Roots Archives Forum

Everything Don Said!

I'll add: Val Douglas, Boris gardiner and the UK bass players from the 70s and 80s.

Learn every Tubbys, Channel One, Studio one, Dennis Brown, etc..basslines( and Scientist...that was my favourite)
Don't listen to theoretical "experts" cause most of them can't play Reggae properly!

Thanks for all the tips and advice!

Im making it my aim to learn a bassline a day, today was "Black I Am" on Dub I. Not learnt any of those suggested Bob Marleys yet, but figured out Is This Love (having the seperated multitrack made it so much easier!)

The strings are sounding alot better already, and they can only improve so im alot happier with that.

Id love an electric bass but simply cant afford it at the moment, especially not an amp also.

I will look more into James Jamerson and other genres

not afford a bass ... hmmm ... get a squier vintage modified fender jazz or the squier vintage modified P bass, a beatle bass copy, dirt cheap and great quality!under 300€!! as amp goes ... Gallien Krueger Backline 112 combo is under 200€ and great value for the money!

i got a vintage tube amp, 35 year old framus, hollowbody mudbucker bass, an ancient music man bass speaker, a case that handles both my basses and all that was under 500€!!! save some money and look around for a while ... you got a bass so no hurry ... a good deal will come to those that can wait. Second hand will do for now, loads of people that buy and give up ... just wait till one gives up the gear that you need!!!

a track a day ... can you play it with your eyes closed? nope ... so don't know it!

keep playing and enjoying the low end of music!

greetings

Its till alot of money for somone only working part time (not out of choice, lack of jobs in my area), but yeah like you said, saving and waiting for a good deal, i am in no hurry, i love this bass i have.

That sounds like an excellent bargain you got there!(had to look up Framus, never heard of them before) I almost like the idea of second hand more than brand new, its nice that something has already been enjoyed and broken in as it were, almost as if the instrument itself is "experienced". Though on the other hand, brand new has endless potential and is your faithfull friend right from its birth.

Your right, i cant play much with my eyes closed yet only simple Radics lines, i have to either watch the fretboard or right hand most of the time, but i do alot of playing in my mind when drifting off to sleep (visualising the fretboard)!

abey wrote:The most complex line I figure out was King Tubby & Glen Brown - Father For The Living Dubwise.... insane

Worked this out this afternoon, i am so proud of myself! (well actually i worked out the intro riff a few days back, but the rest of it today)
Im more or less there, but its pretty hard to remember the order of the different parts but because they are all slight variations, that makes it easier in a way, i break it down into 3 sections seperated by the variations of the intro, learnt each one, now strung them together in order.

Ive basically got it sorted now, spent the last hour or so playing it constantly, but my main stumbling block is the timing of the intro, i just cant seem to get the start dead on, the drum intro confuses the hell out of me!

Well sorry for the bragging post, but it is such a fun tune to play!

Without a tool to slow down the tempo I cant play that tune in time... that chorus phrase its just too fast for me... I remember being day after day playing and playing that song slowed down and then be capable of play it a bit in normal tempo... (and remember and interiorize all that slight changes). But now im a little bit out of practice and its a "mission impossible" tune (specially that phrase)

And I remember that strange drum intro, required for me a lot of listenings (with tempo slowed down, of course )

Count the ten drum hits, then there is a fraction of a second pause, then bass intro. I still cant get it right even after many listenings either. I dont know how the original musicians all came in at the same time, but then of course they are experts and masters!

You playing the intro/chorus riff by the head with open strings? I use thumb, 1st, 2nd, 3rd fingers rather than "walking" 1st and 2nd fingers as i cant do that fast or accurately enough for this riff.

-----------0---4------------
--------2------------2-------
--0--3-------------------2---
-----------------------------



As for mission impossible, thats a cracking tune on the Roots Radics Scientist + Jammys Strike Back!

The drum intro, Im not sure if counting the number of hits would help; try to sing it, and memorize it. The fraction of a second silence, I dont note it.
Listen carefully the drum intro and the riff, make pause, and sing it (repeat until you get it). Once is in your mind, you can play it with your fingers.

I play this with 1st and 2nd fingers. At the beginning I used to play it like this.

--------4-2---
----2-5-----2-
--3-----------
5-------------

But I dont like to play the first string, so I changed to this. (with '2 frets slide' before the '9')

--------------
------5-9-7---
----7-------7-
5-8-----------

They came on the same time cause they're authentic professionals, Val Douglas, great bass player! What a groove......


Very nice tune, mission impossible, just hearing now the whole album... can't get enought just with one!

ok i think there is actually 11 or 12 drum hits now i listened to it, different number each time i try to count! (which speaks volumes about the effectiveness of this!) Though for some reason, however im counting 10 i end up on the last hit?? Slowing it down might help alot here, what program do you use?

Im pretty sure there is a tiny pause after the last drum hit before the first bass/guitar note, at least thats my way of trying "visualise" when to start


ive never heard of val douglas, was the choice bassist of glen brown or something? what other tunes does he play on?

I like the versions you have there, though i struggle alot with the speed of playing it and still have to use thumb and fingers rather than walking fingers, the open strings is easier for me and it sounds good, but i guess i should try the difficult road in order to improve

Klaus5 wrote:Slowing it down might help alot here, what program do you use?

Yes, indeed. I cant play it now at that tempo with regularity, with my bass level. Guitar Rig works fine for me.

I count 10 drum hits (4+3+3). Try to clap your hands or sing it or both; and imitate that sound, the 'phrase' of the drum. The bass answers with naturality.

Also you can check out the original song: [Never Too Young To Learn - Roman Stewart](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0WTmvWFSBc)

I heard of Val Douglas playing this song through Inyaki, in another thread about basslines. I only knew it from this albums (he appears on a lot more):

Cedric Myton & Congos - Face The Music [1981]
Joe Higgs - Life Of Contradiction [1975]
Negril - Negril [1975] (in this one with family man]

Now he's touring with Skatalites playin his Steinberger sitted down in a chair due to some knee issue.