Learn the song or get the chops?

[onetrickpony]

Hi Janek,

Currently I'm checking out Cosmic Girl by Jamiroquai, and it's the first time I'm doing something so ambitious. The song runs at 120bpm and there's a lot of 16ths in there.

I'm getting the verse down more each time I play it, but I feel like it's the fact that I struggle with 16ths in general that's keeping me from moving on to the chorus.

Do I keep at the song and get it right and improve my playing by doing so regardless, or do I go back to the drawing board and learn how to play 16ths at 60bpm and setting the tempo up each time I'm comfortable with the speed and then going back to the track?


Best,
S

[bassix67]

Originally Posted by onetrickpony

Hi Janek,

Currently I'm checking out Cosmic Girl by Jamiroquai, and it's the first time I'm doing something so ambitious. The song runs at 120bpm and there's a lot of 16ths in there.

I'm getting the verse down more each time I play it, but I feel like it's the fact that I struggle with 16ths in general that's keeping me from moving on to the chorus.

Do I keep at the song and get it right and improve my playing by doing so regardless, or do I go back to the drawing board and learn how to play 16ths at 60bpm and setting the tempo up each time I'm comfortable with the speed and then going back to the track?

Best,
S

My two little cents. If you can, Purchase The Amazing Slowdowner software. It will slow down any song without breakup. Slow the song down and work on 1,2,3 or 4 bars at a time. Speed the track up when you feel like you've got it. I know Janek isn't into slowing track down to learn but try it, maybe it'll work for you.

You can also take each measure with the sixteenth passages and use it as a technical exercise by running it slow at first thru all 12 keys. Doing this will this will 1. help you learn the song, 2. Help you with your chops. Hope this helps and makes since.

[janekbass]

working on the song constantly will help improve all of your musicianship. I would recommend learning the notes without slowing the track down, but definitely practicing the song away from the recording a lot slower to really get control of all those notes, and the form.

Janek

[onetrickpony]

Thanks Janek and bassix.

I'm going to give playing the song away from the recording a go.

bassix - I've got the old Tascam bass trainer that slows down the tracks, but there's too much break-up in on the audio quality, especially on tracks that have busy bass parts. I start hearing phantom notes and it just messes me around.

I'll give you guys some updates on this in a week's time.

S