hey everyone i was just wondering if you guys would be able to help me out with creating a practice routine. im starting to have more fun on the bass then ever. As of right now im trying to look for a teacher but in the mean time id like to have a practice routine but dont know what to incukde in it. right now i am just practicing with (hal leonards bass method the complete edition by Ed Friedland) and im on the last page of the first book. i was thinking of getting 'Harmony & Theory: A Comprehensive Source for All Musicians' to practice out of along with the ed friedland book.
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help with a practice schedule
- Thread starter Rycebag
- Start date
Assuming that you're using the 1-2-4 finger technique and can already read the clef, I would recommend Simandl Book I. Its an upright bass method and its classical, but it really helps develop rock steady hand position and shifting. Rereading your post, I see that you wanted ideas for how to divide up your time as well. Thats a bit trickier. How much time do you have to work with?
i usually have two days off during the week that im totally willing to devote to practicing and and on the days i work i usually practice when ever i can for as much as i can.
Personally, do what I do. Think about playing and when you feel like it in your free time, play. Don't stick to a schedule, because then it'll take away the fun. Play when you feel like and take it from there.
I agree with the 'playing' part. You know, jamming, doodling etc. But PRACTICE something for about a half-hour to an hour each day. Things like scales, arpeggios etc with a metronome, learning new songs by ear, ear training and sight-reading (if you do that). Also, excersizes to strengthen one's hands.
Work on your fingerstyle, your pickstyle, you slap but place empahsis on what you're weak on. For me, it's picking, so I pick 90% of the time I practice at I try to pick at least half the time when I jam. Things like that.
Well I suggest to warmup first, play exercises for an hour or so ( keep it equivalent with the time u've got ) and keep on training things you do the worst. Most of my time I try to play new melodies, solo's etc.
I ussualy finish up playing songs I allready know just to feel the pure beauty of this instrument once again =)
Just try to get better, over time, you'll figure out the way.
I ussualy finish up playing songs I allready know just to feel the pure beauty of this instrument once again =)
Just try to get better, over time, you'll figure out the way.
The key to development in bass playing, and really any craft, is repeated, sustained practice. Even if you practice 7 hours a day during the two days you have to devote to practice, if you don't play in the interim between those days, or better yet, practice in those days, you won't see yourself improving. A half hour a day of dedicated practice will yield the results you're looking for.
I'd disagree. There's a difference between playing bass and practicing bass, and it sounds like he really wants to start actually practicing. I often find myself sitting around for hours just playing songs I know, doing mindless shred solos that sound like crap (just because it's fun!) and so on. But I also find that I learn very little from doing those. So I've started doing practice routines more and more: Ear-training, working on specific techniques, reading sheet music, etc. There are many things you won't be practicing if you simply sit around playing for fun.
I think everyone's routine should be different, depending on what they want to do with their bassplaying, but here's mine, maybe you can get some ideas from that:
5 min - warm-up
10 min - sight-reading
10 min - practice scale and chord shapes
20 min - 3-finger picking practicing
20 min - new techniques (currently sweeping and slapping)
30 min - learn songs by ear
30 min - play actual songs
While I myself am still very much a beginner, and have no new and original tips to give you, I might suggest taking a look at the practice section of www.studybass.com.
Through my research I've found this site to be really nicely constructed for anyone who is new to the instrument. I'm not trying to sell the site or anything, I'm just trying to guide you to what I've found to be a pretty decent intro to bass playing. Who knows maybe this will help you too.
The direct link to the practice section is: http://www.studybass.com/lessons/practicing/
J
Through my research I've found this site to be really nicely constructed for anyone who is new to the instrument. I'm not trying to sell the site or anything, I'm just trying to guide you to what I've found to be a pretty decent intro to bass playing. Who knows maybe this will help you too.
The direct link to the practice section is: http://www.studybass.com/lessons/practicing/
J
most beneficial thing for my playing ever was this:
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The way Bach wrote his lines, they are all very mechanical and rigid in a sense so it really helped develop my understanding of how rhythms lay out. They are mechanical and rigid, but at the same time have a completely beautiful flow and emotion behind them.
Pick out any random line in that book, it'll sound amazing and will do your playing wonders. I'm only about ankle-deep in this book.
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The way Bach wrote his lines, they are all very mechanical and rigid in a sense so it really helped develop my understanding of how rhythms lay out. They are mechanical and rigid, but at the same time have a completely beautiful flow and emotion behind them.
Pick out any random line in that book, it'll sound amazing and will do your playing wonders. I'm only about ankle-deep in this book.
so im looking at these three books to help me out with theory while i am usig the ed friedland book.
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which one should i use to go along with the ed friedland book. ive also been using studybass for a while now.
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which one should i use to go along with the ed friedland book. ive also been using studybass for a while now.
First of the obligatory GET AN INSTRUCTOR They know what you need to work on and make you do it, they force you to practice and its never bad to have a walking talking bass encyclopedia.
If you won't take my advice there then I recommend some of these things that are starting to have an effect on my playing...how you divide your time amongst them is up to you...I usually work on one thing until I find my self noodling more than playing what I'm supposed to be practicing and then I move to a new activity.
Be sure to play every day a little rather than in big clumps, its like cramming for a spelling test, you mind absorbs too much and then you waste 3 hours of practice cause you only remember the first 45 minutes.
If you won't take my advice there then I recommend some of these things that are starting to have an effect on my playing...how you divide your time amongst them is up to you...I usually work on one thing until I find my self noodling more than playing what I'm supposed to be practicing and then I move to a new activity.
Be sure to play every day a little rather than in big clumps, its like cramming for a spelling test, you mind absorbs too much and then you waste 3 hours of practice cause you only remember the first 45 minutes.
- Playing scales (up, down, in groups of 2/3/4/ Ie: 123, 234, 345) Play them in different positions and keys, play them from the root down as well as up
- Playing chords/arpeggios (major, maj6, maj7, maj9, minor, minor7...ext) Play them in progressions (minor 2nds, major 2nds, thrids, fourths) and different rhythms too, my teacher feeds them to me out of jazz method book from the 70s, only 1/5 through the book and seeing improvements from it)
- Jam with drum tracks, IMO there is no better way to unlock the groove
- Learn stuff by ear (I still need to work on this a lot, it kills me but I know its key to being better)
- Learn new songs in general, break them down and understand their progressions, the organization of the song (verse, chorus, verse ext...) Feel the rhythms, when you can recall the rhythms without hearing the CD you've got it . If you use sheet music rather than tab to do this and you get an added bonus in being able to read.
- Play with some people, even if you think you suck, put up an ad on craigslist, you will meet tons of interesting people and every time you play with someone it will give you an idea of what to work on. It took me way to long to start doing this, if I was playing with people from day 1 I would be a far better bassist today.
- Ohh and one more, listen to (and learn) a bunch of stuff you wouldn't normally, it helps you understand the role of bass in a more general sense, and you can do it in the car or at work. I highly recommend (and I'm sure a lot of people around here will agree with me) Tons of funk (RHCP, The Meters, James Brown, Parliament) Jazz (Charles Mingus is a prime example of what a bassist role is), Jazz fusion (if you want to hear what types of crazy crap some of the best bassists are coming up with check out Jaco/weather report, and Bela Fleck and The Flecktones/ Victor Wooten. Also my teacher feeds me a lot of motown/soul music and I find it to be both rhythmically interesting and usually excellent examples of how to write walking lines.
The best way around this, is to take a 5 minute break every 20-30 minutes. The average man's attention span only lasts around that long. And so to avoid playing with the mind shut off, you just take a 5 minute break. Have a glass of water or a little something to eat, maybe do some push-ups to get the blood flowing. Then go back at it.
This is the one I am considering:
FYI: You can view sample pages and hear sample tracks from the CD at the Hal Leonard site.
I actually started my bass playing with studybass.com
really solid website, and kept my attention every day. no ruts while using studybass.
however, studybass only has the absolute basics. just does a great job with them.
I went through the Idiots Guide to Playing bass guitar, which is a good source, showed me my modes, chords, scales. The book's major strength is helping you come up with your own basslines.
Now i also have Harmony and Theory. I am working in that book right now.
It is excellent. Covers all the bases, makes you practice what it teaches. It helps if you have a keyboard to play the examples and hear them. So far, it has a few mistakes in the answer key. and so far it hasn't said too much on chord progression patterns, but i really highly reccomend it. just stay motivated. this stuff bores some people.
really solid website, and kept my attention every day. no ruts while using studybass.
however, studybass only has the absolute basics. just does a great job with them.
I went through the Idiots Guide to Playing bass guitar, which is a good source, showed me my modes, chords, scales. The book's major strength is helping you come up with your own basslines.
Now i also have Harmony and Theory. I am working in that book right now.
It is excellent. Covers all the bases, makes you practice what it teaches. It helps if you have a keyboard to play the examples and hear them. So far, it has a few mistakes in the answer key. and so far it hasn't said too much on chord progression patterns, but i really highly reccomend it. just stay motivated. this stuff bores some people.
Half Hour Routine
Metronome: 10 minutes
2 minutes - set metronome to 120 bpm clap to every other beat
2 minutes - set metronome to 60 bpm clap to every beat
2 minutes - set metronome to 90 bpm clap to every beat
2 minutes - set metronome to 100 bpm clap to every beat
2 minutes - set metronome to 80 bpm clap to every beat
2 minutes - set metronome to 110 bpm clap to every beat
When you clap, try to "bury" the click so that you don't hear the metronome at all and just the clap.
Advanced 1: Start playing half the notes - every 4th beat at 120, every other beat at 60, etc. Tempo remains the same.
Advanced 2: Make the click the kick drum and play along (beats 1 and 3) - click is at half the tempos given above.
Advanced 3: Make the click the snare drum and play along (beats 2 and 4) - click is at half the tempos given above.
Advanced 4: Practice the "off" beats that are neither the kick nor snare (eighth notes). Kick AND snare AND kick AND snare AND kick AND snare etc. Practice just playing the AND after the one, the two, the three, the four.
Advanced 5: Practice the sixteenth notes between eighth notes. One EE and AH two EE and AH three EE and AH four EE and AH... Especially those leading into and out of the one.
Solfege: 10 minutes
Play a note on the bass & sing the note. D is a comfortable note for me, find a comfortable note for you and really lock it in until you can feel your voice vibrating with the note. Keep this going for 1 to 2 minutes.
Once you can do that, play a short melody on the bass & sing along to it. Play slow enough that you can hear your voice lock with each note. Nursery rhymes are good here - 3 blind mice, oh when the saint's go marching in is a favorite of mine, twinkle twinkle little star, etc. Practice for 5 minutes.
Repeat in a different key.
Advanced 1: Add in the click.
Advanced 2: Learn songs you want to know & sing & play the lines slowly.
Advanced 3: Keep the note the same & now sing the melody while the bass plays the root note only.
Advanced 4: No playing, just singing.
Technique: 10 minutes
Play the G major scale at various tempos.
Play the G minor scale at various tempos.
Play triads in the G major scale at various tempos.
Play triads in the G minor scale at various tempos.
Play seventh chords in the G major scale at various tempos.
Play seventh chords in the G minor scale at various tempos.
Do this in different keys.
Practice both ascending & descending.
Practice inversions - dropping the 3rd or 5th by an octave.
Practice doing this over various chord progressions, perhaps some you find online for popular songs.
Attempt to connect chords by notes they have in common, or if they have no notes in common, then by "passing tones" - a note that's in between the notes of one chord & the notes of another chord.
Do this every day.
When you've got serious time to dedicate to studying, work out of a book - study your theory, learn proper technique, learn sight reading & learn basic bassline construction techniques from a book, but do this routine every day and you'll be a killer bass player in no time.
Metronome: 10 minutes
2 minutes - set metronome to 120 bpm clap to every other beat
2 minutes - set metronome to 60 bpm clap to every beat
2 minutes - set metronome to 90 bpm clap to every beat
2 minutes - set metronome to 100 bpm clap to every beat
2 minutes - set metronome to 80 bpm clap to every beat
2 minutes - set metronome to 110 bpm clap to every beat
When you clap, try to "bury" the click so that you don't hear the metronome at all and just the clap.
Advanced 1: Start playing half the notes - every 4th beat at 120, every other beat at 60, etc. Tempo remains the same.
Advanced 2: Make the click the kick drum and play along (beats 1 and 3) - click is at half the tempos given above.
Advanced 3: Make the click the snare drum and play along (beats 2 and 4) - click is at half the tempos given above.
Advanced 4: Practice the "off" beats that are neither the kick nor snare (eighth notes). Kick AND snare AND kick AND snare AND kick AND snare etc. Practice just playing the AND after the one, the two, the three, the four.
Advanced 5: Practice the sixteenth notes between eighth notes. One EE and AH two EE and AH three EE and AH four EE and AH... Especially those leading into and out of the one.
Solfege: 10 minutes
Play a note on the bass & sing the note. D is a comfortable note for me, find a comfortable note for you and really lock it in until you can feel your voice vibrating with the note. Keep this going for 1 to 2 minutes.
Once you can do that, play a short melody on the bass & sing along to it. Play slow enough that you can hear your voice lock with each note. Nursery rhymes are good here - 3 blind mice, oh when the saint's go marching in is a favorite of mine, twinkle twinkle little star, etc. Practice for 5 minutes.
Repeat in a different key.
Advanced 1: Add in the click.
Advanced 2: Learn songs you want to know & sing & play the lines slowly.
Advanced 3: Keep the note the same & now sing the melody while the bass plays the root note only.
Advanced 4: No playing, just singing.
Technique: 10 minutes
Play the G major scale at various tempos.
Play the G minor scale at various tempos.
Play triads in the G major scale at various tempos.
Play triads in the G minor scale at various tempos.
Play seventh chords in the G major scale at various tempos.
Play seventh chords in the G minor scale at various tempos.
Do this in different keys.
Practice both ascending & descending.
Practice inversions - dropping the 3rd or 5th by an octave.
Practice doing this over various chord progressions, perhaps some you find online for popular songs.
Attempt to connect chords by notes they have in common, or if they have no notes in common, then by "passing tones" - a note that's in between the notes of one chord & the notes of another chord.
Do this every day.
When you've got serious time to dedicate to studying, work out of a book - study your theory, learn proper technique, learn sight reading & learn basic bassline construction techniques from a book, but do this routine every day and you'll be a killer bass player in no time.
