Old Guys & 21st Century Gizmos

[Mannyinnewyork]

I doubt that I’d be a better player - my learning years were in the 60s and 70s. Although I still learn a few new things I feel that I reached my plateau in the mid 70s. The new learning apps and videos would have brought me to that plateau sooner, but I don’t think I’d play any better. Tough call and an interesting thought.

 

[japhy4529]

I started playing in 1987. Most of what I listened to was on cassette and CD (I did play along to some vinyl, but not very often). If I were coming up now, I doubt my ear would develop as much as it did. Given that I'm a lazy sod, I would definitely have taken the easy way out and just looked up the video of someone playing the song perfectly.

 

[bumperbass]

I think I am a MORE accomplished musician because I didn't have the gizmos. I listened to my parts on LP/45 perhaps hundreds of times. Played thousands of gigs.
The only gismos I'm thankful for is a freakin' tuner and lightweight stuff.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Can't honestly answer. The answer has to be pure opinion, because there's no way to try the theory on ourselves. I do think I may have reached whatever peak I achieved at an earlier age if I'd had some teaching aids available today, but the "gizmo" that helped me advance the most in the shortest period of time was VHS instructional tapes; not exactly high tech, but they were at the time. I may have advanced at the same rate if I had real teachers, and that wouldn't be a high tech gizmo at all.

 

[bluesblaster]

My ears are not "gizmo's"

 

[MrLenny1]

No, the gizmos would have saved a ton of time and dough but the learning process is still the same.
You still need to put in the time and work to advance.

 

[Sinnikal]

As a child of the late 60's who started playing bass last year I find the technology available now makes more efficient use of my time, but the method I use is no different from when I was playing other instruments before the digital age - listen to parts of a song, bring it back and play it over and over until what I play sounds something like the original.

While some might consider the use of the internet a bit lazy, for me as a rural resident with limited access to personal teachers it has been a godsend. It allows me to study different techniques to get an idea of how things are done, access different resources, etc.

Not sure if it has made me a better musician, but playing an instrument which I am enjoying and being able to access resources easily has made me want to be a better musician. Achieving that goal is another question, but there is little scope for excuses if it doesn't eventuate.

 

[bobba66]

I had a flip phone up until about a year ago. Destroyed it when I got hurt at work. Still miss it.

 

[Bassquest]

I remember lifting the needle 10 times to learn my parts. Now I click the button on youtube, plus you can often see the guys showing the parts in the 'How to play bass to..(whatever the song may be)...'. I guess it's a little quicker nowadays, that's all. Also, plugging in headphones helps you hear it better as opposed to listening on a small portable turntable where you could hardly hear the bass. Eeeps! I guess I'm showing my age too, another 65'er.

 

[osonu]

I'm 63 but picked up bass in "modern times." The only gadget I use is a Tascam bass trainer. I usually have to learn songs in a week or less and nearly always in a different key, this lets me do it with ease.

I'm sure there are skills I will never develop because of having this "crutch", so while it may keep me from being a better bass player in some ways, it definitely makes me a more functional one. ; )

 

[LuckyScott]

I voted no. While it is much easier to learn songs now with all the youtube videos and stuff, I find I use less stuff while playing. I have a 8 space rack filled with compressed, limiter, SPX 90, exciter, etc. Never use any of it anymore.
Just a amp, cabinet and bass.
i don't even use a wireless anymore, just plug in a cord.
How "old tech" is that?

 

[GreyBeard]

No, they just distract me.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

My first poll..... I played and gigged hard thru the late 70’s and the entire decade of the 80’s. Put everything in the attic in 1991. Brought it all down three years ago to play Sundays in church. The digital revolution came while I was away and entirely changed the face of music.

So I been saying these last three years, if I had all these gizmos in the 1970’s, that I would be a virtuoso today. Doing my morning rehearsal early today and I thought about that in real terms.... If I didn’t have to go thru the effort to pick up the record needle ten times over to learn my parts would I have learned my solid groove? Would my ear have become as well trained if I had endless YouTube instructional videos to rely on?... This sort of thing.

So all you guys that learned your chops before the advent of digital crutches came along... Would these gizmos and endless available information have made you a better musician?

Youtube, I'm sort of embarrassed to say, has been a really useful tool. I am particularly fond of isolated bass videos, but also instructional videos. Most of them suck, but there is so much out there, I'm almost always able to find somebody who has a useful presentation. And if not, I can always buy the mp3 file, and if I need to, run it on Transcribe to slow it down, or change the key so it works for the singer.

This all comes at a cost, of course. I used to be able to automatically handle key changes in my head. In that sense, Transcribe has made me lazy. It's just too easy to manipulate key and tempo with the software instead of sitting down with a pencil and staff paper.

 

[jnuts1]

youtube would have made a lot of stuff make sense a lot earlier on for me. when I was playing hours and hours alone by myself reading the unlimited number of cheesy groove books I could have been learning some more useful stuff. you still have to put in the work for sure but if you don't have a good teacher or don't have cash and are on your own youtube is an infinite source of learning and songs diversity.

 

[fhm555]

I started playing with my dad which was (and still is) my favorite way to learn a song, playing it with someone who already knows the song. When i wanted to learn a song on my own i got the record and played along with it. I later graduated to cassettes and by that time had an eight channel powered mixer and an adapter that allowed me to plug a deck into the PA. This was the way i learned pretty much throughout the 90’s.
These days i’ve got a PJ Bighead i plug my bass, MP3 player and headphones in to when i need to learn something.
I don’t know if todays technology would have made me a more accomplished player, but i don’t doubt i would have picked up songs quicker.
I’ve always been pretty quick on the uptake so having the ability to punch in and out at will versus hunting with a tone arm or fast forward/reverse/play routine i have no doubt a set list would be quicker to get installed in my brain pan.
There is also the fact that original material is now as simple as recorded stuff. I work with a couple writers and they will record a scratch track of vocals and rhythm guitar and send that to everyone so we all have it down the first time we try it out together.
Todays Technology certainly helps flatten the learning curve, but the young cats i know who are really hot pickers still geek out in their bedroom for hours, but thanks to technology they cram so much more into those hours than i was ever able to do with a turntable or tape deck.

 

[2112]

I contend that all the gizmos would tend to make me a *worse* player than I might have otherwise been. Much as most aren't as good at math since the advent of calculators and computers. I may be able to enhance my sound, use lighter equipment, and do some things more conveniently, but none of this makes me a better player.

I also believe that all the technology makes it easier to replace bassists as foundational members of a band. Seems like we see more and more acts come up with non-traditional lineups that omit the bassist in favor of a synthesizer and/or a sequencer. Yeah that's been happening for a minute, but it just seems to me like it's on the rise.

 

[Gizmot]

Nope... Only scientifically supported facts here...... I spent a dozen years on the road playing everything from Jerry Jeff Walker to Uriah Heep. I THOUGHT I was pretty darned good..... Three years ago I was asked to play hymns in my church. Man, I didn’t know squat! I felt like I graduated from first grade straight to college. This is a whole different level.... But my point is this. I now have to rehearse the music I currently play most every day of the week to feel competent on Sunday. My playing ability skyrocketed these last three years. Simply because I do work my chops constantly. Something I didn’t do back then. I was too busy having a good time... No question the time you put in is in direct relationship to the groove you lay down.

I think you’re trying hard to do a good job with what you’re playing now, and all your previous years playing other things gave you a lot of musical sensitivity.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

I started playing in the early 00s. I always imagined players back in the day were better players as they didn't have all these crutches to lean on, they had to use their ears.

 

[Thumpin6string]

I'm not a fan of gizmos, but I do like thingamajigs.

 

[madbass6]

My first poll..... I played and gigged hard thru the late 70’s and the entire decade of the 80’s. Put everything in the attic in 1991. Brought it all down three years ago to play Sundays in church. The digital revolution came while I was away and entirely changed the face of music.

So I been saying these last three years, if I had all these gizmos in the 1970’s, that I would be a virtuoso today. Doing my morning rehearsal early today and I thought about that in real terms.... If I didn’t have to go thru the effort to pick up the record needle ten times over to learn my parts would I have learned my solid groove? Would my ear have become as well trained if I had endless YouTube instructional videos to rely on?... This sort of thing.

So all you guys that learned your chops before the advent of digital crutches came along... Would these gizmos and endless available information have made you a better musician?

with all due respect to the newer generation(s) I think they (we) have it way to easy now a days! in my opinion and experience The harder it is to learn anything (music) the harder you're forced to work at it!
althou youtube/cyber space all these gysmos have lots of great material / tutorial videos etc.
unfortunately some kids and adults alike these days (not all) only rely on this type of method to learning anything ! Wish = making alot of the newer generation(s) just plan lazy to figure things out on there own!(Not all)