Questions about permutations

[dheylen_2000@ya]

I have been getting back into playing bass after almost 20 years away due to wrist problems caused by working at a computer. I saw a post you made about permutations which inspired me to incorporate them into my practice routine. My biggest weakness (I think) is coordinating left & right hand timing to play cleanly with good time when skipping strings so this is what I concentrate on:
- 2 4 / 2 3 / 3 4 / 3 2
-1 3 / 1 4 / 1 2 / 1 4 etc.
I have some questions which I'm not sure can be definitively answered but I'm hoping for some helpful advice and opinions.

I have been concentrating on one permutation at a time (say 1234) and doing 10-20 or more repetitions on each string pair (E-A, A-D, D-G & back down) with the thought that I will 'burn in' the muscle memory for that permutation.

Would it be better if I played many permutations with fewer (or even only 1) repetition to give all the muscles a more general workout or should I stick with fewer permutations & more reps per session?

Also, are there any guidelines for how many repititions are optimal before you start doing more damage than good?

I know the 'right' answer is for me to find out what works best for me but that could take months or even years on the wrong path before I find the best one. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
David

[Ant Wellington]

Hey David,

This may seem like a cop out answer but,.,.

Show me 1,000 practicing bass players and I'll show you 1,000 routines and curriculums.

You seemed very detailed. For me, everything you mentioned falls under what I refer to as 'dexterity'.

My daily 'maintenance' routine consist of 5 things:

Dexterity
Note Recognition
Theory
Ear Training
Reading Music

I practice however much time I have available in that particular day(in 15 minute increments). And the amount changes every day.

-anthony

[dheylen_2000@ya]

Hey Anthony,
I appreciate where you're coming from & I kind of suspected that was the only genuine answer.

My frustration (with life, not with your answer) is that while 1000 bass players will give 1000 different answers, 750 of those answers are leading, to one extent or another, into a dead end where the player never achieves his full potential.

The 15 minute increments advice was helpful and I will modify my regimen accordingly.

Thanks for the help.
David

[Ant Wellington]

But remember David,...you didn't ask 1000 bass players. You asked me. And,...I didn't ask you to ask me. You asked me on your own. And you didn't ask me to give you someone else's opinion,...you asked me to give you my opinion.

The key is to be conscious of who you ask. Everybody who plays well is not knowledgeable orca good teacher. That's probably why I was given this page. I have a curriculum. Most 'teachers' don't.

peace,
anthony

[Anonymatt]

David mentioned a "wrong path". I don't think there are wrong paths with learning. I think there is the possibility of either hurting yourself or truly spinning your wheels, but I think that fear of a wrong path is just another one of those crazy little things that keep us from practicing, and that the only true wrong path is to not work on your music every day.

[dheylen_2000@ya]

Anthony, I first found out about you through the Victor Wooten Groove Workshop DVD. I was totally blown away by the musicality, clarity of thought & humanity of both you & Victor. Everything I've since seen about you has only reinforced that first impression so I was very conscious of who I was asking.

I think posts like this can sometimes be a clumsy way to express yourself but more importantly, I think the problem was that I was trying to get a quick answer to one specific part of the whole without being conscious of the whole. It wasn't my intention to try & take an easy shortcut but in retrospect, I kind of think that's how it ended up.

Anonymatt, I totally agree with what you are saying, that you shouldn't let fear of making mistakes become an excuse for not taking the journey. But on the other hand, you shouldn't let that mindset inadvertently become an excuse for not challenging your assumptions.

[Ant Wellington]

Hey dheylen,

Thanks for the respect. I can feel it from the words on the page.

The point I was trying to make is that you have to be careful about 'who' you ask questions. I'm very particular about who I ask anything I'm trying to learn from.

Some people are 'true' teachers. And a lot of them aren't employed as teachers. They just are born with a desire to research and learn as much as they can so can teach as many people as they can.

But there are people who aren't 'true' teachers who are always willing to spread mis-information, lies and opinion and call it teaching. Unfortunately, a lot of them are actually employed as teachers.

All I'm saying is this, and it's just my opinion,...

I have to already trust the source before I ask them a question that could affect my playing, and more importantly, my mindset for a king time.

Like yourself, I recommend that people research teachers and ideas they are interested.

Over the weekend I looked at the new Fender catalog. They various interviews and quotes from very well known Fender players.

There's a quote from a very famous deceased musician that said, "Once you learn a power chord you don't need to learn anything else about music." I understand the 'spirit' of what he was saying.

But,...

That quote is gonna' do some harm some people's musicianship. Just because he's rich and famous his word will be gospel.

peace,
anthony

[Anonymatt]

Word.

[Ant Wellington]

Geez! I had so many typos in my last response. That's what happens when I try to type long responses on my iPhone with my 'bad' thumb.

I think I've corrected my errors and hopefully the posting reflects what I was trying to say.

-anthony

[dheylen_2000@ya]

Anthony,
It took me a couple of reads to get through the original post but I definitely understood what you intended to say.

I completely agree with what you say about 'true' teachers & was being very deliberate when I said I that I was blown away by your musicality, clarity of thought & humanity. I think to be a true teacher you need a primal (maybe even instinctual), understanding of the subject to have something to teach in the first place. You need to have clarity of thought to express your understanding in a way others can comprehend & make use of. And you need humanity & love to turn that understanding into a gift.

I also think that to be a teacher, you need a student. I don't think it's possible to teach a student anything they don't want, or aren't ready, to learn. (Although, I do believe you can plant 'seeds' that will eventually ripen when - and only when - the time is right.) I don't know what this has to do with my original question (or anything else for that matter) but you inspired me man!

[Ant Wellington]

You've inspired me too!

-anthony