my first lesson..help?

[Mushroo]

Originally Posted by robotriot

As mentioned before, I also had atrocious form when trying to do the one finger per fret technique (stretching my pinky wayy too much).. also, maybe i'm just a weakling?

Oh dear, if your teacher has you learning "one finger per fret" that is a HUGE red flag/warning sign right there! No wonder you are in pain. Find a teacher who can teach you comfortable 1-2-4 technique; I'm serious.

Originally Posted by robotriot

Also, if I can catch the root note that the bass is playing that should guide me into the right range of notes that miles is playing, right?

Actually in this case it will be easier if you ignore the bass, for 2 reasons:

1. This particular song is a "modal" tune using "walking bass" technique, so paying too much attention to the bass note at any given moment might give you the wrong impression that the harmony is more complex than it actually is. (The progression only has 2 chords.)
2. Miles could be playing any one of the 12 notes; the "right range of notes" for any given Miles Davis solo will always be exactly 12.

Now, I absolutely agree that an intermediate lesson once you've first learned the solo is to analyze how the note choice relates to the root note of the chord. That's a great musical instinct & curiosity you have; but that type of analysis might be a "next step" in this case.

Originally Posted by robotriot

a side note, i'm trying to figure out how to practice without my bass . study bass mentioned using natural sounds as like a pulse or beat, and i've actually thought of some lines that are alright! Also, I've been trying to write out the Major scales for all the notes, so I can get an idea of what notes to play (generally).

Two great ideas!

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by Mushroo

Oh dear, if your teacher has you learning "one finger per fret" that is a HUGE red flag/warning sign right there! No wonder you are in pain. Find a teacher who can teach you comfortable 1-2-4 technique;

I agree.

OP, the OFPF is a good technique but the reach/stretch can be too much if used on frets 1-5. Use the 1,2,4 method on the lower frets.

The "Bass Method" by Ed Friedland that you have, explains the 1,2,4 technique.


Here are some clips to check out :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y57-2eaTBwc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXkxu_7Tn48

[Mushroo]

To clarify: There's nothing wrong with playing 1 finger per fret. I have relatively small hands (about 7" from base of palm to tip of middle finger) yet I can stretch 1-2-3-4 on the bass no problem, even at the 1st fret. (Of course, I've also been playing a long time.)

However, this technique is usually totally unnecessary, and possibly even harmful (especially for a beginner). At best it simply expends unnecessary energy; at worst it can lead to cramps, tendinitis, etc. because keeping the hand fixed in a stretched position (rather than naturally allowing it to expand and contract, stimulating blood flow) is very fatiguing. (Think about when you are carrying shopping bags to the car, how good it feels to put them down and wiggle your fingers to get the circulation back.) What I recommend instead is to keep a totally relaxed, unstretched left hand (1-2-4 fingering) most of the time, and only stretch out when it's necessary for a particular lick, and then relax back to the "neutral" position.

I just stumbled upon this video. If you watch bassist Paul Jackson's left hand, you'll see he is totally relaxed and effortless, even while he's playing some seriously funky bass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puM38Xgz38w

Here's another good example from the Jaco Pastorius instructional video. Jaco was double-jointed and could stretch like 6 or 7 frets, but here you'll see he uses 1-2-4 fingering most of the time, and only stretches to 1-finger-per-fret if it's necessary for a particular fill/lick (and then goes back to relaxed left hand):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwhkPSEXs1Q

A side benefit of relaxed 1-2-4 hand is that it really helps with the left-hand muting, which is an important advanced beginner/early intermediate technical skill you hopefully will be learning about in your future lessons with whichever teacher you end up studying with.

[robotriot]

Originally Posted by Mushroo

To clarify: There's nothing wrong with playing 1 finger per fret. I have relatively small hands (about 7" from base of palm to tip of middle finger) yet I can stretch 1-2-3-4 on the bass no problem, even at the 1st fret. (Of course, I've also been playing a long time.)

However, this technique is usually totally unnecessary, and possibly even harmful (especially for a beginner). At best it simply expends unnecessary energy; at worst it can lead to cramps, tendinitis, etc. because keeping the hand fixed in a stretched position (rather than naturally allowing it to expand and contract, stimulating blood flow) is very fatiguing. (Think about when you are carrying shopping bags to the car, how good it feels to put them down and wiggle your fingers to get the circulation back.) What I recommend instead is to keep a totally relaxed, unstretched left hand (1-2-4 fingering) most of the time, and only stretch out when it's necessary for a particular lick, and then relax back to the "neutral" position.

I just stumbled upon this video. If you watch bassist Paul Jackson's left hand, you'll see he is totally relaxed and effortless, even while he's playing some seriously funky bass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puM38Xgz38w

Here's another good example from the Jaco Pastorius instructional video. Jaco was double-jointed and could stretch like 6 or 7 frets, but here you'll see he uses 1-2-4 fingering most of the time, and only stretches to 1-finger-per-fret if it's necessary for a particular fill/lick (and then goes back to relaxed left hand):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwhkPSEXs1Q

A side benefit of relaxed 1-2-4 hand is that it really helps with the left-hand muting, which is an important advanced beginner/early intermediate technical skill you hopefully will be learning about in your future lessons with whichever teacher you end up studying with.

Awesome! I'm def going to focus on playing extremely lightly.. I didn't realize I was pressing so hard before! I wish I could play like jaco and paul!

[Mushroo]

Practice, practice, practice---you'll get there! Good luck. I don't know much about Paul Jackson's story, but from reading Jaco's biography, he got good simply by putting in lots of hours playing (both on his own and with bands) and by voraciously devouring as much music as he could get his hands on.

By the way, how's that Miles Davis solo coming? Is it stuck in your head yet? Are you singing it in the shower and in the car? Have you made any musical discoveries yet, like: how many measures/bars is the song form before it repeats? can that be further subdivided into sections? what key is it in? what is the significant change or "twist" that occurs in the harmony?