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Bad Lighting, or, why practice without looking at the fretboard?
- Thread starter hrodbert696
- Start date
I agree and that is a really good point. I'm constantly surprised with the "bass for sale" ads that show multiple pictures of the bass from every conceivable angle EXCEPT the one I'll be looking at when I play the damn thing!
On basses where the side dots are tough to see, I use these (yellow seems to work best for me) on the 5th and 12th fret. That said, my favourite neck for low-visibilty situations is white binding with black dots.
Turnaround
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Do what I did.
Take violin lessons at school in second grade and have the mean teacher whack your knuckles with a wooden ruler when you look down at your neck, away from your sheet music.
or the Luminlay(?). I have that on a couple basses, the dots are really bright if they have ample time in the light to charge.
Sounds like that stage was way too dark. Sorry.
Take violin lessons at school in second grade and have the mean teacher whack your knuckles with a wooden ruler when you look down at your neck, away from your sheet music.
or the Luminlay(?). I have that on a couple basses, the dots are really bright if they have ample time in the light to charge.
Sounds like that stage was way too dark. Sorry.
Hilarious.Get a fretless, and you'll never miss a note by exactly 1/2 step.
My avatar fretless neck has a small dent on the back that I can feel that’s just flat of where the 5th fret would be. It’s right where the thumb/finger web would hit the neck if I’m playing that position. I’ve half seriously said before I can find my position off that dent.
I have installed aluminum side markers on a couple of my basses. It catches the available light.
@JIO does the same - I think I got the idea from him.
@JIO does the same - I think I got the idea from him.
Our first 'regular' place was the same, they would kill the lights and the stage was DARK. I ordered some glow paint and put it over the side dots. I put a battery powered lantern on the stage until the paint came, and mostly to see my cheat notes. Kinda cool looking, like an old ships lantern.
We quit playing there shortly after the paint came it, and never played anywhere that dark again, but I still like it. You have to charge it up with a bright flashlight, but more importantly you can feel the bump, so it still works.
I also regularly practice not looking, great skill to have.
We quit playing there shortly after the paint came it, and never played anywhere that dark again, but I still like it. You have to charge it up with a bright flashlight, but more importantly you can feel the bump, so it still works.
I also regularly practice not looking, great skill to have.
- Jun 30, 2010
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- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
...and I got the idea from Danelectro!
'68 Coral Deluxe Bass - late '60s 'RI' of the early '60s Dano Dane.
I have to admit, I've played exclusively fretless for 40+ years, and recently got a fretted bass. Of course i'm missing all kinds of notes as I learn how to play the thing. This forced me to realize two things: First, playing fretted bass is a skill unto itself, to make good shifts without clanking and buzzing. Second, maybe I'm just as sloppy on fretless, and need to spend some more time in the woodshed with both instruments.
I made a pact with myself, that I have to give the fretted bass a good serious try, for at least a year, before I'm allowed to yank the frets out of it.
I made a pact with myself, that I have to give the fretted bass a good serious try, for at least a year, before I'm allowed to yank the frets out of it.
I make a habit of not looking in practice, so when the lights go out I’m still good, unless I’m reading the all bets are off.
Dark stage posts tend to bring out the Luminlay/sticker/side-marker-hack fans as well as the "learn to play without looking at the neck" contingent. Personally, I'm team side marker and a big Luminlay fan.
Look—and this is not a hypothetical scenario for the cover gigs I play—if I'm playing bass on a new tune the band hasn't played in rehearsal, on a pitch black stage, while reading changes and lyrics on a dimmed iPad, while singing the lead vocal, while giving or receiving cues from the band, and while making enough eye contact with the audience to not look like a total dweeb...I'm not going to feel like less of a musician because I throw an occasional glance at the faint glow of my fretboard side markers to stay oriented.
At least I'm not wearing shorts, right? haha
Look—and this is not a hypothetical scenario for the cover gigs I play—if I'm playing bass on a new tune the band hasn't played in rehearsal, on a pitch black stage, while reading changes and lyrics on a dimmed iPad, while singing the lead vocal, while giving or receiving cues from the band, and while making enough eye contact with the audience to not look like a total dweeb...I'm not going to feel like less of a musician because I throw an occasional glance at the faint glow of my fretboard side markers to stay oriented.
At least I'm not wearing shorts, right? haha
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One of the things I do sometimes when I think I know a set of music cold is....I play it with my eyes closed. The whole set (no peeking!) - if you do this enough, and you do know the material cold, it is pretty amazing at how good your muscle memory can be. I play church gigs, so I end up playing things in different keys, with different arrangements, and with a lot of different musicians, and if all I do is stare at my hands, I'm missing a LOT of input from other musicians, the congregation, etc. that I really need to do my job well.
And yes, I play on a lot of big, dark stages (The light is 3 feet on front of me, where the singers are), which makes it all the more important to be dark adapted. Plus, I do this on all my bass necks, just in case:
And yes, I play on a lot of big, dark stages (The light is 3 feet on front of me, where the singers are), which makes it all the more important to be dark adapted. Plus, I do this on all my bass necks, just in case:
It is good to know the material well enough so your eyes are not glued to the fretboard the whole time. However, I think it's more important to play well than to perform well. Well, both are important to put on a good show, but playing without looking is practicing the performance.
My preference is high contrast and large side dots. I have a bass on order that will have 4mm Luminlay side dots and as much as I like mother of pearl, I chose white fingerboard dots against a dark wood.
My preference is high contrast and large side dots. I have a bass on order that will have 4mm Luminlay side dots and as much as I like mother of pearl, I chose white fingerboard dots against a dark wood.
It’s posts like these where I wonder if I really want to get a fretless neck for my next P bass
I often have to play in crappy lighting. I always make sure I have one (or two) of the stand lights (photo below). But one time I was doing a (musical theater) show and upon opening the house went black. We were made to turn off the stand lights and I had no freakin' clue where my left hand was on the neck. It was a problem. Even when the stage lights came up and my stand lights were on I couldn't really see the neck. Thoroughout that show I had to mount another light from behind so could see where everything was.
After that I bought some cheap phosphorluminescent dots off of Ebay. They were less than $5.00 for a few hundred of them in various sizes. They work perfectly if they get charged with light before needing to be of help. Even in regular light the large dots make it so much easier to spot the various fret positions rather than those teeny dots drilled into the sides of the necks.
However I try to always pack stand lights with me. I have visual issues and these are an immense help. The two wide ones are really, really good. I usually only use one at a time, but in March I'm doing another musical where I'll have two adjoining stands and 3-4 pages of music spread across from time to time and I'll use both. I think they're about $25 each and well worth the money. Even if I don't "need" them I use them anyway. They really help when there is awful directional light creating harsh shadows on the music.
After that I bought some cheap phosphorluminescent dots off of Ebay. They were less than $5.00 for a few hundred of them in various sizes. They work perfectly if they get charged with light before needing to be of help. Even in regular light the large dots make it so much easier to spot the various fret positions rather than those teeny dots drilled into the sides of the necks.
However I try to always pack stand lights with me. I have visual issues and these are an immense help. The two wide ones are really, really good. I usually only use one at a time, but in March I'm doing another musical where I'll have two adjoining stands and 3-4 pages of music spread across from time to time and I'll use both. I think they're about $25 each and well worth the money. Even if I don't "need" them I use them anyway. They really help when there is awful directional light creating harsh shadows on the music.
I got tired of looking at my fret hand about the same time I started playing chart gigs where you just can't look, ya gotta read. Two things that worked for me:
First, play in front of a longways mirror and watch your hand in the mirror. You can see things you may want to fix and builds memory/feel in your hands as to where you are. Plus you can practice your pouty, rock and roll expressions. This will teach you to look OUT instead of DOWN.
Second, practice in a pitch black room. Either run your exercises or play along to recordings. After a very short time, you'll know exactly where you are, change positions, everything.
After these, some sorta dark venue is a breeze.
First, play in front of a longways mirror and watch your hand in the mirror. You can see things you may want to fix and builds memory/feel in your hands as to where you are. Plus you can practice your pouty, rock and roll expressions. This will teach you to look OUT instead of DOWN.
Second, practice in a pitch black room. Either run your exercises or play along to recordings. After a very short time, you'll know exactly where you are, change positions, everything.
After these, some sorta dark venue is a breeze.
Light up your neck with LED's. They work well for me.
... FretFX ... Attachable Illuminated LED Fret Markers
... FretFX ... Attachable Illuminated LED Fret Markers
That's so far out it's in, man.3 beat on a passing tone is
AVANTE GARD jazz
