Playing Solo a No Go

[slyderhodge]

So I'm a little different. I've been hearing this for years. So even when I decided I wanted to play bass I did things different than what most of the musicians in my area did. I got a bass and amp, learned the fret board and then found some people to play with.

Luckily they were patient and really let me learn on own how to build lines and really PLAY a Song. But in all this I never really spent hours and hours developing "chops". I know enough theory to get by 95% of the time, and what I don't know I have enough knowledge to know what to ask. I can jam and improv, I can work up bass lines from just about any song (excluding work from the bass elite). But here's the thing... when I'm playing by my self, no cds nobody else playing. I find my self working more on tone, tempo, and technique. The things that are really important to me.

I've never really cared what other people thing or say about my playing, unless it was constructive. But I was demoing my new mesa walkabout this evening and some guys that were finishing up in the studio were looking at me like I was knuts. I've a fair amount of nice gear and here I am banging out major scales up and down the neck. Nothing really fancy (hell i can't play fancy) one guy says play something I know so I played a few bars of "Badge" and then back to my needless noodling. One guy kinda giggled and then I really started to listen to what I'm playing.

When I'm playing with my self I just noodle... I don't play songs, I don't groove, heck I don't even play in the same key for very long. Honestly I sound like some punk who's been playing a few weeks. But as soon as someone else starts playing I can fall right in and I sound like someone who's been playing for 10+ years. I just feel lost when I don't have someone or something to play with. I don't need a drummer, I play acoustically all the time. Even worse I didn't care (until tonight) enough to really try to work on my "solo chops"

Am I crazy for finally caring about this, or should I have I spent more time locked in my room trying to play some RHCP song note for note. That way when I'm demoing gear I sound like a bass player instead a punk.

PS this is a rant on my personal frustrations. I don't need some kid at GC to think I'm awesome, because I'm a legend in my own mind.

[Chris K]

If you are a legend in your own mind, why botrher about some guys giggling?

You just like to improvise freely.
Buy some free jazz records, let them capture you, and start a new band.

[Calaverasgrande]

If I am auditioning basses in a store I play utter nonsense. I check to see how the strings feel in different parts of the neck. How the dynamics of the bass feel. How fast I can play. Whether I can do pull offs or bends on it well. And what the knobs do.
Must sound like total garbage if you were listening in!
I mean, ever listen to a drummer by themselves?

[flareaga]

Yeah man, whenever I warm up or demo gear I just go for the "loud spots" and the "slow spots", how the tension on the strings are by the pickups.

They probably aren't musicians.

[MalcolmAmos]

Reading your post I was reminded of my first venture into Metal. At a party I was asked to join in - garage band- I'm Country they are Metal. Sounded like everyone was just doing their thing to heck with augmenting or sharing. My first venture into Metal all I heard was noise.

Could we assume noodling, to some, comes across as just noise?

[Basslice]

I know what you (slyderhodge) mean. This is the Guitar Store Hero Syndrome. It is almost like there is a breed of person that practice their guitar store chops. In the end, who cares? I mean if you can gig with a group and play, why spend time learning riffs to excite a bunch of idiots that have nothing better to do than rate your "chops". It is akin to rating how well you masturbate - and you should think of these people like people who engage in circle-jerking.

I've been playing bass in bands for over 22 years and I have no guitar store licks in my repertoire.

[kommando84]

It's weird, but I feel the same way about guitar when I play around at a store. With bass, I have my little routines I run through to check the action and for dead spots etc., but I also inevitably have my "tryout" songs: "Dope Show" by Marilyn Manson, "Evil" by Interpol, and "Chem 6A" by Switchfoot. People always prefer the songs, and I can't tell you how many people will make some comment about how they like the playing or the song etc., even if it's really simple and easy to play.

With guitar, I never much had the desire to learn other people's songs, and when I do play a "real" song, I feel like people listening in are always thinking "that's so cliche to play 'Purple Haze' or 'Crazy Train.'" So, on guitar I do end up mostly noodling with scales, chords, and making sure my strumming doesn't accidentally toggle the switches or knobs (a major problem for me, for some reason).

I've been playing guitar a lot longer than bass, but you'd never know it just listening in a guitar store. I think it's just that ego is ego and hard to swallow no matter what situation you're in.

[brickerenator]

But are you having fun?

[Basslice]

Brings up a bigger question of Guitar store pandering to sound bites rather than playing. I think much gear (amps, axes, effects, etc.) are setup out of the factory in demo mode so they sound great in the showroom.

None of my gear sounds the same in practice or in gigs as it does in the store. In my opinion, all the noodleing is pretty much worthless - except perhaps to find dead spots and buzz on a particular instrument.

I like shops that let you take it home and demo it in a real situation. F&%# the showroom.

[wade_b]

It's been 25 years since I actually played anyting at volume in a music store.

The 80's was the pinnacle of that "look at me go" jive mentality with music, who needs that in their life anymore - it's not useful in any context.

Take the darn thing to a REAL musical situation, with your gear, and your situation, and see what it does for you would be my advice.

[Basslice]

Now that I think about it, I have to amend my statement about finding deadspots in the showroom. My Yamaha sounds great under most circumstance though my V4b head, but I found that when I am really playing loud (not much these days) I get a dead spot around the 5th fret on the D string. Likely a combination of the bass, the amps, cabinets and room. It was like, "Where did my sound go?).

So I am not sure what use a showroom has much use other than a place to look at stuff. All the licks, riffs, and posturing are pretty useless.

[JimmyM]

never got paid to play at a music store. wouldn't worry about it.

[60's Bluesman]

i dont even plug in when im in a music store especialy in GC. guitards and casual observers dont understand that playing fast doesnt mean you are playing good. the thing with blues music is that its all about feel and its not a flashy kind of music and not usualy fast. i bet one thing though and it sounds like the OP is the same, that i got more feel and soul playing simple then any of them dudes playing crazy chops

[Edward G.]

If I visit a music store and stay longer than 20 minutes, that's a long time. If you don't work there, it's akin to hanging out on the corner, and every store has its gang of regulars (true ever since I was a kid).

To riff off what Jimmy said, you probably aren't making any money roosting there. Why worry about what anybody thinks, especially if you're happy with your gig?

I rarely go into local music stores just to look around, mainly out of town, sometimes. Never got a gig at one; never did anything at one but spend money and make marginal trades.

Play what you like. It's doesn't matter what anyone else plays. If you want to know more, get a teacher.

[G.Bisson]

Originally Posted by slyderhodge

I got a bass and amp, learned the fret board and then found some people to play with.

Luckily they were patient and really let me learn on own how to build lines and really PLAY a Song. But in all this I never really spent hours and hours developing "chops". I find my self working more on tone, tempo, and technique.

One guy says play something I know so I played a few bars of "Badge" and then back to my needless noodling. One guy kinda giggled and then I really started to listen to what I'm playing.

When I'm playing with my self I just noodle... I don't play songs, I don't groove, heck I don't even play in the same key for very long. I just feel lost when I don't have someone or something to play with.

^ I can relate to all of the above. This too was my experience when first learning bass. Heck, it's how I still am. Jam out on my own for my own enjoyment and satisfaction. I'm not making music for others enjoyment. I'm speaking my own language to myself, other people should just be happy to overhear my conversation. Music is my outlet of expression, for all the things I can't say with words. And sometimes bass is an outlet for stress, as the chewed up frets on my first bass can testify.

While I don't see anything wrong with that, I don't find it to be productive. Noodling is an aimless song writing method. Occasionally a new piece can be birthed from noodling, but it's more of a happy accident. I have been working gradually away from this fretboard meandering to a more structured approach.

I think of the difference between noodling and playing songs much like my old English teachers would say about writing. Written text has form and structure and uses commonly excepted norms to convey a message. I relate this to music theory and song structure. Concepts of tension and release, foreshadowing and climax, all these hold true for a well written novel and a well written song.
Where-as noodling is more like informal conversation. Much of the normal expectations can be abandoned for the sake of fluidy and any pre-understanding between speakers. Jamming is having a musical conversation with other musicians. Noodling is like having a conversation with yourself. Of course people are going to look at you like your crazy!

While performing, the musicians are the only ones speaking, the audience can't take part in the conversation. It is your role as a musicians to prepare a story to tell them. Structure and form are necessary otherwise the story won't come togeather and the audience will be lost and confused. Whoever isn't playing at the moment is your audience. That guy at the music store is listening from the point of view of an audience expecting a story to be read to him in the form of a familiar song. When auditioning for a band the other members are listening for your story telling skills as told through your instrument.

When you bust out a noodling extravaganza you come across as some disorganized professor lecturing on disjointed concepts. While accurate, true, and interesting, they are vaguely related. They don't come togeather in a meaningful way. Your music theory may be spot-on, but when you put it all together it lacks purpose and direction.

When you say you feel lost on your own is because you have no musical direction of your own. What are you trying to say to other people? What feelings and experiences would you like to share with others?

Fello noodler, you are an adventurer. Exploring the wilderness of the musical world. One day you may find a place to call your own. Till the soil to build a foundation upon. Your own home, your own structure, your own purpose with which to write your songs to. Until you find where your heart calls home;
Enjoy the journey Daniel Boone, it's a helluva lotta fun !


shout out to my fello Virginian

[mambo4]

For a bassist, playing songs with others is generally important.
Playing songs alone is generally not. (except for the sake of practice)

you sound like you have your priorities in order.

[blipndub]

hello my name is jonno and I am a noodler and don't care. I learned to play bass plahing in bands and noddling watching Magnum PI after school

[lancimouspitt]

Originally Posted by G.Bisson

^ I can relate to all of the above. This too was my experience when first learning bass. Heck, it's how I still am. Jam out on my own for my own enjoyment and satisfaction. I'm not making music for others enjoyment. I'm speaking my own language to myself, other people should just be happy to overhear my conversation. Music is my outlet of expression, for all the things I can't say with words. And sometimes bass is an outlet for stress, as the chewed up frets on my first bass can testify.

While I don't see anything wrong with that, I don't find it to be productive. Noodling is an aimless song writing method. Occasionally a new piece can be birthed from noodling, but it's more of a happy accident. I have been working gradually away from this fretboard meandering to a more structured approach.

I think of the difference between noodling and playing songs much like my old English teachers would say about writing. Written text has form and structure and uses commonly excepted norms to convey a message. I relate this to music theory and song structure. Concepts of tension and release, foreshadowing and climax, all these hold true for a well written novel and a well written song.
Where-as noodling is more like informal conversation. Much of the normal expectations can be abandoned for the sake of fluidy and any pre-understanding between speakers. Jamming is having a musical conversation with other musicians. Noodling is like having a conversation with yourself. Of course people are going to look at you like your crazy!

While performing, the musicians are the only ones speaking, the audience can't take part in the conversation. It is your role as a musicians to prepare a story to tell them. Structure and form are necessary otherwise the story won't come togeather and the audience will be lost and confused. Whoever isn't playing at the moment is your audience. That guy at the music store is listening from the point of view of an audience expecting a story to be read to him in the form of a familiar song. When auditioning for a band the other members are listening for your story telling skills as told through your instrument.

When you bust out a noodling extravaganza you come across as some disorganized professor lecturing on disjointed concepts. While accurate, true, and interesting, they are vaguely related. They don't come togeather in a meaningful way. Your music theory may be spot-on, but when you put it all together it lacks purpose and direction.

When you say you feel lost on your own is because you have no musical direction of your own. What are you trying to say to other people? What feelings and experiences would you like to share with others?

Fello noodler, you are an adventurer. Exploring the wilderness of the musical world. One day you may find a place to call your own. Till the soil to build a foundation upon. Your own home, your own structure, your own purpose with which to write your songs to. Until you find where your heart calls home;
Enjoy the journey Daniel Boone, it's a helluva lotta fun !


shout out to my fello Virginian

Wow,this is the most inspiring post I have ever read on TB.
Thanks!

[FunkMetalBass]

Good lord, if I actually tried to groove or play the same chord progression for a long period of time by myself, I'd probably gouge out my own eyes with a wooden soup ladle.

You're a musician and you're free to do or play whatever you feel. That "noodling" is your mind attempting to translate its thoughts into notes.

Don't fight it.

[Edward G.]

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

Good lord, if I actually tried to groove or play the same chord progression for a long period of time by myself, I'd probably gouge out my own eyes with a wooden soup ladle.

This is OK, as long as it is carefully selected tone wood. Otherwise, you are shortchanging yourself.