What one thing took your playing to the next level?

[Alexis Duntov]

I've been playing for about 15 years, started late, am now 42. I play in a professional band for hire (weddings, karaoke, corporate etc.) and another more artistic project. I'm happy with my playing and get a fair amount of compliments on it, but I'm still not able to improvise as freely as I'd like or look at the fretboard and know what the notes are going to sound like before I play them. I can do it slow but it gets squirrelly as things speed up. That said, my fretboard fluency has increased dramatically over the last year from practicing arpeggios in the II-V-I format. I'm also an intermediate player on upright and that has helped with the geography as well. I'd love to hear from some of you what if any one or combination of things took your playing to the next level (please don't say "practice"). Was it learning a particular tune in multiple keys, practicing double stops, singing what you play etc.? Thanks.

 

[fearceol]

(please don't say "practice").

Why not....? Seriously, you say..." I can do it slow but it gets squirrelly as things speed up..."

You can do it slowly, so the only way that I know of to get to the stage where you can do it almost without thinking is to keep at it..i.e.... practice.

No matter what methods anyone here suggests, it is going to have to be practiced.

Sorry !!! I know this is not what you wanted to hear.

 

[GKon]

Learning the fretboard.
That's what helped me. For the longest time, anything past the 5th fret could have been marked
with "There Be Monsters Here", like they did on the old maps, for unknown locations.

Once I learned the fretboard, it opened everything up!

Now, (with help from a teacher), I'm working on what you mentioned, learning how things will sound
prior to playing them. that's going to be my next big step.

 

[Polfuste]

One vid from Adam Nitti explaining the floating thumb technic. This changed all my right hand playing and really open new possibilities like adding chords to lines, better velocity, lighter touch, ...

 

[JTE]

Grasping and fully understanding the harmonized scale is tied with Jerry Jemmott's "say it, sing it, play it" tutelage to connect sound with fingers.

John

 

[Fergie Fulton]

Patience.......trust in what you are doing will bring results.
Do not 'look' for improvement.....it does not work like that.
When realise that you have improved you will not be able to put a finger on when it happened.

Practice is a "leap of faith" because you are not qualified to teach yourself what you need to know....so what you do not understand now....will become knowledge in the future.

On the subject of practice, many players practice what they know, so they are not really learning or improving.
They also practice "new ideas" not realising that they are the same ideas they already know...just presented different.
For practice to be relevent you have to have an idea you cannot do, feel overwhelmed by it....then learn to do it, this is learning and this is how learning works.
Some learning on an instrument that brings improvement at the start is learning to make less mistakes, less mistakes means better playing.....try not to let you mistakes hurt you....by all means do not be afraid to make mistakes, just learn how they cannot hurt you.....this, like all lessons, if it seem vague or you do not understand it, will become apparant later on in your playing life......

 

[Kmonk]

Listening to various types of music, including some that I wouldn't normally listen to. Then, learning to play songs in those genres. I developed a better understanding of structure which helped me to become a better player.

 

[10cc]

Singing lead

 

[basslayer]

The biggest was probably learning to be confident in my ideas. Learning how the different intervals sound against different chords helped a lot.

 

[Dug2]

threads like this. lots of great ideas/replies

 

[Dougie1316]

Learning the modes of the major scale, damn.

 

[bassrich]

When I was learning my teacher said listen to Rush and how Mr Lee plays

 

[DannyBob]

Getting a loop pedal - helped with chords to create a backing and also helped with improv. over the top

 

[moles]

Ok - I won't say "practice"...
But I can tell you what won't work: Trying everything but practicing.

 

[lowfreq33]

Honestly just playing as much as you can. I was "pretty good" for a long time, but things really started to take off when I started playing full time. Most people don't have the time to put in 4-8 hours a day 7 days a week, but when it's your job that's exactly what you're doing. The only time I really practice at home anymore is when I'm learning songs.

 

[Mystic Michael]

For me the answer is: "Learning how to get out of my own way". It's not really a "technique', but is very much a concept - not unlike the very insightful remarks that Fergie just shared with us.

Specifically, I had to learn to drop all the self-conscious, ego-oriented baggage surrounding music; stop "trying" to do something and just do it; and realize that I already have a substantial amount of talent and skill in reserve, just waiting for me to give myself permission to acknowledge it and use it.

As Yoda would say: "Do or do not. There is no try".



MM

 

[BazzTard]

having played exclusively with cheap , crap sounding equipment for my first career of 15 odd years, then a break of 20 years, I now have quality equipment, Fender MIA and MIM basses, Hartke and MarkBass amps. I sound so much better that I realise my cheap equipment made me not enjoy playing as much as I do now. I WANT to play everyday,something I never did before. My bass now sounds like it does on recordings I listen to. It has inspired me to get into more music theory and actually writing much better and interesting basslines. I'm in an acoustic trio and will be joining a new blues band in the new year, onwards and upwards!

 

[Lo-E]

Listening to various types of music, including some that I wouldn't normally listen to. Then, learning to play songs in those genres. I developed a better understanding of structure which helped me to become a better player.

This is a great suggestion! One that a lot of people miss.
Recording yourself while practicing/rehearsing/gigging is also a really good way to expose areas that need work.

 

[hintz]

the funnest, imo, learn challenging, but fun songs that you really can't play, then analyze them after!!

for me it was "YYZ" mainly for my 3 finger technique, and "havona" by weather report for chops and knowledge! I'll have to revisit both, its been like 4 years since I touched either!!

learn different ways of fingering for your favorite lines, learn in 12 keys, play with and without track, above tempo, make the song a part of your vocabulary, you can do this with anything you like really, I also worked with the parker omnibook, very cool stuff... Keep up with fundamentals and groove of course!!

 

[dreads311]

I think my greatest developmental stride was when I started playing with cats that were way better than me. I'd love to believe that their talent rubs off on you, but I think it's more of a case where it forces you to improve just to be able to keep up.
Edit: as AaronVonRock said, playing live will teach you things no book or practice time can.