Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
How are you trying to improve on bass
- Thread starter IamGroot
- Start date
I selected Self teaching with paid internet material. However, I actually I use at least 4 of the resources you have listed: Self teaching with no assistance, Self teaching with instruction material other than the internet, Self teaching with free internet material and the one I selected.
I chose other. Listening to music that I don't normally listen to. A different genre altogether. Then,learning to play by playing along with and then from memory.
I was in school music programs my whole life and I took private lessons for about 10 years. That was all hands-on with sheet music. Once I started playing professionally I was getting plenty of practice reading charts on gigs and I would transcribe solos and parts in my spare time and try to raise my facility that way. I did that for many years and would also find parts online. I am actually on an SBL trial right now to see what all the fuss is about. Great content and UI but I'm not sure if I'll keep a subscription. Technically I suppose I'm using free internet materials right now but the bulk of it is still sheet music and self transcriptions for me.
Last edited:
I chose "other" because, besides regular bass play time, I'm also learning to play drums, and that's really helped me with groove and pocket and nailing the note.
I play 2 hours per day learning/fine-tuning songs. I play standing up and it is my only work-out other than my somewhat physical job. I play in a cover band and that's all I'll ever be. I am totally fine with that.
I say all that because I see so many folks ignoring the physical aspect of being a bass player. I take pride in being able to do 8 hour gigs when necessary at age 55.
I say all that because I see so many folks ignoring the physical aspect of being a bass player. I take pride in being able to do 8 hour gigs when necessary at age 55.
My teacher (a Berklee grad) and I have worked out a “master class” arrangement where we spend an hour from time to time to evaluate my progress then to adjust my practice plan. From then on I am on my own to woodshed, which I’m consistent at doing. When I feel I have plateaued or I need coaching I send him a message and we repeat this.
i'm at a point in life where "improvement" is measured by not losing what i already have/had. it's almost all maintenance, really, but with the occasional 'whippersnapper' (new to me!) tune to play. that said: new ways to compensate for an overall, slow diminution of physical faculties/facilities could be considered as an "improvement." maybe. 
Enlighten me please.No using "carrots" option unless you know the true origin of the TB classic.
I know if i dont include it, some TBer will have a cow
I put self-teaching with no assistance, which is not entirely accurate. I do use material, just not instructional material. I use the same method painters use, which is to copy the work of a master in order to deconstruct what they did and how they did it so that I can add those things to my arsenal. As a practical matter this usually means listening to songs I want to learn on YouTube or Spotify many times in order to figure all of that out. That's "material" but I don't think it falls within the intended meaning here.
I'm still finding that I can improve, but it's not always obvious. It usually takes the form of coming back to a song I thought was really hard when I learned it the first time, only to find that it's now much easier to play. That must mean I've improved somehow, right?i'm at a point in life where "improvement" is measured by not losing what i already have/had. it's almost all maintenance, really, but with the occasional 'whippersnapper' (new to me!) tune to play. that said: new ways to compensate for an overall, slow diminution of physical faculties/facilities could be considered as an "improvement." maybe.
But at my age, I know I will never acquire the mastery I wish I could have achieved if I hadn't put the bass down for so many years. So I'm grateful for the ability to do what I can for however many years I have left to do it. Getting old is not easy on us.
yes, i believe it is, and i'm right there with you (your example)! maybe i put that kind of learning down as 'wisdom' --- the kind of wisdom you get when you "sleep on it!"
This. I’ve been improving incrementally the last few years but flattening out. Signing up for guitar lessons really opened some doors for me.
Teijo K.
Commercial User
By joining bands where I have to learn new songs, that require practice. I used to practice technique so much back in the day, but I really don't want to anymore. If I don't have some real musical reason to play, I usually don't.
devnulljp
Supporting Member
I play all the time with lots of different people. Can't help but learn good stuff.
I don't know if the circle of elders would alow this.
I know I'm not the one who is gonna spill the beans on that one.....
Other: learning the material the other band members come up with, working out my own parts to be more challenging where appropriate, writing my own "riffs" and sometimes full pieces, and consistent practice along with recordings.
If I'm understanding it correctly, plenty of carrots and turnips in there, but also a bunch of fish skin and some ropes.
I don't know if the circle of elders would alow this.
I know I'm not the one who is gonna spill the beans on that one.....
If I'm understanding it correctly, plenty of carrots and turnips in there, but also a bunch of fish skin and some ropes.
Latest posts
-
-
-
Do the new Rickenbacker 4003s sound like the 4001s from the '70s?
- Latest: Asllan Pizzatto
-
