When reading music - choosing position/frets

[tmntfan]

2 other things that are super helpful: use a metronome and keep going (even if you screw up)
was talking with some other teachers and one of the silver linings to games like guitar hero is it is teaching kids to keep playing when they miss a note.

 

[rogerb]

You read ahead and that gives you the clues as to where you should be, maybe just a few notes or a bar. I'm not great at it with the bass, but with piano I could certainly do it years ago and think about that! You are reading two clefs at the same time and reading a bit ahead.

It is possible, needs practice. You need to know your fretboard without thinking where the notes are.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

Thanks for this. Coincidentally, I found this image with some great tips on finding octaves and like notes and I printed it. From another poster named Malcolm.
Way to find the notes on a 4 string bass fretboard.

Site asked me to sign in and -- long story - in the process I became Ole Malcolm. I've asked the mods to get me back to MalcolmAmos. They did for a day or so and today I'm back being Ole Malcolm. There's a bug somewhere. They will get it fixed.....

 

[Drgonzonm]

I am as dense as decent block of lead, and have a poor short term memory.
I match fretboard position to the key. I then write the position on the sheet
using roman numerals for the position,
I Gb (6b) Db (5b)
II G (#) D (2#)
III Ab (4b) Eb (3b)
IV A (3#) E (4#)
V Bb (2b) F (b)
VI B (5#) F# (six #)
VII C G
Most of the time C is played in 2nd position.
This info was 4 finger lifted (bass joke) from Alfred's Teach yourself to read music for guitar, which by the way, emphasizes single note playing, and not chords. (sounds like playing bass) Since I sometimes practice on a guitar lower 4 strings (sounds like a piccolo bass doesn't it), I am also forcing myself to read treble.

Yes, there is occasional shifting, but in trying to minimize left hand movement, I can use the technique on my fretless.

The above does not work well on an upright.

Second trick is to play the B part of the music if the music is available in SATB format (choral)

 

[Clef_de_fa]

Learn the notes on the neck the same time you learn to read music, also scale and arpeggio. at one point it will become automatic.

You'll also know where to play.

I usually check where are the highest and lowest notes, I try to spot the places that would work for a shift. Going slow, not too slow, but slow enough you can still tell what it is supposed to sound like.