I agree with the guy saying to play unplugged. I never practice with an amp. I don't have a lot of free time and what time I get is usually 930-10pm with two kids sleeping. I'm not about to spend half of that time forcing a computer to work, I'm also VERY aware that I'll just end up looking on TB for a quick second, instead of practicing. And then it's midnight, tomorrow's work day is down the tube and I didn't play a note.
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practicing quietly
- Thread starter papa b
- Start date
I agree with the guy saying to play unplugged. I never practice with an amp. I don't have a lot of free time and what time I get is usually 930-10pm with two kids sleeping. I'm not about to spend half of that time forcing a computer to work, I'm also VERY aware that I'll just end up looking on TB for a quick second, instead of practicing. And then it's midnight, tomorrow's work day is down the tube and I didn't play a note.
I found a better long-term solution was to buy my wife a drum kit...
Y'know, if you don't want to mess with a computer...
a little plugin practice headphone amp like this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079G6Y5Y5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
or this
https://www.amazon.com/AP2BS-amPlug...CDKWVVZ6NZC&psc=1&refRID=KNZ5CWDWQCDKWVVZ6NZC
can be super handy. I have a really similar constraint to you with my practice hours, sleeping kids (and a baby), etc...when I don't feel like fiddling with my computer either I use my little Donner headphone amp because it's still important to hear what the bass sounds like running through something. You miss a lot of stuff playing unplugged.
You can also pipe in audio from an external source like your phone or whatnot so you can have listen to tracks and practice to them. It's not perfect and your tone will be...okay at best but it's also a lot better than unplugged.
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I actually find it is the opposite for me.
I practice about 99% of the time unplugged, and have done this for the last 20 years. By doing so my touch, technique and dynamics have improved immensely. If it's just you and the instrument, every bit of unwanted noise is you and there isn't anything there to mask it (like amp eq) so to fix it you need reassess your actual techniques and make adjustments until you can cleanly execute whichever line you are playing. I find that if you end up sounding a lot better amplified too because if you clean up your sound from the source (string manipulation) everything else follows.
When you do plug in during rehearsals and gigs you are not relying on the gear to do anything except for making you louder, or tuning the bass response of particularly horrible spaces.
It's not just dynamics that improve but also tone as you learn to make the notes sound brighter or rounder by playing at different parts of the string and experimenting with varying levels of muting. Basically if you can get to the point where you are producing the desired tone directly from the strings themselves then you simply amplify that tone.
I think people should work on sound production from the source, just like singers, horn players, acoustic string instruments.
As for not being able to hear it, now that is definitely something I cannot relate to but then again I don't have other noise sources like a TV going when I am practicing, I focus on practicing. If I do need to listen to a particular tune to learn it, I don't have it so loud I can't hear the bass and as soon as I have learnt the tune I internalize the feel and reproduce it without the "backing track".
I only needed to " play along " with song in the early stages of playing, the first couple of years. Since then I feel that if I can't reproduce the feel of a particular tune by myself unamplified then I haven't learnt the tune well enough
Of course we all have different perspectives, this is just what I've found works for me.
Huh, that's interesting, I've found the opposite. As an example: I've been trying to pick up some basic slap technique (doing some exercises, learning "Forget Me Nots"...). The biggest challenge for me at this point is muting: I'm used to relying mainly on my right hand, now I have to work on left hand muting.
I find that without amplification, the unwanted noises (like sympathetically ringing strings) are very quiet compared to the slap sound. When I plug in, they're much more obvious. Something that sounds OK unamplified can sound like a terrible mess amplified.
So, to get clean technique, I'm finding I really have to practice with headphones, or with the amp turned up pretty high.
I just read your post, picked up my bass and played forget me nots. Left hand muting is the key to get that sounding clean. At least that is how I just did it.
Funny how something as simple as running a cord down your back makes so much difference.[/QUOTE]
Welcome to TB. You will find a wealth of information here from a wealth of knowledge and practical experience.
Glad this helped. Sometimes the simplest solutions prove pretty effective.
Koog
Welcome to TB. You will find a wealth of information here from a wealth of knowledge and practical experience.
Glad this helped. Sometimes the simplest solutions prove pretty effective.
Koog
Definitely! I'm mostly there, but the quick B-C#-E-F# figures at the end of each phrase still need some cleaning up. My left hand fingers tend to fly off the strings there if I don't watch.
Giving it a quick try now.... OK, I admit, even unamplified I can hear the other strings ring if I purposefully fail to mute stuff. I still think it's more obvious amplified, though.
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Not the answer you're probably looking for, but you can run the headphone cable underneath your shirt and down your back, i'ts out of the way and free. I practice with wired headphones using a little mixing board, that allows me to connect a number of sources to play along with. This is also helpful:
I'm not really trying to be so negative but, I don't like gizmos. I'm a bass, tuner, amp guy. I only went to Flats so I didn't have guitar players nagging me to change my strings. It's all too loud on stage anyway.
I also don't like headphones, they're really hard on my ears, ringing like tinitus after listening to music, even at low volumes.
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I do this about 50/50. Unplugged for reviewing stuff I know, scales, singing and reading sheet music. I plug in for learning new songs with a recording, or play along backing tracks
I use this. Cheap and super simple. I like that I’m “untethered” and can stand, walk around. Get the wireless phones and go completely wireless! Add one cord for Aux input. If you don’t like cables, this is your answer.
I see two possible paths for you here. If you're ok with just one headphone wire, and if your amp has a line in jack (often for iPod/MP3) go line out of the computer into the amp, then headphone jack from the amp. You'll get both the computer playback and your bass in the headphone, and having the headphone in should mute the main speaker of the amp. But of course this isn't a wireless solution.
Option 2 is to get a USB audio interface. They can be expensive, but they can be found for less than the cost of a small practice amp and plenty of decent ones around the $100 mark. Your bass goes into the interface, which in turn goes into your computer via USB cable. Then you can go with Bluetooth from the computer to Bluetooth headphones, or use wired headphones. Additional benefit is you can record what you're playing this way, and there are many options for software enhancements to your sound if desired. It will also take a mic input so you can use that for harp, singing, all sorts of things. Some have mentioned a small mixer, and some of them can be had with the USB to interface into the computer. Plenty of options there.
Option 2 is to get a USB audio interface. They can be expensive, but they can be found for less than the cost of a small practice amp and plenty of decent ones around the $100 mark. Your bass goes into the interface, which in turn goes into your computer via USB cable. Then you can go with Bluetooth from the computer to Bluetooth headphones, or use wired headphones. Additional benefit is you can record what you're playing this way, and there are many options for software enhancements to your sound if desired. It will also take a mic input so you can use that for harp, singing, all sorts of things. Some have mentioned a small mixer, and some of them can be had with the USB to interface into the computer. Plenty of options there.
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