hello :) general questions about practicing..

[VortexTrickster]

i am new to this forum, btw =P hope there's a nice community here.

so anyway, i play bass for about 3~4 months now and i really need a practice method to improve speed for both of my hands, but mostly right one..

and1 got any suggstions?

i am really sorry if this kind of thread is forbidden.. cuz im new and stuff... >_<

[BassChuck]

Start slow and make sure you have it right. Gradually build up speed. Us a metronome to keep your tempo constant (especially at slower tempos) and to monitor your progress.

[Deacon_Blues]

Get a teacher if possible. That way you avoid learning bad habits that are hard to get rid of, and you will learn things a lot faster.

Oh, and for the speed thing, check out the stickies on top of the technique forum. Lots of great tips and advice there.

[steve66]

Since your new to the bass, I would work on identifying all the notes on the fretboard with in the first 12 frets.

Pick a note and find it on every string. Example: Find all the E natural notes. Then F, G, etc You can use the metronome and start slow.

Once you are familiar with the notes, you should look into finding a teacher that can help you with some theory and reading notation.

[VortexTrickster]

well.. im not terribly new, i used to play bass and quitted it a few years ago, and now im starting seriously.

btw i have a teacher and he is really good =P just want to do some workout on bass.. just playing songs doesnt make me better.

i already know where are all the notes, piece of cake... i thought every1 knows that(..?)

i guess i could try make simple arpeggios and stuff like it on the metronope to practice timing, but this can blow my mind off of boredom..

i'll check the stickies and technique forum..

ty anyways

[Martin Bormann]

Originally Posted by VortexTrickster

i am new to this forum, btw =P hope there's a nice community here.

so anyway, i play bass for about 3~4 months now and i really need a practice method to improve speed for both of my hands, but mostly right one..

and1 got any suggstions?

i am really sorry if this kind of thread is forbidden.. cuz im new and stuff... >_<

You can start by playing scales in both major and melodic minor (ascending, natural minor decending) over spans of 2-3 octaves in different keys. Start slow and focus on your finger picking technique. But with a metronome play them as 16th notes (you might have to look up what one is). Set the tempo to 40bpm, and make sure you can consistently play the scales (all of them) perfectly before you increase the tempo. If you screw up at a tempo twice in a row, go back down.
The tempo increases should be gradual. Tap your foot to the beat and always subdivide.

[LowDown Hal]

I share your pain. I will set the metronome at a given speed and just play 8th's up and down the strings. Bores the h@ll out of me, but seems to help.

The other thing that helps me is playing with CD's. Those "backing tracks" can be relentless.


but the approach is to use the metronome...
blow your mind with boredom.......

then do it again.

pick a bunch of rif's
play them at whatever speed you can handle (say for example 80bpm)
tomorrow play them at 81
the next day 82

when you start to screw up, slow down and do it again.

basically when you can play them flawlessly for several minutes - it is time to increase the bpm

If the metronome is just too much to handle get a drum machine...

[mozarwasagenius]

Originally Posted by VortexTrickster

i am new to this forum, btw =P hope there's a nice community here.

so anyway, i play bass for about 3~4 months now and i really need a practice method to improve speed for both of my hands, but mostly right one..

and1 got any suggstions?

i am really sorry if this kind of thread is forbidden.. cuz im new and stuff... >_<

stretch your hands
relax
use a metronome to slowly increase speed as you play a pattern.
after a few hours ask yourself philosophically why you want to play fast
if you have a musical/self expression justification then do it
if it is for "athletic matchoism" then you might reconsider imho

whatever you do, don't stop practicing
welcome to Talkbass - hope to see you around more

[Mr. Chuffey]

There's some good advice here. But where do you get these patterns to practice with your metronome?