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Best musical advice you ever got

#703
Many years ago, (1995 I think it was)
I asked Jeff Berlin via email;
If I only have 2 hours a day to practice
How can I best used that 2 hours ?

His answer was:
Transcribe a better player or soloist than yourself!

Transcribing involves 3 musical areas a musician must work on:
Hear training - You do that by finding the notes.
Analyze & understand harmony - writing out & reading the notes.
Playing - Practicing the music you've transcribed until you can play it right.
 
#705
It's a holdover from when I was a keyboard player. From one of my keyboard idols, Richard Tee:

Don't hold your drink in your right hand.


But as a lefty bassist, it's my left fingers that I don't want to have stiffen up from holding a cold drink (my right hand I can always just fret like a lobster until it comes back). So for the past 15 years it's been "Don't hold your drink in your left hand"
 
#706
spigmu said:
It's a holdover from when I was a keyboard player. From one of my keyboard idols, Richard Tee:

Don't hold your drink in your right hand.


But as a lefty bassist, it's my left fingers that I don't want to have stiffen up from holding a cold drink (my right hand I can always just fret like a lobster until it comes back). So for the past 15 years it's been "Don't hold your drink in your left hand"
Click to expand...

Ha Ha ! I love it. I never really payed attention to that but now I will. Oh , wait a minute , I'm not supposed to drink onstage(lol!)
 
#708
codycaz said:
The way I took this was that only amateurs memorize where their fingers are supposed to be. Professionals memorize what the song SOUNDS like, and they go from there. When I heard that, it made me realize it's probably true, and those really talented guys probably aren't running numbers in their head to know where their hands go next. Instead, they know where the sound goes next, and they've got the experience to know how to make it do that, intuitively. That pretty much changed the way I approached my playing, and it had an almost immediate effect.
Click to expand...

+1 On that.
It's no good not having fun.You suppose to know what will happen if you do that.If you don't,you'll find out soon enough.(On life and learning the Bass)/The drummer.
By the way,this is one very good thread.[/QUOTE]

I'd say that puts it very well. My approach is (and has been for at least a dozen years) to simply make the song and the others in the band sound good. I purposely "dummy up " and make sure I don't complicate my playing. I think of myself as more a member of the rhythym section than having to have such a "dominant voice" in songs. I leave plenty of room for the singers. Let's face it, people(most non-musician or musical types) identify a good band by how good the vocals are. Vocals sound better without a bunch of runs in the backround and on every turnaround. When I was younger I didn't understand that the same way I do now. This thread not only teaches me, but also gives me confidence in my progress over the years since I can relate to most of it.
 
#712
Play with the best players, you can find.
You will improve far faster.
If you play with weak players, your playing will suffer.
Your self confidence may also be gravely weakened.
Associate with the best.
 
#714
My HS band director was the only teacher I ever had who really inspired me to learn. His name was Gary Shafer. I was playing trumpet then.

On reading rhythm.... "If you can't sing it, you can't play it."

And this gem:

It doesn't matter if the tempo is slow or fast, how many notes there are or how complex or simple the melodies and harmonies are, you could be playing nothing but measure after measure of whole notes at pianissimo. The key is to make it exciting... To do that you have to play it with intensity. Dynamics, dynamics, dynamics.


Thank You Gary.
 
#719
"Boy, you got to leave holes so the music can fall out...you don't have to play every second of the song. Sometimes less is more. You have to be able to feel the song and feel what the drummer is doin' so you can lay the groove down, let your inner Blackman take over"

From some old Black Guy I met in a pawnshop in the 80's, No joke. It was funny as hell, but so true. I wish I knew his name.
 

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