Is there a "wrong" way??

[flomaster]

I visited one of the local guitar centers up in Englewood, and one of the other customers there started playing a rif from a song (Chain of Thorns) on a guitar he was testing out that I happened to know. Having had a bass in my hand at the moment, I decided to play along.
While it was fun, one of the other customers there told me that I was playing it wrong--not that the notes were wrong, but my left hand placement and where I was playing them. Since I'm generally not that good anyway, I took his advice. Later, though, I started to think about it and wondered whether there is, in fact, a wrong way to play something. If I'm hitting all the required notes at the required time, with the required attacks/releases, and it sounds good, is there really a "wrong" way to play?

 

[DWBass]

Nope. If the notes are right, it's right. When I learn a song, I try it several different ways and I usually choose the simplest way for me to play it.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

Even with the qualifications at the end of your post, it's still a pretty subjective question.

If you were one of my students (especially a beginner), I would "ride you" about "doing it the right way".

However, if you are hitting all the notes, in time ... yada, yada, yada, you are not playing it "wrong".

 

[Killing Floor]

What he said. There are definitely techniques. You could call them “right”. But I guarantee our hands and arms are different so my position is going to end up different from yours after the lesson. Not to say you shouldn’t strive for your best. But everyone is going to hit that board differently and try to adjust with the position of the instrument.
Listen to your teacher. And your teacher will know how to get you to your best but within your physical constraints.

There is something to be said for hitting the notes though.

 

[Johnny Fingers]

Critics say it. Goes in one ear and out the other.
Random dude in a music store?
Tell him to pack sand in a rathole.

 

[Jrussblues]

There are right and wrong ways to play everything. Sometimes it doesn’t matter and sometimes it does.
I don’t know how I would handle unsolicited advice from another customer in a guitar store though. Probably some rights and wrongs in that scenario too.

 

[IamGroot]

Not enough facts here to make a call.

There is a technically correct way to play bass, but breaking the rules may not limit you too much unless you want to play fretless or at a high degree of proficiency.

They say mastering a musical instrument takes 10,000 hours. With so much effort, consider setting up a lesson with a teacher with proven electric bass skills to critique how you play and identify bad form. A college instructor, for example. I did this when I switched to bass and the assessment was dead on.

Or just take the advice of random TBers and roll the dice.

 

[chris_b]

Bad technique will usually make an instrument more difficult to play.

Good technique will always makes an instrument easier to play, but in rock etc you don't always need a good technique to get by.

My technique would probably make Gary Willis wince, but I can hit all the notes in time, with the least effort and I don't waste any energy.

IMO always be open to new ideas.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Right or wrong way of fretting?
That depends on where you need to be next.

If a gymnast on the beam plants her feet in the wrong place for her next move,she may miss her next move.

 

[DWBass]

Have y'all seen Larry Graham play? Horrible technique but it works for him.

 

[Corigan]

People say fleas slap technique is wrong, yet he has made a very prolific career using that "wrong" thumb down technique. Do what works for you. There are no rules.

 

[InhumanResource]

There is a technically correct way to play bass, but breaking the rules may not limit you too much unless you want to play fretless or at a high degree of proficiency.

The other thing to consider is injury. People have been playing stringed instruments for centuries and as a result, we have a pretty good idea of what works and for not work. In the course of getting those 10,000 hours, bad technique absolutely can shorten the trip to things like tendinitis and so forth.

 

[FullumMusic]

The “correct” response to people like that is, “OK, Mr Bass Police man. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize the Bass Police patrolled Guitar Center enforcing the music law that songs need to be played with the same fret positions by everyone who plays them. Next time I’m gonna play something I’ll make sure to check with you first. By the way, could you please show me the rule in the music law book? I don’t want to accidentally break another law and have you give me a fine or arrest me or take my bass away.”

There are different ways of playing the same thing. Some are easier and some are more difficult and that’s gonna vary from person to person. While it doesn’t make much sense to play something in a more difficult way than you need to, it’s not wrong if you’re playing the song. And it’s not wrong if you play it differently because it works better for your fingers or arm or how you think. Cats like that at the GC have questionable priorities within music and probably just like to think of themselves as hot isht, and probably mansplain what they think they know about music to everyone as if they’re the supreme authority.

Play it how you like to play it. Try different ways of playing things. If there’s a better way, do that instead. Don’t worry about people telling you it’s the wrong way. They’re wrong because there’s no such thing. (Unless you’re playing all the wrong notes, for the wrong changes, completely out of time. But even an argument can be made for that too, because it’s all just music.)

 

[smtp4me]

I visited one of the local guitar centers up in Englewood, and one of the other customers there started playing a rif from a song (Chain of Thorns) on a guitar he was testing out that I happened to know. Having had a bass in my hand at the moment, I decided to play along.
While it was fun, one of the other customers there told me that I was playing it wrong--not that the notes were wrong, but my left hand placement and where I was playing them. Since I'm generally not that good anyway, I took his advice. Later, though, I started to think about it and wondered whether there is, in fact, a wrong way to play something. If I'm hitting all the required notes at the required time, with the required attacks/releases, and it sounds good, is there really a "wrong" way to play?

If you play the right notes, the answer is "no". And... not to insult any of our TB friends here (because I spend time at GC too), I wouldn't necessarily put a lot of weight on advice from random strangers at GC.

 

[swink]

I visited one of the local guitar centers up in Englewood, and one of the other customers there started playing a rif from a song (Chain of Thorns) on a guitar he was testing out that I happened to know. Having had a bass in my hand at the moment, I decided to play along.
While it was fun, one of the other customers there told me that I was playing it wrong--not that the notes were wrong, but my left hand placement and where I was playing them. Since I'm generally not that good anyway, I took his advice. Later, though, I started to think about it and wondered whether there is, in fact, a wrong way to play something. If I'm hitting all the required notes at the required time, with the required attacks/releases, and it sounds good, is there really a "wrong" way to play?

Has the BL or 1st bass communicated his bow strokes and certain fingerings for certain notes?.... If not.... Enjoy the freedom.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I visited one of the local guitar centers up in Englewood, and one of the other customers there started playing a rif from a song (Chain of Thorns) on a guitar he was testing out that I happened to know. Having had a bass in my hand at the moment, I decided to play along.
While it was fun, one of the other customers there told me that I was playing it wrong--not that the notes were wrong, but my left hand placement and where I was playing them. Since I'm generally not that good anyway, I took his advice. Later, though, I started to think about it and wondered whether there is, in fact, a wrong way to play something. If I'm hitting all the required notes at the required time, with the required attacks/releases, and it sounds good, is there really a "wrong" way to play?

What was "wrong"?

Riis

 

[SteveCS]

...
not that the notes were wrong, but my left hand placement and where I was playing them. Since I'm generally not that good anyway, I took his advice. Later, though, I started to think about it and wondered whether there is, in fact, a wrong way to play something.
...

I'm going to go against most of the replies here. I doubt very much if this was a question of technique, more of timbre or tone. I suggest you sit down and work out all of the possible ways of playing whatever it is in the various possible positions on the bass, then give then a good critical listening. Try to quantify the differences and evaluate which may or may not be a better fit for the music and why. There may be no single 'right' or 'wrong' answer, and each may have something going for it that the others don't have. But there will be differences that you should try to understand. HINT : Your open G string, D string at the 5th fret, A string at the 10th fret and E string at the 15th fret all sound the same basic pitch, but the tones/timbres and possibilities for 'shaping' the notes are radically different.

 

[BassBrass]

I'd say someone who corrects someone in public in a music store may have a personality disorder, red flag.

Bass guitar and simple bass lines are very forgiving of "bad" technique, although sometimes you do see someone with a wierd hand shape or tension that will run into problems eventually. There are also people who take a simple instrument all the way as far as it can go with technique. Some people think recorder is easy to play, but they've never met a professional recorder player who can play anything put in front of them in any key.

This correct technique situation is critical in trumpet playing! There are a half dozen recognised embousure types based on lip size and jaw shape, teeth, upstream vs downstream and a lucky student has a teacher that matches the embousure type that's good for the student (or understands Reinhart anatomy types). Most teacher just say, do what I do and demonstrate. If an ignorant "teacher" tries to change a student over to an embousure that isn't possible anatomically, you'll get a former player. What % of brass are former players....higher than bass, some bass players being former trumpeters...I don't think we have short fingered technical bass teachers trying to correct a player with large size hands because it's obvious.

It's also about being in a forgiving environment (bass player's bedroom) vs in a college or a professional peer group where there is an enforced or "normal" technique.

I always see people recomending a teacher forgetting that teachers are where musical and technical dogma comes from because they need to teach something... it's called pedagogy. It makes marketing possible. For colleges to parents/students, a private teacher with a whole bag of tricks. Jazz is now taught in college because it's a 100 year period with a wealth of history and technique to impart, you can make a pedagogy from it now..like Lee Berk did in the early 60 at Berklee. (same for hip hop/rap now at the 50 year mark, there is a new excellent documentary on this teachable subject!)

 

[DwaynieAD]

I'm going to go against most of the replies here. I doubt very much if this was a question of technique, more of timbre or tone. I suggest you sit down and work out all of the possible ways of playing whatever it is in the various possible positions on the bass, then give then a good critical listening. Try to quantify the differences and evaluate which may or may not be a better fit for the music and why. There may be no single 'right' or 'wrong' answer, and each may have something going for it that the others don't have. But there will be differences that you should try to understand. HINT : Your open G string, D string at the 5th fret, A string at the 10th fret and E string at the 15th fret all sound the same basic pitch, but the tones/timbres and possibilities for 'shaping' the notes are radically different.

All this is absolutely right. That being said the dude was still a ****. And I don't mean Steve here is a ****, I Mean the guy at gc

 

[ebo]

I’ll watch YouTube videos of songs I want to learn, and I’ll look up charts if possible. I won’t always follow the fingering choices I see though. I wonder if the dude at GC heard something “wrong” or just saw different fingering choices. If it sounds good and correct it isn’t wrong. I’ve seen bass players doing a song I know and been very surprised by their fretting choices. Sometimes I steal their ideas, sometimes I clap myself on the back for doing it better or easier. I’d never tell someone they are doing it wrong though. That’s arrogance IMO.