So I've been loving my bass. I'm going on a songwriting course at the end of next month (lyrics? lol), as I mentioned I'd been making music on the computer for a while, and I appear hungry to learn.
Best part about the lessons (apart from having a deadline forcing me to practice and make progress) is actually playing with others, which I was dreading. Apparently I've got a good sense of timing/rhythm. My co-ordination is a bit shit while I'm new, especially while trying to read sheet music, translate that to a note, to a finger/fret position with my left hand, get my little finger close enough to the fret, and do it all with good timing. "Slow down..."
The Soundcloud links I posted above are set to private if anybody actually tried, as I realised afterward that the remix competition that I got the stems from didn't allow public posting and my Soundcloud was linked in my bio.
Bass has opened up my ears to music that I didn't really gravitate toward. Fun times playing along to Dr Hook, or Primus, or random disco tunes, just trying to work out the basic notes by ear instead of referring to tabs for everything.
The latest remix comp is for a "metal EDM" track, but it was a bit synthy and electronic for my liking (ironically, and so is Tool's new album IMHO), so I tried to make it more metal. I'm on bass (playing) and drums (programmed), power chord drone thing that sounds like a guitar but isn't, and the occasional growl of "war" (hahah) because the vocals provided didn't have much menacing bottom end. It's the first time in 20 years I've ever recorded my own voice and used it in a track. I'm not a metal expert - in fact I've never made metal or bothered to listen carefully - so I'm probably doing the drums wrong. I haven't used any hats or cymbals, for instance, and the kit's probably whack. The bassline is simple and slow enough for me to manage. I recorded myself playing the parts repeatedly and just used slices that were consistent and looped them (no quantise tho!). Sounds like the guy did the same with his guitar, so that'll do.
Vigilante - Into The War (DrTiTus Remix)