Can't tell you how much I relate to this whole story. My lack of theory holds me back from improvising fills and soloing, but it has helped my ear training tremendously.
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What is your most difficult challenge in playing bass.
- Thread starter Neil Folkard
- Start date
Can't tell you how much I relate to this whole story. My lack of theory holds me back from improvising fills and soloing, but it has helped my ear training tremendously.
speed, ear, improvisation, theory, pick playing, singing & playing, slap, guitar players, drummers, rehearsal volume, bandmate flakiness
Still absolutely love playing though.
Still absolutely love playing though.
devnulljp
Supporting Member
Remembering stuff. I sub a lot, and play with a lot of different people and for the life of me I can't figure out how people just remember songs. I use notes and charts hidden away on my ipad. I'm trying, but jeez it's hard going.
Jim Carr
Dr. Jim
- Jan 21, 2006
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- fEARful Kool-Aid dispensing liberal academic card-carrying union member Musicians Local 72-147
All true.
Soloing fast? I sometimes just throw some things out and deal with them uncritically. I try to be always looking ahead, er, ;-0 when I can. Repetion is your friend at speed, so are whole notes and rests, lol. I'd repeat all of that a minor 3rd higher...
The thing is the time is there. You have to make the time. Whatever level you are on you have to be serious and diligent about what you want to create and make that commitment.
I find it challenging to stay relaxed during long sets. As the energy level rises so do the volumes and then you find yourself digging in more.
I try to make a conscious effort to just turn up a bit and keep my hands relaxed. It's a funny thing but I've noticed that if my plucking hand plucks harder my fretting hand frets harder, if that makes any sense so I try to avoid all this tightening up and just stay loose and relaxed.
I try to make a conscious effort to just turn up a bit and keep my hands relaxed. It's a funny thing but I've noticed that if my plucking hand plucks harder my fretting hand frets harder, if that makes any sense so I try to avoid all this tightening up and just stay loose and relaxed.
I've learned that if I turn my amp up about 10% louder that I think I need it forces me to play gently. Gary Willis trick. I met him once and asked about his amazing facility and how it looked so easy, with hardly any movement of his fingers. He said something like "let the amp do the work, man. Turn it up, play light."
Hah! I had a girl I've know for a long time, lovely young lady truly. After that many years of coming to gigs she introduced me to a friend as 'the guitar player'. I said, 'you mean bass player', she says 'what's the difference'?
So I took the time to explain it to her and she said, 'OMG! I had no idea!'. So it took a little education to set the girl straight but she's totally worth it.
- Jan 23, 2004
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- Artist for Bartolini, BTPA, Gruv Gear and Mission Engineering.
Some remaining numbness in my fretting hand after neck surgery following a motorcycle accident.
Right hand techniques like slapping. I’m left handed and play right handed (parents bought my first bass and didn’t know there was such thing as left handed basses.) So It’s taken me a long to be even halfway decent at slapping but to be fair the trade off is certain things like switching to fretless might have actually been easier for me compared to people who play the right way because my dominant hand is on the neck.
Okay there are a few things:
1. Playing by ear
2. Improvisation
3. How would I call it... quick and exact pressing on with pinky finger while trying to play Rancid songs (Matt Freeman plays like an animal, dang)
4. Singing while playing
5. Songwriting
6. Trying to lose weight as not to take up so much space on stage
1. Playing by ear
2. Improvisation
3. How would I call it... quick and exact pressing on with pinky finger while trying to play Rancid songs (Matt Freeman plays like an animal, dang)
4. Singing while playing
5. Songwriting
6. Trying to lose weight as not to take up so much space on stage
Believe me I am committed and the time isn’t always there. I am a bass junky and feel better with it in my hands. If I didn’t have obligations and responsibilities to attend to I would have a bass in my hands. But the first ten to fifteen years I covered a lot of ground and I am comfortable with my skill set.
Time is the most important part of playing bass. ... If you don't have good time, forget about it, you'll never get anywhere on the instrument. ... And if you can't tell the difference in what good time is you're wasting yours. ... Where to place the note, how long or short to play that note is the most important and hardest to achieve. ... Remember music is a conversation if you struggle to converse with other instruments it's not because you're playing the wrong note or wrong style or wrong amp or have the wrong gear, it's because your time isn't together. ... If or when you get it together you'll know what I mean, till then keep working on it
