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getting back into the groove

beatmachine pro

beatmachine pro

Inactive
Jun 13, 2021
330
312
#1
hi guys

i took lessons for a couple of year and played intill i was 24
i never found a band that i could join
i had good fingering
and new the neck pretty well

flash forward 20+ years

i have a ibanez 5sting with flats and have been playing bass on hip hop songs

its not like i forgot what i new but its very easy to just play the simple thing

id like to master my instrument again
and would apprecitate any advice toward following this goal

i would like to play with a drummer asap
 
#2
beatmachine pro said:
hi guys

i took lessons for a couple of year and played intill i was 24
i never found a band that i could join
i had good fingering
and new the neck pretty well

flash forward 20+ years

i have a ibanez 5sting with flats and have been playing bass on hip hop songs

its not like i forgot what i new but its very easy to just play the simple thing

id like to master my instrument again
and would apprecitate any advice toward following this goal

i would like to play with a drummer asap
Click to expand...

I am in a similar position. Rather than finding others to play with though, I am trying to take my playing to a new level, in ways that sound good "solo" for now. For backing, I use a combination of a metronome, or the drummers from Garage Band.

My bass-playing "roots" were developed with straight-ahead rock and roll. Simple rhythms, simple bass parts, pattern playing (not knowing fretboard well).

Then I started listening to Marcus Miller, Michael Manring and Stu Hamm, and started thinking of bass as more melodical (at times). There are other awesome players (Jaco, Wooten, etc.), but I don't like jazz scales: they sound "wandering" to me.

Anyway, I found lots of "holes" in my playing that I am working on:
  • Reading standard notation, to A) learn the fretboard and B) get away from my box patterns.
  • Muting, muting and more muting.
  • Slap. Starting to get the hang of it, but need to move from 60BPM to 120BPM+. Don't laugh. Flats and pick were my old "go to".
  • Rhythm. Reading more complex lines with the mindset of and old-style rock player is hard. I am working separately on more complex rhythms.
  • The pocket: being able to "lag" or "push" the beat in a song.
  • Shuffle 16ths.
...and those are just my main weaknesses. I'll be in the 'shed' for a while yet.
 
#3
OldSchoolFlats said:
Anyway, I found lots of "holes" in my playing that I am working on:
  • Reading standard notation, to A) learn the fretboard and B) get away from my box patterns.
  • Muting, muting and more muting.
  • Slap. Starting to get the hang of it, but need to move from 60BPM to 120BPM+. Don't laugh. Flats and pick were my old "go to".
  • Rhythm. Reading more complex lines with the mindset of and old-style rock player is hard. I am working separately on more complex rhythms.
  • The pocket: being able to "lag" or "push" the beat in a song.
  • Shuffle 16ths.
...and those are just my main weaknesses. I'll be in the 'shed' for a while yet.
Click to expand...
i used to be able to look at the bass and see different progressions,now i just stick to progressions i know work

i always try to play wiyth a drum track

or ear training by doing play alongs

just start playing grooves

some times
just sit in the pocket
playing 8ths,ill try muting w that

never know where to put breaks or changes
 
#6
beatmachine pro said:
what i need to figure out is

1)how songs are structured and the basses role in moving through changes
2)how to play anything by ear
3) all the modes and positions
4) how to prepare for an audition or gig
Click to expand...

1) Structure and the role of bass is different. Structure is more about the overall piece. Sometimes the bass (like drums) can do a lead-in to the new section. Sometimes the change is more abrupt.
2) Study "ear training". Also, hopefully you have a good ear for low notes. It gets pretty muddy down there sometimes, if you are trying to figure out a bass part. You may consider learning to read standard notation, so you can read transcribed bass-parts. Playing by ear, it is easy to get locked into familiar patterns (like I did).
3) I would group modes with arpeggios and scales. Positions are more just where you put your hand.
4) That is kind-of open-ended. What genre? Will you be soloing like Marcus Miller. Laying-down the groove like Duck Dunn?
 
#7
beatmachine pro said:
1)how songs are structured and the basses role in moving through changes
2)how to play anything by ear
Click to expand...

First: There is nothing new under the sun. Nothing you will hear in today's music hasn't been done before. Yes, any particular song may do the unexpected, but never unprecedented.

Therefore, song structure and playing by ear are a matter of recognizing familiar patterns - chord structures, rhythmic patterns, melodic intervals, etc. If you are only following while playing, you are behind; so, when you recognize a familiar pattern, you anticipate where the song is likely to go - and you'll usually be right.

There is no magic key to unlock this ability, and there is no "one way" to develop that ability. It is a matter of listening critically, playing a lot, and getting help from those who have it. Finding a teacher or mentor is best.
 
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#8
beatmachine pro said:
now i just stick to progressions i know work

i always try to play wiyth a drum track

or ear training by doing play alongs

just start playing grooves

some times
just sit in the pocket
playing 8ths,ill try muting w that
Click to expand...

The one thing worthwhile in your list is "play alongs." Otherwise, you're practicing what you know. The idea is to practice what you DON'T know.
 
#9
.... Structure is more about the overall piece. Sometimes the bass (like drums) can do a lead-in to the new section. Sometimes the change is more abrupt....

moveing between sections the bass will often signal a harmonic change either to a chord or key

i would think in a 4 bar groove the 4th bar would be a resolution that you could use as a jumPing off point for the next section

i think of drums doing fills introducing changes

and the bass doing a walk or something
 
#10
as far as ear training its not hard to find a 'tonel center.
i think studying changes in familar songs might give me a better idea of what the bass is doing,....
,...im not much for transcriptions ; or execises

i prefer to play with other people,...but my endurence sucks
so i gotta woodshed something

i used to be able to play without thinking
that was cool
id be happy to lay down some cool grooves now

so i think coming up with my own grooves isnt a bad idea
i know there are bands i could steal from
,...but someones just going to bring up FLEA if i ask
 
#11
well i seem to be stuck,..without much motivation to really practice the bass
i like playing to drum tracks or other songs but i seem to be very limited in what im playing ie to improve technique
kinda going around in circles
not noticing much improvement
is very boring and frustrating not playing with at least a drummer
 

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