I just...suck.

[hover]

The answer is hardly ever found in the acquisition of new gear. This doesn't automatically make you better. Why do you consider your Dean crappy? Did you not pick it out initially...surely you liked it then, no? Does it function? Does it play well? What steps are you doing to get the bass to proper playing condition? Start there, and work within your current abilities / capability, then apply some practice disciplines. Set some goals. Recognize what routes for practice work for you. Are you more of a sight reader than an ear player of vice versa? Ask yourself where you want to be with your playing and when you want to get there...instead of asking for a new bass for Christmas, ask for a book or a DVD on scales or theory or how to build grooves or what have you. And practice, practice practice. Alternating-finger hand exercises will help "get your pinkie on the fretboard" so don't shy away from that stuff either. You have to put in the work to build up your left hand...you just do. The hand cramping thing can possibly be resolved with wearing a strap while seated to hold the bass into a different position and take stress off your hand...sounds like your clamping a bit hard on the neck.

For me, I resigned long ago to the fact that I just am not a book learner on bass, it bored me to tears...I am more of a learn by-ear guy, and I copped licks and tone and song transcription by just playing along with the music I loved and then branching out of my comfort zone once my ear developed to the point where I could transcribe with a modest level of accuracy, without the music playing...

It's not about becoming Jaco at all. Jaco was Jaco, and simply becoming another Jaco, to me, is a boring road to take. It's about enjoying what you are doing so that you stick with it.

[tildeslash]

I am a guitar player exploring bass. I started a month ago. I loved it but felt I'll never get better. Also when I switch to guitar it's feel weird. So I quit. Told a few of my friends. One of them slapped me hard across my face and said "you're a pussy. snap out of it and go and play bass again.'

I am playing bass again, enjoying it and not looking forward to getting slapped.

PM me and I'll put you in touch with my friend, he may slap some ****** attitude out of you.

Also - I don't have any BASS heroes like I do for guitar. So I have no one to emulate so I guess I just have to be myself. Sucks doesn't it.

[tgriley62]

Originally Posted by BassPlayer95

Here's the deal guys, I've been playing bass for about 3 years now. I play every day for anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour and a half. I love music, and I absolutely love bass. I'm just not getting any better. Sure, I'm better than I was day one, but it seems like after about a year, my progession of my skills just stopped. I don't really play all that intricate stuff, just punk-pop and a few different styles of metal, so I shouldn't be struggling. I mean, maybe I am decent and it's just lack of confidence, or maybe, I actually suck. I also wonder if maybe my gear is holding me back. I'm currently on a crappy Dean bass, and a 15 watt amp. I was pretty much forbidden to ask for a bass for christmas because my mom said I have to be more practical. So that's out. Maybe when the new year comes around, I'll (hopefully) get a job. Anyway, some questions:

1. I don't think my technique is terrible, but I can't seem to get my pinkie up on the fret board.

2. My hand cramps a lot when fretting notes. Especially down in the lower region of the fret board.

3. I'd like to, in the future join/start a band, but I'm worried I'm terrible. ANY and ALL tips on how to be a better player would be TOTALLY welcome!!!

Thanks for reading this horribly long post!!!!

From reading your post I assume that you are still in school. I just tuned 50 last week. I too have only been playing for 3 years & only have a 15 watt practice amp but, I have made it my goal to join/start a band. Keep at it and don't forget that this is one of the best resources of information

[throughthefire]

Originally Posted by hdracer

Watch this video
Then watch it again
Then watch all of his other ones.
http://scottsbasslessons.com/beginne...ver-teach.html

+1

Also, see if your mom will spring for a few Skype lessons from Scott (or even Carol Kaye).

Find a friend with a guitar, and start jamming with them. Find a friend with a drum kit, and you're sorted (or find a friend who *wants* to be a drummer, and give him a few phone directories to hit). Playing along to records is fine - we pretty much all do that to learn old songs - but a record isn't going to move along with you, or make mistakes, or change the rhythm. Playing with people is often easier!

[251]

Originally Posted by Anonymatt

Maybe Mom will go for getting you a month or two of lessons for Christmas. Sure, playing bass isn't as practical as elevator repair, but in practicing music, you'll learn stuff that will help you the rest of your life. The secret to success in most things mirrors the daily practice of music.

+1 lessons. For most self taught musicians, their teacher had no idea what he was dong.

[audreycashin]

don't laugh.....School of Rock has been a godsend.....the music director at mine is a bass player first, and with lessons you get to be in a performance group and play with others....BTW I'm 51!

[fivestringgecko]

I'll echo what others have said about it not being about gear, to a point. You DO need something that's playable. However, I've seen players with pawn shop junk do amazing things and I've seen people with high end basses who can't hold tempo or find the One.

First, and most important, try your best not to get discouraged. We all have to start somewhere! It can be difficult, but remember that this won't be an overnight process. It takes work and dedication.

Playing with other musicians is definitely an important part of learning, but it sounds to me like Technique should be your focus at the moment. If you can't get your pinky to the fretboard and your hand cramps up fairly quickly, you won't have much luck in a public situation. I bet you're like I was when I started out 14 years ago and had a death grip on the neck. It shouldn't take that much pressure to get the string to the fret. If it does, you might take your bass to a pro and get a setup for a lower action. Check out players like Adam Nitti, Victor Wooten, Ray Riendeau, etc etc (any "big name"player)... People who move around a fretboard like they do wouldn't be able to if they didn't have loose fretting hands.

Start with a simple major scale at 60bpm and focus on fretting hand technique. SLOWLY increase the tempo in SMALL amounts. Focus (slowly and methodically) on one finger per fret and focus on relaxing your fretting hand. You'll be surprised at how quickly you'll improve.

Which brings me to another point, one of the first things I ALWAYS tell people when they ask for advice... get a metronome. Having good time is essential for a musician, and something that many don't think about. You can pick up a basic one at Guitar Center for $15. Even better, I have one on my phone. $3 for Metronome 2 (from Flying Saucer Apps) on Android and I have it with me everywhere I go. Use your metronome for the fretting exercise I just mentioned, and google "metronome exercises," you'll find lots of good info. I can totally tell when someone doesn't have a good sense of time in a band setting, because things fall apart. I can lock in with a good drummer almost instantly because I developed a keen sense of time through many years in piano with a metronome and getting a Boomerang+ not long after starting bass. It's engrained in me enough that I can even tell just by listening to someone in a music store showroom... A player with good time can pick up an instrument and it just grooves, even if they're playing alone. I've heard many new players pick up basses and try to show off, wanking away without any sense of, well... Time.

Another tip sometimes overlooked: Listen. Don't just hear the music, listen to it. Pay attention to what the individual elements are doing in relation to each other (like how the bass and drums interact, or keys and guitar, etc). You don't always have to have an instrument in your hand to learn something!

Lastly... ENJOY IT! Don't play because you have to, play because you want to. Practicing can definitely be tedious at times, but it makes you a better player and allow you to enjoy playing without having to think about notes and scales.

5sg.

[fivestringgecko]

Originally Posted by 251

+1 lessons. For most self taught musicians, their teacher had no idea what he was dong.

I had to read that three times before I got it and then I actually did LOL. Lol

Lessons are a great idea of course, but being self taught IS possible. I'm no Victor Wooten, but I'm self taught (on bass) and here's a couple tracks I've done...

Did an instrumental version of Come Together at a pickup gig
http://soundcloud.com/rosshoekman/co...r-instrumental

And a bass solo:
http://soundcloud.com/rosshoekman/co...r-instrumental

5sg.

[Raymeous]

Don't stress too much. This is supposed to be fun.

Okay in regards to feeling like you're not progressing, we ALL go through that. All of us. It doesn't matter how long you have been playing. Once you learn something new there's this cool period where you feel good about your playing because you just conquered something. Then there's a lull where it feels like you're just playing the same-ol'-same-ol' crap because you're not currently challenging yourself with something new. Find some new trick or new music theory thing to work on.

As others have said already, consider branching out into other genres. You DON"T have to love it, but you can appreciate it for what it is and learn how to emulate that style of musics feel. What makes punk bass different from rock bass? What makes Jazz bass playing different from Fusion?

In terms of the pinky thing, there really is only one way to get comfortable using it, and thats by using it... often. There's a boring practice thing of using one finger per fret, using your index finger to play the 1st fret, middle finger for the 2nd, ring for the 3rd, and pinky for the 4th. Then you go up to the next string and then all the way up. Once your on the upper (pitch) strings reverse it and play it backwards. Then move up a fret and "lather, rinse, repeat". If you're looking for something a bit more musical, work on your scales if you haven't already, and try not to move your hand around as much as using different fingers per fret.

If you want a real challenge, take a movie score, say the Indiana Jones theme, and figure out how to play it, both the melody and the supporting chords, or strings verses brass. It's quite a challenge and will probably frustrate the heck out of you at first but once you figure out a way to "one man band" this tune you will be quite happy with yourself. Plus your buddies will get a kick out of it. You will need to do some tapping to pull this off.

Well I hope this helps to some degree.

[bassbahadur]

so apart from what everyone else said.. i.e. practice, branching out of your comfort zone, exercises, listening to other forms of music, jamming etc..

this is a personal suggestion, which I found worked well for me to get over these skill plateaus..

Don't play for a while.. maybe 2 weeks..
just listen to music.. imagine playing the music..
It's like gymming.. and muscle memory..
often I used to feel incompetent 'cause I'd pick up something.. and try and try hard to learn it..
but someone advised me about muscle memory ..
to practice for a bit..
then just let go.. let your body and mind imbibe it..
and then try it again after a while.. maybe a week or two..
and worked for me.>
maybe it'd work for you..

And finally..
try doodling.>
not structured stuff..but just doodle.. think melodies.. think patterns.. just.. play...freely..without.. constraints..
it really loosens you up..

[bassinplace]

If you want to get good, you must invest time with proper practice. I recommend at least 2 hours a day, minimum. More if you can.

[DSims63]

Originally Posted by hover

The answer is hardly ever found in the acquisition of new gear. This doesn't automatically make you better. Why do you consider your Dean crappy? Did you not pick it out initially...surely you liked it then, no? Does it function? Does it play well? What steps are you doing to get the bass to proper playing condition? Start there, and work within your current abilities / capability, then apply some practice disciplines. Set some goals. Recognize what routes for practice work for you. Are you more of a sight reader than an ear player of vice versa? Ask yourself where you want to be with your playing and when you want to get there...instead of asking for a new bass for Christmas, ask for a book or a DVD on scales or theory or how to build grooves or what have you. And practice, practice practice. Alternating-finger hand exercises will help "get your pinkie on the fretboard" so don't shy away from that stuff either. You have to put in the work to build up your left hand...you just do. The hand cramping thing can possibly be resolved with wearing a strap while seated to hold the bass into a different position and take stress off your hand...sounds like your clamping a bit hard on the neck.

For me, I resigned long ago to the fact that I just am not a book learner on bass, it bored me to tears...I am more of a learn by-ear guy, and I copped licks and tone and song transcription by just playing along with the music I loved and then branching out of my comfort zone once my ear developed to the point where I could transcribe with a modest level of accuracy, without the music playing...

It's not about becoming Jaco at all. Jaco was Jaco, and simply becoming another Jaco, to me, is a boring road to take. It's about enjoying what you are doing so that you stick with it.

Great post.

[capncal]

yer a bass player. you are a rock god. go forth and conquer.

[ntenny]

Originally Posted by bassinplace

If you want to get good, you must invest time with proper practice. I recommend at least 2 hours a day, minimum. More if you can.

I dunno---heavy practice regimes can cause a kind of brain-freeze for a lot of people. It sounds like part of the OP's problem might be a fretting-hand deathgrip, and more practice without changing anything would just make it a highly *practiced* fretting-hand deathgrip...

Personally, I think it's important to balance organized practice with a certain amount of just playing around. The latter exercises your hand muscles too, and it's easier to keep motivation and avoid burnout if you're having fun. YMMV and all that, but that's been my experience.

-NT

[fivestringgecko]

Originally Posted by DSims63

Great post.

Man, +1 for sure.

If you ARE a book learner, Hover's suggestion of asking for some instructional books for Christmas is a GREAT suggestion rather than a new bass. I've picked up a few in my time that I thought have been pretty good:

Hal Leonard Bass Method complete edition
(It sounds like you might be beyond the very basics, but it still might be of some use?)

Total Scales and Technique for Bass

Fingerboard Harmony for Bass Guitar

Ed Friedland's Building Walking Bass Lines and Expanding Walking Bass Lines
(IMO these are good for more than just jazz, too... they'll help you build better bass lines for any style)

and one that would be good for left hand exercises:
Bass Fitness - An Exercising Handbook

Another suggestion would be to take advantage of your local library. I've been surprised at some of the stuff I've found at mine... some great band transcription/score books, instructional books covering stuff like soloing, playing every musical style from Afro-Cuban to Zydeco, helpful tips books, etc. But then again, I'm in Denver so it's a bigger market.

5sg.

[fivestringgecko]

Originally Posted by ntenny

I dunno---heavy practice regimes can cause a kind of brain-freeze for a lot of people.

I agree with this 100%, and have experienced it. I've had moments where I'm practicing and just hit a wall, and I know it's time to put my bass down for a while.

5sg.

[Piggy8692]

I remember when I was starting out. We'd go to see other local bands play and I always loved to see one certain band play because I thought they had the best bassist. He had been playing for 3 years at the time compared to my 1.

Then I remember when I hit the 3 year mark, he didn't seem that amazing anymore. Go to some local shows and watch other bassists play and analyze or 'compete' with them. You'll feel better passing lesser bassists up rather than never reaching the pros that you idolize.

Definitely jam with some people. Even if it's another bassist. I have jammed with some other bassists just to show each other some stuff. Sometimes I'm better sometimes not, but you'll be able to guage yourself better than playing in your room.

[DeadHeadSF]

Lots of good advice here, but make sure you get some theory knowledge as well... in any improvisational setting, it helps a great deal to understand the chord structure, progressions, etc... And if you can't already, learn to read music; it's really not that hard to do and comes rapidly with practice.

[oleskool]

Originally Posted by Orangeclawhamme

Learn some songs that you can sing along with your bass and hit the open mics. Three songs will get you started. You can even do just one, if you want. "Boris the Spider", originally by the Who is a great crowd pleaser. I've been doing it for about 4 years now. I found that the words from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" fit the music from this song. I got my first standing ovations after playing it last night. It's more fun than playing alone. You might even find other people to play with. I did.

Go have some fun and find out how much you probably don't suck.

Where did you play? I have been trying to find a open mic in the area.

[hdracer]

Originally Posted by bassinplace

If you want to get good, you must invest time with proper practice. I recommend at least 2 hours a day, minimum. More if you can.

I have to disagree with you on this.
If he doesn't know how to practice properly it is just wasting time.

Practice does not make perfect
Perfect practice makes perfect.