advice about ska

[jstoner]

so im startin a ska band and need some advice. so right now i have a squier p-bass which is o so amazing let me tell ya...anyway i think im gonna get a 5 string and i was wondering frets or fretless? i was thinkin bout even bein crazy and throwin in a bit of slap with the ska :lol: but anyway yea frets or no? and does anybody know like any books or anything that might have some ska rythm or maybe even such a thing as ska theory? thx in advance

-the stoner

[Jody LeCompte]

I think a fretless p bass would be sex in a ska band

[flea_slap_god]

hey, im just startin up a ska band, experimented with sum slap but in some places it ruins it but other times its great.

Ive also tried my fretless in sum of it. Is hard to get the perfect note wen puttin energy in to the bassline.

A lined fretless would be easier than mine but would take practise.

[Akira]

Well unless you familiar with fretless basses don't get one assuming it is just a fretted bass with more possibilities. It sounds different and is a lot harder to play. So only go fretless if you know and like that sound. And I don't think slapping works too well on a fretless since slapping is the noise of the string hitting the frets, but a fretless player will probably be able to correct me.

[Jody LeCompte]

^ You can still slap, but it sounds different cuz you hear the string hiting the wood instead of a metal fret...

[jstoner]

yea im not so concerned about the slap that was also kind of sarcastic, and yea ill expirement and i did hear it sounded kinda bad, so whats some of the ups and downs of a fretless then? since it seems totally different fill me in

[WHoRRID]

id say buy a better fretted and defret your squire.

[jstoner]

see the thing is tho if i do get a fretless i want it to be a five string

[basgitarist]

listen to the first no doubt album. It's really ska. And their bass player is awesome. Nice ska slapping, first time I heared it, I couldn't believe my ears.

[jstoner]

im familiar with no doubt, which album is it? and i still wanna know the ups and downs of a fretless

[Klander Brigade]

Just be careful, some fretlesses aren't made to be slapped on, depending on wood, and it can eat up the neck.

[FunkMetalBass]

Threadstarter:
Honestly, just try out different basses. It's YOUR sound that you are looking for, and only you can find it. Who cares if it's how ska bass normally sounds. The style has been decided; the tone is your control.

[ViolenceBass]

its a bit much, but the Ibanez GWB is 5 fretless, and has ebonal, which i am led to believe is ebony coated in finish?
Ibanez makes a cheaper model fretless with the ebonal, which may suit it better for slapping,imo

Ill look up some fretless 5rs for ya

[ViolenceBass]

http://froogle.google.com/froogle_cluster?btnG=Search+Froogle&hl=en&oid=2674246935855341883&pid=4810561283622071105&q=fretless+5+string&scoring=p

http://froogle.google.com/froogle_cluster?btnG=Search+Froogle&hl=en&oid=7464615191670233109&pid=4753365762478539339&q=fretless+5+string&scoring=p

likin this next one
http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B0009G0EFG/102-7153788-8761743?SubscriptionId=0ZEN2Y8QF01177MHHH82

[hartke20g]

there's nothing wrong with slapping. Matt Wong of Reel Big Fish does it in "everything sucks" and some other songs. but bringing a 5er into a ska band would be cool since not that many ska players (mainstream) do that. but i wouldn't go fretless. as for the theory question, i don't know any theory, but you could either listen to some more ska bands with awesome lines and put what they don into your tab (change it of course:p ) - or you could just wait for Low End Communications to come in here. i'm sure he can own us all

[FunkMetalBass]

Ska rhythm: Basically, just play a walking bassline. You carry the song rhythmically, and the guitarist backs YOU up.

Ska theory: Try to learn your modes (check out my lessons on them). Generally, a walking bassline is played over the lydian mode in ska basslines.

[Moon Flavor]

Major triads. Figure out the chords of the song, play major triads along with them, and you have a basic ska line. Now add in some odd notes, put in some tempo changes, mess with different octaves...that's when you get into some real neat stuff.

[FunkMetalBass]

Major triads. Figure out the chords of the song, play major triads along with them, and you have a basic ska line. Now add in some odd notes, put in some tempo changes, mess with different octaves...that's when you get into some real neat stuff.

Actually, that is EXACTLY how you play "Beer" by RBF.


--------------------------------
-----2--------------2-5---------
-0-3---3---0-3---3-5--------2-5-
---------1-----1--------3-5-----

Nonetheless, it is still messing around in the lydian mode.

[Moon Flavor]

Actually, that is EXACTLY how you play "Beer" by RBF.


--------------------------------
-----2--------------2-5---------
-0-3---3---0-3---3-5--------2-5-
---------1-----1--------3-5-----

Nonetheless, it is still messing around in the lydian mode.
Every Reel Big Fish song, pretty much. He's a very solid bassist though.

If you ever listen to Josh Ansley from Catch 22/Streetlight Manifesto, you'll see he does pretty much the same thing, only at 20 times the speed, and he throws in a lot of extra notes in different octaves, Cool stuffis.

[FenderSRX]

Ska bass is one of the things that makes Ska such a fun genre. Not just playing for your own amusement, its really what makes these fun songs skankable.

First thing you should do when playing or writing a ska line is make sure you know your major and minor modes all over the neck. That may sound complicated at first but just take some time with it and you'll get it. This gives you way more notes to work with, so you know which ones will sound good and which ones will not fit.

The next thing is to hear the guitar line, and figure the key of the song ( or ask) Most likely the song is in Major key (ionian), or a Minor key (Aeolian). Play a line that sticks to the key, but try to make the notes sort of link to eachother through the mode when the chord changes on guitar. This will keep your line smoother with the song. The simplest way to connect your lines to different chord changes is to play the root 1st, and mix up the 3rds,
5ths, and 4ths. If thats too boring take the mode of the key and mix it up, sometimes dont even follow the chord changes, instead of rooting it playing the 3rd of the chord during the change works as well. It can get pretty complicated, but keeping it simple is fun too, ska is fun, so have go have some fun. :thumb: