Keep studying, but: You'll also want to start getting some real world experience as soon as you can. Jam with anyone you can and look for opportunities to play out wherever and whenever you can.
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Where to go after Hal Leonard/Ed Friedland?
- Thread starter BassPun
- Start date
After all the books and
After all the jacks are in their boxes
And the clowns have all gone to bed
Do this...
Then some of this...
Then more of this...
After all the jacks are in their boxes
And the clowns have all gone to bed
Do this...
Then some of this...
Then more of this...
I like Paul Wolfe's concepts, but so far getting over the pile o crap and technology literally blocking the music stand... they haven't proven to be any better than any other book on my shelf.
I feel like I need some sort of road map. And some way of getting past 'I already know this stuff'.
I feel like I need some sort of road map. And some way of getting past 'I already know this stuff'.
I can solve the warming up thing without lessons…play lightly for a few minutes…done.
I need to catch back up to what’s good in books these days. I know Ed’s and Carol Kaye’s stuff, and Slap It, which is great for getting into slap. But Carol’s stuff has nothing for 5s. Jeff Berlin recommends trombone etudes, but I don’t think there’s much below E on a regular trombone (he only plays 4s). Maybe a bass trombone etude book might help…can’t remember its range, though.
I am a big fan of the Bass Aerobics, great warm-up exercises that really helped me getting useful patterns under my fingers.
I also recommend checking the David Santos lessons on truefire (both the "50 grooves" and the "latin bass"): https://truefire.com/search/?q=David Santos
I find the truefire interface mildly annoying, but he's a great teacher and his courses are made of easy to digest 5min lessons that really expanded my groove vocabulary. It's made for 4 strings (i don't think there is much 5-strings specific material out there?) but he explains how the grooves work and it is an interesting exercise to adapt them to 5 strings and listen to the difference it makes - which is what I did when I went through the "50 grooves" material.
Get in a practice band, performance band, recording band and test what you have learned.
You can work through 1,000 books and still suck. You need to get out there and play with people, off the page. Stop learning with your eyes, and start learning with your ears. Just get out there any play anything you can, even if you don't dig it. It all has educational and professional value, both musical and non-musical.
I might suggest you narrow down your goals a little bit to a couple specific styles of music or skill sets to learn the ins and outs of. Sounds like jazz and latin are up your alley, but also think to styles like soul/funk/RnB. Playing "everything but metal" is simply too broad and not at all realistic. Since you already have a degree in music, alot of these instructional books will be of limited use to you IMO outside of helping you learn to read bass clef. I'm assuming you already know your scales, keys, plus chords and their inversions. Running through those with a metronome in various permutations is pretty much all the technical practice you need.
I think you should be ready to learn actual songs, and transcribe bass lines and solos by ear. Analyze what your favorite players are doing against the harmony of the song. Quickly throw yourself into situations to play with live people as well. A teacher will help you smooth out technique issues as it's very hard to learn good technique from a book, at least for me.
With all that said, don't stop working the books, but just hit em and quit em for 20-30 mins a day and then focus on the other stuff suggested.
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The J. S. Bach Suites for Unaccompanied Cello are lifelong pursuits. Pablo Casals played one full suite per day in rotation for his entire life after he rediscovered them. I’m not as disciplined as he was, but they are part of my daily practice routine. They are both etudes and wonderful pieces of music.
If you have a 2 octave fingerboard, they can be played at pitch without resorting to artificial harmonics. My Roscoe beck V and my Turner Ren V only go up to an f above the octave on the g string. I can grab the f# and high g with artificial harmonics, but it poses some technical challenges to ensure that it is musical. Alternatively, you can play them down an octave, reading them as though they were written for bass. Judging by how Bach transcribed other of his pieces, I actually think that is what he would have done if the electric bass had been around during his lifetime. When playing down an octave on a four string, you will have to take the notes below E an octave higher. There are some transcriptions available for electric bass where they have been transposed to friendlier keys.
Someday, I will actually finish playing Suite 6 all the way through.
I seem to remember reading an interview with John Entwhistle where he said that “Bach was the Governor of all bass players.”
If you have a 2 octave fingerboard, they can be played at pitch without resorting to artificial harmonics. My Roscoe beck V and my Turner Ren V only go up to an f above the octave on the g string. I can grab the f# and high g with artificial harmonics, but it poses some technical challenges to ensure that it is musical. Alternatively, you can play them down an octave, reading them as though they were written for bass. Judging by how Bach transcribed other of his pieces, I actually think that is what he would have done if the electric bass had been around during his lifetime. When playing down an octave on a four string, you will have to take the notes below E an octave higher. There are some transcriptions available for electric bass where they have been transposed to friendlier keys.
Someday, I will actually finish playing Suite 6 all the way through.
I seem to remember reading an interview with John Entwhistle where he said that “Bach was the Governor of all bass players.”
https://www.amazon.com/Serious-Electric-Bass-Complete-Contemporary/dp/1576238830
As others have said, transcribe bass parts to songs you want to learn, then determine why the bassist used the notes they did in the context of the song.
As others have said, transcribe bass parts to songs you want to learn, then determine why the bassist used the notes they did in the context of the song.
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This.
If you can find it, his book is excellent.
(I was given a copy in college and still have it. I plan to keep it forever.)
As far as Pablo Casals, when he was asked why he practiced hours a day, even into his 90s, he replied: "I feel I'm making some progress ". Not sure if those were his exact words, but the idea is there!
That, or words to that effect, was a fairly stock answer that he gave many times over the years. It is good advice for all of us!
Another vote for - get out and play with musicians who are better than you - open mic (think on your feet) find a jam partner, offer to sub for someone in a praise and worship setting.
The dynamics of playing in a band setting sharpens everything - and find a teacher... and have fun...
The dynamics of playing in a band setting sharpens everything - and find a teacher... and have fun...
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Some of this has already been said, but here we go:
1) James Jamerson bass lines - Standing in the Shadows of Motown and other
2) Oscar Stagnaro - Latin Bass Book - See you in 3 or 4 months.
3) Memorize lots famous bass lines and groove. Thay are out there on the Utube.
4) Jaco recorded technique lesson book (see video online).
5) John Patituci etude method book
6) Learn all the Ray Brown lines you can. Learn all the Bass from Paul Chambers on Kinda of Blue.
7) Mike Richmond: Modern Walking Bass Technique - An oldie but a goody.
..
.
When you think you know it all,
Bach Violin Sonata in G Minor BMV 1001 Prestissimo This will take you a few years if you dig in deep to understand how and hen to shift with 4 fingers. If you just learn to play this piece half assed and memorized, don t bother.
Charlie Parker Omni book. Like Bach, it will take some heavy practice to master this.
PS, Jaco was really into both the above items.
1) James Jamerson bass lines - Standing in the Shadows of Motown and other
2) Oscar Stagnaro - Latin Bass Book - See you in 3 or 4 months.
3) Memorize lots famous bass lines and groove. Thay are out there on the Utube.
4) Jaco recorded technique lesson book (see video online).
5) John Patituci etude method book
6) Learn all the Ray Brown lines you can. Learn all the Bass from Paul Chambers on Kinda of Blue.
7) Mike Richmond: Modern Walking Bass Technique - An oldie but a goody.
..
.
When you think you know it all,
Bach Violin Sonata in G Minor BMV 1001 Prestissimo This will take you a few years if you dig in deep to understand how and hen to shift with 4 fingers. If you just learn to play this piece half assed and memorized, don t bother.
Charlie Parker Omni book. Like Bach, it will take some heavy practice to master this.
PS, Jaco was really into both the above items.
