fine bass folk here, but if I had to make a quick switch from guitar to bass, I'd be looking for a short-scale bass to ease the transition to the much longer scale length. If there's a Rick 3000 around, that might be worth a try.

Of course, what you must do, now that you've told us the details, is "man up" and play the Big Rick 4001! Forget that small stuff!

Is your bass strung with roundwounds? If so, you might want to try a spray of Finger-Ease or some such very light guitar lubricant on the strings so the fingers of your left hand will survive the night unblistered.

And stick with the pick so you don't get a blister on your right thumb.

Yes, I have done this before. It can be a blast! And if you pull if off, you can give your bass player the jazz about how replaceable he is!

[Danotron]

Ha! Thanks Ron No roundwounds, it's going to be "blister city". Hopefully I'll get over it pretty quickly because we've got regular "bar gigs" on October 7th and 14th and I'll be back on guitar.

And thanks everybody for the tips. I secured a bass amp for tomorrow and will report back. I practiced a bit more tonight and I'm feeling much more secure now than I was in the original post.

Hopefully we'll get a few pictures.

[8mileshigher]

I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun !!!
That's such a cool 4001, you'll be the man !!

[winston]

Good luck Dan............you will have a blast. I sometimes play bass. It's a lot of fun.

[bassman7365]

I too was thrown into your situation. Basic recipe:

1. Stick to root notes and apply 2 + 2 theory (this is slide down 2 frets and drop 2 frets). This is your root and its octave. Middle finger on root and pinkie finger on octave. This is home position for Major scale, all other scale can be derived from this position. My suggestion is to stick to root and octave, perhaps throw in fret above octave (this is the 5th of the scale, adds no flavor (not major or minor) and is safe note to add).

2. If you apply the rhythm you would have strummed on your guitar to the picking of your bass, you will be fine.

3. Remember, LESS IS MORE. It is perfectly acceptable to just play whole notes and follow harmonic motion until you are comfortable with the groove. Listen to guitarist and drummer, they will help. Also, remember, you are only a half step away from a correct note. If it doesn't sound good to your ear, slide a half a step.

4. Relax and enjoy. I assume you are an adept guitarist. If so, by the third song you will be groovin'