• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

She-Ra's Shed

#141
Monday's Log

Double Bass
  • Long tones on open strings - 20
Electric Bass
  • Major & minor scales - 20
  • Major & minor triads - 20
  • Diminished triad - 30
  • Walking bass (blues) - 1:00
  • Bach Sonata 2 (Cello Suites) - 30
  • Rhythm Exercises - 15
  • Ear training - 10
    • L2 - Pitch

Notes:
  • Back in the "I'm working on specific goals" saddle again. Much excite.
  • Feels great to pick up the DB again, even if it's a little hard to lift still from my fall
137/10,000
 
  • Like
Reactions: juggahnaught
#147
Wednesday's Log

Double Bass
  • -
Electric Bass
  • Major & minor scales - 40
  • Major & minor & diminished triads - 40
  • Spider & fourths ex - 10
  • Ear training - 15
    • L4 - Pitch Notation
    • L5 - Duration

Notes:
  • Feeling off today so I stuck to basics.
  • Played around on DB but not actual practice. Just getting used to handling it. I'm still sore in my chest from my fall, so lifting it is awkward.
138.5/10,000
 
  • Like
Reactions: juggahnaught and Rilence
#148
Thursday's Log

Double Bass
  • Long tones - 10
    • Focused an playing the fundamental of the string. Each string requires a different bow speed to play it properly.
Electric Bass
  • Ear Training - 15
    • L6 - Tonality
  • Major & minor natural - 20
  • Major, minor & diminished triads - 20
  • Blues bassline composition - 15

Notes:
  • Stuff has come up at work that I have to be there for late and this whole week has turned into a bit of a wash for doing anything new bass wise because I'm getting home at 9pm. While that's disappointing, it's giving me more time with the basics and I can't begrudge that at all.
  • I've also started up learning Brazilian Portuguese with Duolingo - so I'm trying to squeeze 30 minutes of that a day into my already packed schedule. This might impact bass a little, but I think I'm ok with that becasue I'm taking my iPad to work and working on writing basslines there, or analyzing transcriptions, etc.
140/10,000
 
  • Like
Reactions: juggahnaught, instrumentalist and Rilence
#149
Friday's Log

Double Bass
  • Long tones - 20
Electric Bass
  • Ear Training - 25
    • L7 - Measures
    • Melodic Singback
    • Melodic Sight-singing
    • Chord identification - major & minor triad; asc (99% success rate) & desc (68%)
    • Interval identification (asc/desc/harm) - unison/maj 2/maj 3 (76%)
  • Rhythm clapping exercises - 15
  • Major & minor natural - 10
  • Major, minor & diminished triads - 25
  • Bach Cello Suite 2 - 30
    • Man, this stuff is challenging!
    • I've found a great way to practice - I learn one bar of the piece. I then start playing it, with a metronome, and I'm aiming to play it correctly ten times in a row. Each time I make a mistake, I restart my counter back at zero. When I can do it ten times in a row without a mistake, then I learn the next bar... and repeat the same process again - but this time with both bars. And so on and so on. It's slower going, but it's really making sure I'm getting it right. It's not a race and the only person who'll suffer if I don't learn it attentively is me. It's also allowing me to focus on tone production, note length, etc.
  • 16th notes - 15
  • Walking over blues form - 40

Notes:
  • I started going over the John Patitucci course from Artist Works - the electric bass side of the curriculum - to find out where I'm at currently in my development. It's been a great review of everything I've done so far. I'm gonna start adding a few of the ideas and exercises he talks about.
  • I'm really fortunate to be learning bass right now: aside from my actual teacher, I also have the Open Studio Christian McBride course, the ArtistWorks John Patitucci course, a few Discover Double Bass courses, and Scott's Bass Lessons entire curriculum. I'm able to study with world class players AND teachers - see their different approaches, or their similar ideas on how to think about things. After all, we're all just organizing the same twelve notes in different ways. It's humbling work, but even in the days when I'm not feeling the best, or when I'm having a bipolar episode, I'm happy to be chugging along - slowly, steadily - feeling good that I'm in great hands.
143/10,000
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: juggahnaught, Stumbo and Rilence
#150
adudenamedruby said:
I've found a great way to practice - I learn one bar of the piece. I then start playing it, with a metronome, and I'm aiming to play it correctly ten times in a row. Each time I make a mistake, I restart my counter back at zero. When I can do it ten times in a row without a mistake, then I learn the next bar... and repeat the same process again - but this time with both bars. And so on and so on. It's slower going, but it's really making sure I'm getting it right. It's not a race and the only person who'll suffer if I don't learn it attentively is me. It's also allowing me to focus on tone production, note length, etc.
Click to expand...

I've heard of musicians doing this, but starting with the last bar of a section - the idea being that, as you go through the piece, you become more comfortable as you've worked the middle and end more than the beginning.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rilence, She-Ra and instrumentalist
#151
juggahnaught said:
I've heard of musicians doing this, but starting with the last bar of a section - the idea being that, as you go through the piece, you become more comfortable as you've worked the middle and end more than the beginning.
Click to expand...
There's an additional idea behind that: each time you play, you go from a new bit into a familiar one. You play "into the known" instead of "into the unknown".
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rilence, She-Ra and juggahnaught
#153
Sunday's Log

Double Bass
  • Long tones - 15
  • Articulation exercise - 15
    • Playing the following chromatic pattern: | 1 4 2 4 | 4 2 4 1 | 1 2 1 4 | 4 1 2 1 | 1 2 1 > 1 :|
      • The arrow is a slide so Ab A Ab and then A with the first finger
    • Focus is on note accuracy, left hand position, and arm placement/relaxation
Electric Bass
  • Ear Training - 25
    • L8
  • Rhythm clapping exercises - 15
  • Major & minor natural, harmonic, melodic scales - 30
  • Major, minor & diminished triads - 30
  • Bach Cello Suite 2 - 15
    • Didn't really feel like classical music today, for some reason. :(
  • 16th notes @ 80bpm- 20
  • Simple Bolero - 15
    • Getting a hand of the feel and movement of the bolero. This is from the Patitucci course.
    • Basically, it looks like a minor blues but with a bVI13+11 in bar 9 and a V7+9+5 in bar 10
  • Walking basslines review - 10
    • Looking over techniques I am currently focusing on, from Mike Downes and Ed Friedland books
  • Walking over blues form - 30
  • Walking bass line writing away from bass - 30
    • Took another look at the Paul Chambers line and my analysis of it
    • Wrote a chorus over I'll Remember April

Notes:
  • Productive bass day is productive.
147.5/10,000
 
  • Like
Reactions: juggahnaught
#154
Monday's Log

Double Bass
  • Long tones - 15
  • Articulation exercise - 15
Electric Bass
  • Ear Training - 15
    • L8: the Fourth
      • I'm gonna be stuck on this lesson for a while. I need to learn to hear identify unison (easy!), major 2nd, 3rd, and 4th with over 90% accuracy before I can move on. Oh boy. I'm going to start by working on maj2 vs maj 3 first, and get that set. Then I'll throw in the fourth.
  • Rhythm clapping exercises - 15
    • I wanna get some bongo drums and make these more fun. lol
  • Major & minor natural, harmonic, melodic scales - 20
  • Major, minor & diminished triads - 30
  • Bach Cello Suite 2 - 25
  • 16th notes @ 80bpm- 10
  • Walking over blues form - 15

Notes:
  • -
150/10,000
 
  • Like
Reactions: juggahnaught and Rilence
#156
Week 49/2019 Goals

Electric Bass:
  • Fretboard
    • Major 7th arpeggio - all inversions
    • Review Min & Diminished triads in all inversions focusing on chord spelling rather than shapes
    • Continue with major & minor scales
  • Technique
    • Bass Hanon 7
    • 16th notes
  • Groove & Time
    • Playing note length
    • SBL Clapping Rhythm exercises
  • Theory
    • Piano chord work - shell voicings of triads
    • Continue with relevant tetrachords
    • Vocalizations of chord tones
  • Genre Studies
    • Continue writing basslines over blues forms/I'll Remember April
    • Learn one song from Standing in the Shadows of Motown
    • Continue working on Bach's Sonata 2 from the Cello Suites
  • Ear Training/Transcription
    • Learn to hear/identify unison, maj2, maj3, and p4 intervals with over 90% accuracy
    • If I can manage the above, complete lesson 8

Double Bass
  • Technique
    • Long tones with the bow - focus on bow speed and playing the fundamental
    • Open string exercises from Evolving Bassist AND Simandl
    • Focus on physical posture - relaxation is important
    • Focus on also NOT looking at the strings as I bow on them
    • DiscoverDoubleBass - Left Hand Technique course - Section 1
Notes:
  • I should start sitting down at the piano and working out chords from the Mike Levine Jazz Theory book, for a better understanding of harmony. Because I like harmony. I think I want to start with just shell voicings - I don't have enough time to dedicate more, anyway, so starting simply is going to be great
  • Also: I need to be more intelligent with my practice - kill [a number > 1 ] of birds with one stone where I can. For example - as I'm practicing scales, I could also be praticing my 16th note drills, as well as dynamic control - going from soft to loud and back again. I think from now on, before I get to practicing, I need to sit down and take five minutes to come up with a game plan for what I'm practicing that day, using 15/30 minute chunks. While I can definitely take longer on something, and I should deviate from that plan as needed, I think it'll help give me clarity and focus on those goals.
  • I notice I've stopped learning songs - which makes me sad. I really want to get back to it. I think the Standing in the Shadows of Motown book will be great for this. I should do a song or two a week (depending on the song difficulty). Bonus points, for analyzing what's happening in the basslines so, rather than just playing a line, I'm actually both learning songs and looking at bassline construction.
  • TRANSCRIPTION! I need to get back to that as well - it'll help with the ear training.
  • In short, there's TOO MUCH to learn/do/practice and TOO LITTLE time in which to do it. This is a good problem to have.... I think.
  • I'm starting to work out in the morning more, so that I can have energy when I get home from work to keep working on bass stuff. I enjoy what I do for work, but problem solving and coding all day is pretty mentally draining. A trick I've discovered is, when I get home from work at 5:30, take a 20 min nap, and then go in my stairwell and run up and down the stairs for 10 minutes to really get the blood pumping and wake up. I get a boost of energy that lasts me till reading time at 10pm.
 
  • Like
Reactions: juggahnaught, instrumentalist, Stumbo and 1 other person
#157
adudenamedruby said:
Also: I need to be more intelligent with my practice - kill [a number > 1 ] of birds with one stone where I can. For example - as I'm practicing scales, I could also be praticing my 16th note drills, as well as dynamic control - going from soft to loud and back again.
Click to expand...
I'm curious to what extent this is feasible. Myself, I have always found that while I can combine stuff all I want, I can only focus on one aspect and neglect others. Anyone?
 
  • Like
Reactions: She-Ra and rutrho
#159
Tuesday's Log

Double Bass
  • Long tones - 10
  • DDB / Left Hand Technique / Section 1 - 1:00
    • Fourth finger position
    • Harmonics as guideposts
    • The LEFT HAND UNIT! haha.
Electric Bass
  • Ear Training - 40
    • maj2 vs maj3
      • Ascending - S1: 62/68 91% | S2: 55/66 83%
      • descending - S1: 51/63 81% | S2: 58/63 92%
      • harmonic - S1: 100/109 92% | S2: 120/134 90%
      • mix of all three - S1: 55/60 80% | S2: 57/64 88%
  • Rhythm clapping exercises - 15
  • Major & minor natural, harmonic, melodic scales - 20
    • Practiced as 16th notes @ 40/60/80bpm (melodic/harmonic/major & aeolian respectively)
  • Minor & diminished triads - 20
  • Major 7 - root position - 30
    • Focused on naming each note in the chord as I took everything through the CoF
  • Bach Cello Suite 2 - 30
    • @juggahnaught thanks for the going backwards tip - it actually makes things really easy!
  • Walking bass practice w/ BIAB - 40

Notes:
  • In regards to ear training:
    • I'm going to count my goal reached and start adding the next interval when I reach 90% on the 'mixed' test three sessions in a row
    • I'm going to split the practice into two sessions over the day, so I don't get ear fatigue as I'm starting out. So 5 minutes on each test (asc/desc/harm/mix) = 2 20 min session
    • Using the Tenuto/Ear Master app to practice. I like the simplicity and speed of Tenuto (and availablity or iPhone), but Ear Master on the iPad is more comprehensive, lets me compare notes when I get something wrong, and allows me to track actual progress, versus resetting it each time I want to do a test.
  • BIAB has been absolutely amazing for practicing walking bass. I can hear the changes from the piano in an elegant way, get used to different drummers, soloists, band compositions. It's pretty great.
  • Also, I'm using drum machines all the time for most of the exercises, to keep time as I'm practicing, and some of them are proving challenging now that I'm incorporating two goals into some of the exercises. The goal will be to internalize the technical aspects and make this easy to call on when I'm performing.
  • For "intelligent goals" I tried to focus on more than two things at a time but it failed miserably. So I changed course and realized I have to focus on maybe two very related things at a time - for example, 16th with scales I already know. I'm practicing both scales and even 16th notes there. But trying for 16th notes, scales, and trying to never hit more than two/three/four notes per string messed me up. Gotta be careful not to get too overzealous with this.
154.5/10,000
 
  • Like
Reactions: juggahnaught and Rilence
#160
I don't know what your daily schedule looks like, but if you spend any time on public transit or anything, that can be a good time to use ear training or notation test apps. (I do this with chess puzzles on my phone - when I have a spare moment, I do some, and it's just become a habit. Better than web browsing on a mobile device.) It also might be a good time to work on transcription - I know that you prioritize focused practice, but I think that really internalizing a song happens with repetitive listening and body feedback (i.e. singing or humming the melody or bassline, or patting your thighs to the drum rhythm, or something). An exercise like this - thinking about the music and using that feedback loop to learn it - will help your ear training, your transcription, and your song learning. Again, depending on your schedule, you may be able to fit more music in, even if it's not focused practice.

As always, inspired by your progress. Keep stepping forward.
 
  • Like
Reactions: She-Ra and Rilence

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back