Help, I'm stuck in a rut!

[wazzel]

With my current church gig I do lots of improving over chords. I am starting to find that I do lots of similar things. I know my scales and modes and how to use them. I am doing multi octive runs when appropriate. I some times invert and run down. I'm not really interested in chording, we have a couple of guitars, a keyboard and a piano so no need really.

I am not looking for flash, just different.

[Dogbertday]

Practice singing what you would like to solo... or take solos other instruments do (save guitar) and learn them...might give you a new perspective and new ideas

[wazzel]

In this group there are no solos. I am looking to freshen up my supporting role as bassman. There are a couple of tunes I step out on, but not in solo fashion.

[XylemBassGuitar]

You could try focusing more on your rhythms and less on the notes for a little while...that has helped me several times. You can really breathe new life into the same notes if you're a creative rhythm.

[Timbo]

I've been working through the R&B and Funk bass bibles and they have drastically improved my rhythm and given me lots of ideas for basslines..

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by wazzel

With my current church gig I do lots of improving over chords. I am starting to find that I do lots of similar things. I know my scales and modes and how to use them. I am doing multi octive runs when appropriate. I some times invert and run down. I'm not really interested in chording, we have a couple of guitars, a keyboard and a piano so no need really.

I find it interesting you've posted this in the "Technique" forum. I'm not convinced this is really a technique issue...

Let's look at this on another level: Instead of telling us about your note choices and your technical chops, talk to us about your degree of personal investment in the music.

How much do you really love these tunes? Do you play them with real conviction? Or it becoming kind of rote?

I've always found that when I'm fully committed to the tune, with a passion to make it sound as good as it can be (i.e. playing for the song), that the ideas just flow - sometimes nearly half a dozen directions in which I could take the tune will occur to me. I generally don't have to think about it all that much, because I just know intuitively what to play. I may indeed be playing a lot of notes - if I feel that's really what's called for. But it's much less likely to become too "notey" than if would if I was just going through the motions.

Is it possible you're playing way too much from your head...and not nearly enough from your heart and spirit?

MM

[jmac]

Originally Posted by XylemBassGuitar

You could try focusing more on your rhythms and less on the notes for a little while...that has helped me several times. You can really breathe new life into the same notes if you're a creative rhythm.

+1
This point was made to me by Anthony Wellington. Then I heard it again at the Marcus Miller clinic. Try saying the same thing with less notes. And breathe. Rests are just as powerful as notes.

[ryco]

Originally Posted by jmac

This point was made to me by Anthony Wellington. Then I heard it again at the Marcus Miller clinic. Try saying the same thing with less notes. And breathe. Rests are just as powerful as notes.

This is exactly what I need to work on -- playing less, saying more!

This is a really good point, Waz! race ya!

[Audiophage]

First of all, you can't add suffixes to improv, it's spelled "improvising".

Practice the changes on your own time and try to think of as many possible ways of playing through them as you can think of.

[wazzel]

Originally Posted by XylemBassGuitar

You could try focusing more on your rhythms and less on the notes for a little while...that has helped me several times. You can really breathe new life into the same notes if you're a creative rhythm.

I am not looking to add lots of notes, just different ways of playing them. I feel stuck. I work at rhythm veriation as much as I can fit into what we are doing. Sometimes the rhythm's are relitively fixed for what song we are doing.

[wazzel]

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

I find it interesting you've posted this in the "Technique" forum. I'm not convinced this is really a technique issue...

Let's look at this on another level: Instead of telling us about your note choices and your technical chops, talk to us about your degree of personal investment in the music.

How much do you really love these tunes? Do you play them with real conviction? Or it becoming kind of rote?

I've always found that when I'm fully committed to the tune, with a passion to make it sound as good as it can be (i.e. playing for the song), that the ideas just flow - sometimes nearly half a dozen directions in which I could take the tune will occur to me. I generally don't have to think about it all that much, because I just know intuitively what to play. I may indeed be playing a lot of notes - if I feel that's really what's called for. But it's much less likely to become too "notey" than if would if I was just going through the motions.

Is it possible you're playing way too much from your head...and not nearly enough from your heart and spirit?

MM

I enjoy playing with this group and I like most of what we are playing. As with any group there will be a few tunes any particular member will not like. Since this is for church there is no reason to make any issues out of it. Next week we will have a different set of music any way. I do not find myself just managing through the songs. I play them with almost as much feeling and the ones I really like.

I let the feel of the song take to me to how to play it. There are only a few songs we do that I get "notey" and they call for it.

Where I have noticed my rut is when I am at home practicing by myself. I noticie that I play a lot or similar patters or forms for just about everything. I feel that I need to change that up. Not looking to double the note count for a song or get flashy, just to do something a little different. I don't generally think much during group practice or during performance I just go where it goes.

I would like to be able to use the tools I have in a more expansive way.

[wazzel]

Originally Posted by jmac

+1
This point was made to me by Anthony Wellington. Then I heard it again at the Marcus Miller clinic. Try saying the same thing with less notes. And breathe. Rests are just as powerful as notes.

Yup, I am there with that. I don't just throw notes at stuff. If the song needs space I give it space. If it needs bottom notes I play half or whole notes. If it needs runs I play runs.

Like I said before I am not looking to throw tons of notes at things just to do it. I don't play lead bass. I just want to freshen up what I do.

[wazzel]

Originally Posted by ryco

This is exactly what I need to work on -- playing less, saying more!

This is a really good point, Waz! race ya!

OK you win. I am not a notey player unless I need to be. I do not like to solo. I think I do a good job of playing appropriate for the song being played and fitting well into the group. I have yet to be asked to play less or more. I have played in group musical settings since I was 10 (now 37) so I know how different instruments are supposed to mesh. A choir with 15+ lead instruments will sound like crap.

[wazzel]

Originally Posted by Audiophage

First of all, you can't add suffixes to improv, it's spelled "improvising".

Practice the changes on your own time and try to think of as many possible ways of playing through them as you can think of.

Actually it called being a bad speller.

That is the rut I am in. I feel I am lost at mixing things up. I have several "stock" patterns I use as basses and embelish them as needed. I turn the around, leave notes out, etc, etc, etc.

Maybe this is not the actual rut I am stuck in. It might be time to work on some solo pieces, even if I never play them in public just to find new things.

[dhemstra]

Have you tried transcribing other people's versions of the songs? It sound simple enough, but there are so many players that have good ideas you can make your own and use them!

[wazzel]

Originally Posted by dhemstra

Have you tried transcribing other people's versions of the songs? It sound simple enough, but there are so many players that have good ideas you can make your own and use them!

I have not, but considering most of what we play is modified hymns there is not much out there with bass players in them.

[mrkreuzschlitz]

Originally Posted by jmac

+1
This point was made to me by Anthony Wellington. Then I heard it again at the Marcus Miller clinic. Try saying the same thing with less notes. And breathe. Rests are just as powerful as notes.

+1 again. Sometimes if you're playing an E for 4 measures or something, you don't have to be playing 16 beats worth of notes if you know what I mean.

[wazzel]

Originally Posted by mrkreuzschlitz

+1 again. Sometimes if you're playing an E for 4 measures or something, you don't have to be playing 16 beats worth of notes if you know what I mean.

Yes I know that and I do.