Don't quit playing when you're in your early 20s. I dusted off my old bass late last year (Squier MB-4, fortunately not the skull and crossbones version) after not touching it for more than two decades, and the thought of how much fun I could have been having for the past 20-ish years stings. The silver lining is that I got to experience the frankly hilarious difference between a 25-year-old set of D'Addarios and a new set of DR Hi-Beams on what is now probably a $100 bass.
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musical advice to your younger self
- Thread starter skygzr
- Start date
Set your eq pretty much flat and tweak from there. New strings and practice will do more for your sound than throwing money at some elusive tone quest.
Practice, practice, practice. Scales, modes, and study chords and harmony. Work on techniques, fingerings, and proper wrist positioning.
Learn to set up a bass the way you like it and how to solder decently.
THEN..............
Play as many styles of both music and bass as you can. Motown ain't metal and country ain't bebop. Be a sponge.
Play as many different guitars and amps as you can get your hands on. Some of them will grab your heart.
Go see and hear your favorite bands and/or bass players as much as possible. Network! (Tough to do right now.)
And then........when you practice, band rehearse, or gig..............immerse yourself in the SONG. You will "serve the song" when you totally immerse yourself in it. Your voice will immerge when you let the song speak to you. Even if you don't like the song.
Win the lottery. (Maybe do this first.)
Praise God for every breath he's blessed you with. (Do this forever.)
Learn to set up a bass the way you like it and how to solder decently.
THEN..............
Play as many styles of both music and bass as you can. Motown ain't metal and country ain't bebop. Be a sponge.
Play as many different guitars and amps as you can get your hands on. Some of them will grab your heart.
Go see and hear your favorite bands and/or bass players as much as possible. Network! (Tough to do right now.)
And then........when you practice, band rehearse, or gig..............immerse yourself in the SONG. You will "serve the song" when you totally immerse yourself in it. Your voice will immerge when you let the song speak to you. Even if you don't like the song.
Win the lottery. (Maybe do this first.)
Praise God for every breath he's blessed you with. (Do this forever.)
Learn upright earlier in life.
Listen when your jazz professors tell you to learn bebop, memorize the standards, and transcribe solos from all kinds of instruments.
Listen when your jazz professors tell you to learn bebop, memorize the standards, and transcribe solos from all kinds of instruments.
Aside from "don't wait 20 years to get sober" (arguably off topic) ... I would recommend to my younger self to be more open minded, practice BG as much as I practice DB, and don't be technophopic .... but of course I would never have listened to any of that ...
1) With rare exceptions, DO NOT PLAY GIGS FOR FREE! And get it in writing.
2) Don't take yourself so damn seriously. Play for the audience, NOT to indulge your ego. And HAVE FUN!
3) Learn lots of theory, harmony and counterpoint and learn to improvise, but DO NOT become a theory geek or worse yet a jazz snob.
4) Listen to and absorb as many different musical idioms/styles as you can, widen your experiences.
5) Don't overplay but don't go down the dark path of minimalism for its own sake either.
6 ) Don't follow fads or trends.
7) Don't be a gear hoarder or a brand snob.
8) Develop a stage presence without being an obnoxious spotlight hog.
9) Have a life and interests outside of music. Be a well rounded human and develop social skills!
10) The stage or studio is no place for your personal issues and other crap! Respect the audience.
11) If you really need to solo, DO NOT DO LONG SOLOS! Also do not show off how fast you can play. Rather improvise melodically and make it memorable, sing through your instrument. Leave the audience wanting more as opposed to making them say "PLEASE GOD MAKE IT STOP!!!!
2) Don't take yourself so damn seriously. Play for the audience, NOT to indulge your ego. And HAVE FUN!
3) Learn lots of theory, harmony and counterpoint and learn to improvise, but DO NOT become a theory geek or worse yet a jazz snob.
4) Listen to and absorb as many different musical idioms/styles as you can, widen your experiences.
5) Don't overplay but don't go down the dark path of minimalism for its own sake either.
6 ) Don't follow fads or trends.
7) Don't be a gear hoarder or a brand snob.
8) Develop a stage presence without being an obnoxious spotlight hog.
9) Have a life and interests outside of music. Be a well rounded human and develop social skills!
10) The stage or studio is no place for your personal issues and other crap! Respect the audience.
11) If you really need to solo, DO NOT DO LONG SOLOS! Also do not show off how fast you can play. Rather improvise melodically and make it memorable, sing through your instrument. Leave the audience wanting more as opposed to making them say "PLEASE GOD MAKE IT STOP!!!!
I work at a K-12 school. One of my favorite bits of old-fart advice is “if you like music/art now, find a way to keep it in your life”. Playing music seems to be one of those things that gets set aside when adulthood happens.
Don’t be a snob about playing three chord songs, but at the same time, don’t be too cool for school about trying to learn some old jazz standards, at least get familiar with fake book chord progressions. Learn songs before learning riffs. Learn a modicum of theory early on, and if you didn’t start out on guitar, learn enough to, if not write, be able to show the guitarists that they’re wrong. Read every contract, don’t get bum rushed. Don’t be a schmuck, but don’t be a pushover. Buy up cheap every Deluxe Reverb and Jazzmaster that all the LP/Strat/Marshall playing guitarists you know wouldn’t be caught dead with, so you can flip them in 20 years for 10 times the money. And most important...
Save up for what you really want instead of settling.
You don’t get paid by the note. You get paid for the quality of the notes you play.
It’s hard to get fired if you don’t make a habit of being a pain in the posterior, you are always prepared, on time, sober, and a positive contributor to the organization providing what Is needed.
Do not waste people’s time, especially your own.
Saving for a rainy day is really a pretty good idea. Besides, if your life is always sunny, you get to retire earlier.
Always make sure you have some talent or skill to provide something that people are willing to pay for. You will always eat.
Look for ways to help your fellow man.
Never miss a chance to vote. It is your duty and protects your rights.
Don’t give up because your experiences this far have been negative. Yes, a lot of losers are musicians. But not all musicians are losers. If you give up, someday you will be forced to sit in an office doing work you hate just so you can live. If you persist, you will eventually carve your path and you’ll be fine.
Enjoy yourself. Don't care about what other people may think.
keep some safety pins in your case.
color code AND label all your cables.
If your singer doesn't play an instrument, they train to assist the drummer in setup and tear down.
color code AND label all your cables.
If your singer doesn't play an instrument, they train to assist the drummer in setup and tear down.
