Could you please suggest an effective bass workout?

Diego · #1 08-21-2007, 12:03 PM

Hi all,

I've been away from the bass for about 6 months (lots of work in the lab are to blame

). Anyways, the good news is that my paper is finally out and I have some time to go back to my beloved bass. Can anyone please suggest an effective workout routine that will help me to get my chops back quickly? I really need some suggestions to discipline myself. Thank you so very much in advance!

Diego

Chipsonfire · #2 08-21-2007, 01:42 PM

This thread was recently added and has some good exercises for building dexterity and such. Hope this helps

Diego · #3 08-21-2007, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chipsonfire

This thread was recently added and has some good exercises for building dexterity and such. Hope this helps

Thank you so much!

**Pacman** · #4 08-21-2007, 06:42 PM

Try the one at the top of the General Instruction forum - it's guaranteed!

chicagodoubler · #5 08-22-2007, 09:32 AM

My personal chops recovery set-

Major scales, 3 and 4 note groupings+ broken thirds in all 12, RH string crossing and Alain Caron 16ths exercise. Will make your fingers holler.

Or just try playing Darling Dear by Jamerson...

sloppyjaloppy · #6 08-23-2007, 04:57 AM

scales, scales, scales. i have a routine set, i play around the circle of fourths (C,F,Bb,Eb,Ab,Db,Gb,B,E,A,D,G) improvising each scale for 5 minutes each (ends up being an hour) everyday. one session i would do major scales, then next session i would play in the dorian mode of those scales, then phrygian... etc... etc.
modes: 1 Ionian mode - major scale
2 dorian mode - minor scale, raised 6th
3 phrygian mode - minor scale, lowered 9
4 lydian mode - major scale, #4
5 mxolydian mode - major scale, flat7
6 Aeolien mode - minor scale
7 locrian mode - minor scale, flat5

can be lots of fun and is a great workout that has helped me a lot. hopefully this post is of some help, and hopefully it made sense.

sloppyjaloppy · #7 08-23-2007, 05:00 AM

lol, or learn Donna-Lee, Jaco's version.

PocketGroove82 · #8 08-23-2007, 06:04 AM

As far as a workout, I think the scales in all twelve keys with arps. is a great way to work the kinks out and get your brain thinking fretboard harmony again.

I do major, and the natural/harmonic/melodic minors 2 octave w/ arps and I go around the cycle of 4ths starting all scales on the E string without stopping.

Start slow and increase your speed when you are playing clean and comfortable.

Another technique builder that is a REAL workout is taking a one bar 16th note finger-funk groove in the style of Jaco (think ala "The Chicken") or Rocco. Take the groove and play it with a metronome at a tempo that is pushing a little bit...for 90 seconds straight! Try to play as clean, precise, and consistent as possible and make time sound the same. The hard part is not losing it once you get tired! Keep bumping up that tempo till your fingers stop feeling like rubber!

Diego · #9 08-29-2007, 09:50 PM

Thank you all for the suggestions. I have been trying to regain my chops with some of the routines you all have cordially suggested. I must admit it is going at a slow pace (I didn't believe the bass was so "jealous"...if you catch my drift...). All is going right but I need to work harder. I realize now that 6 months almost without playing is loooong time

(I used to practice at least 1-2 hours a day back in college and when I started Grad School, but right now is becoming increasingly complicated to get around some quality time to practice). It is turning out to be more complicated than expected since I'm back to working weird long hours in the lab

, and of course I arrive at home either to late to practice or completely exhausted (you know the feeling, when the only thing you want to do is lay back, grab a cold one watch a little TV, post a few messages on TB and go to bed). Nonetheless, I'll try to make more space for practice routines. Have any one of you guys experienced this? In the meantime, please keep posting, these suggestions are helping me a ton, they are an invaluable source of lets call it "creative personal training". I can't thank you enough TB community!

Diego

PS. I'll be travelling to Boston in mid September for a work meeting, but will be taking a full weekend off (YES!!!!

does anyone know of a few good places to visit? (bass and non-bass related?) Thanks once again.

nonohmic · #10 08-29-2007, 10:22 PM

Agh! I just started my PhD and writing my first paper - please don't tell me I'm going to have to put the bass down?!!

Diego · #11 08-29-2007, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nonohmic

Agh! I just started my PhD and writing my first paper - please don't tell me I'm going to have to put the bass down?!!

What is your PhD on?, maybe you won't have to put your bass down...I really think it heavily depends on the type of research you do, the nature of your mentor and of course how well your project goes. Mine has been very fructiferous, but very ardous and tedious (I work on systems biology and high-throughput genomics)...the downside, however, is the amount of work I have to put in it to make it work. This has begun to put a big toll on my personal life, personal time, time to spend with y wife and friends and OF COURSE my bass playing...which is the one of the things I truly love doing (besides waiting patiently to start building basses some day...). It is hard, no denying that, but if you are organized and your work/research/project/mentor/lab allow it, you can find those "extra" hours to play. I don't want ot discourage you but getting your PhD could be the "most rewarding" part-time job of your life or one of the "most-demanding" hardest jobs of your life. For me it was the second choice...it is good I'm close to finish now....I'm a bit sick of it.

Diego · #12 08-29-2007, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicagodoubler

My personal chops recovery set-

Major scales, 3 and 4 note groupings+ broken thirds in all 12, RH string crossing and Alain Caron 16ths exercise. Will make your fingers holler.

Or just try playing Darling Dear by Jamerson...

Wow! I just love to do these excercises...these were some of my all-time favorite chop builders for a long time (groups of 3 and 4 notes, in runs, in thirds). I think they are great to build up back your fingering technique, timing and scale patterning. I also like the 16 note excercises across strings but I have always found them challenging, specially on the 6er with proper muting (I like to do the Todd Johnson floating thumb technique for this).

Diego

nonohmic · #13 08-29-2007, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diego

What is your PhD on?, maybe you won't have to put your bass down...I really think it heavily depends on the type of research you do, the nature of your mentor and of course how well your project goes. Mine has been very fructiferous, but very ardous and tedious (I work on systems biology and high-throughput genomics)...the downside, however, is the amount of work I have to put in it to make it work. This has begun to put a big toll on my personal life, personal time, time to spend with y wife and friends and OF COURSE my bass playing...which is the one of the things I truly love doing (besides waiting patiently to start building basses some day...). It is hard, no denying that, but if you are organized and your work/research/project/mentor/lab allow it, you can find those "extra" hours to play. I don't want ot discourage you but getting your PhD could be the "most rewarding" part-time job of your life or one of the "most-demanding" hardest jobs of your life. For me it was the second choice...it is good I'm close to finish now....I'm a bit sick of it.

Chemistry - nah i'll be all good - just won't take on any more projects out side of school!

The only thing is we use an electron microscope which means after hours to get enough time in on the machine.

Congrats on your paper! (Especially if it's going to Science or Nature

) and of course, cranking out the bass again.

Diego · #14 08-30-2007, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nonohmic

Chemistry - nah i'll be all good - just won't take on any more projects out side of school!

The only thing is we use an electron microscope which means after hours to get enough time in on the machine.

Congrats on your paper! (Especially if it's going to Science or Nature

) and of course, cranking out the bass again.

Thanks for your kind words...electron scope...well I know what you mean (lots of log hours). Anyways, my paper went to Molecular Cell so I'm very happy, it was well worth the effort. Don't get discouraged about timing for practice, I'm sure you'll do better than me at keeping it together...

PocketGroove82 · #15 08-31-2007, 11:46 AM

Diego,

Boston is a great town, be sure to take a "duck" tour!
It'll show you all over the city, and if you wanna catch a show you could see who is playing in Cambridge at the Regatta Bar or Scullers.

DocBop · #16 08-31-2007, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicagodoubler

My personal chops recovery set-

Major scales, 3 and 4 note groupings+ broken thirds in all 12, RH string crossing and Alain Caron 16ths exercise. Will make your fingers holler.

Or just try playing Darling Dear by Jamerson...

To add to that start playing these types of exercises in two octaves helps develop understanding of how scales and such are built and increases fingerboard knowledge. Once good at two octaves start playing scales and such from lowest usable note on the bass to the highest. A big part of chops is fingerboard knowledge you can't play fast if you don't know where your available notes are for a situation.