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Playing Without Looking

Neveragain55

Neveragain55

Guest
Mar 19, 2014
668
541
Connecticut
#1
So I’ve been playing the bass off & on for years but even after all these years I still struggle with playing without looking.

I can do it in extremely small pockets but for the most part I am almost exclusively relying on my eyes to tell me where to place my fingers.

I’ve heard from many that even Victor Wooten "looks" much more than his contemporaries but I’d like to break this habit once & for all.

I’ve heard all the tips & tricks from many people but I’m interested in hearing from the more seasoned of us in this forum (no offense to beginners) of how you overcame this dilemma, and what worked for you to “not” rely so much on your eyes.
 
#3
Practice with your eyes closed or in a pitch dark room. Set up ALL of your basses to have a similar "reach"(i.e. when standing, the strap buttons located at the same place on all basses so the neck reach is identical or nearly identical for ALL basses).

As put by Seth Horan....similar to learning to play and sing since "not looking at your neck" means looking at something else:

"BMM: What about the non-monkey who wants to learn to sing while playing solo bass?

Horan: If you know about harmony and chords, then we can start talking. Once you’re there, then it’s a case of getting totally comfortable while playing a song so you can actually concentrate on something else. And that’s more of an involved process than people think.
The first thing I have students do is close their eyes when they play. That’s it. And most of them freak out. The idea is that if you change just one little thing in somebody’s world, you realize how much you’ve been concentrating on it. You bring up somebody’s level of awareness that way; if something as minor as closing your eyes when you play rocks your world, you’re concentrating a lot more than you think you are on your playing.
Once you can master closing your eyes and playing, the next thing is to put your attention on other things while you’re playing. I’ll have someone play a solo bass-type riff; something rappity-tappity. I’ll ask them to keep playing and look out the window, then down at the floor. Most of the time, without me saying anything, they’ll notice a hiccup in their timing when their attention shifts. If they don’t, I’ll turn on the metronome. Then they realize their timing is going all over the place when they look around. Once you’re aware of that, then your body starts controlling it for you. The idea is to make yourself your own policeman of what you’re doing."
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

What was he doing 13+ years ago?
 
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#4
I have a pair of those black eye shades people wear at night to keep the light out when they’re trying to fall asleep.

I think I’m going to start wearing them almost all the time when I practice, and I’ll definitely make sure that the strap height is the same for all of my basses. (good tip)

Thanks for the advice….
 
#7
Here was my experience and it worked for me.
I played in front of a mirror.
I was technically still looking but it helped me remove my gaze from the fingerboard.
As time went by i stopped using the mirror and i just started getting more of the feel without looking down and i would visualize in my head where i needed to be as opposed to needing to see it.
 
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#9
I play a no line fretless -- markers are on the side of the neck but none on the fingerboard -- your ear will tell you when you stray outside the box. Force yourself to look up and keep going; your ears tell you when you should take a peak. Or the electric lead turns around and gives you a fish eye... then it's time to take a peak. Just start not looking at home, and then take it public.

Hint: Call up some sheet music from the Internet then while looking at your computer screen play the song with out looking at your fretboard. Force yourself to not look. You will feel and hear when it's time to take a peak.

I see nothing wrong in taking a peak every once in a while, just to make sure you are still where you need to be. But, this is Show Buzzness, so interacting with the other guys and audience is a part of what we should be doing.

Good luck.
 
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#10
Neveragain55 said:
So I’ve been playing the bass off & on for years but even after all these years I still struggle with playing without looking.

I can do it in extremely small pockets but for the most part I am almost exclusively relying on my eyes to tell me where to place my fingers.

I’ve heard from many that even Victor Wooten "looks" much more than his contemporaries but I’d like to break this habit once & for all.

I’ve heard all the tips & tricks from many people but I’m interested in hearing from the more seasoned of us in this forum (no offense to beginners) of how you overcame this dilemma, and what worked for you to “not” rely so much on your eyes.
Click to expand...
I, too, worried about looking at fingers too much. Look at my avatar...haha. In my case I was constantly guarding against playing the wrong notes, even in songs that really there was no real chance of playing wrong notes. Once I became more confident in my playing ability on stage, I gradually quit worrying about it and forced myself to close my eyes and listen, or stare into the audience at nobody in particular but focusing on listening. These snowballed automatically into making it through entire songs without looking at my fingers, while looking during some critical position changes during other tunes (or just lpoking in mind's eye- really, I picture my hand moving on the FB sometimes; your brain knows all already, you juse hAve to tAP into it.

It's frequently just a "bad" habit that you have to break. Watch famous bass players who sing... they almost never look while they are singing but the second they stop singing they thwn start looking at their fretboards... why then?

You may not know the songs well enough or you merely don't trust that you know them as well as you do.

You are already on the way. Good luck. If you aren't playing gigs (can't remember what you said), don't worry if you have setbacks when the crowds get bigger... you'll eventually adapt to everything as long as you remain conscious of what you want.
 
#13
I found when teaching, that students could lay without staring at their bass (or guitar) and they could play well looking less often, but they often looked out of habit more than anything else.

there's nothing wrong with looking, especially at the start of a song, a section or a place where you do a big position change.
But looking all the time can take away from playing as well--and stage presence also.

It is important to listen and to be able to hear yourself--especially on fretless, as mentioned above, but also on fretted bass.
 
#14
The idea of using something such as playing blinforld, or playing in the dark, is not really good dicipline.
The reason you cannot look is becuase you can't.....not because you choose not to, so you have no choice.... so no discipline. If you do not want to look at the neck then decide not to do it....use your ears to guide you not your eyes.

As said reading if by far the best way because you are defining and developing skills......not restricting them.
 
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#15
It boils down to muscle memory. I found that it wasn't helpful to simply practice not looking. What helped was practicing the same thing over and over. Eventually muscle memory kicked in. That said, not looking while you play is overrated :-).

A great line to practice for getting comfortable with big jumps is the outro in "Stomp" by Brothers Johnson.
 
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#18
pacojas said:
what's so cool about not looking? :chicken:
Click to expand...

For a musician who plays only solo, nothing in practical terms. But for any musician who regularly plays with others, especially with a front person, it is essential.

Watch any serious player in a performance as they back a serious front person or where there is a musical director or band leader. You will see that they keep their eyes on the prize: the leader or singer. This is most true of rhythm section players.

Any bassist who ever missed a cue on a gig because they were not looking at the leader, and who intends to keep gigging, will thereafter devote themselves to learning how to play without looking at their fingerboard.
 
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#19
Fergie Fulton said:
The idea of using something such as playing blinforld, or playing in the dark, is not really good dicipline.
The reason you cannot look is becuase you can't.....not because you choose not to, so you have no choice.... so no discipline. If you do not want to look at the neck then decide not to do it....use your ears to guide you not your eyes.

As said reading if by far the best way because you are defining and developing skills......not restricting them.
Click to expand...

Right. But the point is that the OP can't play----without looking. They can choose to look away all they want, that doesn't mean they can continue right on playing.

A blindfold or closed eyes forces them to rely on senses other than their sight. Which is exactly what you say to do "use your ears". In this way (blind) they can focus on learning to play, without looking. to the point that an occasional glance may not even be needed.

And I would actually argue to rely more on feel than ears. Because A. If you hear something wrong, well it was already wrong and the crowd heard it, too. and then using your hearing to get back into place, may not be immediate. Especially because B. at a gig, you may not be able to hear yourself perfectly. Such that an off note may not sound all that bad, or even be heard really at all, sometimes.
C. if you can get around based on feel, you'll be able to get back into place much more easily than if you rely on your ears too much. and as pointed out, your ears may be no good, in some situations.

Later, you can work on multitasking your attention. But you gotta be able to play without looking, first. Because putting your visual attention on something else, while keeping your playing going smooth and in time, is a task itself. Even if you CAN play, without looking. For some people, their brains are more naturally wired for this type of stuff. For others, we have to work hard to get our brains to lay down new wiring.
 

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