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I cannot think musically, advice needed.

A

aarono

Feb 14, 2006
202
0
Minnesota
#1
Guys, I'm in a rut.

Tonight I set out to practice and within twenty minutes I had to quit out of frustration. It's not out of anything being too difficult per se it's just nothing is tying together and it's beginning to bother me a great deal.

I think it's tied in with how I approached music, in that I learned everything through tab. I can't sight read, I can't transcribe a song, I can't improvise (I can make riffs but if I want to through a fill in it's going to fall apart), and I don't know the fretboard completely, etc.

I practice scales and arpeggios but it feels like just a memory process that I quickly forget after a night's sleep. I can run through the C Major scale on my bass but I feel like it's not doing anything for be besides reinforcing that there's no sharps/flats in the key of C major. I've studied a great majority of the studybass.com website and yet I still feel like I'm not getting anywhere.

I'm just lost and frustrated. Can someone please give me a practice guideline that will start me on the path of being a musician? I'll follow what I'm told, it's just I'm very lost and cannot figure out how to advance musically at this point. I think I just need a solid practice routine.
 
#3
You've practiced enough. Go play with some people. Use all that stuff you have learned to play some songs. Its not rocket science. You already know enough to hold your own in a non-professional band. What's a non-professional band? One where no one gets paid they do it for fun.

How do you find people to play with. You gotta find them, they are not looking for you. Church Praise band - ask to sit in at rehearsals. They probably rehearse at church. Sit in the back row and show interest. Know of a garage band, ask if you can come see how a band works. They may ask you to bring your bass to the next session. That's what I did and the director did ask me to bring my banjo to the next session, been playing with them for over 10 years now. People are always looking for a good bass, ask around, let it be known you are wanting to hook up.

Time to start using all that stuff you know to play some songs. It's not all clubs and honk-a-tonks start looking.
 
#6
MalcolmAmos said:
You've practiced enough. Go play with some people. Use all that stuff you have learned to play some songs. Its not rocket science. You already know enough to hold your own in a non-professional band. What's a non-professional band? One where no one gets paid they do it for fun.

How do you find people to play with. You gotta find them, they are not looking for you. Church Praise band - ask to sit in at rehearsals. They probably rehearse at church. Sit in the back row and show interest. Know of a garage band, ask if you can come see how a band works. They may ask you to bring your bass to the next session. That's what I did and the director did ask me to bring my banjo to the next session, been playing with them for over 10 years now. People are always looking for a good bass, ask around, let it be known you are wanting to hook up.

Time to start using all that stuff you know to play some songs. It's not all clubs and honk-a-tonks start looking.
Click to expand...

+1
Craig's list is a good place to start looking. There is ALWAYS a jam band add there.
 
#8
You need someone who's a better bass teacher than you ;) Someone who will present the right info to you in a way you can understand it. If you can't get a teacher, then do the best you can to break away from the tabs and learn how to read music and memorize the fretboard. It takes a little while and some practice, but the rewards start right away.
 
#9
Great advice listed here.

I say,
1st,throw the tabs out.
2nd, what is your favorite band/CD from said band?
Learn it, Top to bottom and use your ears. Play music because you love the music, not the scales and notes
and 3rd (as stated above)
Find a band or group of people to jam with

Thats the only way what you have learned so far will come together. And by doing so you will learn so much more.

As stated above, Its Not Rocket Science, Its music. Its soul and emotions
Anybody can play notes, put them to good use
 
#11
Good teachers are great at putting togther a program that is going to keep you moving forward in a consistent manner, as long as you put the work in.

When you say "running scales", what exactly are you doing? All you talk about is Cmajor, are you playing through the other 11 keys? Are you playing through them in two octaves? Are you also playing the natural, harmonic and melodic minors in two octaves? Do you name the notes as you play them? And arpeggios, how are you approaching working on those? What ear training are you doing? What work on understanding functional harmony?
Typing to a bunch of strangers on the internet isn't the best way to approach learning this stuff. Sitting in the same room with a living, breathing human who has a solid pedagogical approach is.
 
#13
Snarf said:
Have you tried?
Click to expand...

Yes. I start by trying to listen to a song, let's say Rush's "Limelight".

I then try to determine how the bassline goes, not so much what it's made up of yet. After that I try to find the general area of the neck that it's played. But when it comes to actually picking the notes that are actually played it's generally off by a sizable margin.

I trying to learn how to use Transcribe!. Perhaps this will make things easier.

My favorite album is Appetite for Destruction so I know the general outline of most of the tracks due to looking at the tabs. I'll try at the bottom with no tabs and see if I can play my way through a song or two.
 
#17
aarono said:
Yes. I start by trying to listen to a song, let's say Rush's "Limelight".

I then try to determine how the bassline goes, not so much what it's made up of yet. After that I try to find the general area of the neck that it's played. But when it comes to actually picking the notes that are actually played it's generally off by a sizable margin.

I trying to learn how to use Transcribe!. Perhaps this will make things easier.

My favorite album is Appetite for Destruction so I know the general outline of most of the tracks due to looking at the tabs. I'll try at the bottom with no tabs and see if I can play my way through a song or two.
Click to expand...



if you're new to learning by ear ....rush is prolly a bit much ..even if your hands are up to it ....and Duff is actually fairly notey on AFD ....go simpler for now when it comes to working you transcription skills ....all you need is headphones and windows media player ...mess with the EQ and play speed to help you hear the bass!
 
#18
Do the opposite of what you're doing now.

Ear training, learning songs by ear, transcribing, reading Standard Notation, work on your vocals.

Kinda like starting over. :atoz: Improve your musical habits to improve your playing.

I suggest you learn some blues.

Check out my >500 links below for more great TB info that may help you out.
 
#19
The suggestion of learning some blues is very good. Blues comes around in a known form and allows for taking some chances and 'thinking musically' plus it's kinds inherently satisfying.

I've learned with various degrees of succes a number of instruments and bass is the first one I've really had to work at thinking musically. Until now it's been all about learning a song now it's more about supporting a song in a variety of ways So I'm working at this myself. What seesm to help the most is knowing where I am all the time in the song and on the fretboard-- naming the notes -- not just letting muscle memory take over -- and what chord I'm playing against at any time and knowing where I'm headed for the next chord.
This is all just a little simpler with some blues 1st with riff-based with maybe some fills then with some walking
 
#20
JimmyM said:
You need someone who's a better bass teacher than you ;) Someone who will present the right info to you in a way you can understand it. If you can't get a teacher, then do the best you can to break away from the tabs and learn how to read music and memorize the fretboard. It takes a little while and some practice, but the rewards start right away.
Click to expand...

Where's DevoJames? Overdose?

Another one for ear training. Do this a lot. Pick your favorite recordings and sit down and learn them as best you can note for note. The dividends in increased playing ability will far outweigh the time you spend.
 

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