I'm good enough to play what I think suits my bands songs best.
Isn't that all that matters when it's all said and done?...
Isn't that all that matters when it's all said and done?...
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Be honest!
- Thread starter yawnsie
- Start date
john turner
You don't want to do that. Trust me.
my biggest weakness is that i am useless in anyone else's band or gig but my own. i seem to have some kind of mental block against playing anything but my own stuff (meaning my band's original material, which i write or co-write all of). my heart's just not in it if it isn't mine. i guess that's sorta immature, but there you have it. 
i'm also not as good a reader as i would like to be, but that again falls into the first category - reading someone elses stuff holds no allure to me right now. i can sight read easy stuff - 1/8ths and less at a reasonable to reasonably fast tempo - but anything more than that and i get lost quick.
my biggest strength, i think, is that i'm pretty good at applying the theory i know in a way that doesn't sound too "berklee-chops houndish", but rather more musical, at least to my ears. knowing it is useless without proper, musical application.
i'm also pretty creative, have a good ear and a good sense of time, have pretty fast fingers and know my neck pretty well, can play with a metronome or a click pretty well, have few problems with odd time, and have decent overall chops in general.
i'm also not as good a reader as i would like to be, but that again falls into the first category - reading someone elses stuff holds no allure to me right now. i can sight read easy stuff - 1/8ths and less at a reasonable to reasonably fast tempo - but anything more than that and i get lost quick.
my biggest strength, i think, is that i'm pretty good at applying the theory i know in a way that doesn't sound too "berklee-chops houndish", but rather more musical, at least to my ears. knowing it is useless without proper, musical application.
i'm also pretty creative, have a good ear and a good sense of time, have pretty fast fingers and know my neck pretty well, can play with a metronome or a click pretty well, have few problems with odd time, and have decent overall chops in general.
I've always been tagged as a melodic bass player in most situations. Ever since I started with this f**kin' prog band, though, with everyone else playing 100 notes per second, I've become Root Boy! 
Think of how much better we'd all be if we spent less time on here and more time playing
Actually Talkbass has inspired me to become better.
Actually Talkbass has inspired me to become better.
FreddyLang, you hit the nail on the head. If I spent more time away from this damn computer, my wife would be very happy.
Strengths;
Ability to play at pro level in many styles, latin, jazz, rock, blues, country, celtic, etc.
Ability to sightread in live situations.
Ability to freelance in all the above styles, and feel comfortable.
Strong sense of time, I can pull back a rushing drummer, or speed up a dragging one.
Double on six string bass, acoustic upright, and electric upright.
I refuse to slap (I consider this a strength!).
Weaknesses;
Have never played in a funk band, and so am pretty weak on funk lines.
Soloing on the upright is a bit dismal.
Lazy.
Having great difficulty trying to achieve that bouyant,
bouncing feel of Paul Chambers and Ray Brown.
Dont know the rest of my weaknesses, I'm sure there are heaps.
Someone brought up a good point - playing slowly with conviction and taste is far more difficult than playing fast.
Strengths;
Ability to play at pro level in many styles, latin, jazz, rock, blues, country, celtic, etc.
Ability to sightread in live situations.
Ability to freelance in all the above styles, and feel comfortable.
Strong sense of time, I can pull back a rushing drummer, or speed up a dragging one.
Double on six string bass, acoustic upright, and electric upright.
I refuse to slap (I consider this a strength!).
Weaknesses;
Have never played in a funk band, and so am pretty weak on funk lines.
Soloing on the upright is a bit dismal.
Lazy.
Having great difficulty trying to achieve that bouyant,
bouncing feel of Paul Chambers and Ray Brown.
Dont know the rest of my weaknesses, I'm sure there are heaps.
Someone brought up a good point - playing slowly with conviction and taste is far more difficult than playing fast.
okay.. this is a little late.. I ment to reply earlier... but anyway,
My strenghts are those(imo, but of course a second opinion would be better...):
I can jam pretty well, and play whatever someone´s playing as long as I can hear (or see) what key he´s playing.
I´m OK at slapping(who cares?)
I can groove! my time is usually good and I can lock up with the groove in the song most of the time. (at least I think so.)
and my ear is also pretty decent
my weaknesses are:
I spend too much time on the pc that I should be spending on my bass!
I SUCK at soloing! except when someone tells me what to play.. I can´t really make up solos "on the spot"
I tend to overplay sometimes. (walk too much and stuff...)
I need to practice sight-reading the bass clef more. (I can sight read most everything in the treble clef on both guitar and piano)
I have much more weaknesses! I don´t know why I could only think of so few now...
anyway... I´m outta here... gonna watch some good old 20th century tv! no.. wait... 21st century tv!
My strenghts are those(imo, but of course a second opinion would be better...):
I can jam pretty well, and play whatever someone´s playing as long as I can hear (or see) what key he´s playing.
I´m OK at slapping(who cares?)
I can groove! my time is usually good and I can lock up with the groove in the song most of the time. (at least I think so.)
and my ear is also pretty decent
my weaknesses are:
I spend too much time on the pc that I should be spending on my bass!
I SUCK at soloing! except when someone tells me what to play.. I can´t really make up solos "on the spot"
I tend to overplay sometimes. (walk too much and stuff...)
I need to practice sight-reading the bass clef more. (I can sight read most everything in the treble clef on both guitar and piano)
I have much more weaknesses! I don´t know why I could only think of so few now...
anyway... I´m outta here... gonna watch some good old 20th century tv! no.. wait... 21st century tv!
Since development is the name of the game, I thought it would be nice to revisit this thread, and talk about how we have all developed. And for the new members, this is a good opportunity to share.
This is pretty much the same. I've continued my theory studies with Levine's "Jazz Theory" and some other sources.
I've worked on this a lot. I am fanatical about recording rehearsals and performances, and I listen to them constantly to see how my bass sounds and performs in a group setting. I really think I've become tighter and tighter with my drummer, and the rhythm section is getting tighter. I'm real happy with my progress here.
With this I may have regressed, because the only band I'm in now doesn't play a single slow song. I've got some Duke at 60bpm that I'm playing with, and it's actually more difficult than I thought, because I haven't done it for awhile.
I've made great strides here. Actually, fretted is more difficult now.
I could fake a chart, but it still wouldn't sound great.
-------------------------------------------------
I have really neglected this, and the tendonitis has acted up one more time since originally posting this comment. Acupuncture still came to the rescue, but I still have the problem.
Much much much better. My ear is still a weaker area of my musicianship, but I'm finding I'm picking up tones much quicker. I really think this development has come a long way. I've spent a lot of time in a Real Book playing through tunes, and it has helped immensely in my ear training.
Still couldn't play What is Hip or Donna Lee. It might come with time, but accurate meter and tone are more important to me right now. If I become perfect in that, then I'll work on 32nd notes at 320bpm.
Okay, I know what tapping is, but I don't use it. I used to slap/pop a bit during a solo at the end of our night, but it bored me, so I'm not going to do it any longer.
Much better. Not really a problem anymore.
I've worked a bit on soloing and feel much better now. I have found that studying horn parts to jazz tunes has helped immensely.
Still do!
Still don't.
Still don't. Sorry CHARRED!
This is pretty much the same. I've continued my theory studies with Levine's "Jazz Theory" and some other sources.
I've worked on this a lot. I am fanatical about recording rehearsals and performances, and I listen to them constantly to see how my bass sounds and performs in a group setting. I really think I've become tighter and tighter with my drummer, and the rhythm section is getting tighter. I'm real happy with my progress here.
With this I may have regressed, because the only band I'm in now doesn't play a single slow song. I've got some Duke at 60bpm that I'm playing with, and it's actually more difficult than I thought, because I haven't done it for awhile.
I've made great strides here. Actually, fretted is more difficult now.
I could fake a chart, but it still wouldn't sound great.
-------------------------------------------------
I have really neglected this, and the tendonitis has acted up one more time since originally posting this comment. Acupuncture still came to the rescue, but I still have the problem.
Much much much better. My ear is still a weaker area of my musicianship, but I'm finding I'm picking up tones much quicker. I really think this development has come a long way. I've spent a lot of time in a Real Book playing through tunes, and it has helped immensely in my ear training.
Still couldn't play What is Hip or Donna Lee. It might come with time, but accurate meter and tone are more important to me right now. If I become perfect in that, then I'll work on 32nd notes at 320bpm.
Okay, I know what tapping is, but I don't use it. I used to slap/pop a bit during a solo at the end of our night, but it bored me, so I'm not going to do it any longer.
Much better. Not really a problem anymore.
I've worked a bit on soloing and feel much better now. I have found that studying horn parts to jazz tunes has helped immensely.
I like Peavey.
Still do!
Still don't.
Still don't. Sorry CHARRED!
My weakness's are jazz and walking bass lines...I have a hard time walkin through the changes and just feeling the whole thing. Maybe if I listened to jazz more Id actually get better at it.
I cant read music as well as Id like too. I can site read but I have to think about what Im reading for a second, I cant put a piece of music in front of me and just go off to it the way Id like too. But as with anything, this will only improve with practice. Im not very proficient with finger tapping either. These are my weakness's because I never take the time to really practice them as much as I should.
But my bigest weakness is I sometimes lack confidence in myself when it comes to my playing.
I cant read music as well as Id like too. I can site read but I have to think about what Im reading for a second, I cant put a piece of music in front of me and just go off to it the way Id like too. But as with anything, this will only improve with practice. Im not very proficient with finger tapping either. These are my weakness's because I never take the time to really practice them as much as I should.
But my bigest weakness is I sometimes lack confidence in myself when it comes to my playing.
Bigfeet
Registered
Well I've got a very good ear and can invert a song into something completely different, like something will be morbid in one part, I'll change the song around and make it a little funky. I can change between slap and finger style in an instant and have a unique way of feeling an effect making sounds more like a key board by mixing solid hand playing techniques. Unusual fretting technics evolve into a good groove.
I over power with left too much though and have a problem with over playing in slower parts and that can ruin any goo song. I also have a problem with staying articulate while bouncing around on stage.
You are not a true bass player unless your fingers are bleeding, but yet you still play. I've done that a few times, I play allot.
I over power with left too much though and have a problem with over playing in slower parts and that can ruin any goo song. I also have a problem with staying articulate while bouncing around on stage.
You are not a true bass player unless your fingers are bleeding, but yet you still play. I've done that a few times, I play allot.
okay, after careful introspection ...
- sometimes i can hop on my bass and not think of a single thing to play. my fingers stiffen up and if there's people waiting expectantly, i look _really_ silly.
- sometimes i'll just be blazing ! usually after warming up for about an hour, i'll just be going nuts. but this sorta gets me paranoid: i can't play how i'd like whenever i'd like, and thus i get kinda apprehensive when people ask me to play something for them.
- perhaps i slap too much my fingerstyle is a lot more underdeveloped than my thumb action, and since fingers is what i use most in a group situation, i should probably devote some time to it.
- theory still not good enough for me to fully understand what i'm playing and why i'm playing it.
- ear is pretty bad ... where most people will hear a Bb, i'll be hearing a C
- should probably learn how to play with a pick, 'coz i like metal
in conclusion, so far removed from perfect it's not funny !
- sometimes i can hop on my bass and not think of a single thing to play. my fingers stiffen up and if there's people waiting expectantly, i look _really_ silly.
- sometimes i'll just be blazing ! usually after warming up for about an hour, i'll just be going nuts. but this sorta gets me paranoid: i can't play how i'd like whenever i'd like, and thus i get kinda apprehensive when people ask me to play something for them.
- perhaps i slap too much
my fingerstyle is a lot more underdeveloped than my thumb action, and since fingers is what i use most in a group situation, i should probably devote some time to it.- theory still not good enough for me to fully understand what i'm playing and why i'm playing it.
- ear is pretty bad ... where most people will hear a Bb, i'll be hearing a C
- should probably learn how to play with a pick, 'coz i like metal
in conclusion, so far removed from perfect it's not funny !
OK, here we go:
Strengths:
* My left hand technique is very good. Slides, hammer-ons, pulls-offs, bends, you name it I can do it well. Also good at no fretbuzz, but the only reason got all this is from playing too many video games(good hand strength)
* I know a whole lot about gear..pups, amps, effects, basses etc. I'm a great salesman
* I can play fast with a pick...I can easily keep up with 200bpm, downstrokes only...alternation faster.
*My slapping is passable, considering I don't like to use it that much. I actually wrote a slap line yesterday, then I ply it normal for our song..then slap and pop it out for a funky outro, so I'm happy with that. Doesn't help that my guitarist loves slapping, and only really considers anyone a decent bassist if they can do it(he listens to a lot of Incubus..Dirk Lance doubleslaps, I don't).
* My theory is very good for 7 months of playing. I just got a knack for it. Understand relationships, and I'm getting good at equating it to my fingerboard(octave gaps, roots, fourths and thirds are at my disposal upon the mentioning of a root). My scales come easy too, except I need more strings so I can work on my multi-octaves.
*I can tap a little...by a little I mean a superfast version of 'All Along The Watchtower'.
Weaknesses:
*Definitely my ear. Can't transcribe at all by ear. I can recognize tuning on my bass, and intonation on fretles, but I otherwise suck.
*Can't read. Know the theory, haven't practiced it yet. I can sight read from tab though, if timing is indicated.
*Can't play fingerstyle. Genetic inability, my middle finger is 1/2" longer than my index, as a result I always overstrike with the middle as it's doo far past the string. No amount of techniques or drilling have fixed this. I always preferred pick tone anyway.
* My soloing(musically) is non existant. I have no idea what I'm doing, except I'll just hit any note from an in-key pentatonic to a rhythm. But, my bending, hammering etc. makes me sound like I know what I'm on about.
* I like Peavey. And Ibanez. I don't like Warwick or Fender. I love Spector though
If I sound big-headed, I ain't. I suck, and I get told plenty by my band members.
Strengths:
* My left hand technique is very good. Slides, hammer-ons, pulls-offs, bends, you name it I can do it well. Also good at no fretbuzz, but the only reason got all this is from playing too many video games(good hand strength)
* I know a whole lot about gear..pups, amps, effects, basses etc. I'm a great salesman
* I can play fast with a pick...I can easily keep up with 200bpm, downstrokes only...alternation faster.
*My slapping is passable, considering I don't like to use it that much. I actually wrote a slap line yesterday, then I ply it normal for our song..then slap and pop it out for a funky outro, so I'm happy with that. Doesn't help that my guitarist loves slapping, and only really considers anyone a decent bassist if they can do it(he listens to a lot of Incubus..Dirk Lance doubleslaps, I don't
).* My theory is very good for 7 months of playing. I just got a knack for it. Understand relationships, and I'm getting good at equating it to my fingerboard(octave gaps, roots, fourths and thirds are at my disposal upon the mentioning of a root). My scales come easy too, except I need more strings so I can work on my multi-octaves
.*I can tap a little...by a little I mean a superfast version of 'All Along The Watchtower'.
Weaknesses:
*Definitely my ear. Can't transcribe at all by ear. I can recognize tuning on my bass, and intonation on fretles, but I otherwise suck.
*Can't read. Know the theory, haven't practiced it yet. I can sight read from tab though, if timing is indicated.
*Can't play fingerstyle. Genetic inability, my middle finger is 1/2" longer than my index, as a result I always overstrike with the middle as it's doo far past the string. No amount of techniques or drilling have fixed this. I always preferred pick tone anyway.
* My soloing(musically) is non existant. I have no idea what I'm doing, except I'll just hit any note from an in-key pentatonic to a rhythm. But, my bending, hammering etc. makes me sound like I know what I'm on about.
* I like Peavey. And Ibanez. I don't like Warwick or Fender. I love Spector though
If I sound big-headed, I ain't. I suck, and I get told plenty by my band members.
Originally posted by PanteraFan
OK, here we go:
{sNiP!}
* I like Peavey. And Ibanez. I don't like Warwick or Fender. I love Spector though
least you got _some_ taste
Strengths:
I have pretty good ear (I think..)
I have a good theory knowledge
I can play in time
I can groove (I hope..)
I can slap well..
I can sight read
Weaknesses:
I can´t solo, I played once in a jazz band with a jazz guitarist who is learning guitar in UK, he wanted a bass solo but I refused to solo..
I have a hard time playing with a pick
I slap too much
I have a sloppy technique
I´m VERY lazy, when I finally REALLY want to practice my parents are going to sleep (and I have to go to sleep too because I start working at 7 am..
I know there are a lot more weaknesses, but I can´t really think too much right now..
I have pretty good ear (I think..)
I have a good theory knowledge
I can play in time
I can groove (I hope..)
I can slap well..
I can sight read
Weaknesses:
I can´t solo, I played once in a jazz band with a jazz guitarist who is learning guitar in UK, he wanted a bass solo but I refused to solo..
I have a hard time playing with a pick
I slap too much
I have a sloppy technique
I´m VERY lazy, when I finally REALLY want to practice my parents are going to sleep (and I have to go to sleep too because I start working at 7 am..
I know there are a lot more weaknesses, but I can´t really think too much right now..
congratulations, you have once again alienated half of TBOriginally posted by PanteraFan
Yeah, I know Spector ain't much, but I make up for it with Ibanez eh?
Nino would have your arse ...
Hategear
Workin' hard at hardly workin'.
I think ill start with my weaknesses ........
- i cant slap very well ( IMO and for my situation, slapping isnt a necessary skill, but im still working on it )
- i cant use a pick!!! ( well i can, but its not pretty )
- i have a horrible memory ( but if i hear the song, i can usually jump right in )
- i have to use a tuner
...... ok now for my good parts ( doctor says this stuff is good for my seft esteem )
- i have a pretty good sense of time
- i can play just about any style
- i can play 5-strings / 6-strings / etc. ( is that a skill?? )
- i catch on fast
- i get a discount at local guitar stores
- i can play fast/ slow / whatever you want
- im a pretty good, all around player ( or so i hear )
- i cant slap very well ( IMO and for my situation, slapping isnt a necessary skill, but im still working on it
)- i cant use a pick!!! ( well i can, but its not pretty )
- i have a horrible memory ( but if i hear the song, i can usually jump right in )
- i have to use a tuner
...... ok now for my good parts ( doctor says this stuff is good for my seft esteem
) - i have a pretty good sense of time
- i can play just about any style
- i can play 5-strings / 6-strings / etc. ( is that a skill?? )
- i catch on fast
- i get a discount at local guitar stores
- i can play fast/ slow / whatever you want
- im a pretty good, all around player ( or so i hear )
Originally posted by *ToNeS*
congratulations, you have once again alienated half of TB
Last I heard, Nino didn't mind Ibanez. Honestly though, I only really like the BTB series...and the guitars are absolutely awesome, so I don't mind Ibanez as a whole just the SR series.
