Help me not look at my fretboard!

[dain bramage]

What are some ways to not look at the fretboard and still not miss notes?? It seems that the only times in my band's songs where I can look away from it is during the choruses!

[OXploiter]

All I can say is practice more, get the muscle memory in your left hand going (and get it familiar with the spacing), and start to gradually practice without looking at the board. It might also help to practice in front of a mirror, so that you're making sure that your fingers are in the right place but not looking down at the same time.

[thebassclef]

+1 Muscle Memory is the key, and confidence in your ability.

Just start playing scales and don't look. Start off Slow. Use a blindfold if needed. You will mess up. When you do, Start over until you can do it without messing up.

[dain bramage]

Okay, I'll try that stuff.

I also need to learn to not stand straight up when I'm playing, I look so stiff. I need to be jumping around or have a wide stance.

[vindy500]

let it come natural man, move with the music.. as to the fretboard thing, practice practice practice without looking, this will also help you practice your ear. if you have a webcam or video recorder reore yourself with the monitor turrned off so you cant see yourself in realtime. then watch the video.

[Jazz Ad]

What's wrong with looking at your neck ?

[schmittuml]

i put a mirror on the wall by my desk so i play facing it and watch myself playing.......if u do slip u can "see" where u need to go without looking at the fretboard........and you get a LOT more comfortable.....

[Dash Rantic]

Looking at the neck is perfectly acceptable IMO.

But here's how I practice: At night, go into the darkest room in your house, (turn the lights on so you can setup your bass and amp and such!), then turn the lights of and try to play. Just by ear and feel, itll be very wierd. At first it's going to be horrible, but play slowly and don't be afraid of ****ing up. Play simple riffs that you know very well, and as you get better slowly progress to more complicated lines.

Doing things this way forces you to keep from "cheating". Also when you're actually paying not in the dark, you will be able to play most stuff without looking and then be able to steal a quick glance for other lines.

Anyway, that's what works for me.

-Dash

[dain bramage]

Originally Posted by Jazz Ad

What's wrong with looking at your neck ?

It doesn't allow you to have stage presence.

[Jazz Ad]

I will have to disagree.


I can see it as annoying if you have to sightread, otherwise you can rock out while keeping an eye on the neck.

[steve66]

Originally Posted by Jazz Ad

I will have to disagree.

This is the only reason I look at my fretboard. I try to do whatever Jaco does. I say If Jaco looks at the fretboard, dont worry about it.

[SBassman]

Nothing wrong with looking at the neck.

But, it also doesn't hurt to work on playing with ears and feel only, and not eyes.

Sometimes I practice laying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

[Jazz Ad]

I find playing by ear useful for fretless. I tend to practice in the dark.
On fretted, playing without looking just makes me play the wrong notes.

[Hookus]

Let me try to give you more specific advice.

1. Learn to use all four fingers, and learn to cover four-five frets without moving your thumb.

2. Learn to play more notes in one position, rather than up and down the neck, again, without moving your thumb, and covering four-five frets.

3. Always place your thumb behing a specific finger, and always do it that way.

4. Use all these steps every single time you practice.

Hopefully this helps. Remember, this essentially is the greatest benefit of 5-6 string basses: extended tonal range in a single position.

[IanStephenson]

Looking at the fretboard is a problem because it stops you looking out at the audience, at the rest of the band, and generally Performing. It also makes you second guess yourself. Nothing wrong with the odd glance, or taking a peak during the tricky bits but if you're dependant on it, then that has to be a bad thing - any dependance is bad.

Learn to play "in positions" - that is without moving your hand. As Hookus says that means one finger per fret, and moving across strings rather than moving your hand up and down strings.

Once you've done that, it's really a question of just having the confidence. I've been gigging regularly with the new band (three gigs this weekend - just back from the third, and I'm totally wiped out!), and the first few gigs I was looking at the fretboard, even though I KNEW I didn't have to. I've been working on it - forcing my self to look out into the audience, and I've more or less cracked it now. Just keep finding things to look at, and keep doing it. It's made a big difference to my overall performance, and helps the band in general.

Ian

[dain bramage]

Hmmm... maybe I could headbang in the tricky parts and look at the fretboard while doing that!










Too bad we're not a metal band.

[seanm]

Originally Posted by Jazz Ad

What's wrong with looking at your neck ?

There are times when you can't look at your neck. If you are dependant on looking, you will limit yourself.

Somebody already mentioned reading. And watching the band is important.

Another situation is playing a song you do not know and have never heard and/or the singer plays it weird. Sometimes having your eyes glued on the guitar players fingers is the only way to get through the song.

Does that mean I never look at the fretboard? Of course not. When doing large jumps I always look down to make sure I get them right.

And sometimes you have to do the "walk up the string until you get the right note" and then look down and see what it is!

[Hookus]

I always look, but only when changing positions.

[steveksux]

Main thing is learn to play 1 finger per fret. That minimizes the need to shift positions. Even then, lots of lines you change position when you don't really need to, an alternate fingering will let you remain in the original position. Work on those, its good dexterity exercise for the left hand anyway.

Then just stop looking at your neck all the time. Only way to do it. Start by looking only when you have to shift your left hand position.

You should be able to do a 2 fret shift pretty reliably without looking with very little practice. Larger shifts than that get more unreliable and harder to do without looking, probably warrants a quick glance at the neck.

Randy

[dain bramage]

I can't do the one finger per fret thing on the lower notes because my hands aren't big enough. Luckily, most of my band's playing is between the 3rd and 7th frets.