Musical direction (long post)

sir juice · #1 01-18-2009, 09:04 AM

As well as playing bass, I play trumpet, and I'm about the same level on both.

For the first time in a while, I'm really enjoying playing both instruments, normally I gravitate to one or the other on and off.

I feel at some point soon I'm going to have to choose one over the other so I can put in all the work I feel I should (I only have about 2-3 hours on week nights for all my musical practice - practicing both instruments, composition, ear training etc.)

On bass I love controlling the groove and locking with a drummer, I know some great drummers and it's always a pleasure playing with them.

On trumpet I can really take centre stage and soar in a solo, it's not so much an attention thing, I take solos on bass too, but they don't have the same effect, something about not being able to squeeze the juice out of a note in the same way.

And as far as career is concerned I have a strong urge to entertain, which means I'd rather not try and make a living playing in dingy jazz clubs to other musicians, I'd feel as if I wasn't actually contributing to society in the same way. I can't really think of many gigs on trumpet that would really cater to the masses in the same way bass could, I love jazz and classical, but I don't like their audience so much, too elitist.

Any advice guys?

Thanks a lot

SmittyG · #2 01-18-2009, 09:22 AM

Well, first, if you are going to claim a "long post", you are going to have to put in a lot more time typing than that.

OK, seriously, this gets tough. You are dealing with passions and plans--really cool when they go hand in hand, pretty sucky when they don't. Since you are asking about this here, I would say your passions are still pretty evenly divided. Your love for one instrument has not overshadowed the feelings you have for the other. Thus, it might be just too early in the game to make the "either/or" call. Plus, I'm not so sure you have to make the call. If you can practice an hour a day on each instrument, you will still be putting in more time on each individual instrument than 90% of folks who only play on one. Stuff like theory, ear training, composition and so forth apply to music in general--both instruments benefit.

In short, if I had the talent/ability to play more than bass, I would gladly split the time. Don't be so quick to turn your back on a talent--they are far too precious.

sir juice · #3 01-18-2009, 10:20 AM

I know an hour of practice could suffice, but I believe that better playing comes from gig experience and playing around a lot, and in the environment I'm in (London, one of the most musically vibrant places in Europe, and ton of fantastic players), I'll need to practice a lot more to get the gigs over these guys on either instrument.

SpamBot · #4 01-18-2009, 10:27 AM

Keep playing both!
Also, keep in mind that bass playing requires less daily practice than trumpet to stay proficient.

Dogbertday · #5 01-18-2009, 10:32 AM

Well Bass is deffinately the more versitile instrument between the two (generally speaking) as not everyone wants a trumpet player. I know playing both would be a huge undertaking, but completely doable. If you want to play some trumpet you could be in a band with a horn section (think ska, R&B, etc, etc) and have that be your oulet... this would open up where you can rip into solos and whatnot, but the actual rehearsing wouldn't have to be killer and you would need no more than an hour a day.

Then with bass, do whatever you want because it fits in all styles...

you could make either one of these instruments the one in the foreground while still actively playing each. If you have solid basic skills on both I bet you could pull it off. Just get one of each kind of gig you want on each instrument

DocBop · #6 01-18-2009, 02:26 PM

Reading your post I don't know if you want to be a Musician or an entertainer. They are two drastically different things. I would say that is the first thing you need to figure out and from your closing comments I would say you want to be an entertainer. Ask yourself who do you want applauding for you???

Playing wind instrument and bass complement each other the things you learn one influences the other. Marcus Miller is an example that comes to mind starting as a sax player then adding bass and keyboards. Marcus is hot KB player and most don't know it.

So I would say split your time enough to keep your chops up on both then leave time for playing music and composition.

**Stumbo** · #7 01-19-2009, 12:19 AM

If you want to play gigs then you have to have the skills to play at the level of gigging musicians getting hired in your area.

I saw band that had a sax player and where the bass player played trumpet on some songs (covering Chicago and such). I don't remember who switched to bass.

Maybe being able to play both at a decent level will get you gigging.

Although, since you only have 2-3 hours a week to rehearse, it seems that you may have to choose one to become proficient enough to gig.

Based on your practice schedule, how much have you improved in the last year on either instrument?

If you want to gig, 2-3 hours of free time per week probably won't be enough. If a band rehearses once or twice a week and plays a couple of gigs per week/month/whatever, it doesn't seem that you would be able to make that schedule work, keep your practicing up and keep your non-band life together.

I think you just have to realistic and just layout all the options, the time available and what your musical goals are and come up with a decision. There's no magic here. Just depends on what you want to do and how dedicated you are to achieving your goals.