Help with my technique and practice habits please.

[DavC]

NEVER practice and continue to play and make the same mistakes ... !! you are just 'Learning' the mistakes ... now you have to Un-learn those mistakes , which sometimes can be a bit harder ... if you make a mistake , don't just skip over it and go on ... Fix it , get it right ... then go on ...

ps ... from a Classical trained pianist ... !!

 

[Joce]

My guess is (correct me if I am wrong) that you go at these songs at "full speed ahead." If so, my suggestion would be to isolate the parts you are constantly messing up. Narrow it down to about thirty to forty five seconds. Then at the beginning and end of each practice session, spend about five minutes SLOWLY repeating the problem section. Play very slowly and deliberately (almost exaggerated to start). Then gradually up the tempo a little and repeat. If you falter at a certain tempo, return to the previous one, then try again to increase it. Do this with each problematic section. When you think you have a section down, then try playing along to the song at it's normal tempo.

Dont spend more than five minutes at one go on a particular section. Take a break and come back to it. Little and often is best. Above all, dont become frustrated. With a little time and patience, I'm sure you will nail those problem bits.

Hope this helps.

It's also helpful to me to separate rhythm & notes/pitch. So first I try to get the notes down cold and then focus on the rhythm (maybe tapping it on the body, maybe on an open string, whatever works for you). You can do it the other way 'round of course.

 

[SteveHeissner]

Are you taking any lessons? I've been stuck in a rut before and getting some professional instruction was beneficial.

 

[RunBeerRun]

practice the rudiments, first a few scales, walking basslines set to a drum beat, improvise a little. you'll get better day by day.

 

[Dana R Gregory]

Have you considered going to an instructor for a few lessons. An instructor will tell what and why you are making mistakes. Also consider attending an open jam. You can learn a lot and it will make you a much better musician as well as open you up to other genres. I never played blues until a few weeks ago when I attended an open blues jam and I loved it. Had a great time, I was surprised at how well I was able to follow along and I met some great musicians. I now have a new genre to enjoy.

 

[TwentyHz]

Maybe it's first a question of whether you are more oriented towards the Process or the Product. In other words, is it more important to play Tool tunes a certain way (product), or to find a thing to do with the bass that 'fits' you, with an open mind to the end result (Process)? For most of us, its probably a balance of both.

I think I'm in a minority in celebrating a Process-leaning approach. Increasingly, I find myself mentioning that it is still a valid an option, even in a world full of on-line lessons and tab and video games and educational models that reward players for performing certain prescribed movements. Consider this, a result of my bias:

Playing bass is like whistling or snapping our fingers or shooting hoops. We're all allowed to do it; there are no minimum requirements. Trudging through tab is not the only thing you can do with a bass. Basketball practice looks a certain way; it has certain drills, and exercises. Shooting hoops with friends or alone looks different. We're all free to approach learning and playing bass any darn way we want, and the more open we are to the outcomes, the less dissonance we might experience between a process that feels appropriate, and an outcome that parallels our specific aspirations.

An imperfect example: If you really enjoy playing along to Tool, you might play your own thing for the parts you mess up. Many musicians gravitate towards licks and phrases that just kind of seem to come out naturally for how they play. Justin and Paul probably did. Trying to cop them note for note is perhaps a bit like doing a voice impersonation. Some folks can do it, and it feels good. It's what they want to do, and they enjoy the process of getting there. Some listeners and fellow musicians may expect it. By working real hard at it, you might develop lots of great skills and abilities along the way that feel good. But that's it. There's no rules.

Carlos Castaneda explained that his style was in large part a product of his inability to play like other people he admired. So, he played what he could, and worked on that. And it was shaped by what his buddies were playing; they were trying o fit each other. And now, other people practice really hard to try to play like Carlos note-for-note, which he would probably respect, but not really understand. He would probably encourage them to 'say' what they have to say, in their own voice.

I'm old and unskilled, untrained, and not knowledgeable. I have occasional frustrations and disappointments playing bass, and I have some serious skill limitations that my current approach will probably never help me overcome. But I get heaping shovels full of joy and pleasure out of playing. I have this thing in my life that I love to do. That ain't so bad.

 

[Sixgunn]

Just a couple of questions out of curiosity:
1. Why do you not want to be in a band?
2. What is your motivation/reason for playing if not to perform?

 

[static0verdrive]

Others beat me to my point - if you're playing a lot of Tool, you may already have noticed it isn't the easiest... Well, unless you wrote a hard part (and therefore it will often come naturally) you're forced to learn it, and it might not be as well suited to your play style as it is for whoever did write it. The best way to practice it is SLOWLY. Practice it correctly at a slow pace, and you will naturally be able to do it faster later. Practice is at tempo with mistakes, and you'll always be able to make those mistakes

 

[DwaynieAD]

anyone that tells you they dont make mistakes is lying.

bands will make you better, but if you dont want to be in one thats awesome man, honestly my entire band was glad when we called it

learn some new stuff, maybe in a different genre.

 

[bassrich]

you need time and repetition the develop that muscle memory. I find it easier to make and play my own basslines

 

[lfmn16]

Zeng - I play a lot of Tool. For example on Schism, on the main riff I mess it up by muting the notes or missing a hammer on. On Sober I still sometimes miss the strings when playing the main riff. Don't even get me started on 46&2. I mess that song up bad.

It's. Mostly tool stuff I mess up. I still am not accurate on other songs if I have to do a long slide.

I play pick and finger style. I picked up the bass cold with no previous experience

Practice slowly, learn quickly. Sounds like you are practicing the same mistakes over and over. Slow it down until you can play it right. It's not rocket science and there are no secrets.

As for the comments about playing with feeling, there is no reason that you can't play the correct notes with feeling. It's not an either/or situation.

 

[Dan_reeves]

Just a couple of questions out of curiosity:
1. Why do you not want to be in a band?
2. What is your motivation/reason for playing if not to perform?

This is kind of what I was thinking, and have an additional question to add:
3. What is your end goal?

You mention this is just a hobby...but it does not sound like you are having any fun. If your end goal is to play Tool songs note for note (and maybe get in a cover band) then I would agree with all the practice tips above, i.e. slow it down and break it down. But if your main goal is to have fun and enjoy your hobby, then you need to be kind to yourself and give yourself a break. A smart man once said to me that hobbies were meant to be enjoyed and be fun.

 

[fearceol]

learn some new stuff, maybe in a different genre.

Agreed. However this does not necessarily solve the OP's problem, because if he approaches a new genre in the same way as he does the current material, he will still be in the same situation. IMO the problem is not the genre itself (though he could have picked an easier one to start with), but the way he goes about learning it.

 

[MarshallNole]

I don't want to be in a band due to me wanting to play what I want to play. Another reason is time. I don't have much, especially with a baby coming in August.

My end goal is to play along with the songs I enjoy and have fun doing it. However I am a perfectionist

 

[MarshallNole]

I don't want to be in a band due to me wanting to play what I want to play. Another reason is time. I don't have much, especially with a baby coming in August.

My end goal is to play along with the songs I enjoy and have fun doing it. However I am a perfectionist

I'll add that I didn't start with tool but they are my motivation. They are the reason I started playing. There are many songs I play by other bands that I rarely mess up

 

[Sixgunn]

I don't want to be in a band due to me wanting to play what I want to play. Another reason is time. I don't have much, especially with a baby coming in August.

My end goal is to play along with the songs I enjoy and have fun doing it. However I am a perfectionist

Coolio!! Congrats on the baby and enjoy your bass

 

[fearceol]

I don't want to be in a band due to me wanting to play what I want to play. Another reason is time. I don't have much, especially with a baby coming in August.

My end goal is to play along with the songs I enjoy and have fun doing it. However I am a perfectionist

That's fair enough. Everyone plays for their own reasons. However, it does not have to be a "band" in the true sense of the word. It could be just an hour a week jamming with like minded people.

 

[St. Louis Scot]

In this article Dan Wilt discusses the idea of not practicing mistakes. That makes real sense, and he cites the science that backs it up.

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Another decent article on overcoming the "plateau."

How To Continually Improve In Your Bass Playing | How To Play Bass

 

[LeeNunn]

I agree with all of the above. Finding a good instructor is worth the time and money it takes. I found the right bass instructor for me, and he immediately identified flying fingers on my right hand ("Chorus Line" was how he described it) and a flying pinky on my left. So much unnecessary movement. Common problems for sure, but correcting them was the key to achieving some of my music goals. The exercises to correct these problems seemed rudimentary at first, but they worked.

Looping short difficult passages and slowing them down to a speed at which you can play them accurately is a proven way to learn difficult parts.

 

[mambo4]

The real answer is to accept your mistakes and not let them frustrate you into forgetting that you enjoy this.
I've been playing for 20 years and still make mistakes. At this point I am skilled enough to recover quickly and smoothly enough to fool the average listener.

Too bad you aren't interested in playing with others.
When you are forced accept responsibility for holding down your own corner of the set list
You quickly learn to abandon perfect in favor of sounds good enough
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