Even 8ths

[SunneyBoy]

firstly i am not experienced as a studio player and today i got booked for a session .

All i could do is hang my head in shame most of the grooves i played sounded ok .....?

then i had to play some straight ahead 8th notes rock type stuff . and man did i struggle my tone was uneven between my alternating fingers and because of this my timing was shocking eg. doem ding doem ding doem ding doem ding.

i felt like a man with one leg shorter then the other rushing down a hill .

STUDIO WORK huge reality check. i eventually opted to using one finger to just try survive the session and the tone was more even and slightly more controlled.

any one have some advice on getting an even tone between alternating picking fingers if at all possible. no double thumb no donna lee no mathew garrisson wall of sound , just simple (or so i thought )eighth notes- the guy who will never work in that studio again.

[doctorjazz]

Try just going back and forth alternating them, and practice using accents in different meters. For example, just play a straight alternating pattern on one note while accenting every third note. Once you've got that, accent every fourth note. After that, every fifth note. Then play scales, changing up the accents there.

For all these exercises, start very slowly (about 80 bpm) and work your way up gradually.

[fcleff]

Practice with a metronome.

Record your practice sessions and listen to them. This will help you isolate any inconsistencies.

Go slow and gradually work up to speed and note complexity.

[TallLankyBastyd]

I just went to my first bass lesson a couple days ago... I've been playing guitar for over 40 years but when I decided I wanted to bet GOOD at bass I knew enough that being a decent guitar player doesn't guarantee success as a bass player.

I decided I wanted bass lessons since I thought I needed to learn walking bass lines and such but didn't really consider that my RIGHT hand technique is the key.

My instructor had me play a simple four note pattern using the index and middle fingers to pluck stright ahead 8th notes. I was doing okay at a fairly fast BPM but then he slowed me down... ...I totally sucked and could not keep up a nice steady 8th note line.

I grabbed my guitar pick and... no problem... but using my fingers to pluck... YIKES!

My instructor laughed... all he wants me to do for the next couple of weeks is play along to SLOW drum patterns going through the modes and doing nothing but 8th noting...

My right hand is burning like a beeeyotch!! But I'm already feeling it getting stronger and finding my right thumb rest/mute technique (which is another mind-fark for me!)

Hey its all fun!!

Good luck!!

[Deacon_Blues]

Check out the exercise I just posted in the "How to get even plucks?"-thread, or whatever the title was.. That one WORKS! It's a bit more detailed than just the same old "use a metronome and start slowly". ...

[bassgod0dmw]

Just practice more. It's the only way to get better. Try and practice things that you wouldn't normally play. If you want to be a studio A player, you'll need to have a great technique, feel, and repitiore for any style of music!

GOOD LUCK!!!