Schedule...

[bassjamm]

Hi Janek,

Just out of curiosity really more than anything, but how do you manage to schedule your playing, and learning and stuff like this? I appreciate you're quite busy on the road and stuff right now, but perhaps you could comment on how you scheduled your practice time when you were studying or before you started getting the bigger gigs?

My reason for asking is that i'm in the fortunate position of running my own small company over here in the UK, not music related, but it earns me enough to be able, over the next few months, to re-arrange my work into a 3 day week, allowing me to spend more time on my music, and further my career in what i love doing!!! So, i was wondering if you had any advice on how to schedule the time that i'll have coming up, perhaps some suggestions on how to break up the practice time, and maybe even what to work on (e.g. what will help be become a more rounded musician, a better player to play with, how to approach getting more gigs etc)...i know that's a pretty huge question, but any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Also, and without meaning to overload you with questions here, but, living in Lincolnshire in the UK (i'm kind of assuming you still remember a bit about the UK ), there isn't much going on, and what there is happening here, i'm already quite firmly a part of, but i am very central and can get to London centre in 2 1/2 hours, so i commuting isn't a big issue, would it be worth trying to get work down there whilst living where i do do you think, or have you tried taking gigs that are a distance from you...how did it work out? Also, i'm in a position to possible take some lessons with Geoff Gascoyne, what's your thoughts on taking lessons and how would you suggest scheduling the practice time that the lessons would require?

Sorry for the mass load of questions, i appreciate that you're quite busy, but any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you once again for making yourself avaible to us.

Thanks
Jamie

[janekbass]

Jamie,

I would really suggest trying to make sure you work a lot of transcription into what time you have available to you. and also trying to balance the amount of practice you're going to be doing with live playing to actually apply what you'll be learning.

Geoff is one of my best mates, and is a great teacher. I would highly reccommend taking lessons with him if you have the chance.

And yes, doing some gigs in London would be well worth it I think. Due to the nature of the city there is certainly a higher leverl of player there and a greater chance for exposure by playing there.

Before I started getting bigger gigs, and being as busy as I am now I just used to shed all day long. I would work for hours and hours every day on as much stuff as I could get my hands on. These days I have to be pretty slective about when I practice and what I practice. I get very little time to really plow into things for hours on end any more. A lot of what I practice with the instrument in my hand is technique maintenance to keep my chops in shape. When I add in trascriptions that inspire to that mix, I can really get something great out of shedding, and learn new things.

Practice is a constan thing for me though, whether I have the instrument in my hand or not. I'm constantly thinking about melody, harmony, concept, composition, words, pictures, etc... and writing ideas down wherever I am and no matter what I'm doing. When an idea comes to you make sure you document it. It's very easy to forget it a couple of hours later.

Easy,

Janek

[bassjamm]

Thanks Janek,

I appreciate that i threw a lot at you there, but that's some cool info there...i'll definately try and sort something out with Geoff then!

One thing i am finding quite hard, is making my solos and walking lines sound interesting. I understand the theory behind my lines, and the behind the chords, so i know the tirads, but helping the lines flow is hard. And as for my solos, again, i tend to just play, not particularly think about what i'm playing, and i'm conscious that this doesn't evoke great feeling about my playing if you know what i mean. I guess my problem is, having online every been a bassist, i've never really played melodies, nor had to understand them nor use them...have you any tips on how to progress in this sense?

Thanks again!!!

Jamie

[janekbass]

Jamie,

you have to find melodies that stick in your head, melodies that you actually feel yourself wanting to be able to play. Then sit with the recordings of these songs and learn them note for note. This will give you a greater understanding of the song's harmony, and will also give you a starting point for improvising over those chord changes. The melody is a great point of reference for a solo when you're first getting into a song. It's also a great thing to be able to quote in a solo if you feel the group is getting off the form at all. If you play the melody and everyone in the band knows the song, you'll all fall right back into place in a second if everyone is listening.

Easy,

Janek

[bassjamm]

Thanks Janek, i'll get stuck into a few tunes that i like listening to then...many thanks once again!!!

Jamie