Practicing other instruments without getting in the way of your bass

[Chili]

Hey all, i've been playing bass for over 4 year now, and still love it, but i also really want to play keyboard, acoustic Guitar and Trumpet. Once i get settled into a job, hopefully very soon, i'm gunna save up, and buy one of each, (and also save up money to put towards getting a band going and gigging and traveling etc) but i dont know how i could go about practicing without loosing time on the bass, i'll probably buy an acoustic guitar first, and then do it one by one, is there anyone out there who's just started playing another instrument whatever it may be, and has it effected your practice time on your orginal instrument, and how have you worked round it?

any advice wil be much apprisiated

also, i wasnt sure where to post this

[DocBop]

Once you get to a certain point your learning music and doesn't matter which instrument you are playing on. Piano is real good because you start "seeing" things as related to harmony and theory you don't on other instruments. Plus piano is good for workting on ear training and practicing improv.

[Chili]

Originally Posted by DocBop

Once you get to a certain point your learning music and doesn't matter which instrument you are playing on. Piano is real good because you start "seeing" things as related to harmony and theory you don't on other instruments. Plus piano is good for workting on ear training and practicing improv.

will the same not apply to keyboard? for the whole time i've been practicing bass, i've been using my ear and alot of improv, its what i'm best at since i'm self tought, i no basic theory without really knowing it if you know what i mean, i know the fret board and major and monior scales and gunna work on modes, but is it possible to teach your self on keyboard or trumpet like i have on bass?

[dulouz]

My advice would be to focus on either guitar or piano. As DocBop said, when it comes to theory, piano is where it all starts. I don't really play piano, but I visualize the keyboard when I am trying to figure something out.

As for the trumpet, I would not try to learn that on your own. I play saxophone as well as bass, and it takes years to develop the proper embouchure technique on a wind (or brass) instrument. Once you have developed it, you have to use it or you will loose your chops. That is especially true for trumpet. In college, I played 4-5 hours a day. Now that I have a job and a family I don't play sax much and I would be lucky to last 30 minutes.

Best of luck...

[BassChuck]

Originally Posted by dulouz

As for the trumpet, I would not try to learn that on your own. I play saxophone as well as bass, and it takes years to develop the proper embouchure technique on a wind (or brass) instrument. Once you have developed it, you have to use it or you will loose your chops. That is especially true for trumpet.

+1

I was a trumpet player in college and afterwards. Then switched to French Horn for grad school. Any wind instrument is a physical challenge, you simply have to put the time in practicing or you'll loose control of your sound. Unless you have a real need to play trumpet, you're better off putting your time in on guitar, keyboard and bass.

[Chili]

ok i think i'm gunna get a keyboard for my next instrument, then acoustic guitar and mabe trumpet in the future. so basicly with trumpet, or any other wind/brass instrument, it must make it hard for you guys to really practice anything else that isnt a wind instrument.....or does it?

when i first got into funk, i really love the bass playing on alot of it, but i also love the horn sections aswell which is why i was thnking about trumpet, sax or trombone etc, i also recently really been likeing keyboard aswell, also from alot of funk, george duke, and on brothers johnson and sly stone, meters, also nelly furtado to name a few, so keyboard seems like the thing to go for

[Dr_Funkdamental]

They kind of all intertwine for me. Ive played piano/keys in church since 2000. Like someone stated earlier, keyboard is good because you get to see all the notes and chords youre using as it pertains to theory and all that. Ive been playing bass the longest (15yrs), but Im a tuba player in the army band (I do alot of jazz, funk sousaphone at that), and when Im improving, alot of times I envision a keyboard to help me get some of my ideas right. Playing bass also gives me the lines I use in say dixie band and brass band. The hard part does come when you have to split shed time. I think it depends on whats going to be your "go to" instrument. That instrument should receive the most time. Bass will always be the top of all the instruments I play, so that gets the most time (even though tubas my job lol). Everything else gets the leftovers.

[tZer]

Originally Posted by Chili

...is there anyone out there who's just started playing another instrument whatever it may be,

Yes. I started playing piano (which I believe is probably an instrument that everyone should learn to play - even if it is only a little) - then added violin - then trombone - then upright bass (then electric - which) - then guitar - and intermixed with all of those were dabbles with mandolin, sitar, recorder (alto and soprano) and many others.

Originally Posted by Chili

and has it effected your practice time on your orginal instrument,

Yes - you can only practice one instrument at a time. Trying to make practice of trombone, for example, simultaneously result in improving on violin is taking away from your development on trombone. Be where you are when you're there. Otherwise, you are screwing yourself out of the positive results of the time that you are spending in practice.

Originally Posted by Chili

and how have you worked round it?

You can't. Don't even try. You need to adjust your perspective and accept that becoming proficient on more than one instrument requires more time.

So don't put unrealistic expectations on your development by trying to pick your instruments by which ones with create a "perfect storm" (Look at me! I am practicing flute and also learning how to fix a clutch in a '78 Honda Civic! My time is so well spent!) - and get comfy with reality. It takes time and focus to get good at anything.

[Mikey D]

Since coming to study full time i have taken up the double bass (which admittedly has enough in common to the electric to make the transititon to learning a little easier) and the 8 string guitar ala charlie hunter. Just finding the time in a day to practice all of them (and i'm a full time music student) is hell. This is as well as trying to get more proficient on the piano to the point of where i can comfortably comp through most jazz tunes and to aid with my composition. Also learning these four instruments I have found that somethings on one, definately help when it comes to playing on the others.

I have just had to accept that fact that as said above, if I am splitting my time between instruments it will take a little longer to get to the standard I want on all of them. Annoying, but I have learnt to not put too much pressure on myself and not compare myself to others too often (but enough to ensure I am pushing myself).

[onewebfoot]

To the keyboardists plus bassists, specifically... is there an impact of pulling fingers up away from the instrument, through the course of playing keyboards, and pulling (excessively) non-used fingers away from the fretboard, with the fretting hand on bass? thanks. does any time on keyboards hurt efficient fretting and finger management on bass?

I'm bass only now after being off any instrument for 5+ years, former trumpeter/flugelhorn player 18 years prior, but have spontaneously and very naturally visualized, when practicing bass, the advantages of playing out certain chord progressions on a nearby keyboard in a group context. I have a Yamaha PSR-530, and can't imagine not having it around, even if mostly unused. thanks.

[Mikey D]

Originally Posted by onewebfoot

To the keyboardists plus bassists, specifically... is there an impact of pulling fingers up away from the instrument, through the course of playing keyboards, and pulling (excessively) non-used fingers away from the fretboard, with the fretting hand on bass? thanks. does any time on keyboards hurt efficient fretting and finger management on bass?

I have not had one affect the other, however you should really as a bassist try and be efficient with your technique and keep the fingers on your fretting hand near to the strings when not in use.