Fergie, the level of expertise you describe is the Holy Grail of bass playing. My question for you and the teachers on the thread is, how to get there?
My case: demanding day job and bass-hating neighbor on the one hand, versus insightful teacher, pretty good ear for music, decent mind for theory, fair sight-reading skills and love of all things bass on the other. I listen to Motown and other more contemporary music, concentrating on the bass lines, a couple of hours a day.
I'm committed to become a really good bassist. Yet I probably won't live long enough to get the 10,000 hours of practice required to be a virtuoso. How would you prioritize the hours that are available?Hopefully this is not a thread hijack, rather just a different way of asking the question.
Bass playing is not really about levels of expertise, its about functionality in any given situation. So here is a bit of mine to compare context.
I was very lucky in that for seven years Classical music was my life, I had not other distractions that gave me great foundations to understand and play music on a wide range of instruments....how well I could do that would be down to how much time and effort I put into the instruments techniques.
So I played brass, therefore I can play any valve instrument because the relation to the instrument is through the valve order and recognising he notes I play. Where as with a trombone all I can do is use the slide to hear notes I recognise and remember the position the slide was at when I got it. A lot of work and effort, but I could do it if I had the need to.
When I picked up a bass, I know how to tune it, so I found my notes fast, I found my scales, arps, triads chords, chord extensions fast because I could hear them and relate them to a fret position and string.
Because I knew there was 12 notes then logic dictated they would repeat, so shapes were used to repeat certain things such as a triad.
Learn a 1-3-5 major shape and I knew every major triad would be taken from what ever root note I used.
The same with scales, chords etc. because I knew music the job for me was find it on the bass.
Because I knew what I had to find, tracking it down was easy. Each triad was confirmed by the key, the scale, the shapes I used, and my ears etc.
As for b5, diminished, augmented, 7ths, 11ths etc, and there use, I knew that already all I had to do was look for them and confirm it with what I was hearing and seeing.
I knew when a C# was a Db because of the context of the key being used, I could read music, so it was just relating looking at the page and learning where my hands should be to play the notes.
I quickly learned that I could be in an area of the neck and let the notes fall under my fingers with minimal movement, so rather than moving for individual notes, I changed hand positions that allowed me to access most of my notes, this required using one finger per fret techniques when required.
My piano training (compulsory second instrument) toned my hands and fingers, so again using my fingers was not a struggle because of this secondary supported skill.
As for plucking that was never an issue because I had developed another secondary skill that would surface....my three valve fingers. I started with a three finger technique on the bass from the start, because those fingers were toned from years of valve work and would play in any order I wanted to use them.
I had secondary neural pathways already in place that came to the fore when I used a different instrument, so what allowed me to learn seemingly so much so fast was the product of years and years of none related bass playing, but learning to play music not the instrument.
Many established or long time players, like yourself, that I deal with, or come for lessons already have the skills they seek, but they cannot recognise them, because they are to wrapped up in the instrument and believe lessons will improve them.
All lessons do for these players is help them understand what they are doing, they do not create the 'doing' so to speak.
The process of learning theory in this situation is what Phillybass101 is saying and I agree with it, but it is horses for courses, all I do is give them the confidence to recognise what they do well or correct, and what they do not...I help them see that they are already good and at the level they want to be and give them the confidence or conformation that they are good.
Again this is the brain leading them out and away from the idea that they are stuck or in a rut, I just give them the tools to work there way out of it. They over think their own situation by comparing it to others that have no bearing or relevance to them.
If you can accept working and playing then look honestly at the scene around you, that is your work place, if what you want to do and play is not there then you move to where it is....but then maybe everyone else with the same aspirations will as well, so the competition is stiffer.
If Soul and Motown is your thing then you will develop the chops and skills through playing, but the simple act of relating your reading skills, learning to recognise what you play on a sheet means you can play the gigs and shows that other more competent players cannot do, because they cannot read....and you can.
The same with learning up-right, same notes, same theory, same sheet music, very different set of employment credentials.
Here in the UK, some areas and genres frown upon electric bass, so just owning an up-right will get you work...the like the idea of a mediocre up right player over skilled electric because its about "the look" as well as the music.
In the end not only your playing needs to be functional, but where you are based needs to be as well. I came from a small Scottish town, travelled around to various larger neighbouring towns and cities when learning, then moved to the largest city Glasgow, then moved to London...London is where the work is from theatres to studios, bars, cafes, clubs, radios etc. Youngster with no family, only my arse to keep, happy to eat when ever, will sleep on the floor or in the theatre dressing rooms after a show was easy...but I needed the will to do it, and the work to be there so I could.
It is not a 'Holy Grail' for me, it is the product of teaching, learning, experience and time, to which I stuck to...I am a product of all things I learned, some that seemed pointless at the time have all been used to great effect at various times in my playing career, and so long as I remain open to learning then I am always improving in some way that will reveal itself in the future when the situation arises.
After 45 years or so of it I am taking things more easy these days, my grandfather had a saying,
"when you are young it is easy to work from the neck down, but at some point when you are older you are going to need to start working from the neck up." "Do not be an old man trying to hold down a young mans job."
That is the power of learning, when the situation arises you handle it, I seldom have to take time out and play catch up (only on techniques really) but I am happy to let the player with the better technique do the job because if they get it, then their old job is open..LOL...sort of thing, being self employed teaches you that earning money is easy, holding on to it is the hard part. So take out what you have and test it against the market, then fill in any weak spots to improve your over all skills.
Lessening your weaknesses so they do not hurt you a much, can be just as effective as working on your strengths.
So look around at your situation, be honest with yourself and you may find you have what you need already.....the grass is usually greener on the other side of the fence...that's because it's full of BS......wise old man my grandfather LOL
