what a depressing set of replies =(
imho:
i asked because i have my own theories and techniques and wanted to share some ideas, but i was hoping at least someone would have something of some depth to contribute (while i appreciate the concept of listening at least =).
20 years ago i'd have no idea how to respond given the limits of technology and my own personal finances - however, today things are remarkably different as most of you know (or at least evidenced by many posts/articles/etc throughout this site).
one of the more difficult aspects of music execution/comprehension is understanding the concept of
relativity, in the context of music.
that is, the notion that all voices, patterns, ideas, etc., are
relative to each other when executed in the same composition or performance.
this might be exhibited in the
relationship of the singers voice to the guitar player's strings, as the two will greatly impact each other, even tho they might be the same person/source.
feel has various meanings: it can simply mean the style of play one incurs in their own articulation and tempo manipulations (decieving as it implies there are no
relativity dynamics at play); but another important aspect of
feel is one's ability to control that 'style'
in relation to another voice or element of a given performance/recording. this latter perspective takes the relative nature of music into consideration more carefully.
a lack of awareness or even comprehension of the subtleties of said relationships can often make musical 'conversation' impossible or just plain unfun, as it dampens an incredibly dynamic aspect of musical participation, and the universe of music, much the way a lack of awareness of accent and inflection can resonate deeply behind the spoken word and create an entirely new and more meaningful communication.
given this, one is left wanting to know how to practice such things. i've found that the relatively inexpensive digital recording studios of today offer exactly this chance, and quite simply.
when i was a young horn player, i'd heard a story about an amazing drummer i'd known who went on to gig for some of the world's biggest acts.
he was notoriously dangerous on jazz set, which was unusual for his age and setting, but undeniable once heard/seen live. the man had amazing jazz feel on all percussion and played the drum set like a master in that dynamic, wide-open genre, as well as translate it competently to others.
problem was, he completely lacked the ability to play to a click track. and in that time (late 80s) this was a critical skill for the aspiring studio musician, as few musicians had the opportunity until very far down the chain to practice such things outside of trying deparately to hear a simple metronome. it took him many years to overcome this issue.
in imagining this task of having to relearn your ability to play in an ensemble, to perform beautifully in live situations but run into trouble when set against the precise nature of the automated metronome or a computer generated/executed tracks - i began to focus more on using my recording equipment to provide various practice modes i'd always had great difficulty recreating in the past (mostly because of the human resources and group focus needed just to recreate the dynamics):
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improvisation. beyond mastering one's language, one has to spend time actually speaking it. the bass lends itself naturally to driving open improvisational jams in a solo recording environment (ie, practice). improvisation helps your ability to practice feel by constantly putting you in a situation where you must listen to the ensemble to have any sense of controlling feel. and this process is a direct result of the nature of
relativity.
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listening. sure, listen to others, it's critical, vital. however, by recording, and on separate tracks which can later be isolated, it is easy to drop out the sequenced elements you might be playing to at any point and listen carefully to how well you approximate >>your<< intentions "
feel-wise", your own
feel - often just as vital. given an appropriate amount of objective ear time, this can yeild amazing results.
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variation. one of the easiest ways to understand small is to experience the contrast of large. say you're in a punk band. drummer always plays punk. guitar sings and bangs out punk. maybe once a month you have a 'jam' session and kick out some surfer music. but in the privacy of your own digital recording studio, you can set the sequncer to kick out the base of a crazy jazz piece on the fly, so you can go try to improv walking lines, perhaps 4 times a week. in addition to funk, reggae, classical, et al.
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freedom to achieve awareness. one of the hardest things in music to achieve is group momentum and focus. so many musicians stay solo because they have great difficulty sharing their ideas. so just taking the group off to practice something that is the opposite of your own favorite styles, ie the feels you think you've mastered, is much easier said than done. so it may be never that you really try hard to get a good sense for that foreign
feel you have no desire to play, but that makes you much more capable, through a careful awareness of the full universe in which you reside.
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creativity. all of the above are some of the most intensive creativity exercises you can engage in. creativity is a skill like any other. if the only time you get to be creative is once a week during drum solo and for 5 minutes in your warm-up, then i wonder where your creative exercise is coming from =)
oh well, call bull**** all you like on my ramblings - i think it's important we start cracking open some of these things and stop relying on such linear focuses in educating ourselves. at very least there might be an idea or two in there.
i think talent is a skill, and i wish we'd stop pretending it's something that can't be practiced/approached/understood.
cheers,
-bob
with the metronome, then try it by yourself and see if you can make it groove the same way.
