Can't help you with that - I've never had that problem!
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
Well to be honest the thing that keeps me going is the fact that I am a very fast typist (even on a laptop) - The amaount of abuse I get from my collegues who think I press 4 keys at once......
My theory (and I don't want anyone to refute it) is that I have trained my fingers to move fast and accurately - therefore I have a chance of playing something - I didn't even consider lead guitar like my daughter - There I could play a cord with one finger :-)
Stan
Yeah, about that fast typist thing, I am too (probably somewhere around 90 wpm including numbers and symbols and I don't make many mistakes... if you see mistakes in my posts it's because my laptop keyboard is finicky with a few letters). Typing fast doesn't really translate so much to the guitar or bass a whole lot, though it might make a huge difference in general coordination between hands and where it can really help I think, is many of the things you had to learn to get beyond slow typing speeds of around the 30wpm mark, things like don't concentrate on going fast, concentraton on keeping a steady smooth rhythm and remaining relaxed, definitely apply.
Strum where you feel comfortable, though generally I think of strumming as how you'd play a guitar, and picking as what you'd typically do on a bass, playing closer to the pickups may give a bit different of a sound but I think finding a comfortable hand position is priority one.
You said your left hand got sore, in what way, if it's the pads of your fingers, welcome to stringed instruments, but if it was the hand muscles, you may be using your fingers to grip the frets (gripping with your thumb and fingers). What you should try to do is pull with your shoulder/back to hold the frets down and not use thumb pressure.
Since you didn't have an issue with your right hand being sore, are you playing with a pick? Choosing to play with or without a pick will make a far greater difference in sound than how close to the pickups you play, but that's something that might be decided for you if the music you wish to play will be very fast, I'd recommend going with fingerstyle early to get used to it and build speed (and if being a fast typist helps finger picking the bass is here it would help most), going to a pick from fingerstyle is an easier transition than going from a pick to finger style.
I'm just a bass n00b too but hopefully this info will help to get ya past the early stages.
Welcome to the board Stang!
Welcome to GN, Stan.
Look forward to seeing you round the forums.
8)
I've had a lot of sobering thoughts in my time.
It was them that turned me to drink.
Hello, welcome to GN
#4491....
Just thought I would toss in a status report.
1. David's book has arrived - and I am extremely impressed (in particular because he has included the CD).l
2. I have lashed out and got an AMP - a Marshall MB15.
3. Have been doing lost of practice in conjunction with David's book and it is starting to work. I AM ACTUALLY MAKING MUSIC!
DId a teeny tiny little jam of The main riff of smoke on the water with my 12 yr old on her guitar - twas fun.
All the best
Stan
