“Playing Cleanly” can mean a lot of different things. Probably the best advice I can give you is to get a pocket recorder and a metronome. Then start working on individual figures, review and correct often.
FWIW I keep a Boss DB-90 at my fingertips and use it often. Just started recording into Reaper (learning that program is two-fer).
Few things here.
In the past 12 years of doing pit work regularly I've never once been asked to audition for the seat. ...It's very much a recommendation world. The theatre scene is super small and MD's in general don't tend to step out side their usual pool of players. My advice is find bass players who are doing it and get to know them, if you are good enough they'll recommend you....You can see the part the first time on a Sunday and the show opens on the Monday, so you can't really sit during the band call. That time is to mark up cuts and run stuff rather than to sit and learn stuff. It's a pressure cooker world, I know musicians who got sent home during the interval of shows an a replacement stepping in for Act 2. So it's really a world of having to together and a lot off t is a baptism of fire and holding on for dear life.
I suppose I've forgotten how it works. I used to do a lot of pit work on trumpet- until I got hit with focal dystonia and it pretty much destroyed my trumpet playing. I've been fortunate to get a lower level theater gig here and there on bass, mostly because I can read. Most of the MD's I know have known me as a trumpet player. I don't yet have the exposure on bass and am hesitant to really put myself out there until I'm certain I "have it down". You don't get 2nd chances if you FU.
...You'll get the cleanest sound from fretting hand playing on your fingertips just behind the fret, for someone watching it will look like you are right on the fret but sitting just behind it stops fret buzz and reduces strings rattling off the fret. Don't let your fingers fly on and off the neck either, pretty much every student I've ever taught has commented on how it looks like my left hand barely moves even if I'm playing a ton of 16ths. My fingers only come off a string a little bit. If I'm playing with my middle finger the ring finger is on the string as well to support it. If it's ring finger then middle and index are down etc. Believe me this took forever to get down, I got my knuckles wrapped in a big way during college for that.
I'm working on all of that now. I don't have a lot of excess motion, but I have to retrain my fingers to be where they need to be much sooner, particularly with descending notes on a string where I can put all the appropriate fingers down, then lift as needed. My pinky wants to inherently move a greater distance than I'd like.
Right hand is a bit of a different story, a lot of it is how you attack the string. I'm doing playing with a heavy right hand but I know my fingers are assertive when they hit the string.
>>>"I'm doing playing with a heavy right hand">>>>
I'm not sure exactly what you're saying and presume there is a typo or something there. Can you restate and clarify?
I get what you're saying and working on that too. Another thread has got me exploring different ways to attack the strings. And that's just it, before I was thinking only of "plucking" the strings, but I now have found that I can "strike" the strings as well (as a pluck alternative, not referring to slap technique). It's increased my tonal palette as well as expanding my ability with musical nuance.
Everyone has said it, studio parts go through a good bit of other stuff. Having said that, aiming for clarity saves the engineer a lot of time. Saving time in the studio is saving money. If they can save time and save money then your name gets passed around, and they pay you for that skill.
I agree. I've got a ways to go before I'm going to get paid for studio work. But if I aim to play at that level, even if I fall short (I'm to old to have any kind of career longevity- or maybe a career at all), I'll have more opportunities and more musical satisfaction.
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For the second - I personally find that a clean attack isn't all that difficult, but a clean release can be more challenging.
I agree. Working on that.
...Also for the second - you talked about note duration - that's very important, coupled with the release. I feel that I have some problems really "connecting" notes smoothly sometimes - like, I give each note maybe 95% of its value instead of the full 100%.
For me it's about learning the stylistic nuances and what provides the most note definition within a style. It's getting my ear trained to what I want to hear, and less so the execution of that aspect.
Muting can be accomplished with either your fretting hand or your playing hand. And you’ll want to get comfortable with both since to effectively employ muting you will usually be switching back and forth between both hands at different times depending on what and how you’re playing.
There’s several ways to mute. This video covers the most effective ones:
I’d also suggest working on developing the ability to play with the lightest touch possible consistent with the song you’re playing. A lighter touch allows you to execute lines more quickly and cleanly. So it’s not necessary to really “dig in” most times in order to get the sound you want. The amp will handle all the heavy lifting. And one thing I’ve noticed with many newer players is a tendency to play the strings far harder than necessary.
Thanks for the video. I'll watch it shortly. Yes. I'm working on getting lighter and lighter and have been doing that on guitar as well. What I learned on guitar was that when one plays too heavy, the string deflection temporarily changes the intonation and greatly affects the way the harmonics respond. While it isn't the same kind of issue on bass, the lighter touch is great advice.
