Going on Tour and Need SPEED in a month!

Mavweenie · #1 10-01-2009, 12:59 PM

Hey Guys,

First time poster. i have a tour coming up the first week of november and will be playing in front of 20,000 plus each night. i have played with some of these musicians before but never as part of this band. anywhom... there is a song with a bass "solo" that is straight 16ths at around 120 bpm. i can currently consistently only do 16ths at 95 bpm. i am currently practising by doing the bass run with a metronome and slowly increasing the speed. so... if you do the math... i need to jump atleast 25 bpm... more like 30 bpm just to be safe in 4 wks. is this possible? i'm pretty nervous about this because it has been a dream of mine for about 8 years to play with this band... as they are my favorite band.... plus i've never played in front of that many people and i don't want to tell the lead singer that i can't play that song. I WILL NOT USE A PICK btw. Please help!

Lichtaffen · #2 10-01-2009, 01:02 PM

Congrats on the gig! What is the name of the band?

If you find out how to progress this fast, let the rest of us know.

There's no shame in using a pick for one song.

Joe Nerve · #3 10-01-2009, 01:07 PM

2 things.

1. If everything else is dead on that you do, I really don't think band is going to mind if you make the part a little more your own. You might even make it better.

2. I've been in the same situation and just committed to getting it down. Slow (or should I say comfortable) repetition builds speed. But you have to put the time in. If it means that much to you you'll practice 5+ hrs a day.

I'll add that pushing the metronome to the limits of what I can play doesn't work for me. I develop speed by playing what I can, flawlessly over and over and over, till I can raise that a beat. And I keep going back and forth.

Billnc · #4 10-01-2009, 01:09 PM

relax about it. Seriously. Work hard, and go for it, maybe somebody will chime in with the way to do it. If you try hard and don't make that goal, you've done all you can do. Sounds like the gig is high pressure enough, but you landed the gig. Also, you'll only see so much improvement in one day, then move on. With that much excitement to channel, your concentration will probably be very high. Enjoy the kick in the butt and the gig. (Joe Nerve posted while I was typing +1 to what he said)

JimmyM · #5 10-01-2009, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Nerve

I'll add that pushing the metronome to the limits of what I can play doesn't work for me. I develop speed by playing what I can, flawlessly over and over and over, till I can raise that a beat. And I keep going back and forth.

Right. Don't increase speed until you have mastered it at the slower speed.

Also, keep a strict alternation going, even when you skip strings. Do not rake. Raking ruins the momentum you've got going with the 16th notes.

Mavweenie · #6 10-01-2009, 01:37 PM

thats precisely what i'm doing. mastering at 95 bpm and moving up. i'm just wondering if its possible to move up that far in that amount of time. i'm actually taking a lesson tonight from a local pro. i'm going to have him watch my technique to see if there is anything i can change to add some speed. the fastest i've ever played has been 112 bpm.

DanRJBrasil · #7 10-01-2009, 01:47 PM

for fast bpms I use three fingers,

Mavweenie · #8 10-01-2009, 01:53 PM

i've never used 3 fingers before and the bass player in the band who i'm filling in for only uses 2. at this point adding in a 3rd finger would totally jack up the run. each note gets either 2 or 4 hits in this run and its a 4 bar run that repeats about 8 times. i've got the run learned with two fingers so the 3rd would just set me back even farther i think.

barteroo2002 · #9 10-01-2009, 01:56 PM

My advice is to just chill out about it. Feel the song. Don't think in terms of 16ths/BPMs, let the music carry you for now and your technique will soon catch up.

Remember that we're all musicians, we're not pieces of machinery. If its good music, it'll happen soon enough.

Good luck with the tour!!

Matt Dean · #10 10-01-2009, 01:57 PM

Can you post a clip if the riff you're learnng?

countrybassist · #11 10-01-2009, 01:58 PM

What's the band?

Yerf Dog · #12 10-01-2009, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by countrybassist

What's the band?

Jonas Bros.

Mavweenie · #13 10-01-2009, 03:51 PM

i would rather not say what band... lets just say they're not american and they're controversial.

WayneS · #14 10-01-2009, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mavweenie

i would rather not say what band... lets just say they're not american and they're controversial.

Whats the big deal? Why the secret?

GlennBassPlayer · #15 10-01-2009, 04:01 PM

Doesn't matter what band. Congrats on the gig!
If it were me, I'd alternate between just playing the 16ths to speed with a metronome (no notes - or one string) for extended times, and then practicing the run at a proven speed and then notching up one speed. No notching up until you can repeatedly nail the speed you're at. Keep throwing in those one string or tap on the desk to tempo in between. That one stays at tempo, if you can't do that, you probably won't get the run in time and should establish plan B.

thudstaff23 · #16 10-01-2009, 04:06 PM

Congratulations, but, what controversial, non-American band would you not want to share with us that is pulling 20,000?

Jim Nazium · #17 10-01-2009, 04:06 PM

I would suggest having a chat with other members of the band NOW, so that there are no surprises right before or during the tour. Be honest, say that you're working on it and hope to be able to play that part at speed, but in case you can't, is it cool to play 8th notes or do something different? Always best to be up front about things, IMHO.

ForestThump · #18 10-01-2009, 04:06 PM

Isn't there some way to modify the bass solo so that it is in your comfort zone. You just might end up making it a more tasteful interpretation of that section of the song.

Calebmundy · #19 10-01-2009, 04:08 PM

Sounds like the solo from 'Salvation is Here' by Hillsong. That thing kicks my butt.

MDFreeze · #20 10-01-2009, 04:16 PM

It does sound like the Salvation is Here solo, I've played this many many times. Nonetheless, the key for me in learning a fast riff like this is learning it slowly and in an efficient pattern. I try to keep from shifting my hand too much because that seems to cause issues. Find the way that is most comfortable to you and don't just rely on someone else's tablature for the fingering. There's always more than one way to do something. What may be best for someone else's hands and technique may not be what works for you. Do be patient with yourself as well, if you mess up....so what, work on the mistake and iron it out.

You got this! Have fun with it! We all want to know who you are going to be playing for, so that we can be jealous.