Taking a baby break from gigging, want to work on vocals and bassplaying

[RicPlaya]

Hey TB gang

So my wife is expecting our first this December. I am in a band with my brother, and he ended up getting his wife knocked up. So with both of us having newborns we need to put the whole band thing on hold for a while. We are both cool with it, and want to get together and get better at a few things. I think I can on my own find enough bass stuff to work on and get better at. I am not really huge on theory but know a little, should get better at it. Any suggestions what to work on that can make my bass playing better right away? I understand and use modes already, and ok at scales. But what would put the bass playing over the top? Is it key indentification and getting around the neck in that key, walking basslines?

Also at the same time we want to work on our vocals, this is our weakspot in a band. Any good ideas to work on harmonies and get better at that?

Kinda some radom stuff here I know, not looking for specifics as much as ideas of what put your bass playing over the top and what helped you become a better singer in a band setting..eithier or is fine. I'm looking at being bandless for maybe 8-9 months so I want to cram in as much as possible. Thanks

[onlyclave]

Reading.

/thread

[MarkTAW]

Something I'm working on with my bass playing now is the use of inversions. Is your chord progression C G F, C G F, C G F, C G F, C G F, C G F, C G F, C G F ? Well the first time you play over it play C G F - follow the roots, maybe with a bit of walking, but at some point when you think the song needs a lift, try playing C B A F (A & F for half a measure each). It improves not just your playing, but make the song sound like it subtly went somewhere else during the second half of the verse.

For singing, pick up a CD called "The Tuning CD" - it's done wonders for my ear. It's tones that you sing along to & you can really hear when you go out of pitch. So I take simple one-key melodies like three blind mice, pachelbel's canon, happy birthday, when the saints, etc. and sing it over the tone. Also listening to a-capella music has tuned up my ear a bit too. Something about the pure intervals of a-capella music lets me hear & sing along to the melody so much better than "capella music."

[Snarf]

www.myspace.com/globalbassinstruction

[Orangeclawhamme]

I hope you get better at singing while playing than I did.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3hXgfV9Lzo

[RicPlaya]

I play mostly covers. So CGF, your playing CBAF sometimes. Not sure if I see the theory behind this. Are you playing a Hi F or the F on the E string? IS this in the Key of C, C being the root?


Thank you, I'll hace to check that CD out

[RicPlaya]

Originally Posted by onlyclave

Reading.

/thread

That was SOOOO helpful, tnx so much

[RicPlaya]

Originally Posted by Snarf

www.myspace.com/globalbassinstruction

Cool, tnx man

[RicPlaya]

Originally Posted by Orangeclawhamme

I hope you get better at singing while playing than I did.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3hXgfV9Lzo

That's tough singing leads and playing bass with no other instruments. Leads are tough, I mostly do back ups. One thing I would do if I were you is not worry about the singing right now and work with a metronome for your bass playing. I was a drummer as a kid so I am lucky in that respect. Takes big Cahonies to get up at an open mic and do that!

[jgroh]

Originally Posted by RicPlaya

That was SOOOO helpful, tnx so much

It was a short answer but, learning to read music, especially on the fly, would be a good thing to do. So I agree with him.

[RicPlaya]

He said

Reading

/thread

Not sure if that means reading music, but yeah that would be a good starting point

[jgroh]

Originally Posted by RicPlaya

He said

Reading

/thread

Not sure if that means reading music, but yeah that would be a good starting point

Im sure he meant reading music....

Anyway, that is something I want to get back to and would love to be able to read something on the spot and play it too. If I could find the time (I have two small children and it does eat up your free time)

[RicPlaya]

Yeah sight reading on the spot..that would be great but would prolly take a liong time to get good at. Just starting out with jingle bells and simple stuff I think would be a good start. At least if we could to the point of able to read and memorize of actual sheet music, that would be huge. The little time we have do you want to spend it learning how to sight read, or playing your bass..that's the question.

[Marley's Ghost]

You will be busy with:

• Not Sleeping
• Changing diapers
• Bottles/formula
• Dealing with post partum female issues

Get used to this face. You won't be thinking about bass for awhile.

Coming from someone who raised 3.

[RicPlaya]

Originally Posted by Marley's Ghost

You will be busy with:

• Not Sleeping
• Changing diapers
• Bottles/formula
• Dealing with post partum female issues

Get used to this face. You won't be thinking about bass for awhile.

Coming from someone who raised 3.

One thing I know is what I think I know what's in store for me, is nothing like the reality of the situation. Well my bro's kid is due in May so hopefully baby girl will be sleeping through the night by then. I'm looking at a year off of gigging, I wont do it unless my bro's in my band. Post Partum,,,I already told my wife...mind over matter honey, when you feel that way you know it's hormonal. SHe's works in the medical field so HOPEFULLY it wont be that bad..Oh boy!

[MarkTAW]

Originally Posted by RicPlaya

I play mostly covers. So CGF, your playing CBAF sometimes. Not sure if I see the theory behind this. Are you playing a Hi F or the F on the E string? IS this in the Key of C, C being the root?

Key of C major. The chords are:

C major = CEG
G major = GBD
F major = FAC

So the first time around I play the roots. At some point later down the line (at the midpoint of the verse, usually) I'll try to find notes that are chord tones & close to each other (half step or whole step) but not necessarily the roots and play them instead, usually in a descending fashion.

I'm playing all this on the A string - 3rd fret, 2nd fret, open A, and then down to the E string for F. I've never played that exact progression, so maybe it won't work too well, maybe it could be improved with some tooling around, it was just an example.

Then if the chords don't change for the prechorus, I may go back to root notes to make the prechorus seem more powerful than the verse. (or I do this v.v. to make it more tense going in to the chorus.)

Think of it this way - if you're a guitar player and you just mute the low E string of the guitar (like, say, it breaks mid gig), but play the chords in the usual way, then you're not playing the root note of the G or F chords. Have you ruined the chord? No, you've just made it slightly different. It's got all the same notes, just with a different one at the "bottom."

A lot of guitar players play their C chords with an extra finger a low G, does that transform the chord into something else? Not much, no.

Now, as a bass player, if you play a non-root chord tone it'll stand out more than if a guitar player plays an inversion - simply because the note you're playing is so far separated from the guitar notes in terms of octaves, tonality, and even position in space, but if you start doing this cautiously, it'll give the song a little lift during an otherwise stagnant verse.

For a really dry explanation of inversions, see the Wikipedia entry.

[barbarbass]

Originally Posted by onlyclave

Reading.

/thread

+1000. You will understand rhythm at a far more fundamental level than previously.

I recommend the Simandl method -- although it's designed for double bass (upright), the theory is the same for the pork-chop, too.

[Orangeclawhamme]

Originally Posted by RicPlaya

That's tough singing leads and playing bass with no other instruments. Leads are tough, I mostly do back ups. One thing I would do if I were you is not worry about the singing right now and work with a metronome for your bass playing. I was a drummer as a kid so I am lucky in that respect. Takes big Cahonies to get up at an open mic and do that!

No question about working on my bass playing. As a matter of fact, I was supremely nervous when that video was made. there must have been at least 50 people listening at the time. Normally, there are less than 5 non-musicians in the little coffee houses where I perform. I was a substatute teacher 30-odd years ago, so performing in front of a crowd is not entirely new to me.

I see you live in Detroit. The video was made last March in Birmingham at Mama's Coffeehouse, which usually features folk acts. I live in Redford.

I bought my bass two years ago this coming Wednesday. I never intended to be a singer. That came about when my wife andI went to an open mic where several of my friends used to perform. All teh host had to say was "Hi", and that would have been it. Instead, I was greeted with, "Where's your bass?" I had nowhere near the skills necessary to back up other musicians without learning the songs first, but I went back two weeks later with my bass. I tried some things with the other players and the question came up, "Do you have anything?" Hence performances of "Boris the Spider".

This may have impeded my development as a bass player, but it's been fun.

[jgroh]

Originally Posted by Marley's Ghost

You will be busy with:

• Not Sleeping
• Changing diapers
• Bottles/formula
• Dealing with post partum female issues

Get used to this face. You won't be thinking about bass for awhile.

Coming from someone who raised 3.

Not to go too far off topic but...+1 lol

My daughter just turned 1 and my son is 5. It took my son until almost 3 before he slept through the night, and we tried everything out there. My daughter is following in his footsteps. Everything else (diapers, bottles, moody wife) is cake in comparison.

You might get lucky and your kid sleeps, so after the initial overwhelmedness (I made up that word just now ) you should be fine to concentrate on playing again.

[two fingers]

Yep. If you have a day job, AND a new baby (and you are doing your part to take care of it) playing time will be at a premium. But maybe you'll pull it off. My 4 month old sleeps through the night most nights but there is still a LOT to do while she's awake. And one of you has to be with her ALWAYS at first. The other will be washing bottles, washing clothes, etc. But assuming you get some free time....
Look up the term permutations with respect to fingering on the bass. You can work these for an hour, or five minutes based on the amount of time you can squeeze in on a given day. They will take your playing to the next level because they will build up individual dexterity of the fingers on your fret hand like nothing else. And, as others have stated, read. Learn how. Once you know how, read everything you can get your hands on. I read from trombone books regularly so that I think outside of the box for my bass playing.


P.S. Having a baby will be the HARDEST and BEST thing you ever do! Enjoy it! Take time to soak up little moments. Stop and FOCUS on things you want to remember. My baby girl is only 4 months old and I can already tell her childhood is going to FLY by. Other than gig nights, my basses have collected dust since she was born and I'm totally fine with that. Why play a bass when I can play with.........
VVVVVVVVVVV this VVVVVVVVVVVVV