What am I doing wrong?

[hrodbert696]

Ugh. Not to diss your grandmother, but I don't see this as useful. There's a classic actor's handbook by Uta Hagen called "Respect for Acting." She gave it that title because she found that actors got the same thing as you got from your grandma - advice from people who don't know how to do what you're doing, but assume that you just DO it somehow and their advice is surely going to be terribly useful. It isn't. People normally know better than to tell a lawyer how to argue a case or than to tell a doctor what dosage to prescribe, but they think that acting - and music - are fair game for advice from people who know nothing about it.

Keep practicing, keep listening, develop good technique, and with time you'll also find how to impart the feel you want to a song. Don't sweat it, just keep working.

 

[Spin Doctor]

Ugh. Not to diss your grandmother, but I don't see this as useful. There's a classic actor's handbook by Uta Hagen called "Respect for Acting." She gave it that title because she found that actors got the same thing as you got from your grandma - advice from people who don't know how to do what you're doing, but assume that you just DO it somehow and their advice is surely going to be terribly useful. It isn't. People normally know better than to tell a lawyer how to argue a case or than to tell a doctor what dosage to prescribe, but they think that acting - and music - are fair game for advice from people who know nothing about it.

Keep practicing, keep listening, develop good technique, and with time you'll also find how to impart the feel you want to a song. Don't sweat it, just keep working.

I don't really buy this. A lot of people have a good sense of what sounds and feels good, even if they can't articulate it in some musical fashion.

 

[hrodbert696]

I don't really buy this. A lot of people have a good sense of what sounds and feels good, even if they can't articulate it in some musical fashion.

They know if they liked it or not. They don't know what the performer needs to do to make it something they would like more, which is why they can't articulate it. That's what the "Respect" part is - recognizing that there is an art, a technique, behind the performances that they like, that the performer can't "just do it."

 

[Fender_Bender]

Get grandma a hearing aid? .

 

[Mike Dimin]

Sing what you play (even if you're out of tune). Sing it, phrase your lines with your breaths. Don't play when you inhale. Lighten up on your grip of the neck and pluck the strings with less force. Let the amp create your volume. When I taught my kids to drive, they would hold the wheel so tightly, that every slight movement of their hand would jerk the car, lightening up their grip, allowed them to flow. Same thing on the bass

 

[Honch]

but anyone hazard a guess at what she's on about?

Yes. Whatever you play can be typed into a MIDI sequencer on any computer and play it. Straight notes, quantized, and you won't hear the difference from it playing or you. It can be everything from phrasing, sliding and gliding up to the intended note. Or being more lyrical in your playing, while still play with feel.

My gut feeling is that she hears your STRUGGLE.

Think of it like this:

You're just learning a new language, and tries to speak it. You're still thinking of the phonetics, pronounciation, and getting both the grammar, syntax, semantics right. After several years, you still speak with heavy accent still, but you're more from the spine out, you don't have to think of the craft or execution anymore. You just "speak" from the heart or brain and everything in between. Whatever, but you're not struggling! Me personally thinks that while phrasing on bass lines is somewhat a backseat unless you do a solo - compared to other instruments - I think you should put in some phrasing into your playing anyway. Ghost notes, grace notes, microrhythmic dislocations, dynamics (especially) and accents. Incorporating a sense of drama into your playing with introducing tension and release. Let some sentences (musical) start off by not telling the whole story at once, and do a build up, and a crescendo climax at the end and so on. You bet that I sounded like that in my young days, but the scolding didn't came from any granma or parents. It came from the very good teacher.

 

[rendevouz]

Your Gram is cool. You should buy her a set of drums, and then, when she makes the helpful jabs, you can blame HER for not having enough je ne seis quoi.

And then you fire her

 

[Fat Freddy]

Get grandma a hearing aid? .

Get Grandma a bottle of Gin? ....

But seriously folks....Grandma could well be right......

Musicians don't make hits.....Punters do....

 

[Nev375]

Sounds like you might be playing things too straight and too perfect.

Try putting a little swing in it. Add a little accent here or there. Make it your own by following your gut feeling about what the music means to you.

 

[Spin Doctor]

They know if they liked it or not. They don't know what the performer needs to do to make it something they would like more, which is why they can't articulate it. That's what the "Respect" part is - recognizing that there is an art, a technique, behind the performances that they like, that the performer can't "just do it."

If people don't like it, what good is it? Art and all that is fine but ultimately it means nothing if you can't communicate. Free Jazz is full of art. Few people play it, or listens to it. Not that I'm saying he will never "get it". But I think respecting or at least knowing your audience is more important than getting wrapped around the axle about art. Just my opinion.

 

[funkytoe]

I think your Granny is spot on. Many bass players I know - especially young ones - focus on playing the right notes and in time. Which is fine and a great foundation. But, you still need to take the next step and develop your own sound - to make it musical. Think of your bass as a voice. How would you sing the part? What are you trying to communicate? The great musicians have a signature tone. It can be their attack, or more likely their vibrato and how they make the notes ring or mute that distinguishes them. This is what I think your Granny is saying. Develop your voice. Can you make your bass sound sad? Happy? Weary? Angry? Try it as an experiment. Play the same notes or phrase with different emotions or intent behind them. See if you can bring those emotions out in your playing.

Blues guitarists are a great example. Many play the exact same notes and runs. You just cannot avoid it, as there are only so many notes in the musical universe - and even fewer in the minor pentatonic/hexatonic blues scale. But even casual fans can identify and distinguish BB King from Buddy Guy or Carlos Santana or Stevie Ray Vaughan, etc. These artists all developed a signature voice on their instrument that creates emotion. You can too.

John Mayer gave a speech inducting Albert King into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a few years ago. In that speech, he imitates the playing of some of his guitar hero's, including King, demonstrating the signature aspects of their tone - their unique voices. Same guitar. Same settings. But Mayer can make his guitar sound like each of these famous blues players. It is really illuminating. If you watch that, I think you will get what your Granny is trying to say. Here is a link: . The part where Mayer does this is starts at about 3 and a half minutes in.

I hope this post helps you understand what I think your Granny is trying to say. P.S. She sounds like she is a really hip lady who is giving you some great advice to take your playing to the next level.

 

[Mike Dimin]

One of the most important things in developing both musicality and fluidity is truly knowing the fretboard. Being able to access what you want to play without the thought process getting in the way is a key to musicality

 

[Kukulkan61]

Grandma knows best wish I still had mine...

 

[Drang22]

Here's my 2 cents.... Listen to Grandma!

Also, my advice is to play SLOW...I mean really slow. Let each note sing, and make each note as musically perfect as you can. Most people, especially newer players are so focused on playing fast, and learning cool riffs, ect. Play scales, lines, and arpeggios very slowly, with a metronome, and make each note perfect- clear, ringing, on time, and minimal string noise. It actually harder to play slow then fast in many ways.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Ugh. Not to diss your grandmother, but I don't see this as useful. There's a classic actor's handbook by Uta Hagen called "Respect for Acting." She gave it that title because she found that actors got the same thing as you got from your grandma - advice from people who don't know how to do what you're doing, but assume that you just DO it somehow and their advice is surely going to be terribly useful. It isn't. People normally know better than to tell a lawyer how to argue a case or than to tell a doctor what dosage to prescribe, but they think that acting - and music - are fair game for advice from people who know nothing about it.

Keep practicing, keep listening, develop good technique, and with time you'll also find how to impart the feel you want to a song. Don't sweat it, just keep working.

This seems to be based on an assumption about his grandmother's musical ear. Other than saying she's not a bassist, what is that based on?

Heck, she's talking to him about note duration and dynamics. Doesn't exactly sound clueless on the surface.


And even a non-musician might be able to tell the difference between robotic and fluid. It's not like you need to know how to drive to feel when someone's jerking the wheel.

 

[sawzalot]

So...sometimes we worry so much about comments like this that they can get into our head and block the very thing we are striving for. My advice is this: Sling that bass a few inches lower. Play a little louder. Go play a gig or two at a crowded bar. Be happy you have music in your life and people in your life who appreciate that.

Tom

 

[DavC]

it would be cool/great if we could play sweet melodic soulful lines all day ... BUT , that's Not usually our job on bass .

i started out on classical piano ... everything was pretty well explained within the music ... dynamic markings , crescendos , accents , staccato , legato , etc ... i've had students and friends who will probably just 'play the notes' ... some folks have a hard time sharing any emotion ... if you want to be an artist , you'll open up and share .. !

unless it's a solo bass artist tune , we usually are part of the rhythm section , which seems to require some unity of ' feeling ' ... as in ' the groove ' ... listening to someone practice that Groove, is not like listening to someone working on making a saxophone cry out a melody ... if that might be where Grandma's thinking is ?

here's a Xmas tune i've been trying to get the right 'feeling' on ....

 

[Spidey2112]

I don't know why, but I now love your grandma...

... at least she didn't sugar coat her assessment of your playing... good for her...

... obviously, she knows the potential is there, in you... just needs a little refinement, that's all.

 

[trailer]

You're Granny sounds like a she knows a thing or two about a thing or two. Anytime an older person takes an interest in what you're doing and drops some knowledge on you then you should listen. And I think that what she's asking you to do is "feel" the music, stop worrying about the notes and stuff. Play!

 

[ZenG]

So this might be a weird one, but whenever I play, my grandma keeps saying to me "put some emotion in to your playing". She's not a bass player, but I play harder in some parts, so as to accent my playing, and she says "Don't play loud, just less methodical. Let your notes fall short (staccato, I guess) or ring out a bit more."

I'm doing all this, and and she still says there's something lacking in my playing. I thought my feel and groove is okay. I guess you wouldn't be able to tell without hearing me playing, but anyone hazard a guess at what she's on about?

Is your last name Kaye by any chance?