Coil Bass Cover

Ozzloaf · May 5th, 2009, 04:11 AM

Hi,
I decided to film myself playing Coil on bass.

Quote:

Hi everyone.

I wished to post one of these "bass book" entries every week or month or so and I apologize with the extremely limited supply of entries. This is my first in six months. I have been playing bass now for nine months, entirely self "taught". I'm posting this videos publicly in order to induce constructive criticism and helpful comments. Because I don't have a bass teacher, this is really my only way of learning and improving.

I decided to cover Coil, the beautiful opening track off of the new album of my favorite band Opeth. I've wished to learn one of their tracks for many months now, in fact Martin Mendez was my main inspiration to begin playing bass. Due to the complexity of their songs and the difficulty of their bass parts, I wasn't play one until now. I chose Coil because (other than it being a good song) it's short and therefore requires little memorization, and it's not AS difficult as most other Opeth tracks (whereas some are near-impossibly difficult to play!!!).

I hope you enjoy this cover,

Jake Kobrin
Illustration and Design
jakekobrin.blogspot.com

You Tube

Anyway... yeah, give me some feedback.

Jake

Nasty-Fire · May 5th, 2009, 06:23 AM

Since my speakers are broken, I can't really judge of the quality of what's played. However, I just noticed that you only play with one finger, which is something you will for sure develop and improve. You have a good source of inspiration. I just saw Martin Mendez two days ago and noticed how good he was. Never really noticed.

Slaydon · May 5th, 2009, 06:39 AM

Nice work. And a good bass sound. Is that a Hammer?

{-sapob-} · May 5th, 2009, 07:01 AM

I cant see anything wrong with how you played that.

It also was really good to see coil played because you do appreciate a little bit more, nowyour seeing it in another aspect.

Spoonfullofjelly · May 5th, 2009, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nasty-Fire

Since my speakers are broken, I can't really judge of the quality of what's played. However, I just noticed that you only play with one finger, which is something you will for sure develop and improve. You have a good source of inspiration. I just saw Martin Mendez two days ago and noticed how good he was. Never really noticed.

Agreed. One finger should be developed and more importantly Mendez blew me away. I wasn't prepared for such fantastic bass.

AnTz0r · May 5th, 2009, 11:50 AM

hi ozzloaf, good job

some points:
-develop your right hand fingers better. not only powerwise, but also make them more steady. your plucks are uneven, which makes you untight.
-keep the fingers of your fretting hand closer to the strings. for example in the first run, it lags and doesn't sound smooth. when you keep your fingers closer to the strings, you can switch faster. furthermore, practice to switch positions quicker. you need to sustain some of the notes longer, and you're not doing it now because you need to switch positions too soon.

hope this helps, good luck!

Ozzloaf · May 5th, 2009, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slaydon

Nice work. And a good bass sound. Is that a Hammer?

It's an Ibanez Gio which, despite being a relatively cheap bass, has very good sound.

Thanks for all of the tips guys! I'll keep working on it!

HemeHaci · May 5th, 2009, 01:29 PM

Try to eat less :S

Hedon- · May 5th, 2009, 01:56 PM

retard^

cool cover keep practicing

Don Corleone · May 5th, 2009, 03:07 PM

not bad for a beginner, ozzloaf. antzor said all there is to say actually. (spot on menno)

Jackehh · May 5th, 2009, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HemeHaci

Try to eat less :S

congratz, this is on level with Arasmas posts I believe, before I blocked him.

AnTz0r · May 6th, 2009, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Corleone

not bad for a beginner, ozzloaf. antzor said all there is to say actually. (spot on menno)

well, it's just a youtube video and coil only has long open notes and runs. if you want to play ending credits for example, there would probably have been a third point: Damp. Damp. Damp. Good dampening is what sets a beginner apart from an experienced bass player, because it provides you with the wonderful tool of articulation, which in turn enables you to play with this magical thing called "feel"

Many self thaught players never learn properly though

Get someone to show you if you have no idea what im talking about, ozzloaf!

sotua · May 6th, 2009, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnTz0r

well, it's just a youtube video and coil only has long open notes and runs. if you want to play ending credits for example, there would probably have been a third point: Damp. Damp. Damp. Good dampening is what sets a beginner apart from an experienced bass player, because it provides you with the wonderful tool of articulation, which in turn enables you to play with this magical thing called "feel"

Many self thaught players never learn properly though

Get someone to show you if you have no idea what im talking about, ozzloaf!

This is VERY good advice. Half the battle in bass is muting, both with your left and right hand. Muting provides silence, which, as AnTz0r said, provides you with articulation and feel.

When it comes to bass (most instruments as well, but particularly true with bass) what you DON'T play is as important or even more important than what you do play. For example, imagine what the funky break in Lotus Eater would sound like if Mendez just let the notes ring instead of keeping them really short and tight (hint: it would sound like ass). Silence is your friend.

Slaydon · May 6th, 2009, 01:09 PM

Can you film/record "Harvest" too?

biggsy · May 7th, 2009, 01:02 AM

can hardly tell samsaras lost interest in this forum

post your own recordings here thread. dude got banned a fair while back because he kept putting recordings here, so just a heads up.

Ozzloaf · May 7th, 2009, 01:28 AM

Really? Shit, Well... it's not really a recording. I thought doing the cover to a Guitar-pro/power-tabs file so it wasn't really like I was posting the song. I thought that a partial and very, very low quality version of the original would be acceptable.

Prophet178 · May 7th, 2009, 01:34 AM

I liked it good cover. Did you learn it by ear?

I'm self taught too, and Mendez is one of my inspirations for picking up the bass as well. After seeing this, I might try my hand at it.

de_aztec · May 7th, 2009, 01:52 AM

I'm not saying you're not doing this or anything, but try and always keep your wrist straight (right hand, picking hand w/e.) You get alot more power when you have a straight wrist (try interlocking your fingers and pulling against eachother with a straight wrist, then try again with a bent wrist. It's so much weaker with bent wrists) and you'll be able to play for much longer without getting strain + any connective tissue damage in your wrist/arm. This is especially important when you are playing on the E string and lower for 5+ string basses, alot of people tend to use their thumb as a pivot and just arc their wrist.

In essence, straight wrist = more power for better accenting of notes

May 5th, 2009, 07:01 AM	#4 (permalink)
{-sapob-} Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 730	I cant see anything wrong with how you played that. It also was really good to see coil played because you do appreciate a little bit more, nowyour seeing it in another aspect. __________________

May 5th, 2009, 11:50 AM	#6 (permalink)
AnTz0r Crimson King Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Netherlands Posts: 1,929	hi ozzloaf, good job some points: -develop your right hand fingers better. not only powerwise, but also make them more steady. your plucks are uneven, which makes you untight. -keep the fingers of your fretting hand closer to the strings. for example in the first run, it lags and doesn't sound smooth. when you keep your fingers closer to the strings, you can switch faster. furthermore, practice to switch positions quicker. you need to sustain some of the notes longer, and you're not doing it now because you need to switch positions too soon. hope this helps, good luck! __________________

May 5th, 2009, 03:07 PM	#10 (permalink)
Don Corleone Emre Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Istanbul, Turkey Posts: 11,596	not bad for a beginner, ozzloaf. antzor said all there is to say actually. (spot on menno) __________________ http://www.myspace.com/emrekaracaoglu

May 7th, 2009, 01:02 AM	#15 (permalink)
biggsy Banned Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bendigo, Australia Posts: 3,508	can hardly tell samsaras lost interest in this forum post your own recordings here thread. dude got banned a fair while back because he kept putting recordings here, so just a heads up. Last edited by biggsy : May 7th, 2009 at 01:05 AM.

May 7th, 2009, 01:28 AM	#16 (permalink)
Ozzloaf Art Geek Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,807	Really? Shit, Well... it's not really a recording. I thought doing the cover to a Guitar-pro/power-tabs file so it wasn't really like I was posting the song. I thought that a partial and very, very low quality version of the original would be acceptable. __________________ Myspace Facebook Fan Page

May 5th, 2009, 06:23 AM	#2 (permalink)
Nasty-Fire Discursion Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Quebec, Canada Posts: 1,994	Since my speakers are broken, I can't really judge of the quality of what's played. However, I just noticed that you only play with one finger, which is something you will for sure develop and improve. You have a good source of inspiration. I just saw Martin Mendez two days ago and noticed how good he was. Never really noticed.

May 5th, 2009, 06:39 AM	#3 (permalink)
Slaydon Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: right outside Oslo, Norway Posts: 512	Nice work. And a good bass sound. Is that a Hammer?

May 5th, 2009, 01:29 PM	#8 (permalink)
HemeHaci Ken Masters Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 484	Try to eat less :S

May 6th, 2009, 01:09 PM	#14 (permalink)
Slaydon Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: right outside Oslo, Norway Posts: 512	Can you film/record "Harvest" too?

May 7th, 2009, 01:34 AM	#17 (permalink)
Prophet178 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: New Jersey Posts: 442	I liked it good cover. Did you learn it by ear? I'm self taught too, and Mendez is one of my inspirations for picking up the bass as well. After seeing this, I might try my hand at it.

May 7th, 2009, 01:52 AM	#18 (permalink)
de_aztec Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 230	I'm not saying you're not doing this or anything, but try and always keep your wrist straight (right hand, picking hand w/e.) You get alot more power when you have a straight wrist (try interlocking your fingers and pulling against eachother with a straight wrist, then try again with a bent wrist. It's so much weaker with bent wrists) and you'll be able to play for much longer without getting strain + any connective tissue damage in your wrist/arm. This is especially important when you are playing on the E string and lower for 5+ string basses, alot of people tend to use their thumb as a pivot and just arc their wrist. In essence, straight wrist = more power for better accenting of notes