How Fast Can You Play?

[shtik]

To be honest, now I'm at my slowest ability of playing bass.
That's because I'm in the first months of 'Relearning my basic technique after 20+ years of professionally being a bassist/musician".
I work hard not to play faster than 60BPM (!!) in practicing Hanon. And man.. How not easy it is

Playing slow tempos is much harder than playing fast.

I would prefer two notes played in great timing, great articulation and good taste over 128 notes played with no other reason other than "look at me I can play fast".

I can play really fast, but on the day I can actually say that I can play "64th notes at 130 BPM" I think I can put the bass down and choose another profession.

There are musicians that want to show they can play fast, most of the time they will play ahead of the groove and will make the groove sound less solid and too anxious. When they need to lay down a heavy, fat, laid back groove they just can't.

Most popular music doesn't need fast playing. It does need good taste, space, groove, tone, articulation, personality and timing. Only being good at playing fast ignores all other things a good bass player should have.

Ask yourself when was the last time you played whole notes for at least one section of the song and felt you sounded so good you didn't need to play even one more note?

 

[JimmyM]

Use AC/DC as a template, I say. If you can't play a song like Back In Black in time and make it sound like you're in the zone, then all that fast stuff is for nothing.

 

[stratovani]

I don't have the time or the inclination to slog through ten pages of posts, so I'll just say this - I'm faster than some, slower than others, but in reality I just don't care. Bass is about groove and serving the song, and speed, or lack of it, is just one component in the equation.

 

[Billnc]

Faster than I'll ever get hired to play....

Bingo

 

[Faderoktopus]

If that's how you have interpreted it, then that's cool.
I also think shredding for the sake of shredding is a bad thing. I understood his question as being one about speed alone.

What does it mean that shredding is a bad thing? Do people get hurt, or sad, or do more kids go to bed hungry? Just not for you I guess, not bad in any way.

 

[IncX]

fast enough for me to have a hard time playing slow tempos:

‪Frantic Disembowelment - bass and guitar (test jam)‬‏ - YouTube

i said this on another thread, and ill say it hear again: metal built some aspects of my bass playing as much as it destroyed some of them.

 

[Mike M.]

Many, many years ago I use to be able to haul with a pick when the occasion called for it.

Not too fast these days at all and I can't remember when the last time was I used a pick. But then when you barely have time to practice...what do you think is going to happen?

 

[JetBlackJazz]

i can play along to most any of Iron Maiden....i can do aces high and still have enough endurance left for a little mini solo in key... my trick is the same as Billy Sheehan's so i found out... to leave the action high and to play off of the pickup and use it as a stationary ramp...

 

[Patrick61503]

Im at about 12 notes a second with just my right hand with slap 7 or 8 notes a second fingerstyle

 

[Juan Count]

I can play 128th notes. If you don't believe me, I can upload a clip of myself playing one.

EXACTLY! LOL...

 

[anonymous122511]

It's about how fast you can hear. People play exactly what they're hearing. Past a certain rudimentary technical level the wiggling yer fingers part is incidental.