My new love of Practicing.

BurningSkies · #1 04-10-2005, 04:08 PM

So, I don't really have a question here, but I did want to comment on a recent 'milestone' in my playing.

For years an' years I've had the worst practice ethic in the world. I would rarely pick up one of my basses at home, and would only play during our regular twice a week practices and for gigs. And I thought I was doing pretty good. I was more than keeping up with the guys in the band, never had problems in remembering songs/arrangements etc...

So yeah, forget that my mitts were sore and angry (both fingertips and muscles) after playing a 3+ hour gig, and my hands were cramping up half way through due to hitting too hard...It was good enough for me.

Then about 9 months ago I got a Pandora, thinking it might make for bettering my time and feel. But I still didn't use it so much, even though I knew when I did use it, it helped.

Then about two months ago I was visiting my mom to look after her (post surgery) for a week and a half and I figured it would kill some time to bring my ol' bass home w/pandora and a CD player to feed into it...it started from there.

Now I can't stop. I even sit at work and wish I could be home playin'. I plan on sitting down for half an hour or 45 minutes and 3 hours later I wonder where the time has gone. I LOVE playing...I especially love putting on a CD (fer me it's Roots Radics, or Sly & Robbie, or Sagitarius Band) and playing through. I work on my feel and my technique...

...now no hand pain, cramping, blown out fingers, I can play stuff and create grooves on the fly on stage.

I'm much quicker, tighter and all around better. And the crowd is dancin' more than they used to. I finish a 3.5 hour set feeling fresh and ready for more.

Which only makes me want to practice more...

So, yeah. I'm excited. It rocks.

Anyone have similar experiences?

Leeon · #2 04-10-2005, 04:54 PM

There is no happier time in my life than when i am playing bass. Even when i can't do whatever it is i'm trying to do, it still leaves me with the feeling that i've done something good for myself, and other people. Life is about happiness, and playing music is a gift that we are all lucky to have. (and let's face it, music is all about the bass, making us the epicenter of the ever lasting groove of life)

BurningSkies · #3 04-10-2005, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leeon

There is no happier time in my life than when i am playing bass. Even when i can't do whatever it is i'm trying to do, it still leaves me with the feeling that i've done something good for myself, and other people. Life is about happiness, and playing music is a gift that we are all lucky to have. (and let's face it, music is all about the bass, making us the epicenter of the ever lasting groove of life)

Right on, brotha!

It was sooo nice to play fryday an' saturday... and feel confident and have fun being able to do what I could hear in my 'mind's ear'. Our singer definitely fed off of it and 'took it to church' a bunch of times.

I felt like I had no worries in hitting what I wanted to, and playing with nuance and being IN THE MOMENT. Also, it's great to not have any pain or physical stress while playing.

The fact that we had more people than ever dancin' is not lost upon me either.

One of the bar backs on fryday nite made a point to come up at 2.30 am and tell me that he'd had the worst week/and the worst day ever...and that it all went away when we played...that we turned it into a great night just by being there! That's possibly the best compliment ever. and one of my biggest ideals/reasons to play!

bradsully · #4 04-10-2005, 11:31 PM

can you tell me more about this pandora, my practice ethics are laggin a bit

Waldog · #5 04-11-2005, 07:01 PM

Quote:

making us the epicenter of the ever lasting groove of life

Man, I've got to remember that one. nice work!

fraublugher · #6 04-11-2005, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leeon

There is no happier time in my life than when i am playing bass. Even when i can't do whatever it is i'm trying to do, it still leaves me with the feeling that i've done something good for myself, and other people. Life is about happiness, and playing music is a gift that we are all lucky to have. (and let's face it, music is all about the bass, making us the epicenter of the ever lasting groove of life)

potm [post of the month!] ty

BurningSkies · #7 04-11-2005, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradsully

can you tell me more about this pandora, my practice ethics are laggin a bit

Yeah. It's a cool little thing...it's about 4x3' or so and about an inch thick. It's got a pile of amp 'models'...both heads and cabs and a bunch of effects. You can mix and match any of those things. It comes with about 50 pre sets and the same number of user spaces so you can save yer own settings...I use the regular 'Motown' setting the most, but also have a cool envelope filter/octave one I use and a fakie SVT setting too.

Also onboard is a servicable tuner, a rhythm function with a bunch of metranomes and different drum patters/grooves with lots of time signatures and adjustable volume and tempos...There's also a 'phrase trainer' which doesn't sound great but is useable, so you can loop parts you may be trying to learn and slow them down without changing pitch.

It's got a 1/4 inch input, and a 1/4 inch output that's good for either headphones or to an amp, and a 1/8 inch aux in for a CD player or whatever. There's a switch for active/passive basses, backlit display, strap clip...etc. Takes 4 AAA batteries (I have rechargeables) and I also have a power adapter.

I'm not sure what they're listing for these days, but I bought mine for around $150 ? On sale at the local 'big box' retailer.

I take it to shows to warm up before playing too!