Practice Regimen

[Zachass]

I know you mentioned in an earlier thread that you don't have the time to practice bass as much, though you spend a lot of time playing. When you were spending more time in the woodshed earlier in your career how did you approach practicing and what kind of things did you do to get your playing to the level it's at now?

[jmjbassplayer]

I jammed. With tons of people and tons of scenarios.

But as far as me alone, I played along with records.

And on the educational side, I took some lessons with Jamie Faunt, a really interesting, innovative teacher out here in LA. He focuses on fundamentals...but fundamentals that go quite a bit more "basic" than what you would normally consider fundamental. Such as:

- clapping with a metronome 1/4 notes at 100 bpm until beats effortlessly disappear without effort or thought. Then, changing 2 bpm down, doing the same thing, 2 bpm up, doing the same thing, essentially "fanning" around the metronome until you are a master of 1/4 notes. This is done with clapping only, mind you. THen the same drill with 8th notes, within reason (some tempos too fast). Same with 16ths, then various rhythms. THEN, doing the same on the bass. This exercise alone can take months to master, and I still do it. Really fun, really gives confidence.

Ear-training wise, same sort of principle: practicing only SINGING tones to match them with a keyboard or bass or something, then improvising melodies that you sing first, THEN playing them. Lots and lots of exercises in this realm, the whole goal being that you hear things before you play them. In principle, the purpose being to get people out of the "bad habits" of letting your hands make shapes and regular patters which circumvent an actual original thought of creating a note, a rhythm, a melody.

Anyway, that's the tip of the iceberg. Interesting, eh?

Jamie has now become really hard to see because he has a waiting list, but someday I hope he writes a book because he's a total genius. I found that stuff very formative and inspiring.

JMJ

[Zachass]

Definitely some supremely valuable stuff there, Justin. I took a few lessons from a great bassist named Mike Frost who was similarly big on emphasizing a player's ability to express what he called the "inner voice", the melodies and harmonies we hear in our heads. I've sort of been stuck in a rut lately and I find my fingers leading me around too much by muscle memory, and it seems that these exercises will be a great way to help me break out of that.

[jmjbassplayer]

Cool! Good on you.

JMJ

[kevbass5]

hey justin

could you elaborate a little bit on the kinds of things that you would sing at the piano? like would you work on being able to hear and sing certain scales or triads? or was it more just improvising a melody in your head, and then trying to sing and play it, or singing familiar melodies or basslines from albums you know well?

[jmjbassplayer]

Basics.

Major and minor scales, first five tones.
Then all eight.
Up and down.
Then major & minor arpeggios.
Then pentatonic.
Then chromatic.
Then singing 1-3-1 (major and minor), 1-4-1, 1-5-1, 1-6-1, 1-7-1. Then weird intervals like the 2nd to the 7th. Just getting that so you really hear it in your mind.
Then going beyond the octave.
Then weirder stuff, like big jumps: 2nd to the 13th, etc. etc. ad nauseam.
Then improvising.

I never really was into singing modes, never got that far. But all the above stuff sure is handy.

JMJ

[kevbass5]

cool. i've been working on this kind of stuff alot lately....really eye (ear?) opening to see how hard it is to really be able to hear basic stuff in your mind. even more amazing is how much it can free up your playing and writing once you get a hold of it.

and just to share with everyone, something VERY cool i've been messing with is hearing and singing the modes of the pentantonic scale... we all know the 1st and 5th modes, which are the major and minor pentatonic scales, respectively. but the 2nd 3rd and 4th modes... each one has such a very cool and distinct flavor, and they lend themselves really well to melodies, grooves, and what have you

[jk3]

just to be clear, when you say, 1/4 notes on the metronome - do you mean that the metronome only beats on the One, essentially?

or would the metronome tick away and you are just clapping on the one (or whatever...)?

thanks