LearnGospelMusic.com Community

Please login or register.
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Not respected that much I know but.....How do you transpose on a bass guitar?  (Read 1459 times)

Offline Gospel Musick Player

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 48

I think you use the tuners to take it to another key but I'm not sure is that correct???? Meaning if I only play Eb and want to take it to Ab.

Offline dhagler

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1491
  • Gender: Male

A-flat is one string up from E-flat, same fret.  For example, on a 5-string bass E-flat is the 4th fret on the B string.  A-flat is the 4th fret on the E string.

Offline under13

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16438
  • Gender: Male

I'm not really a bass player, but I would say you should try to stop memorizing songs, and just feel them. Its not always easy, but it you have to do it sooner or later.
I guess you could use a capo, but you would only be cheating your growth as a musician. I suggest You  get very familiar with the location of the notes on the neck. if you use a capo, the notes will be in different places, and thats not good for your progress.

Offline ddwilkins

  • LGM Royalty
  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2199
  • Gender: Male
  • My Arsenal!!!!
    • D'Wayne's Spot

I think you use the tuners to take it to another key but I'm not sure is that correct???? Meaning if I only play Eb and want to take it to Ab.

Never tune up higher on your stings. Meaning don't tune your E string up to an A for instance. This will kill your neck. It will warp. I made this mistake when I first started playing. You can tune down but only a whole step to get a good tone.
Keep God first and he'll do the rest!!!

Offline under13

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16438
  • Gender: Male

Never tune up higher on your stings. Meaning don't tune your E string up to an A for instance. This will kill your neck. It will warp. I made this mistake when I first started playing. You can tune down but only a whole step to get a good tone.
And couldnt that cause a string to pop?

Offline ddwilkins

  • LGM Royalty
  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2199
  • Gender: Male
  • My Arsenal!!!!
    • D'Wayne's Spot

And couldnt that cause a string to pop?

Yes it could.
Keep God first and he'll do the rest!!!

Offline uriahsmusic

  • LGM Royalty
  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3392
  • Gender: Male
    • http://WWW.URIAHSMUSIC.COM

YOU WOULD GO TO Ab ON THE NECK AND PLAY THE PATTERN FROM THAT POINT.....THERE IS NO TRANSPOSE SYSTEM ON A BASS....UNLESS YOU INTEND TO TUNE THE BASS FOR EVERY DIFFERENT KEY.

SORRY BOUT THE CAPS...IM IN A RUSH! ;D

Offline betnich

  • LGM Royalty
  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4131

I'm not really a bass player, but I would say you should try to stop memorizing songs, and just feel them. Its not always easy, but it you have to do it sooner or later.
I guess you could use a capo, but you would only be cheating your growth as a musician. I suggest You  get very familiar with the location of the notes on the neck. if you use a capo, the notes will be in different places, and thats not good for your progress.


A Bass Capo? Never seen one of those, lol...

Offline under13

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16438
  • Gender: Male

A Bass Capo? Never seen one of those, lol...

I thought you could use a guitar capo. I never actually used one, so I didnt know

Offline ddwilkins

  • LGM Royalty
  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2199
  • Gender: Male
  • My Arsenal!!!!
    • D'Wayne's Spot

I thought you could use a guitar capo. I never actually used one, so I didnt know

just learn the fretboard.
Keep God first and he'll do the rest!!!

Offline under13

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16438
  • Gender: Male

just learn the fretboard.

Yup. Like I always say, We should know where the notes on the key/fretboard are, just like a singer knows where the notes are in thier vocal range. Our instruments should be an extension of our limbs.

Offline Fingers!

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1026

I'm not really a bass player, but I would say you should try to stop memorizing songs, and just feel them. Its not always easy, but it you have to do it sooner or later.
I guess you could use a capo, but you would only be cheating your growth as a musician. I suggest You  get very familiar with the location of the notes on the neck. if you use a capo, the notes will be in different places, and thats not good for your progress.

Wow.  Up till now, it never occurred to me that a capo is the exact equivalent to the transpose button.

Offline Torch7

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2077
  • Gender: Male
    • Gospel Bass Guitar Lessons Site

Like Uriah is saying....just move to that note on the fretboard.

The beautiful thing about the bass is it is perfectly tuned... If you can play the pattern in Ab, the same pattern applies if you move your hand to antoher position on the bass, so if its in Ab, move your hand to Eb as the root position and the same pattern applies.

You don't have to learn the entire fretboard, just learn scale patterns & Intervals, down to the 4th or 5th fret, and you can find your way from there as you are still learning.

Offline Torch7

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2077
  • Gender: Male
    • Gospel Bass Guitar Lessons Site

Wow.  Up till now, it never occurred to me that a capo is the exact equivalent to the transpose button.

Capo's essentially makes it as if the capped of notes are the open string position.  A co-worker of mines who plays guitar at his church, explained it to me a few months ago, and I had that same Eureka moment... Fingers!  The lightbulb came on...LOL!

Offline Maestro87

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 172
  • Gender: Male
    • Facebook Profile

Piggy-backing off of what Torch7 said, learn your number system.  It will greatly help you.  When you learn how everything flows together then all you have to do is re-set your pattern into the new key and go.
"Stay Fly, Stay Fresh, God Bless"
Dameron Growe

Offline Steelpulz

  • LGM Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1017
  • Gender: Male
    • gospelbassmusic

The best way is to know the progression of the song and your fretboard. However, sometimes that doesn't happen. Antoher way is to fool yourself. Start playing the song in the new key while imagining that you are playing in the old key. This technique works well for me, especially if I don't play any open strings.
Conklin GTBD-7, Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0, Glasstone Lil G2, Holy Bible
Pages: [1]   Go Up