How you practice?

Anton Lukiyanov · #1 03-05-2008, 09:43 AM

Hello, ladies and jantelmens!
I am a Russian bassist and i live in Moscow. it is very intresting to know, how you practice? i playing about 4 years and practice 2 or 3 hours a day. durig this time i repeat scales and arpeggios, jazz standarts ans funk grooves. i study in Moscow College Of Improvising Music and play in Moscow pop-group. we play retro music ( 60-90 years music ). where you study music and playing? and can you earn a living only by music - i mean that i, for example, need to work as a doctor in one of Moscow hospitals, but of course i dream to work in music

Best regards!

mvw356 · #2 03-05-2008, 09:57 AM

hey,

welcome to tb, i think you are the first russian here. tb is the wrong place to ask about practicing methods, as no one does it here. you'll figure that on out very soon

if you don't have a lot of money i'd recommend that you stay away from this place, this place creates an addiction abbreviated by G.A.S.
about the second part of your question, it really depends on your situation. do yo earn any money with music? is it enough for you to live?

enjoy!

Anton Lukiyanov · #3 03-05-2008, 10:13 AM

Unfouchantly, no. i have about 5-6 concerts in a month and it is about - 400$. not enoth to live here))

pedroims · #4 03-05-2008, 10:30 AM

ohh Moscow, I love Moscow, I always can back there. Welcome to TB my friend, well for practice I usually play one hour and a half per day, from 4.30 to 6 am , the go to work

, I practice only scales 3 days per week and the other 3 days I tried to learn a new song or just create a bass line, as for living well I play for hobbie and work as a business analyst in a company, that made me make good money and travel around the world , I have been 4 times in Moscow

so I know how much expensive Moscow is, so not sure if you can live only by music there

Have a nice day !

Corporate Boy · #5 03-05-2008, 11:16 AM

Earning a living playing music here in the States is becoming increasingly more difficult. DJs are pushing out live shows and the use of samples in studios have decreased. Writing music to be released is difficult becasuse the big music industry people are focusing more on a few select pop-stars that are reall just puppets more then real musicians. On the flip side it is easier to record and hook-up with smaller indie record labels and distribute your stuff on the web all by yourself. But this means a lot more people are doing it.

Becoming a profesional musician isn't about being an artistic genious or a master of music theory. It is about being efficient with time. You have to be able to do what you need to do to earn a living quickly. It's a pain because you should think about health insurance and retirement. It would be nice to land big contracts, but the reality is that they are hard to come by. More often you will be working multiple jobs. You obvisously need to be professicient with your instrument and knowledgable with music theory. This will help you to communicate your music ideas to other people, but you will get the best work if you are able to quickly interpret what you are required to do on the gig. This involves having a good idea. Being able to transcribe things quickly and memorize stuff on the spot are essential for a quick session. Quick sessions lead to more sessions. It is also extremely important not to be one dimensional. Bass players that sing or know how to run sound or deal with music industry representatives are good skills to pick up. Being profressional isn't just about playing bass. Being able to teach music or repair instruments will lead to work within the industrty.

I am not sure if this rant is helping, but as far as practicing is concerned just make sure you have the fundamentals down and then challenge yourself by learning a variety of songs by ear. Just turn on the radio of TV and try picking out every song that comes on.

El Bajo · #6 03-06-2008, 02:14 AM

Personally I dont practice scales any more. I find my playing becomes to 'scaley'. I know the modes and pentatonics along with a couple of the unusual ones (Gypsy, whole tone, etc) in my head but could probably not pick my bass up an play it all over the neck first time. What I do do is learn songs and find out what scales are used in so that I can get an idead of how the original artist used it and what notes he plays out of the scale to make the bass line. Best way to do this is to get standard notation as TABs usually have the 'incorrect fingering' (there is no right or wrong way I know but for economy of movement purposes they are usually wrong unless its for tone). With standard notation I find I barely move around unless I really have to.

Linkert · #7 03-06-2008, 02:22 AM

Practice is to play in my opinion.

Anton Lukiyanov · #8 03-07-2008, 10:04 AM

2 Pedroims
i very glad that you have been in Moscow. but about myself i couldnot say that i have been in any town of theUSA

although its one of my dreams, ofcourse.

2 Corporate Boy
the situation in russia is similiar. in every club we can see DJs or singers with "minus one" music, so we need to find ways to work here

thanks for good advice. i will try to follow it

Rodr-Evil · #9 03-07-2008, 10:29 AM

2 or 3 hours per day is a lot! I practice 1 hour per day, some scales, some playing songs, I use Guitar Pro, is awesome and helps a lot.

Anton Lukiyanov · #10 03-09-2008, 12:44 PM

the rhytm for bassist is the main thing, so its take a lot of time to feel metronom and groove, and play exactly like metronom

BassSurfer · #11 03-09-2008, 01:09 PM

Hey Anton.. being from Russia is cool.. bet your a hockey fan? ha.. well welcome to TB..

whats your setup?