Increased Dexterity, Precision, and Confidence through Cross-training

[kirkdickinson]

Cross-training as in playing a different type of bass. A few months ago, I picked up a 5-string fretless acoustic bass. My regular band likes the sound of it so much that I haven't played my 5 string Lightwave Saber SL much at all in a long time.

I found that I struggle greatly with the fretless, I have to concentrate much more on where my fingers are going, I have one more level of complexity. In addition to hitting the right notes at the changes, and being in time, I have to worry about being "right-on" the note. The fretless also requires a little more effort, I need to take it back and have it re-setup.

So after a while with mostly the fretless, I practiced with a different band tonight and took the lightwave. Wow, I felt so much more in control. Instead of occasionally checking finger position, I never had to. I am no longer using too much finger pressure on the electric bass. (used to have hand problems because of bad technique of gorrilla grip)

I think the fretless has given my left hand more finesse.

Not sure how to explain it, but I feel my acoustic fretless playing has drastically helped my electric fretted playing.

Thanks for reading my post,

Kirk

[two fingers]

Cool. I try to not only play different basses, but different kinds of music. I'm mostly a rock, funk, soul guy, but I actually pull out an Arban's trombone book and read from it every now and then. It completely throws off my usual patterns. You gotta switch things up a bit every now and then or you get in a rut.

[kirkdickinson]

I have heard that playing saxophone music can really stretch a bassist. I am still working on playing bass to branch out and pick up a saxophone book.

[Mushroo]

Yup, learning to play some fretless bass, upright bass, piano, guitar, drums, trombone, etc. will greatly improve your overall musicianship. If I had to pick just one I would say piano/keyboard, give it a try.

[guroove]

Playing upright bass will help immensely with left hand strength and reach. Chords on electric bass are much easier after practicing the upright. It also helps to force you to focus on how your touch on the instrument affects your tone.

[Fergie Fulton]

Lots of great ideas and the truth of it all is apart from any physical aspect of it, it is making you think about what you are doing.
That's why the fretless took you out of your comfort zone, because the technique needed to be more precise and consistantly precise.
Now the danger is you do not expand on this, you still play the same sort of music and exercises on a fretless rather than get out of your comfort zone and learn again.

Tombone exercise books are a great source of information, as is a bugle book, a bugle only has chord tones so of anyone thinks that is limiting listen to what bugles can do.
Also try working on basic drum rudiments, learn to play different meters and metered patterns and then add melody or harmony to them.
Classic example of this is, Lessons in love by Level 42. Simple use of triads, but getting the rhythmic meter of it is as much the song...not the just the notes.

Working on different meters will bring new skills and understandings but I will take you right out of your comfort zone for a long time so do not feel overwhelmed by it, just a meter at a time. You already know how meters in four work, learn meters in three and you have most of the picture in construction.
Most meters will be combinations of threes and fours, sub-divided down, so if you cannot combine threes and fours to make and play meters you will certainly not be able to sub-divide them down to make other more complicated ones.
Drum rudiments are a great source of this, as are drum books.