NEW BASS LESSON WEBSITE-CHECK IT OUT!!

[devine]

Hi guys this is my new bass lesson blog/website type of thing www.scottsbasslessons.com. Its literally been up and running for the last two days so there's not many vids on it yet... but there will be! Check it out and lemme know what you think. I apologize in advance for the poorish quality of video, i'm looking at other options of recording at the mo.

Take it easy, Scott.

PS. Before someone asks me about the glove i wear on my left hand in the vids... i've got a neurological condition called Focal Dystonia which causes misfiring neurons in my brain to cause unwanted movements in my fingers of both hands that i can't control (It just so happened on the days i recorded the vids my right hand was behaving its self as normally i wear them on both hands). Luckily the glove acts as a sensory trick and keeps the movements to a minimum. There super thin and tight... so don't try wearing ya winter woolies!!

[incident]

Scott....great start to your website. Looks great and the content you have up there is excellent.

I have one idea for you with respect to your glove. Perhaps if you would put a small piece of white tape (or something like that) on the tips of your fingers, it would make it much easier to see what your fret hand/fingers are doing.

I have seen people who teach sign language use colored pieces of tape wrapped around their finger tips, which allows students to better view the fingers. Just a thought.

Keep up the great work on your website. It's much appreciated by us learners!

Cheers!

[bassdog]

Hi Scott. I have added your website to my Favorites and will definately spend some time there. I'm always looking for little lesson tidbits to work on. Thanks for sharing. Bob

[bottomzone]

Thank you so much Scott for sharing your knowledge and gifts with us. I will definitely be spending more time on your site!!!!

A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

[MalcolmAmos]

A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

Great quote. I'm sure I'll be using this one as my own.

[Already In Use]

Thank you!

[vin*tone]

Originally Posted by devine

..There super thin and tight... so don't try wearing ya winter woolies!!

I sometimes use a fingerless glove on the right hand to give a soft dampening effect. Give it a shot!

[vin*tone]

Awesome stuff - very useful. It is pretty hard to see what your hand is doing in that glove - do you have a white one?

[N.F.A.]

Fantastic. Thanks so much!

[Rocky]

Thanks Scott, I checked it out, and I'm sure I can learn allot from this.

[devine]

Thanks for the kind words guys! I thought that'd it'd be cool to have an one-line resource that covered all the things that i found confusing when i was learning to play and improvise (i'm still learning too!). I've found that many players and past students of mine that are studying improvisation have very similar questions, for example..."what do i play over a II V I chord progression?", "should i use arpeggios or scales?", "how do i play 'out'?". These are the same things i struggled with too. The gag is... when i actually figured out how to do it i was shocked that it was really quite simple, i asked myself "why did nobody tell me this!" I hope with my tutorials i can answer some of these questions for you so you can stop wondering how and what to do and just get on with playing!

Regarding the glove ideas... i love the idea of the white tape on each finger so my fingers would be more visible, i'll definitely give it a go. I have been looking for some white ones too but as yet haven't been able to find any.

I'll put another post up as soon as i do another tutorial. I'm gonna aim to do around three per week, as they take quite a while to do... i'm a technophobe so it probably takes me way longer than it should do.

Thanks again for the comments, Take it easy.

Scott.

[Berger912]

Scott

the black glove on a dark fretboard makes is hard to see your hand and fingers. i think a white or maybe a light tan glove would be easier to follow your fingers or if you have a maple fretboard bass the black glove would have your fingers stand out more and easier to see. just my 2¢ but i think your excellent lessons would be enhanced by being able to see your left hand better.

Peace
Dave

[devine]

Hey Dave, i'm looking for some lighter colored gloves as we speak... or type! So should be sorted asap.

Take it easy.

Scott.

[Eminentbass]

Hey Scott, I hope you don't mind me asking, does the disorder involve the fingers on one hand moving involuntarily if you use the other hand? I have a friend who's interested in playing guitar but has that happen whenever he's tried so he's never pursued it but I'd be very interested in telling him that there's a way around it.

[devine]

It does cause involuntary movements but only in the same hand, for example if i were to move my little finger while playing my middle finger might move instead. Its generally caused in musicians by massive amounts of practice over long periods of time, and more common in classical musicians.

Take it easy.

Scott.

www.scottsbasslessons.com

[devine]

Hey guys, i've just posted three more tutorials vids up on my site. These ones are specifically about soloing over static minor chord vamps like 'So What' and 'Impressions'.

Check them out here... http://www.scottsbasslessons.com/vid...-minor-chords/

Hope you enjoy!

S.

[Stumbo]

Originally Posted by incident

Scott....great start to your website. Looks great and the content you have up there is excellent.

I have one idea for you with respect to your glove. Perhaps if you would put a small piece of white tape (or something like that) on the tips of your fingers, it would make it much easier to see what your fret hand/fingers are doing.

+1

I suggest wearing a white glove(against the dark fretboard background) with some black tape on the tips of your fingers. Something like that.

[SteveC]

I never know what alternate scale I can do over chords - and I teach music. There's just so much to know. I am playing regularly in a jazz quartet. Most of the soloing is done by the guitar an keys, but there are bass solos, and I am free to take a ride when I want, but I need to practice. I just have a hard time finding time with two kids (4 and 1) at home all day with me.

I bookmarked it and will check it out from time to time. Thanks for taking the time do something for the rest of us.

[devine]

SteveC...
I know getting the hang of alternate scales can be hard, the best idea is not to overload your self on info, just take one alternate scale, for example when playing on a D minor groove try using D melodic minor instead of D dorian. The difference is only one note... but that that one note can give a completely different sound to your improvised line. Another way of thinking about it, is just think D dorian the whole time and then just experiment adding the c sharp into your improvisation. This is the same as switching between D dorian and D melodic minor but the thought process will be slightly different. The gag is to just practice this in one key till it makes you sick... maybe two weeks, no other substitutions. Then you'll find it will be absorbed into your playing properly. Then you can obviously try it out in other keys. When i was studying a lot i always tried to do everything at once... every substitution, every key, every scale... completely counter productive! I can remember practicing soloing over a I-VI-II-V-I progression in C for a month... the progress i made in that month totally stunned me, i was converted forever!

PS. A few people have mentioned using white gloves so they can visualize what i'm doing a bit easier... i ordered some today so fingers crossed they'll do the job!

Take it easy.

Scott.

http://www.scottsbasslessons.com

[devine]

SteveC...
I've just uploaded the downloadable worksheet for the 'soloing on static minor chords' tutorial. Should give you some ideas of which scales you can use.

Check it out here. http://scottsbasslessons.com/video-t...-minor-chords/

Hope thats some help.

S.