So I've picked up what I feel are some pretty formidable bass chops after only being seriously at it (read: playing every day, playing in bands, and falling head-over-heels for bass in general!) for a little less than a year. Despite my very fast (and fun!) progress, it amuses me to find that I'm still kinda hitting all the silly little phases of learning this instrument inside out. For example, lately I've been in my "I know how to slap so now I'm going to study Level 42 obsessively" phase. This has also coincided with my "I need to learn to play disco and play as many notes as possible because Bernard Edwards is awesome" phase. I'm being overly simplistic and making fun of myself, but you get the idea!
As a result, my playing in the band has gotten a little busier with more slapping and popping. Today, the lead singer approached me via Facebook Chat about laying back a little more and simplifying.
You know those defining moments when you see the path in front of you split off...and whichever way you choose, it all comes down to how you react to someone else's opinion (or criticism)? Like when your boss has a talk with you at work about your performance...or when your significant other has a Talk with you...and you find yourself having to really think about how to respond. Well, this was one of those moments. He caught me on a bit of an off day, having had a rough night with too much coffee and not enough sleep. So my first impulse was to defend my playing and to defend my ability (and therefore, I falsely assumed, my "right") to play what I wanted. To fight him on it a bit.
But then I scrolled up and read what I wrote and realized that I sounded like a spoiled little bass snob kid...not like a professional musician. I mean, I didn't jump down his throat, but I basically got into the semantics of what it means to "keep it simple" and what I would and would not do.
Until I pictured myself sitting in my room for the rest of my life playing along to "I Want Your Love" and wondering why I wasn't getting gigs. So I asked if he had any examples of what he meant. He sent me some links of songs to illustrate what he was talking about...and because I didn't want this whole thing to crash around my ears, I decided to shut up and listen.
And suddenly, I just had this moment where I truly understood how it's possible to keep it simple but still have a definitive groove, a way to make people dance. He referenced Talking Heads and James Brown and I just kinda went, "...OH! YEAH!" because for a split second I thought he meant he just wanted me to stand in the back like an idiot and play whole notes. And I was like, "
"
But once I used my ears without letting my pride interfere, I understood what he meant: I wasn't letting the music breathe enough. Or to quote "Amadeus": "Too many notes!" Just because I CAN play all those notes, doesn't mean I SHOULD. It sounds so simple and obvious, but it can be astonishingly difficult to get that perspective when you're the one playing and you can't really step back and listen from an objective viewpoint.
So, I took some notes out! And then, something amazing happened as I was playing along to Talking Heads; I could hear the band. I could hear what I was playing, and how it integrated into the structure of the song, but I could also hear everyone else. I could hear the spaces BETWEEN the notes...not just the notes themselves. That was when I truly understood my role as a bass player...what it really means to hold down the groove without getting all tangled up on the neck.
Given how sleep-deprived I am, I might be doing a bad job of explaining this, but I guess I finally reached the path where I either can accept that "less is sometimes more" or I can sit in my room playing disco and getting, like, old and bitter.
In case you're curious, I'm choosing the former, as I'm sure it will allow me to grow as a musician and it will probably get me more work! So, that was my little- or big, really!- epiphany. I'm really excited for tonight's rehearsal...because I can't wait to hear what everyone else is playing!
As a result, my playing in the band has gotten a little busier with more slapping and popping. Today, the lead singer approached me via Facebook Chat about laying back a little more and simplifying.
You know those defining moments when you see the path in front of you split off...and whichever way you choose, it all comes down to how you react to someone else's opinion (or criticism)? Like when your boss has a talk with you at work about your performance...or when your significant other has a Talk with you...and you find yourself having to really think about how to respond. Well, this was one of those moments. He caught me on a bit of an off day, having had a rough night with too much coffee and not enough sleep. So my first impulse was to defend my playing and to defend my ability (and therefore, I falsely assumed, my "right") to play what I wanted. To fight him on it a bit.
But then I scrolled up and read what I wrote and realized that I sounded like a spoiled little bass snob kid...not like a professional musician. I mean, I didn't jump down his throat, but I basically got into the semantics of what it means to "keep it simple" and what I would and would not do.
Until I pictured myself sitting in my room for the rest of my life playing along to "I Want Your Love" and wondering why I wasn't getting gigs. So I asked if he had any examples of what he meant. He sent me some links of songs to illustrate what he was talking about...and because I didn't want this whole thing to crash around my ears, I decided to shut up and listen.
And suddenly, I just had this moment where I truly understood how it's possible to keep it simple but still have a definitive groove, a way to make people dance. He referenced Talking Heads and James Brown and I just kinda went, "...OH! YEAH!" because for a split second I thought he meant he just wanted me to stand in the back like an idiot and play whole notes. And I was like, "
"But once I used my ears without letting my pride interfere, I understood what he meant: I wasn't letting the music breathe enough. Or to quote "Amadeus": "Too many notes!" Just because I CAN play all those notes, doesn't mean I SHOULD. It sounds so simple and obvious, but it can be astonishingly difficult to get that perspective when you're the one playing and you can't really step back and listen from an objective viewpoint.
So, I took some notes out! And then, something amazing happened as I was playing along to Talking Heads; I could hear the band. I could hear what I was playing, and how it integrated into the structure of the song, but I could also hear everyone else. I could hear the spaces BETWEEN the notes...not just the notes themselves. That was when I truly understood my role as a bass player...what it really means to hold down the groove without getting all tangled up on the neck.
Given how sleep-deprived I am, I might be doing a bad job of explaining this, but I guess I finally reached the path where I either can accept that "less is sometimes more" or I can sit in my room playing disco and getting, like, old and bitter.
In case you're curious, I'm choosing the former, as I'm sure it will allow me to grow as a musician and it will probably get me more work! So, that was my little- or big, really!- epiphany. I'm really excited for tonight's rehearsal...because I can't wait to hear what everyone else is playing!
