Help me out please? Not improving!

[Jared92]

Hey all,

Ive been playing bass for more than a year now. Im self taught. And not too bad. Im not amazing though. I play a lot of funk and and i love slapping.
But now it seem when i practice, im just doing the same songs, im not improving at all. I saw VicWoo play back in march and it inspired me a lot. But i dont know what i can do to become better....

Help?

[Gasman]

Listen to and play different music. Don't get into a rut of one style. Play with your fingers, use a pick. Use a different tuning. When I feel like I'm in a rut, I "go to the woodshed", meaning I force myself to play with a metronome, just scales, over and over in different fingerings, different places on the neck, and different sequences and arpeggios.

That should do it for now.

[snyderz]

Take some lessons.

[fifteenrabbits]

Haha. I feel like I've been up and down that path. and its funny to see these two different approaches. Its taken me years to become the musician that I am. and I don't mean years of regimented practice.

Maybe this isn't what you are looking for, but:

When I can, if I'm feeling stuck, I just do my best to relax and realize that I'm capable.

Its a bit of a tall order but I believe that being a musician or a composer is largely about that.

If you want to be an instrumentalist, go for the practice, no shame in that. And I mean that sincerely.

[MarkTAW]

this thread may help you.

[JimmyM]

Lessons lessons lessons!

[VisualShock]

no lessons! you dont need them! you need 1 more experienced bassist than you who knows what he's doing, to tell you once a week to learn a particular song. once you have, play it to him/her, they'll point your mistakes/downfalls, show you how to do it better, and give you another one. that's what i've been doing since december and i'm pretty good. no lessons^^

[Step]

Originally Posted by VisualShock

no lessons! you dont need them! you need 1 more experienced bassist than you who knows what he's doing, to tell you once a week to learn a particular song. once you have, play it to him/her, they'll point your mistakes/downfalls, show you how to do it better, and give you another one. that's what i've been doing since december and i'm pretty good. no lessons^^

dude, lessons help, don't give people that crap about not needing a teacher, for all you know the bassist showing you the stuff has bad technique, or doesnt have the skills to show you what you're doing wrong

not every good bassist is a good teacher, and not every teacher has to be a good bassist to show you the fundamentals

[MarkTAW]

Bone up on some theory. If all you're playing is songs, play some scales. (I would advise the reverse to anyone just playing scales).

I have an exercise I do in major & minor keys that I posted here. It's a bit basic, but it's a good warmup and it's rather musical.

[KBarker]

Check out some of the great bass players on youtube. There are a couple that I have learned a ton from watching.
- Thomas Risell (search on MarlowDK)
- Zuma
Both really awesome players...inspiring really.

[tswd]

I've found cheesy cover songs work pretty well. What I mean by that is take some standard song that isn't in the style you play and come up with a version of it in your style. For example, you play funk? Try to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in such a way that people feel like dancing to it.

The main thing is to try to hear what you want the song to sound like in your head, then play what you hear. Don't let yourself change things just because you can't figure out how to play it immediately. Force yourself to figure out how to get what's in your head to come out of the instrument.

[ForestThump]

Get a Jackson 5 Greatest Hits cd and play along with it until you sound good.

[TeeMartin]

Originally Posted by VisualShock

no lessons! you dont need them! you need 1 more experienced bassist than you who knows what he's doing, to tell you once a week to learn a particular song. once you have, play it to him/her, they'll point your mistakes/downfalls, show you how to do it better, and give you another one. that's what i've been doing since december and i'm pretty good. no lessons^^

No offense or anything but do you know how I know that you're not "pretty good"? Because you think you're good. I went through the same thing. I'm sure all musicians go through it. Eventually you realize that the more you learn about music the more your own playing lacks.

[MarkTAW]

Originally Posted by ForestThump

Get a Jackson 5 Greatest Hits cd and play along with it until you sound good.

Oooh. I should do that too.

[TerenceSharp]

OneThing I can recommend Is choose a random song from your music collection you've never learnt. then Try make a bassline for it from just listening; No tabs, No sheet music - Just use your ear.

I've been doing this for a year and I can pick things out pretty good, and make up a decent bass line- Knowing your basic music theory helps too (Scales, Keys etc.)

[BassieMike]

Learn as many songs as you can, and be able to play them beginning to end with a drum box or metronome.

-m

[ac1710]

Play some classical stuff.
Bach is excellent, great lines in all parts that will test your technique and musicianship.
The Cello suites would be a great place to start. Hard though, but a challenge.

[Drifta]

i was in the same boat once! LESSONS! LESSONS! you will wish you had started earliar granted you find a GOOD teacher(not always easy to find!)

[Just J]

You in a band? If not, find one.

[Phil Smith]

Originally Posted by Jared92

Hey all,

Ive been playing bass for more than a year now. Im self taught. And not too bad. Im not amazing though. I play a lot of funk and and i love slapping.
But now it seem when i practice, im just doing the same songs, im not improving at all. I saw VicWoo play back in march and it inspired me a lot. But i dont know what i can do to become better....

Help?

Get some lessons, learn how to read, join any band that will let you play with them, and practice, practice, practice.