Losing it, getting sloppy, need songs to get me back on track

[peaveyuser]

Recently, for the past month it seems all my bass playing has been half assed and sloppy.

I do my warmup songs and stuff but I think its getting boring to play over and over again. I keep learning songs for my band and such but they are a bit too easy, and I need something to keep pushing my limits so i don't keep letting go of my skill. I mean this is my hobby and something i've put so much work into I don't want to lose it. Maybe its just a bad streak but I need something challenging, at my level or pushing the envelope a bit.

Could someone recommend some good songs to get the fingers going?

So far the more skilled stuff I know is

YYZ--rush
Pulling Teeth (cliff burton solo)
Spain--Chick Corea
Scarified--racer X everything but the little bass solo, almost got it

Master Of Puppets
Cowboys From Hell
Raining Blood
The Trooper

(these last 4 have one or two faiirly faster tricky parts)


I'm going to be studying jazz bass in college this year too, any jazz songs with tricky timing would be great

[DocBop]

I'd say it sounds like you don't need more songs you need to focus in what you are already doing. Until you can play the songs with perfect technique at tempo, have analyzed the songs changes to the lines you are playing, and transcribed solo bits even if not on bass and analyzed you don't know the songs. Better to learn one song inside out than a bunch of tunes half way. Especially if you are going to be studying Jazz you will be doing a lot of this, working on classic tunes and chord changes for days and weeks till you know them in your sleep. Jazz players play the basic tunes their whole life and constantly find new ways to navigate the song.

I would say focus is the problem not lack of material. You will get more out of an hour of focused practice than hours of just moving your fingers around.

[Skeet]

Necrophagist - Only Ash Remains
Try that
And do you play fingers for raining blood? like 2? If so any tips on learning the crazy fast part of Raining Blood?
Dont say pick, because I am pure fail with pick.

[IanStephenson]

Get a copy of Steve Bailey's Rock Bass book (it appears to be back in print, just after I tracked down an original copy). It's the perfect cure for sloppy. I guarrentee that no matter how good you think you are in the first 4 pages you'll find something that's really basic that you can't play. It will totally wipe out the "sloppy" from your playing.

[spiltmilk_2000]

Try Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Hit Me With your Rhythm stick...

Its driving me mad even trying play it smoothly at half time with fingers :-(

Russ

[Brittain]

Originally Posted by Skeet

And do you play fingers for raining blood? like 2? If so any tips on learning the crazy fast part of Raining Blood?
Dont say pick, because I am pure fail with pick.

Dude, how many fingers have you got on your hand?

With 4 fingers you can go twice as fast as with two.

'Mirrored fingering' is a technique I was taught a few years ago, basically which ever finger is fretting, the corresponding finger is plucking, then work up speed until you can nail anything.

[peaveyuser]

Originally Posted by Skeet

Necrophagist - Only Ash Remains
Try that
And do you play fingers for raining blood? like 2? If so any tips on learning the crazy fast part of Raining Blood?
Dont say pick, because I am pure fail with pick.

Yes I use two fingers for the mosh part, my band loves it when I just get into that, makes it sound that much more full. I just blitz my fingers I mean its not THAT fast, my main problem was endurance on my left hand speed. But yah I've seen vids of the live performance and even he doesn't play it like that all the time. I talked to a local bands bassist and all he does is slide fro 3-5. Its nice to know that I can do the real thing.

Best advice practise just keep going I could only do 75% speed when I did it first now I've got it down.

Originally Posted by Brittain

Dude, how many fingers have you got on your hand?

With 4 fingers you can go twice as fast as with two.

'Mirrored fingering' is a technique I was taught a few years ago, basically which ever finger is fretting, the corresponding finger is plucking, then work up speed until you can nail anything.

I find it a bit of a pain to use all 4, considering you have to angle your hand to get the pinky there, also it gets compelx and irritating when using more then one string. Thats just me though, I haven't bothered to learn the technique, most I use is three and thats for galloping.

[dvh]

I think working on walking eigth-note patterns in blues structures in all scales and at increasing tempos is the way to:

- become familiar with the neck
- become familiar with scales
- learn to play fast
- be prepared for your upcoming jazz program

Working like this will allow anyone to play almost anything on bass with speed.

[Brittain]

Originally Posted by peaveyuser

I find it a bit of a pain to use all 4, considering you have to angle your hand to get the pinky there, also it gets compelx and irritating when using more then one string. Thats just me though, I haven't bothered to learn the technique, most I use is three and thats for galloping.

Of course it's a pain, isn't everything at first?

It pays dividends though, and greatly increases not only speed but precision.

[Martin Bormann]

Originally Posted by Brittain

Dude, how many fingers have you got on your hand?

With 4 fingers you can go twice as fast as with two.

'Mirrored fingering' is a technique I was taught a few years ago, basically which ever finger is fretting, the corresponding finger is plucking, then work up speed until you can nail anything.

Mirror fingering is flawed though. It is more efficient to use all four fingers one after another. It's a bit of work to get used to doing it but you should stick to I M R P, I M R P. That way you distribute the work most efficiently with your right hand.

[Brittain]

Originally Posted by Martin Bormann

Mirror fingering is flawed though. It is more efficient to use all four fingers one after another. It's a bit of work to get used to doing it but you should stick to I M R P, I M R P. That way you distribute the work most efficiently with your right hand.

That's a point I was meant to add, yes, by getting precision using mirrored fingering using them in progression becomes easier.

[peaveyuser]

Originally Posted by Brittain

Of course it's a pain, isn't everything at first?

It pays dividends though, and greatly increases not only speed but precision.

My point is, I'm doing fine with 2 and rather put my time into other things such as ear training, scales theory and cleaning up my technique rather then learn a knew one that I don't feel the need for at the moment.

Just IMO but I have years to learn more, now i don't think is the time to go that route to further complex my learning.

[peaveyuser]

Originally Posted by dvh

I think working on walking eigth-note patterns in blues structures in all scales and at increasing tempos is the way to:

- become familiar with the neck
- become familiar with scales
- learn to play fast
- be prepared for your upcoming jazz program

Working like this will allow anyone to play almost anything on bass with speed.

Got a lot of this down and am learning it and further improving. Actually I've been preparing since February and actually passed the audition with a 79%. My playing is not bad at all means. In fact since my theory lessons and such I have improved a lot and grown to be somewhat respectable as a bassist for my age. Not full of myself at all in my personal critique I have a lot to improve because I'm a bit sloppy.

[peaveyuser]

Originally Posted by spiltmilk_2000

Try Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Hit Me With your Rhythm stick...

Its driving me mad even trying play it smoothly at half time with fingers :-(

Russ

Oh my god, this is perfect!


also just checked that necrophagist song -----holy crap! that is intense I'm afraid I'll never be that good. Don't need to be but still, damn!

[Martin Bormann]

Originally Posted by Brittain

That's a point I was meant to add, yes, by getting precision using mirrored fingering using them in progression becomes easier.

No it doesn't. It creates a habit that's hard to break. It's inefficient and will end up limiting the player.

[Skeet]

thanks for the advice on the faster fingering guys
I might try 4 fingers, soon, but my pinky is pretty sort
(Sorry for jacking)
Or you could learn some Cannibal Corpse, they usually have some cool basslines such as
Hammer smashed face, and i think "I will kill you" has a nice one too
And yeah that necrophagist song is pretty intense.

[spiltmilk_2000]

Originally Posted by peaveyuser

Oh my god, this is perfect!


also just checked that necrophagist song -----holy crap! that is intense I'm afraid I'll never be that good. Don't need to be but still, damn!

Glad you like!
As a relative newbie to bass it just scares me...

[mutedeity]

I don't really understand how playing songs is going to improve sloppy playing or poor technique. The only real remedy to this problem is to play with a metronome until you play the exercise you are working on perfectly and then increase the tempo.

You could learn all the technical songs in the world, but if you are playing them badly, what is the point?

[peaveyuser]

Originally Posted by mutedeity

I don't really understand how playing songs is going to improve sloppy playing or poor technique. The only real remedy to this problem is to play with a metronome until you play the exercise you are working on perfectly and then increase the tempo.

You could learn all the technical songs in the world, but if you are playing them badly, what is the point?

Put it this way, I use them just to warm up and have the playing "fun" the more I learn the more I like to learn well, it doesn't even need to be complex just a challenge.

Through all that, and repeating and such I end up using more of the proper technique in my playing since its a new song and I don't have a "way" of playing it yet.

Just some fun to keep me awake perse.

[mutedeity]

Originally Posted by peaveyuser

Put it this way, I use them just to warm up and have the playing "fun" the more I learn the more I like to learn well, it doesn't even need to be complex just a challenge.

Through all that, and repeating and such I end up using more of the proper technique in my playing since its a new song and I don't have a "way" of playing it yet.

Just some fun to keep me awake perse.

Using songs as a warm up is fine. What I am telling you is that playing songs will not address flaws in your playing. To improve upon sloppy playing you need to isolate your playing and the aspects you are having trouble with and practice with a metronome at increasing tempo. That way you are conditioning yourself both physically and mentally while concentrating specifically on the key aspects you are trying to improve.

Playing along with a song will not correct these issues it will only mask the sloppy playing and fool you into thinking you are playing well.