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About to get the boot. Got 4 months to improve. What would you do?

#125
If you have the cash, get a Zoom H2 recorder. You can get them for under 100 bucks used. Super easy way to get a decent recording of band rehearsal. Then, like many others have already said, listen to it. Really listen. What can you add? Practice/compose to your recordings. The other thing I would do is get with your buddy that plays guitar and see if he will get together with just you and jam the songs. The quickest I have ever grown as a bass player was when I was doing original stuff with just one other guitar player. There are no other instruments to hide short comings. You have to fill up all the dead space, no one else there to do it. Better yet, record your buddy playing the songs on the Zoom. Then you can work with those recordings any time you want.

Don't give up. You got this.
 
#127
bahia0019 said:
I'm a founding member of a band here in San Diego. We're very heavy rock. Some would say Stoner/Doom. But we're influenced by many things, Melvins, QOTSA, Sabbath, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Faith No More, Pixies, Pearl Jam, Metal, etc, etc...

The two guitarists have been playing since they were 11. Our drummer has been playing, seemingly, since before he was born. And then there's me. I started getting somewhat serious about 3 years ago, played with a bad band where i knocked out root notes.

The music we're producing is amazing stuff. I want to be involved. I've been friends with one of the guitarists for 20 years. So there's no lack for wanting.

But today, me and the guitarist sat down and had a chat. He said that I just wasn't at the level they all were really wanting a bass player to be at. But because we're friends first, and band mates second, and because I was there when we started these songs we're doing, he wants me to at least be on our EP (which is looking like 4 months out based on our schedules). At that point, they'll re-evaluate and see if they need to go find a another bassist.

So I have about 4 months to go from somewhat sufficient to amazing. I've had a few lessons, and I used to come in 2 hours a day. But backed off a bit. They all noticed the improvements during that time.
So that's something I can put back in.

All that said... If you had 4 months to pull of something miraculous, what are things you would do? What would you focus on?

Thanks
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Well, what music can you play now that pushes your technical skills? And what music can you not play that the guitarist wants you to play?
4 months is a timeframe that could be used to improve your existing skills, like maybe phrasing, time, getting down intros and solos and difficult passages of songs you are playing now.
Going from AC/DC to Dream Theater isn't possible in 4 months. Is that what he's kind of asking?
 
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#128
I was in your shoes once. I wouldn't consider myself amazing, but my bandmates in my current bands almost never say anything about my lines. What I found to be incredibly helpful was to get specific with my previous bandmates, and to push myself very hard all the time. For example, we had a guitarist that was a powerchords guy only. To get more feel out of what we did I would be the one hitting the notes that would imply certain moods etc. This translated to me getting better at playing around what other people are doing.

Another thing is to simply practice more. Take more risks, and when they don't work out find a way to work around the hangup and make it work. Most my best stuff comes from woodshedding. I'm in a jam band and when they come up with something great I'm usually chugging root 5ths. Then I go home and play it over and over again practicing with passing tones and trying to outline the chords differently. I try to make is sound like everything I do counts and feels deliberate
 
#129
First as many have mentioned, figure out what your band wants from you. More input, less input, better input? More playing, less playing or better playing? Stage presence? All of the above?

From there:

1) Lessons lessons lesson lessons.
2) jam with anyone you can
3) practice constantly, if you aren't doing 1 or 2 (and aren't sleeping/working/pooping) have a bass in your hands.

4 months isn't a ton of time but it's enough time.
 
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#130
Lots of posts. Here's my tl;dr reply.

Ask them for specifics so you can focus on elements and provide evidence of improvement in those areas.

Record yourself. You learn a bunch about your playing.

Prepare to step away. Go like a pro. Accept that you might not be what is best for the band. Friends of not, this is now an entity. If they are sincere about accepting improvement, then great. If they are soft pedaling asking you to leave, they will have a complaint about you again in the future.
 
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#131
Lobster11 said:
Disagree. Evidently OP is the "weak link" in a promising band -- he seems to be acknowledging that himself -- and so they could've just dumped him, hired a new bassist, and recorded the EP with the new guy. Instead, they gave OP four months to raise his game, and are giving him the opportunity to be in on the EP and other future plans if he can do so. That sounds pretty fair to me.
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Agreed. Plus, in his follow-up post he admitted he hadn't been practicing. Given that, I'd say it's very fair, even generous of them, to give him four months to get up to snuff.
 
#133
OP, just a thought. He won't replace you for four months, and AFTER you spend time and money in the studio. To me that is SCREAMING "we don't want to replace you". If they wanted to, they sure as heck would do it before going to the studio.

In others words, get off your #$&&$ and get in the woodshed. Don't lose the gig. Show improvement and that you care. You can do it.
 
#136
buldog5151bass said:
OP, just a thought. He won't replace you for four months, and AFTER you spend time and money in the studio. To me that is SCREAMING "we don't want to replace you". If they wanted to, they sure as heck would do it before going to the studio.

In others words, get off your #$&&$ and get in the woodshed. Don't lose the gig. Show improvement and that you care. You can do it.
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^This is the absolute truth. They just want as much improvement as possible. They're not going to waste 4 months on you that they could be breaking in a new guy. You show maximum improvement, and they'll hang on to you.
 
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#139
bahia0019 said:
It's encouraging to hear that 4 months is a long time. I know 4 months ≠ 20 years. But it's nice to know I can make something happen in that time.

As far as shortcomings, timing can be improved. I'm solid most of the time. But I can waver if I have to think about what to play.
That would be the other thing... Knowing what to play in the spaces where the bass would add something.
I had about 4 knee-to-knee lessons where I started to understand keys and scales. I started working on those quite a bit. That helped... but I often got confused too.
So getting comfortable with rhythms and fills I can add would be helpful. And I think that's just learning/listening/playing a LOT.

Listening and playing Steve Harris, Geddy (Whom I share a birthday with), and Geezer would go a long way.

Maybe just playing along to backing drum tracks, recording them and sitting down to dissect them with people my help too...

Thanks Bazztard, I appreciate the encouragement. I hope I gave you enough extra info.
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I think that the right hand is the way. Some exercises to improve your timing and division are simple and make a lot of diference for your bass playing.
Good luck and a lot of sweat brother!
 
#140
Honch said:
I know several, who've, when they've finally tried out the bass, they just ...drooled.. and went "this is MY thing". You just can't help it, can't explain it with anything in the world, it just goes boom inside you. Many wants to play guitar just for the antics, and adulation. But eventually, they seem to be more prone to - and better at - some other instrument. Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull did detect that he wasn't ever going to be any new Beck, Clapton or Page. He couldn't play solos no matter how he woodshedded. So he resorted to just strumming open chords on acoustic, and traded in his pre-cbs strat for ONE student flute. Well, the rest is history. The reason I mention Tull, is that that old band, was made up by old school mates too, and Ian eventually had to fire them, each one at a time, or circumvent the reasons through management. Apart from Martin Barre, who wasn't an old school chum, the rest he felt didn't develop at all. A bunch of ramshackle musicians. Homegrown, and just wanted to get famous.
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I don't know that you have your facts straight. Tull version 1 was not a bunch of school mates. Anderson replaced members until it was (excluding barre), Including getting the bass player trained from scratch. (he played bass for a pre-defined period and then dropped it - never a musician at heart). The band that he replaced with school mates was very very good but the direction that Anderson was going in did not suit them.
 

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