JamPlay

The role of bassist is hugely misunderstood, often overlooked, and generally speaking less recognized than that of many other more visable members of a band. However, when offered a compliment, consider it an offering of thanks, and a kind response is natural and considerate as would be in a natural exchange between two folks. When the opportunity has arisen the other way around, where I've been in the giving end of the compliment, I have usually offered these words, "thanks for the music, it's really special and has meant so much."

Singling out parts is a bi product of this kind of exercise practice routine...then you re construct the song, while performing, and you have a birds eye view of what's going on....it's an approach that will train your ears to hear music as a language..of course with your own spin on it... Have never heard two players sounding identical... Everyone has talent, everyone has something to say...and they say it differently than anyone else...and there's room for more than one interpretation....cool, thanks for chiming in...hope more folks comment, and add their personal touch...thanks, groove on!!

So much has been talked about regarding developing chops, skill on your instrument, etc. What about how to develop listening chops? How do you develop your ear to be able to hear what's going on in a song? Any practice routines you care to share? Music is conversation. Listening will put your musicianship in a context to speak when appropriate and to speak notes that are noteworthy so to speak. Hope this topic can turn into a blog on practice routines or practice habits that have led you to developing good ears that make your bass playing soulful..I try to learn a song a week. Verse and chorus..Learn everything about the tune; melody, chords, bass line, rhythm parts. That helps you play bass in a more efficient way. It makes you realize how your part fits into the conversation.

try barring with pinky and index as you rake over the strings..should work for you...easy to control your timbre consistency too...try it, you'll like it.. from high descending to low..octave 5th root use pinky for octave and 5th, then grab the low root with index...think tri-pi-let for the groove..

get your hands on a bass clef Real Book, or any fake book that has melodies written in bass clef. You mention that your theory knowledge is there. Fantastic! Take a melody, and analyze it vertically speaking. Take a tune like Duke Ellingtons Take The A Train. View the melody as a chord, as polyphony. You can do this with any melody from any song, any genre. It will help you to codify where all the individual notes are coming from. From there, you learn to take each letter name, and spell chord changes. So you are studying harmony. A phrase turns into a chord. Now you have a sense of where the composer was coming from theoretically speaking. Back to Duke; the first line is a I maj chord using the 5th to the 10th then to the root, ostensibly a 2nd inversion major triad. was Duke thinking this? Not sure..However, you now can place your fingers on the fretboard and realize where the melody is structured, aka coming from. It will serve your ears well too! And while you're studying all this theory, don't forget to groove!

when is it cool to play anything? we are referencing taste and individual style fashion, music making...copying one artist or another, via a paradigm you might have is one thing...achieving flow, originality and playing in the moment is another goal and achievement...like an athlete who practices routines, develops muscle memory, and then competes subsequently, they are looking to be in the zone...that special place where all the really cool stuff lives...how to get there? practice performing, playing, improvising regularly...yeah, there's the 10,000 hour concept, however every proficient musician athlete artist has to and had to start somewhere..from a nascent stage to a skilled craftsmen....it's cool talking about it, and also cool doing it...happy shedding people...hone your own voice...carry your own flavor to the gig..and make sure it grooves!

interesting thread here....the artistry surrounding a professional musican relates to a life choice...the artist lives a life repleate with creativity, production, manifestation, and surrounding oneself with artistic endeavors..it's a commitment..it's a lifestyle...and it's a choice....James Taylor has a beautiful lyric, "the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time, anyone can do it"...if in fact you are fortunate enough to make music your vocation, where it in fact can pay the bills, afford you the lifestyle which within your means you can sustain, then by most accounts you can be succesful and enjoy your lifes choice..however, there is a deeper and more significant choice at hand, and that's to be true to yourself..if indeed you need art and music in your life, then you must have it, or you will be void of satisfaction....the "high" associated with music making is a great one, and should be sought after if you indeed want it...This choice involves commitment to craft, understanding your needs and the needs of your loved ones. An artists life can be selfish, if in fact you don't pay attention to your family around you, and take a step back every now and again...you are the product of your environment and this means listening to and observing your obligations to those that support your life and career choice. Having been married for 28 years I can tell you that my wifes support enables me to succeed and furthers my commitment to realizing that there is in fact more to life than strictly playing music...take a look inside, take a look around you...enjoy the gifts that music brings, yet don't sacrifice all that is circling your world, the folks that help your trip be so wonderful.. give someone a hug, play a tacet, let someone else talk...this might just in fact be the most powerful thing you can do to help sustain a healthy existence both on and off the bandstand...cheers, and let the groove play on!!

The double beam is how you notate 16ths.

It's an active bass part with syncopation involving dotted 8ths, 16ths, and a quarter on beat 4.. Cool thing is that it's a repetitive baseline that grooves massively and hooks the listener from the low end.. No triplets here.

Read from books that have transcribed bass parts from songs...you want to connect your ear to the written music on the page, simultaneously learning valuable bass vocabulary..also, your ear will connect with the bass clef nomenclature....it's all doable with regular practicing...bottom line, there are more gigs out there for bass players who read! Practice reading often...that's what integrates the written music into your concept, the way your unique brain processes the ink on the staff..

This exists with lots of folks who shift from treble to bass clef instruments after years of reading in treble clef. For me it was trumpet, then switching to bass. As many folks here have recommended it takes time, but how to make efficient use of your shedding time is the question! Recommend reading simple parts. Primarily whole, half, then quarter note ideas. There are many books to choose from. If you get working with 8th and 16th note stuff, take each passage slowly, then build up to the groove/ tempo of the song. You will begin looking at bass clef and hearing and seeing and most importantly thinking in bass clef independently w/o having to think treble and then converting to bass... Oh man! I know how frustrating that is.. You will progress to freeing your brain up ... As someone mentioned, piano players do this regularly haha. Just do it... Read often...and don't forget to groove... Many students forget the whole "soul" concept when reading..it's more than notes..you got to make em noteworthy!