but that's really getting on my nerves.
Then my job is done here.
Oh and if you want to be a remarkable bassist, get a P bass!
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make me into a remarkable bassist
- Thread starter brothertupelo
- Start date
Then my job is done here.
Oh and if you want to be a remarkable bassist, get a P bass!
Brother Tupelo, what these kind cats are trying to convey to you is that there is no magic pill. There is no 'do this, then this, then that, and you will be great'. There is only a bass player, his bass, and the music he is trying to play.
To be a remarkable bass player, you need to pursue many of the things mentioned here. Together. Practice sight reading, to the best of your abilities, as often as your gig demands it, and then more. Practice scales, modes, chords, and arpeggios, to the maximum extent of your abilities in terms of comprehension and technical ability. Practice playing by ear, as often as you can, as many styles and genres as you can. Practice walking and improvisation, to defined chord progressions.
Practice all of these things. If I had to say one of them was more important than any other, I'd say playing by ear - but you'd probably get a lot of different opinions on that, as well, and none of them are so important that you can afford to neglect any other.
Ultimately, I'll say this. Only you can define when you are remarkable, and only you (or a skilled instructor, possibly) can tell you what you need to work on next. We'll share what has worked for us, and what we feel, in our personal experience, has done us the most good - but we are all individuals, and we all learn different things at different paces, and ultimately, what the kind folks who've been trying to help you are saying is that you need to figure out what you need the most work at, and work at it, and that could change frequently, and certainly isn't the same for you as it is for me.
To be a remarkable bass player, you need to pursue many of the things mentioned here. Together. Practice sight reading, to the best of your abilities, as often as your gig demands it, and then more. Practice scales, modes, chords, and arpeggios, to the maximum extent of your abilities in terms of comprehension and technical ability. Practice playing by ear, as often as you can, as many styles and genres as you can. Practice walking and improvisation, to defined chord progressions.
Practice all of these things. If I had to say one of them was more important than any other, I'd say playing by ear - but you'd probably get a lot of different opinions on that, as well, and none of them are so important that you can afford to neglect any other.
Ultimately, I'll say this. Only you can define when you are remarkable, and only you (or a skilled instructor, possibly) can tell you what you need to work on next. We'll share what has worked for us, and what we feel, in our personal experience, has done us the most good - but we are all individuals, and we all learn different things at different paces, and ultimately, what the kind folks who've been trying to help you are saying is that you need to figure out what you need the most work at, and work at it, and that could change frequently, and certainly isn't the same for you as it is for me.
see, that was closer to a useful post. concrete things to work on. scales, arpeggios, etc.
arrogantly telling me that i don't understand the value of practice is just completely wrong. i've put in 15 hour days on the guitar, and i know what it's worth, but i've also had instruction and concrete goals on the guitar. i want to have something worth practicing, so i don't just spend all my time doing the same stupid things, limited by my own imagination.
arrogantly telling me that i don't understand the value of practice is just completely wrong. i've put in 15 hour days on the guitar, and i know what it's worth, but i've also had instruction and concrete goals on the guitar. i want to have something worth practicing, so i don't just spend all my time doing the same stupid things, limited by my own imagination.
also, any time you're done just hearing what you want to hear, you'll realise i wasn't accusing him of being racist, i was saying he was getting on my nerves, and the reason is obviously because he's mirroring the actions of real life racist idiots that i have to put up with.
Ok (drill Sargent voice on)
YOU WANT MOTIVATION? GET YOUR HANDS OFF THAT KEYBOARD YOU MAGGOT!!! PUT EM ON YOU BASS! DO IT NOWWWWWW MAGGOT! YOU WILL LEARN! I WILL TEACH YOU! I WILL MOLD YOU INTO A LEAN MEAN BASS PLAYIN MACHINE! YOU WILL WALK, TALK,EAT AND SEEP WITH THAT BASS! IF THAT BASS LEAVES YOUR GRUBBY LITTLE MITTS FOR 1 SECOND, I WILL PUT MY FOOT SO FAR UP YOUR BUT, YOU WILL BE COUGHING SHOE LEATHER!!!! NOW PLAY ME A CHROMATIC SCALE MAGGOT!!!
(voice off)
I wish I had someone standing over my shoulder saying those things all the time. Then maybe I could get better.
I'm not even joking.
So I guess my post giving you concrete goals to work towards was worthless to you.
I repeat.
Can you sight-read a Bach cello suite?
Can you walk a bassline to Countdown?
Can you play a pop song after listening to it once?
Do you know the difference between (and can play) a cha-cha, son, mambo, merengue, and guaracha?
Can you play a three octave scale of every mode of the major, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scales(all 21 of them)?
Sounds like you know the value of a good instructor, then. If I were you, and wanted to waste the least possible time in developing skills, I would find the best possible instructor in your area, and start taking lessons. Seriously, there is no single thing you can do that will help more.
No one can help you get better like someone who is a) being paid to, b) is sitting right in front of you, and c) has some background in helping people develop bass playing skills.
Part of the problem here, Brother Tupelo, is that you've come across as both confrontational and unwilling to learn (ie, looking for the proverbial magic pill). I suspect that such is not your intention, ergo my willingness to try and rephrase - but this is the internet, and no one can hear your inflections. I can guarantee that this has lead several folks who, who honestly started out trying to help, to be ... less than helpfully inclined.
I didn't honestly post anything new, either. The whole point to comments like wax on, wax off, isn't to poke fun at anyone's heritage, but to emphasize the importance of the mundane, and the repetitious. Seriously, if you want to become a remarkable bass player, you will be doing a whole heckuva a lot of 'waxing on, waxing off' as it relates to the instrument.
slowly
i don't know the song, but probably
not note for note, and depends on the song, but i'm usually there within a few bars
no, and yes, badly
yes
Just a matter of how you phrased it, I think. All I really did was restate your ideals, stripping the specifics. You used a fairly interrogative form of speaking, which can often lead to bristling emotions, feelings of 'competition', and bruised egos, whilst I was intentionally pretty casual, while emphasizing what I felt were critical points.
jesus, man. i didn't say he was being racist. i was explaining why it was getting on my nerves.
and i can't find a teacher. i'm in a country where i don't speak the language and the only bass player i know puts me to sleep every time he talks.
And there you have it.
To be a remarkable bass player, in HaVIC5's eyes, you know what you need to do.
Chances are, you have a different ideal, as I alluded to, and therefor, it would be best to seek out an instructor who can help you work on those elements of being a 'well rounded player' that you feel most lead you to being a remarkable player.
I sure hope you don't try to push your great album here when it's finally done and you're looking for listeners.
Then you have a different, and specific problem, that maybe someone can help with.
My 'wisdom' (thanks for your edit, BTW. I'm certainly not wise, and sure hope no one bows down to me. ask my kids - they'd laugh at the thought of it) would seem to indicate that the problem you are facing here is 'how can I find qualified instruction in a country where I don't speak the language, and I haven't been able to find any bass players I respect enough to try to learn from'.
If that's the case, there are probably some web based sites with very good learning material. Review the stickies. Perhaps, if you're patient, and have the ability to record yourself (visual and audio), you may be able to find an instructor willing to work with you online (I'm not familiar with any such, but they may well exist in this day and age). Otherwise, I'd suggest whatever local networking sites may be available, music stores, etc. Perhaps posting what you're looking for, specifically, in a new thread, including the name of the country, your chosen language, etc, may be helpful as well.
If this thread was a waste of your time, it was a waste of time for everyone who tried to help you as well. If you already know all the answers, you can keep the questions to yourself (I apologize for my rudeness).
also, pointing out the blatantly obvious, like "practice more" is less helpful, funny, or worthwhile than you'd think.
