Less Mistakes training...advice??

[kynoch]

I am sure I am not the only bassist on this planet who now and again kicks himself for stupid mistakes.....today I had one of those days.

Anyhow, I HATE making mistakes...and the only thing I can think of doing is rehearse rehearse rehearse....just keep practising those tunes.....but then the lack of concentration=mistake equation comes into play.

So I was wondering what you people do to cut down on mistakes Live and in practice.....whether it be a wandering mind....a bum note....or that old wrong note.

 

[stflbn]

My biggest issue is concentration and wandering and trying 'new things' vs just executing the song as I'm sure to do with no mistakes.

 

[lowendlover]

I feel ya man...i'm a perfectionist and it does tick me off a bit when that stuff happens, but the sign of a true musician is someone who regardless of what happens, can hop right back in the pocket like it never happened. I feel that is far more important than playing perfectly always, because we all know that is damn near impossible. As for the wandering mind thing......ENERGY DRINKs haha

 

[LaughingGroove]

I think we all have it happen. I know I do too, there are songs I have played a million times and then every once in awhile its like...whoa what the....did I do there?

I remember one show, a wedding party to be exact. There was a couple dancing infront of the small stage, the gal was hot, I mean hot. They were both drunk, while we were playing her husband was dancing behind her, both facing the stage and lifted her dress all the way up. She had nothing on under her dress. I was like holy...., I miss a few notes, then kept playing. They were both laughing.

 

[Slax]

Wandering mind is my least favorite. I feel it happening and then like a car skidding on ice I tend to "over correct", thus leading to more of a mess up. It may only be a beat or two when it happens, but it's enough to bother me. Probably because it could have been completely avoided. Usually it only happens when we play songs with repetitive riffs like Whole Lotta Love or Foxey Lady.

Wrong notes and bum notes don't really bother me. (Unless I get "the look" from my band mates. ) I usually just make a mental note to avoid later, in turn, learning from my mistakes.

 

[john_g]

I feel ya man...i'm a perfectionist and it does tick me off a bit when that stuff happens, but the sign of a true musician is someone who regardless of what happens, can hop right back in the pocket like it never happened. I feel that is far more important than playing perfectly always, because we all know that is damn near impossible. As for the wandering mind thing......ENERGY DRINKs haha

+100

One of the first things my very first teacher told me was to never stop no matter how big a mistake you made. Bounce right back into place. I am a perfectionist too, so playing live I have enough adrenaline pumping so that I dont wander mentally.

 

[AndyLES]

There are no such things as bad notes - just bad note-resolutions.

 

[BassChuck]

Well, there's no such thing as perfection. No matter how 'good' you get you can always up the ante on what is perfect.

The good players make mistakes so small and they get out of them so fast and so well that you never really notice.

One thing that I might share after watching students learn for years and years. A common practicing habit is to go over and over something, each time making a mistake.... trying it again and again. Then when they finally get it right, they move on. Seems OK, but they seldom realize that they 'practiced' it wrong 37 times and right only once.

Be very aware of your habits.

 

[tdurden]

Everyone makes mistakes. Here is a few things I have learned over the years:
Most of the time the audience will not even notice the mistake.
Every wrong note is only a 1/2 step away from being correct.
If you play a wrong note fix it next time or play the same note wrong every time.People will think it is part of the song.

Always remember just keep playing and give the guitar player a funny look like he screwed up.

 

[OtterOnBass]

I think there are three parts to playing right:
1. Knowing the music so that your memory will tell you what to play.
2. Physically being able to play the notes at the right tempo.
3. Concentrating on what you are doing when you're playing.


Find which one is your problem and then work on that. Me, I tend towards wandering so I need to focus on the music more.

 

[daffy]

...

One thing that I might share after watching students learn for years and years. A common practicing habit is to go over and over something, each time making a mistake.... trying it again and again. Then when they finally get it right, they move on. Seems OK, but they seldom realize that they 'practiced' it wrong 37 times and right only once.

Be very aware of your habits.

+10000 to that!

It's not practice that makes perfect, but PERFECT practice that makes perfect. If you practice something and make the same mistake in the same place several times in a row, then you have just learnt that *mistake*, and your muscles will remember it.

Once I figured this out for myself (despite having read this phrase many times and glossing over it - I guess in effect learning to ignore good advice! ), I made a note to myself that I wouldn't let myself make the same mistake more than three times in a row. I would:
- slow right down, halving the speed each time, till I could make sure that I got the specific problem section right
- expand the section I played to phrases before and after the problem area, while maintaining the same slow speed, making sure I could play it perfectly,
- then, and only then, double the speed and play again, until I had it at the correct speed or even faster.

I have found that this technique has allowed me to get a piece right faster and simpler than anything else I have ever done.

You can try this yourself with a new piece - play a couple of complex phrases 3 or 4 times in a row at 1/4 or 1/2 speed, then just double the speed straight away. More than likely you will be able to play them straight off.

 

[kynoch]

Thanks people,

Its always good to know there are more people with similar issues.....there is some great advice here and I feel really encouraged. I will be sure to put a lot of what's said here into action.

thanks!!!!

 

[conditional78]

I find that moving my body with the music helps me stay focused.

 

[Mike Saville]

One thing that I might share after watching students learn for years and years. A common practicing habit is to go over and over something, each time making a mistake.... trying it again and again. Then when they finally get it right, they move on. Seems OK, but they seldom realize that they 'practiced' it wrong 37 times and right only once.

Completely agree that this is a major failing of many peoples practice.

This is similar to something I use in my teaching called 'The Magic Number'. This is the number of times you have to play something after you have got it right. To really lock something in this number could be 100 or even 1000.

Also remember that simply repeating things is most often not the best way to practice. Repeating simply takes something you can already do and makes it permanent. If that thing you do is wrong it will simply make you permanently wrong. Take time to spot the issues behind the mistakes.

 

[()smoke()]

some great advice here

 

[Joe Nerve]

I'm a perfectionist and I've had a couple of high end gigs where a single mistake in a 2 1/2 hr show was unacceptable to me. And I used to make a lot more than that. Everyone else was fine with it but me, and I needed to work on it. Some of what I did is a bit unorthodox, some not. First the not:

While practicing:

• I started to practice not until I got it right, but until I didn't get it wrong. I go over the material until I can play it flawlessly at least 3 times.
• I practice in the car while driving (or anywhere else I can). I can run through songs in my imagination (with a CD) and play every note on my steering wheel while staying focused. Helps me remember changes, rhythems, and notes. If I blank out on something I review it again at home.
• When I make a mistake going over a song I make mental note of where it happened and consciously, sometimes out loud say, "That's a G#, I will commit it to memory and never forget it again." Kind of put a little extra effort into remembering that particular note and spot in the song.
• I always try to go over the set(s) before a show. Media player at a high speed has really helped with that.

During the show:

• Realize that once a note is played, wrong or right, it's gone forever (unless it's being recorded) and not a single person can say or prove I didn't do it intentionally. I let the mistakes go more quickly than they come.
• Learned from hearing recordings that my mistakes are 1000X worse in my head, than in actuality.
• Learned that a well placed "woom" or percussive thing can make lots of mistakes sound like intentionally artsy fills.
• Learn to act as if every note played was intentional regardless of how horribly off it may have been.
• The girl in the dress mentioned above is no joke. I try to keep myself from being distracted by the audience. Half naked dancing girls and girls making out are the most dangerous.

The stuff that absolutely works for me:

I've been doing affirmations for various things in my life and they work. I'm am convinced that I am everything I believe I am and I'll never be anything I don't. I used to think I was just a bassist who messes up a lot and I had to brainwash myself by constantly telling myself I was otherwise. "I play bass perfectly like a classical musician." "I am a flawless performer." Stuff like that. It sounds ridiculous I know to some, but others who have done such things know that it works if the time is put in. It's not an overnight thing. Can take months or years. I could go on and on about this, I discovered it worked by accident... I'm skeptical as all hell about all this kind of stuff, but I'm open to trying just about everything. When it works I don't argue it, even if I can't make sense of it. Lots of books on this topic.

I pray. I'd like to say I do it before every gig but lately it's just when I realize it's an important show, or I'm feeling a little nervous. Some people have a beer or shot to take off the edge, but I don't drink - and this has been working a lot better. I ask that I give the best possible performance that I can, that I be open to allow love and all the positive energy in the universe flow through me to the audience, and that I be granted the peace to accept whatever it is that takes place. The words always differ, but the sentiment is the same. Do I believe there's a guy sitting in the clouds listening to my rant? No. Do I believe there are positive energies in the universerse I can connect to, absolutely. Right now this is the only way I know of doing it. And it's been working. I've played countless flawless shows, and when I have an off night I can roll with it easily. Mistakes happen. I'm still always wondering about classical musicians though. That's what I always aspire towards.

 

[Jehos]

In my experience, I make the most mistakes when I'm playing at the edge of my abilities. It's that technically difficult song, or the one with a lot of changes that I forget about that will kill me. So what I do is make those songs not the edge of my abilities anymore. If I'm having problems with technical execution, I work on my chops (not just that one song, either). If it's the changes, I chart out the song and play it through over and over. Sometimes I'll start in random places just to make sure I have that song down cold. Basically once you get to the point that you can play the song or setlist or whatever in your sleep, you won't have to worry about making mistakes anymore. It gives you the mental bandwidth to cope with playing on stage--watching the audience, dealing with nerves, playing despite that extra beer you shouldn't have had, whatever.

 

[Interceptor]

Wow, does this ever strike home for me. I joined a classical choir a year ago. Very humbling experience. Also, the greatest growth I've had in many years.

The biggest thing that helped me was one night out after a rocky rehearsal, the first chair tenor sat down next to me and passed on - singing is like golf; the relaxed person can find "the zone" much easier. He urged me to just relax and allow myself to purely concentrate. I've been working on that, and when I remember to do it, it works.

BTW, hot dancers really are distracting. And the old speaker's approach of imagine the audience naked doesn't work. Especially with hot dancers.

 

[bassbully]

Great stuff guys. I have come to just letting go in my playing. I know the material but i do mind wander at times during easy songs watching the crowd (bad) If i get caught i try to listen close and get on with it and seldom is it noticeable...sometimes to the bandleader but oh well a notes a note and it just went bye!

I was always told the crowd notices more how an band starts and finishes a song so i always watch my intros and exits. My bandleader likes to stretch out songs if we have alot of dancing going on which is normally most songs but sometimes i'm thinking ...Yea hes going to stretch this one a bit..nope! He signals to end it early I need big ears and eyes in my band. The experience has made me a better player and i let anything roll off. Music is my fun my release i am not a pro. I practice once a week 2-3 hours with the band and as offen at home as a family/working man can. I am not a full timer so i will forget and make mistakes hopefully few. I am ok with that.

 

[Scot]

Great advice so far.

On a gig/show, never draw attention to a mistake made by you or anyone on stage. This is a mistake commonly made by amateurs. Audience members will likely not notice most mistakes made unless attention is drawn to them by making faces, glaring at other band members, shaking heads, etc. Audience members just want to get out of the house and have a little fun and don't really want to know about your opinions of yours or other's performance.

In the woodshed, a mistake that is repeatedly made is an indication that you need to slow things down and play them cleanly. If you come across something in a passage that's giving you trouble, try to make a little exercise out of it - loop it, whatever. Play to your 'nome. Slowing things way down and playing cleanly and perfectly in time to your 'nome can't be over-emphasized.

Finally, music is supposed to be fun. If you find that your starting to take things too seriously it might be time to get out and do something else. Get some exercise, ride your bike, take your dog for a walk.