It's New Year's Eve and I feel like it sneaked up on me. I don't have any plans, not that there's much to do with covid lockdowns still in full force. What are your plans, comrades? Any good online celebrations?

  • adfsadfsadfsadf [none/use name]
    ·
    4 years ago

    My bass was delivered. I have to set it up properly but it seems pretty cool.

    I don't know anything about the banjo but a few months ago at Youtube by chance I found this: Hard Times Come Again No More - clawhammer banjo.

    I'd like to learn how to play that on bass and on guitar (maybe tuned like a banjo). There's something about his arrangement that's really great.

    It was written by Stephen C. Foster during 1854. Well-known and popular in its day, both in America and Europe, it was a favorite of both sides in the American Civil War.

    Edit

    I don't use a pick when I play guitar so I have calluses on my right fingers. I figured it would be fine if I just picked away at the strings with my fingers. Everything felt good as I played for a few minutes but after I stopped playing a tiny bit of skin came off the tip of my index finger and it didn't bleed but there's a red dot. Also, my fingertips are kind of reddish.

    • MagisterSinister [he/him,comrade/them]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Everything felt good as I played for a few minutes but after I stopped playing a tiny bit of skin came off the tip of my index finger and it didn’t bleed but there’s a red dot. Also, my fingertips are kind of reddish.

      This is normal when you start playing bass, even if you've played guitar before. The strings are just that much more massive. I picked up playing bass again during the first lockdown and the first week or two, i just went through the whole process of getting callouses again. Don't overdo things, stop if anything hurts, and apart from that just keep practicing until you've adapted to the instrument. Also, it can help to just play softer and turn up the volume a bit more to compensate.

      I guess getting a proper setup will also make a huge difference. Almost all new basses have the strings set way too high to avoid fret buzz. Getting it to a guitar tech will make a big difference in how easy it is to play, and will improve sound and intonation as well.

      • adfsadfsadfsadf [none/use name]
        ·
        4 years ago

        if anything hurts,

        That's the weird thing - it didn't hurt. I'm going play just a few minutes a day with my fingers (a bit more and more) and use a pick the rest of the time.

        Also, it can help to just play softer and turn up the volume a bit more to compensate.

        My "amp" is my effects unit so I can play around with the settings involving dynamics pretty easily.

        • MonteCristo [he/him,any]
          ·
          4 years ago

          If you want picks specifically for bass make sure you get the thick ones. You want some with little to no flex to deal with the fat strings. I usually use 1 or 1.5mm.

        • MagisterSinister [he/him,comrade/them]
          ·
          4 years ago

          That’s the weird thing - it didn’t hurt.

          Yeah, then it's just a dead layer of skin that your body is discarding. The skin underneath will probably look weirdly smooth now, but it'll toughen up until tomorrow.

    • MonteCristo [he/him,any]
      ·
      4 years ago

      You can play that way if you want but bass strings are heavier and will definitely be rougher on your hands. It’s probably easier to use traditional bass finger style of you don’t wanna beat up your fingers.

      Sorry if this is super obvious but here’s standard bass plucking technique