I think I've found my problem

[Brohawk]

Background: I'm a middle aged guy who messed around with bass on & off in the past, but never had any formal instruction.

A few months ago I decided to get back into it and find a teacher. I could play covers from downloading TAB and learning it, but had no understanding of why the notes in a song worked together. This was one of the tasks I gave my teacher (yep - I didn't just say "Teach me bass", but gave him specific goals I had in mind) - to have enough of a grasp on the fundamentals that I could get together with a couple guys and just jam.

He asked me for a list of songs I'd like to learn, and he's been teaching me the notes that go with chords and explaining how they work together. Good.

However, I spent 21 years in the USAF in aircraft maintenance. What was drilled into us was "Do this task EXACTLY the way you were shown." After all, when it comes to large, complex jet aircraft, you can't have maintainers just winging it. I realized that mentality has carried over as a bass student. I've been focusing on trying to play things just the way my teacher showed me. Over the last couple of lessons he's been coaching me toward "finding my own voice"; that is, while playing a cover keep the essence of the song, but don't just be a parrot.

This brings me to my epiphany: I've been thinking too hard.

You know the scene in "The Last Samurai" where Tom Cruise is sparring with sword fighting and getting his butt kicked? Then the young guy steps in and tells him, "Too many mind." In other words, "You're thinking too hard."

This week I'm going to try and relax, let it flow, and be more flexible. Oh yeah - and have fun, too!

 

[JimK]

...into movies for philosophy?


Then review Mr. Holland's Opus…specifically, the scene where Dreyfus is helping his clarinet student.

Spoiler: He asks why she likes "Wild Thing" (a current hit at this point in the movie).
After all, they can't sing & they can barely play...so "Why"?
She answers "...I dunno, 'cause it's fun"?
"Exactly"!

 

[Brohawk]

...into movies for philosophy?


Then review Mr. Holland's Opus…specifically, the scene where Dreyfus is helping his clarinet student.

Spoiler: He asks why she likes "Wild Thing" (a current hit at this point in the movie).
After all, they can't sing & they can barely play...so "Why"?
She answers "...I dunno, 'cause it's fun"?
"Exactly"!

I liked where the bass drummer (IIRC) was praised for finally finding the beat. (I only saw the movie once, when it was released)

 

[StyleOverShow]

Yeah playing music doesn't necessarily have a SOP. Everybody who plays long enough develops a style & recognizable approach to common chord changes.

You don't have to copy although that sounds like you will have a strong tendency towards, but you must pay service to the arrangement and have a little fun too. Enjoy!

 

[BassChuck]

I never worked on aircraft, but I can tell you the mentality you're coming to grips with is plenty common enough. One thought that has helped me. I met Don Ellis once and asked him what it was he looked for when he auditioned musicians for his band. He response was, "I ask them to play something that they know, then I ask them to play it in a different way, and then another different way and continue that until they run out of ideas". It's a great way to practice.

 

[ZenG]

I believe this is why some bass playing legends emphasize knowledge of chords over scales.

They aren't emphasizing the ability to strum chords on a bass...they are emphasizing knowing what notes out of a chord can be used in a given situation.......

For instance:- if your opening chord is CM6...you have some leeway there as to how you will structure your bass response instead of just plunking on the root. Let's say your next chord in the song is Gm7th......again there is room to improvise a response to get the right "sound flavor"

I think knowing major and minor scales is a given and necessary.........but....

People like Carol Kaye emphasize learning bass responses using notes from a chord but not the root note itself........to get you familiar with the different ways you can create accent note harmonics to color the work.

When you play a song note for note you are using what the players that recorded it thought was the best choice as far as they were concerned.

But there's lots of ways to play a song and it will still work...although it may sound different harmonically,tonally and emotionally......

But that's half the fun...coming up with new takes on songs........

 

[Brohawk]

I never worked on aircraft, but I can tell you the mentality you're coming to grips with is plenty common enough. One thought that has helped me. I met Don Ellis once and asked him what it was he looked for when he auditioned musicians for his band. He response was, "I ask them to play something that they know, then I ask them to play it in a different way, and then another different way and continue that until they run out of ideas". It's a great way to practice.

Great advice! I started working on "Mustang Sally" and now have several different ways of playing that keep the main feel of the song. Having a blast!