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does techniquematter

#21
matty4string said:
I been playing bass for years. Im self taught i have never sat down and took a bass lesson ever. Being self trained makes me think about my technique is it proper. i dont feel like i have any issues playing,but i do notice people attack and fret the bass different than . Im sure even after all these years if i sat down with a teacher id be to comfortable doing it my way to start fresh his way. so i guess im saying if you make the note sing and your tone does not suffer from your attack/technique then does your technique really matter at all. After all slap, pick, slide and all other techniques besides fingers were thought of at one point as being not proper someone just had to break out and try something different Matty
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My philosophy is that technique only matters to the extent that it allows you to play what you hear in your head.....I think i picked that up from "The Music Lesson" by Victor Wooten. I don't hear double slapping, tapping and such in my head, so I dont focus on learning those techniques.
 
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#22
Technique is not mechanism. The ability to play scales at an other worldly speed is scale mechanism but it isn't technique. If you can realize your ideas on the instrument you have good technique. If you fret notes with your knuckles you do have very unorthodox (mechanism) technique. Even in the classical world where everyone assumes that the player has had extensive training and a technique (mechanism) of absolute orthodoxy, it always isn't the case. Horowitz played with the flat of his fingers, a big no no. But he was still Horowitz. Julian Bream whose father was his most influential teacher, was a jazz band guitarist and had him used to fretting flat fingered instead of on the tips of the fingers as classical guitarists are always trained to do. His right hand is highly unorthodox as well. He was none-the-less one of the great players on any instrument of the 20th century. I'd even argue that if Bream had learned complete orthodoxy he wouldn't have been Bream. So if your playing is musical and you can realize your ideas .....
 
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#23
matty4string said:
English is my second language so sorry if im not as well as you
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Nothing prevents you from speaking it like a native.

You've essentially reinforced your role in the analogy. You could learn to communicate in English better, you've chosen not to. We can still grok your meaning but the initial impression is a bit of a turn off.

Music is the same. Those little details you've chosen not to learn will be noticeable by other musicians, they'll likely find those traits to be negative. YMMV.
 
#25
Practice and play as much as you can learn everything ,technique comes from long hours and many years of playing, if you do this you will develope your own sound and style also known as technique ,thats how all the people we admire did it ,no short cuts it takes hard work. Watch Jaco,s dvd he says hard work, 9 years to learn Donna Lee by Charlie Parker.
 
#27
'Proper' technique was not decided in a vacuum by a group of academics. 'Proper' technique is the technique that works for most people.

Proper technique allows you to play with the least amount of effort which makes it easier to play more precisely and quickly (when needed). If you don't care about that, then good technique is not needed. Proper technique allows you to concentrate on the music, not your playing.

Now people often trot out examples of great players with poor technique. They are great in spite of their poor technique, not because if it. If you are like most players, you need every advantage you can get. If you are extraordinarily gifted, don't worry about it.
 
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#29
If you achieve the results you like AND if you don't hurt your self, technique doesn't matter imo. But, be careful, you CAN hurt your self with improper technique especially in long term. As humans, we have limitations physically, and I'd highly recommend doing it the right way.

I think playing the bass is very much like lifting weights. You gotta do it the right way to get good results without hurting your self.
 
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#31
matty4string said:
Being self trained makes me think about my technique is it proper. i dont feel like i have any issues playing...

. so i guess im saying if you make the note sing and your tone does not suffer from your attack/technique then does your technique really matter at all. Matty
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Technique matters, in the sense that "technique" is a general concept that encapsulates sets of known, repeatable and transferable rules that could help you achieve better results, should you choose to adopt/apply them. "Technique", self taught or not, is what brought you to where you are now.

Difference in technique and questions about your own manifest themselves once you reach outward and compare your playing with others. Then you have the choice to adopt this technique and progress further or stay at the same level, doing what you are already doing.

Hence, you must know the answer to your own question, and whatever we say here will probably be irrelevant.
 
#32
Technique matters, but that doesn't mean it has to be conventional.

There are three things to consider when asking if your technique is good:

1. Does it sound good?
2. Are your movements efficient?
3. Does it cause muscle tension, strain, or discomfort?

If the answer to the first two is "Yes", and the last one is "No", then your technique is good. I found that the most common area self-taught players lack in is number three. Please don't hurt yourself!
 
#33
Bass'd on a true story said:
Technique matters, but that doesn't mean it has to be conventional.

There are three things to consider when asking if your technique is good:

1. Does it sound good?
2. Are your movements efficient?
3. Does it cause muscle tension, strain, or discomfort?

If the answer to the first two is "Yes", and the last one is "No", then your technique is good. I found that the most common area self-taught players lack in is number three. Please don't hurt yourself!
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That's a very good point. I would call it ergonomic technique and conventional technique.

You can sound good without being conventional, but you will eventually regret not being ergonomic.

As for efficiency...it's good to take it into consideration, but it can be boring.
Sometimes the inefficient way is more fun and more entertaining at a gig. If it doesn't compromise the song or your ergonomics.
 
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#34
tbz said:
Nothing prevents you from speaking it like a native.

You've essentially reinforced your role in the analogy. You could learn to communicate in English better, you've chosen not to. We can still grok your meaning but the initial impression is a bit of a turn off.

Music is the same. Those little details you've chosen not to learn will be noticeable by other musicians, they'll likely find those traits to be negative. YMMV.
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im asking about bass technique not English lesson thanks for nothing
 
#35
tbz said:
Nothing prevents you from speaking it like a native.

You've essentially reinforced your role in the analogy. You could learn to communicate in English better, you've chosen not to. We can still grok your meaning but the initial impression is a bit of a turn off.

Music is the same. Those little details you've chosen not to learn will be noticeable by other musicians, they'll likely find those traits to be negative. YMMV.
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This is a very unfair comparison. When learning a second language, it's extremely difficult (perhaps impossible) to speak the second language like a native does. Especially when learning the language later in life. The amount of effort and level of difficulty it takes to learn a second language is much higher compared to learning bass.
 
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#37
matty4string said:
im asking about bass technique not English lesson thanks for nothing
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Did you read that last paragraph? That was the whole point....not sure how using that as an example is an English lesson....

To restate, without a trigger, "If you don't learn how to play properly, whenever you try to play with really good musicians they'll be turned off by your lack of ability. Due to that technique is important."

If you're not trying to make a living at this then don't worry. If you are and have been trained in another instrument and feel you can teach yourself, go for it.

If neither apply then just stop being defensive and get lessons ASAP. It just costs some time and money. Not a big deal.
 
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#39
Another issue that I don't think has been mentioned yet: Poor technique can limit your ability to improve beyond a certain point. You might be able to play what you currently play well enough, but later might find it difficult or impossible to learn to play more difficult or faster parts. If you're content with your current level of ability, and you're not doing anything that risks serious injury, then your technique "doesn't matter," but it might start to matter more if you are working to continue to improve.
 
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#40
MYLOWFREQ said:
If you achieve the results you like AND if you don't hurt your self, technique doesn't matter imo. But, be careful, you CAN hurt your self with improper technique especially in long term. As humans, we have limitations physically, and I'd highly recommend doing it the right way.

I think playing the bass is very much like lifting weights. You gotta do it the right way to get good results without hurting your self.
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So it doesn't matter except it does?
 

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