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Stuck what can I do

drewphishesp

drewphishesp

Feb 14, 2017
3,831
2,997
#1
So my playing is coming along so well, I am progressing and finding myself capable of so much more than I thought I could a year ago. But that being sad I am finding myself just getting stuck in one spot of the fretboard when jamming or playing tunes (I play a lot of dead and phish stuff and have a lot of freedom to move about the chords)

what are some Excercises I can do to get myself to expand my vocabulary a little bit?

I do plan on a couple lessons just because that's always a great idea. But what can I do on my own?
 
#2
drewphishesp said:
But that being sad I am finding myself just getting stuck in one spot of the fretboard when jamming or playing tunes (I play a lot of dead and phish stuff and have a lot of freedom to move about the chords) what are some Excercises I can do to get myself to expand my vocabulary a little bit?
Click to expand...
fretboard-for-bass-guitar.jpg

Dirt simple placement. Key of C at the A string 3rd fret repeats itself with the C at the 8th fret and again at the 15th fret.

My point you have three places to play the C scale or C chord.

Run your R-3-5-7 chord notes at all three places. R-3-5-7 for the C chord, then again for the F chord and then for the G7 flat the 7 to a b7.

Find a C. The 3 is up a string and back a fret.
The 5 is up a string and over two frets, or down a string same fret.
The 7 is up two strings and over one fret. Yes for any major chord. Find the root and the 3, 5 & 7 will be waiting for you as listed above.

Have fun.
 
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#5
Here is a Triad exercise that moves up and down the neck in a horizontal manner. This is written in the key of C, but the principle can be applied to any key. You can also modify this exercise to include 7th chords. Perhaps this will give you some ideas in moving up and down the neck. The numbers below the Tab staff are the recommended fretting fingers.
 

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#6
Reasons for being stuck in one part of the neck may vary.

are you stuck in the first 5 frets because you have yet to learn the hole neck?
are stuck in 4 fret "scale boxes" because you're trying to stay in one key?
are you stuck in the 5th-7th fret because the tunes are mostly A D E ?

Describe the one spot on the neck you are stuck in, and why,
and you'll probably be pointed in the right direction.

Improvisation is less spontaneous than one might think.
Improvisers use ideas they have previously practiced and internalized.
Fluent improvisers have merely internalized more vocabulary.
If you jam on the same songs often,
work out ideas that go outside your box, on your own time
and bring those ideas to the next jam.
 
#7
I know the whole neck, and the more I play a song I am expanding on the different parts of the neck I can go into with the modes and such of the scales. I guess I just get stuck trying to stay in key is the problem. I am doing some excercises where 1 week I will just jam with mixo modes, then ill add mixo and dorian, then mixo and lydian to try and expand up and down if that makes sense
 
#8
Get iReal pro and type in the chord (or play one of 1300 songs that come with it). Set it to transpose every time to some interval of your choice (4th or 5th make most musical sense). Keep the tempo at a level you can control.
(hint: anything worth playing is worth knowing in all keys)
 
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#10
Do you always start the scale on the box with your middle finger on the Lead tone (classic Major box)?

If so, then try something as simple as starting the scale further up the neck and with a different finger like your Pinky. There are several "Same Notes" on a bass that can be played on a different string; like Open A is the 5th fret of the E string (closed A) and the like.

I like to practice scales in the 'closed' manner because it translates into transposing scales into any key; especially those that don't use an 'open string'. like Eb. (technically one could down tune and get the open strings, but if you play a 5 string like myself, 'Closed' scales transpose super easy.

Take this thought process and mix it in with the aforementioned Pinky or Ring finger as the lead tone starting point. it should get you to thinking about doing the scale in a more thoughtful manner. which should get you 'un-stuck' so to speak.

GL soldier, Stay Low monn.
 
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#12
To add to what afro said what helped me with branch out into other parts of the neck was to play the scales in 3 different positions. Starting either on the index middle or ring finger. That way you can work your way through the entire neck you just start on a differnt fingering when you get to the next root. Sometimes just starting on a different finger puts you in a different part of the neck and gives you some new ideas.
Just my 2 cents
 
#13
drewphishesp said:
I know the whole neck
Click to expand...

At the risk of being disrespectful, if you're always playing in one position, you don't really "know" the neck - you may be able to tell me where all the C's are if I ask, but in the heat of playing, if your hands don't easily go there, you just aren't familiar enough with those areas. I can't always tell you what note I'm playing really fast, but my hands go there very quickly when playing.

Put gaff tape over the strings for the first 4 frets on your bass and practice - that'll force you to play somewhere else. Unless where you're stuck is further up.

If you're having trouble staying in key, practice scales out of order. I don't really play scales in the traditional sense - I play all the notes in a key, but moving around in that key, not 1234.... That helps me know where all the notes are, keeps me from playing strict linear stuff, and helps cement my "hand knowledge" of where things are.

Theory is great, but there's a point to be made for just wallowing in playing enough that your muscle memory works with you - you don't get that buy studying theory, you get it by playing. What you're describing is that the notes don't "fall under your fingers", except maybe in a certain area of the neck. Time playing (in all keys) is what will get you there - I do church gigs, and we play in every key imaginable (singers determine what works best for them, and we all adapt. That has really helped me "know" the fingerboard.
 
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#14
drewphishesp said:
So my playing is coming along so well, I am progressing and finding myself capable of so much more than I thought I could a year ago. But that being sad I am finding myself just getting stuck in one spot of the fretboard when jamming or playing tunes (I play a lot of dead and phish stuff and have a lot of freedom to move about the chords)

what are some Excercises I can do to get myself to expand my vocabulary a little bit?

I do plan on a couple lessons just because that's always a great idea. But what can I do on my own?
Click to expand...

Learn moe songs and less exercises... Don't get me wrong, exercises, scales and arpeggios are great, but you need application, stuff that has been used.

You may only be wanting to play originals or jam with someone, but playing the notes put together buy another creative mind will spark your creativity, then all those scales and exercises will produce something new and spontaneous.
 
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#15
drewphishesp said:
So my playing is coming along so well, I am progressing and finding myself capable of so much more than I thought I could a year ago. But that being sad I am finding myself just getting stuck in one spot of the fretboard when jamming or playing tunes (I play a lot of dead and phish stuff and have a lot of freedom to move about the chords)

what are some Excercises I can do to get myself to expand my vocabulary a little bit?

I do plan on a couple lessons just because that's always a great idea. But what can I do on my own?
Click to expand...

Sounds like your "stuckedness" has more to do with your harmonic knowledge than knowing the fretboard. I would suggest learning more about chords, how they function, and chord/scale relationships.

Get some easy Jamey Abersold play-alongs that have tunes with just a few chords {So What (2 chords), I-IV-V blues (3 chords) , Cantaloupe Island (3 chords) , Simple Jazz Blues (4 chords), Maiden Voyage (4 chords), Minor Jazz Blues(4 chords)} and work on them so you are really hearing the chord changes. Also, learn the scales that go with the tune your working on and be able to play them over the entire range of your bass.
 
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#16
There's an old expression that the bass player makes his money on the first five frets, but besides being boring it really limits what you can or need to add. But don't get too worried about it, now it's just abut getting better. Start by finding the octave notes above what you're already playing, and start mixing them in. Go from there.
 

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