Advice for a blind learner!

profdave · #1 08-31-2011, 12:38 PM

Again I seek advice. I'm "legally" blind and after 45 years of playing the wrong guitar I switched to the right one, bass. I have very limited vision and when the lights are low, I get no visual help at all while playing. I have to depend on touch and sound and when it's noisy, by the time I recognize I'm off, it's too late.
Some advice: should I commit myself to simply practice, practice, practice so I can hit the notes without any visual input or is somebody aware of some other technique or innovative means to help me know exactly where I am?
Any feedback would be welcomed.
Thanks,
Dave

fettbass · #2 08-31-2011, 12:45 PM

Well, the easy way would be to add some sort of physical landmarks on the neck, maybe sanding certain areas down, using nail polish to mark areas, etc.

I'd recommend really learning your positions, ie, become intimately familiar with where every note is on the neck. I studied out of the Simandl book for double bass, for my upright bass work, and I basically play without looking at the fingerboard most of the time. It's essential for sight reading, but I also think it would be really helpful for a person such as yourself, who can't rely on visual cues as much as other people.

panda bass · #3 08-31-2011, 12:46 PM

There is a bunch of stuff on here about light up fret markers!

Schlyder · #4 08-31-2011, 12:54 PM

Practice, practice, practice, until you need very little visual input to know where you are.
Ear training and learning theory and harmony will also help a lot. Find a good teacher.
Stevie Wonder.Ray Charles.Roy Orbison... do I need to say anymore?

grendle · #5 08-31-2011, 12:57 PM

Brail on the bottom of the fretboard? Not really brail but a bump or something where the fretmarkers would be maybe. Led markers would be great I would think. If your bass shopping, look for an older warwick. The neck has kind of a hump in the middle. I always disliked the feel of it but was told it was designed into the bass as a refrence point on the neck. Makes alot of sense actually, it might work for you.

profdave · #6 08-31-2011, 12:59 PM

Much appreciated. I've considered the landmark idea but your take on it is more palatable than a friend who wanted to take small chunks out of the back. I've also considered places lightly glue objects like gold stars at certain key positions.

Your advice on gaining intimate knowledge of the fretboard and notes occurs to me to be the right solution in the long term. You made an excellent point and I recall when I was in an orchestra in high school and played the double bass, I was looking at the music, not my hands. I"m not sure how to train myself to do this but I'll start with daily 15 minute drills on note location and see where it goes.
Your thoughtful comments are greatly appreciated. Dave

**Thor** · #7 08-31-2011, 01:03 PM

Our very own Bryan Tyler, bass forum mod, has similar challenges, you might want to consult him for some advice as well. I have heard him play and he is quite proficient in my estimation.

profdave · #8 08-31-2011, 01:08 PM

Roy Orbison was blind? The things that got away from me! I am starting bass lessons with an outstanding player and I think teacher too. Even though I'm 59, I'm an optimist and still look on long-term improvement and intend to play well into my 90's. My great grandfather lived to be 96 and told me that the first 90 years were easy. Thanks again, Dave

FunkMetalBass · #9 08-31-2011, 01:09 PM

There was another thread around here recently where someone discussed LEDs for low visibility on stage. There are quite a few links in that thread with $20-$30 units that stick onto the top of the side of the fretboard.

The other option is to do what the upright beginners do - tapes. Essentially, they use a narrow piece of tape wrapped around the neck to guide their hands and fingers. It's non-invasive, hard to see, and on the fretless/upright, doesn't affect the note. You might consider putting a piece of tape on the back of the neck for your thumb's position in first, second, etc. position.

As you continue to learn, you eyesight will begin to give way to your other senses - namely feeling and hearing.

One thing I do on occasion is shut out the lights, and play in darkness with only my tuner light so that I can practice hitting notes without looking.

basstones · #10 08-31-2011, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Roy Orbison was blind?

No, just dark glasses.

fenderhutz · #11 08-31-2011, 01:15 PM

A friend of mine had a bass that had tiny drill indents where the fret dots were up and down an old bass he had with a double at 12.

His grandfather was legally blind and found this VERY helpful.

profdave · #12 08-31-2011, 01:21 PM

Thanks again - you folks have given me some great ideas for short-term and long-term solutions. I can always count on this forum. Dave

**bobbybass85** · #13 08-31-2011, 01:22 PM

I watched a video on youtube of Anthony Wellington doing an Aguilar clinic that I think offered some good insight. He mentions how he loves to play with his eyes closed and uses what he hears internally to guide his playing to bring out what he hears inside his head. This comes from really understanding theory and knowing the fretboard, so no matter where you land on the fretboard you can move back to where you want to go.

At about the 5 minute mark of the video he explains that even if you land outside of the song's key, that with the right knowledge of theory you can use different scale patterns to move back into the key of the song.

This would be the practice, practice, practice part. But it'll should (i'm hoping this is true for my own sake) make us all better players.

Here's the video. Hope it helps!

Aguilar Amplification Master Class- Bassist Anthony Wellington's Infinite Field of Ideas - YouTube

spade2you · #14 08-31-2011, 01:52 PM

On top of what has already been said, perhaps something like a 5 or 6 string bass might not be a bad idea in the sense that it would help with avoiding a certain amount of left hand shifting.

grendle · #15 08-31-2011, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by profdave

Much appreciated. I've considered the landmark idea but your take on it is more palatable than a friend who wanted to take small chunks out of the back. I've also considered places lightly glue objects like gold stars at certain key positions.

Your advice on gaining intimate knowledge of the fretboard and notes occurs to me to be the right solution in the long term. You made an excellent point and I recall when I was in an orchestra in high school and played the double bass, I was looking at the music, not my hands. I"m not sure how to train myself to do this but I'll start with daily 15 minute drills on note location and see where it goes.
Your thoughtful comments are greatly appreciated. Dave

I thought I saw some small sick on "bumps" at staples or something. They use them to keep keyboards and things from sliding around your desktop. Might be able to stick them on the back of the neck or bottom edge of the fretboard. I would think you could shave them down to your liking and take them off if you don't like them.

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #16 08-31-2011, 07:26 PM

Thanks, O.

Dave, I've been legally blind since birth, and have a whole host of eye issues. One thing that helps is keeping your bass worn high on your body with a shorter strap so you can see the side dots more easily. Dots/blocks on the front of your bass are helpful as well, but not necessary (none of the basses I've owned in recent years have had any front markings). What really helps is recognizing and remembering hand positions and having a good ear. If I slide my hand up the neck and can't really see what fret I'm on, playing a note and recognizing its pitch by ear where it is in the key I'm playing will help me know where I am on the bass, even if I don't know by sight what fret I'm on.

gt96g · #17 08-31-2011, 07:31 PM

yeah I would look into the led fret markers, those could be very helpful in Low light.

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #18 08-31-2011, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gt96g

yeah I would look into the led fret markers, those could be very helpful in Low light.

One BIG caveat to those though.

I had a fretless made with red LEDs that were very helpful. BUT, when the LEDs were off, the darkened LED was almost black against the ebony fretboard they were installed in. If you're going to have LEDs installed, make sure the "off" color of the LEDs have enough contrast against the fingerboard wood.

Tupac · #19 08-31-2011, 07:45 PM

Hmmm... how are you typing this?

Seriously though, I'd recommend putting little drill notches into the side of the neck where the painted dots usually are.

Session1969 · #20 08-31-2011, 07:48 PM

I have some advice which may help. I've often found myself in situations when I couldn't see from the lighting being low. I take my fingers and rest them over each of the first four frets so I have a bearing as to where my fingers are in relation to the fretboard. If I need to hit a higher note, I'll quickly slide my hand down the next four frets and the next four frets, if necessary. In a sense, the frets are your brale as they are for anyone who plays without looking. I'll bet you already do that, so the next step would be to practice , practice , practice until you can hit any note you want instinctively. Pick a position in your head such as e on the 14th fret on the d string and keep trying until your hand/mind coordination makes it easy to pick any note and hit it. Start with the songs you already know as well. I used to practice in the dark as a teenager because I read in an article that doing so would help at playing without looking since there's no cheating. Of course it's true, it's just not that easy at first. I became good at it. Performers don't have the luxury of standing in one spot and looking at what they're playing anyway. I realize that not everyone is a fanatic the way I've been at times but I bet you'll be surprised at how fast you'll master your fret board. Beware though, going from a twenty one fretter to a twenty four fretter will take some adjusting and I probably wouldn't do it on the fly until making an adjustment like that won't trip you up. I'm a performer and I wouldn't dare put more focus into trying to see than what is reasonable. Look at it as one less thing to worry about !