playing fast

[natselection]

hey, i'm playing the head for confirmation on my upright for an audition in about an hour. i really need help playing it uber fast at around 204. i used to be able to play it but starting to play it now and i'm having some troubles. tips?

[anonymous0726]

Relax and hear it. Play the melody from your brain and ears and just let your hands follow along.

[Dbassmon]

Good luck on your audition. Zen my brother. Light touch, relax. If you try an muscle down you will not play your best. You are what you must conquer. The notes are all in your head. Let them find their way out and flow.

Ray Parker - Citizen Arcane... very clever!

[anonymous0726]

I wish it was mine (Citizen Arcane), but I was given the title in another thread for one of my more nebulous jabs at humor.

[Marcus Johnson]

You're welcome, Ray. I actually swiped it from the late Herb Cane.


Great advice. Just hear it and your hands will follow. It's amazing how well that works. As Denzel Washington said in "Training Day"....."just breathe, dawg".

Dbassmon said it well. It's only fast if you make it fast.

[EliMarcusBass]

Originally Posted by Dbassmon

Good luck on your audition. Zen my brother. Light touch, relax. If you try an muscle down you will not play your best. You are what you must conquer. The notes are all in your head. Let them find their way out and flow.

AMEN!!

I truly believe that if you just relax and play whats truly inside you then u cant go wrong because nothing is wrong if it is within yourself. True zen and inner peace can really bring around your bass playing and your life!

If you wanna take it one step further, read ZEN GUITAR

[Kam]

Besides getting the mental blocks of playing fast out of the way, it helps to play fast passages or melodies with a dotted rhythm. In this case, reverse the swing pattern for confirmation, playing it 16th to dotted eighth..if that makes sense..even though true swing doesn't involve dotted 8ths and 16ths..you get what I mean.