remembering bass lines?

[dolph lundgren]

I have a problem. I can not remember my bass bits. I can but... when playing them there is a good chance i might go to a wrong note, a root note (like a whole step off). I correct my mistakes usually pretty quickly but i can't have this happening.

Let me explain my bass experience to better help, hopefully, diagnosing my problem.

I have been playing bass seriously for about 3 years. I play everyday for hours. I play with a guitarists we have 8 sets consisting of 10 songs each. These songs are not strict we jam them out but jam em out pretty good.

I have written bass lines for a complete original album that is currently being mixed and mastered with another band. We just played our first show and i practiced our set (with media player) 2 times maybe 3 times a day for weeks before our show. And i still will second guess myself on songs about what the next change or progression will be. THIS IS ONLY 8 OR 9 SONGS! BUT!!! They do have alot of intricate chord progressions in many of the songs.

I am thinking it has to be my thought process or i just have to keep on practicing, which i will do anyway but i am starting to question if this is going to keep continuing.

So what do you think?

[BassDoc51]

Relax and don't think too much.

[tangentmusic]

You're too anxious about nailing your parts. It's normal.
We all want to pull off perfection.
With the amount of tunes you've got circulating in your mind right now(near 90), a bit of mental anguish is bound to occur.
Like BassDoc51 said: Relax
Then again there's always Xanax...

[dedpool1052]

i think this is fitting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_jFAhN6V9s

[dolph lundgren]

i agree. I do need to relax, a bit. I am always the first to point out my errors. I just feel people are so judgmental about musicians and music that i want things to be perfect, possibly.

Today when i was practicing i decided to start practicing with my eyes closed. I think this could help possibly but in a way that scientifically i cannot explain. Plus, it seemed i was hearing the music much better. In a way i can't describe.

[bassgod0dmw]

The majority of the audience will not notice if you mess up.

My advice would be...don't worry about it and make sure you have fun. Eventually things will just fall into place.

[dolph lundgren]

Good video, dedpool. That is knowledge that i needed. I appreciate it.

[dedpool1052]

Originally Posted by dolph lundgren

Good video, dedpool. That is knowledge that i needed. I appreciate it.

no problem. it was the first thing that popped in my head when i read your post and i think Vic makes a lot of good points.

[Bass_Thumper]

The thing that helps me most with this type of issue is singing the bass part to myself as I'm playing them. If I can sing the part, I can usually play it without too much issue.

[Kmonk]

Relax and don't worry about making mistakes. The more you think about them the more likely you are to make them. I read an article several years ago where one of Paul McCartney's guitarist said that they make mistakes almost every night. Paul usually laughs at them and they joke about it after the show. As long as the mistake is minor and doesn't cause a train wreck, its nothing to worry about.

[peledog]

Thanks for posting this!

Originally Posted by dedpool1052

i think this is fitting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_jFAhN6V9s

[gumbynotpokey]

Agree with the above.

Couple thoughts I've heard over the years. One is to practice at the level of the imagination and recite the changes from memory while picturing playing in your mind's eye. That is, doing this as a part of learning a song. Another is memorizing songs by sections. That is, breaking a song into verse, chorus, bridge, etc and memorizing those independently. This means when the BL goes, "Ok, let's do the chorus of _____ (song x)" you are right there - because you don't depend on the context of the song to lead you into the part.

[DigitalMan]

Couple of questions. Do you know your scales and modes? Also, do you relate the parts you have learned back to their key and mode on purpose? It's possible to memorize songs perfectly note-by-note without doing these things. However, having the right markers in your mind can make even your bad notes good enough (yeah, I meant to do that).

[jchrisk1]

Everybody hits wrong notes and misses parts. It happens. I think what's more important is how well you recover.

[mcm]

Sounds like your practicing too much. Play with confidence and dont care so much. Have fun with it.

[judeix808]

Originally Posted by bassgod0dmw

The majority of the audience will not notice if you mess up.

My advice would be...don't worry about it and make sure you have fun. Eventually things will just fall into place.

^^^^This