Bass Lessons - Begging Tap For Bass Vol12

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When we looked at sliding notes, the final example was the arpegios 
for 
"Always with me, always with you". The final chord being F# major 
in root 
position:

|------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------8---11---8-----------------------------------------------|
|-----9----------------9-------------------------------------------|
|-2----------------------------------------------------------------|


At the time, the point of the exersise was to slide between the 
two notes on 
the D string. However its tricky to do this acuratly, and the 
slide doesn't 
sound quite right anyway. Ideally we'd like to tap the note, 
but if you 
attempt to play the 9-8-11-8 pattern in a "ninth" hand position 
you'll find 
that the stretch is too much, and your third finger sort of collapses, 
and 
your nail just runs along the string (unless you've got BIG hands).

The trick is to bring your thumb from behind the neck, across 
your palm, and 
use it to play the fifth of the chord(11). You'll find that you 
use the 
outside edge of you thumb, just to the side of your nail, rather 
than the 
tip.

The thumb is usefull whenever you need that extra stretch, but 
you should 
probably consider it as a last resort, as its more clumsy, and 
offers less 
control of the note than fingers do. However its oftern just 
about the only 
way to play basic (non-exended) chords.

A number of variations on the above arpegio show how the thumb 
can be 
usefull:

 Minor        Scale      Major      Major 
|-----------|----------|----------|-------11-|--------------8-11--||
|-------8---|-------8--|----8--11-|----8-----|---------8-11-------||
|----9------|-9--11----|-9--------|-9--------|----9-11------------||
|-11--------|----------|----------|----------|-11-----------------||
  T  1  2     1  T  2    1  2  T    1  2  T    T  1 T  2 T  2  T


These are all quite easy, as the thumb can be moved across the 
fretboard far 
more comfortably than fingers can. In fact you can play some quite 
rediculous intervals:

|-------------|------6-----||
|---------10--|----7---7---||
|-----11------|-13---------||
|-15----------|------------||


The exact circumsances under which you'd WANT to play such intervals 
are 
hard to describe, but once in a while your thumb can bail you out 
if a 
really tricky chord. For example, from "Tears in the Rain":


|---------------17---------------------17------------|
|-----------15-----15--------------15------15--------|
|-------19-------------19-------19-------------19----|
|--10----------------------10------------------------|
   L    T   1   2  1   T   L   T   1   2   1   T


This weeks final example is an arpegiated accompaniment to 
the verse of 
Bryan Adams' "One Night Love Afair" (Reckless). This part was 
written to 
replace the accoustic guitar part found on the album, when I 
was playing it 
in a 3 piece band.


|--------------7-----------|--------9-----11--9-----9---|
|o-------9--------9-----9--|-----9-----9---------9-----o|
|o----9-----9--------9-----|--7------------------------o|
|--7-----------------------|----------------------------|
   L  1  2  1  L  2  1  2     L  1  2  1  3   2  1  2


|--------------7-----------|--------8------------8------|
|--------9--------9-----9--|-----9-----9------9-----9---|
|-----9-----9--------9-----|--------------11------------|
|--7-----------------------|--4-------------------------|
   L  1  2  1  L  2  1  2     L  1  2  1  T   1  2  1


|--------11----13-11----11-|--------9-----10--9-----9---|
|-----11----11-------11----|-----9-----9---------9------|
|--------------------------|----------------------------|
|--2-----------------------|--0-------------------------|
   L  1  2  1  3   2  1  2    P  1  2  1  3   2  1  2


The first couple of bars are a good illustration of how both hands 
can be 
used together to create complex arpegiated patterns. However 
by bar four the 
lefthand bass line requires that only the right hand is available 
for the Ab 
minor chord. At this point the thumb comes to the rescue, getting 
you 
through to the final (ninth poisition) bars.


Enjoy