Back to basics

[TimR]

David, are you having a crisis of confidence? This is pretty natural when you're not playing in a band or the band you're in is not doing gigs. You just need to remind yourself that you can play. Within the bass players set of qualities that we as bass players aspire to there are some key abilities that are needed to play in a band.

Theses are, in order:
1. Face fits/right pace at the right time.
2. Reliable timekeeping/transport
3. Good gear
4. Be able to play root notes by name.

The rest is all just filling.

Hope you find a band soon. In the mean time chill and play along to some old tracks that you know well and do some ear training to some well known tracks you don't know yet. You'll be surprised how simple some of them are.

or find a jam night!

Edited April 4, 2011 by TimR

[JTUK]

I think you need to rediscover the joy of playing..and that can take a hit from time to time.
You could have hsd your fill of it over a long period of time, or just gotten depressed about the perceived standard of playing.

You need to find new jollies. Search out a style or technique or skill and find something that resonates and then set up a regime to
get after it. I think you need to set aside an hour a day for this..and it can seem a chore but until you get past this hiccup, you can't really move on with much purpose.
It actually took a long break for me to rediscover my enthusiam/mojo etc ... and now I think I am on track to be better than I have been for ages. It takes effort and focus though... so you have to plan to work at it, IME

[Bilbo]

I don't like the term faker as it implies deceipt but I do think that some people are lightweights and others are players. A lightweight is someone who can play to a degree, play in bands, can knock out tunes, do gigs etc but who, when confronted by other musicians who talk the language of music (key signatures, time signatures, chord names, specific terminaology etc) are immediately out of their depth. Some people struggle to communicate ideas because they lack the language and that is usually (not always) indicative of a lack of knowledge. It shoudl be noted that there is no relationship between a lack of success as a musician and being a lightweight. You can be very successful and still be a lightweight.

In my experience, those who are faking it, know it. Its the ones who acknowledge it and do something about it that I admire.

[davidmpires]

[quote name='TimR' post='1187780' date='Apr 4 2011, 02:18 PM']David, are you having a crisis of confidence? This is pretty natural when you're not playing in a band or the band you're in is not doing gigs. You just need to remind yourself that you can play. Within the bass players set of qualities that we as bass players aspire to there are some key abilities that are needed to play in a band.

Theses are, in order:
1. Face fits/right pace at the right time.
2. Reliable timekeeping/transport
3. Good gear
4. Be able to play root notes by name.

The rest is all just filling.

Hope you find a band soon. In the mean time chill and play along to some old tracks that you know well and do some ear training to some well known tracks you don't know yet. You'll be surprised how simple some of them are.

or find a jam night![/quote]


Hi Tim

Long time no speak. Hope all is well with you.

I think that's it a suberb lack of confidence. Maybe afraid of getting in the game again.

I've started working on scales again, and downloaded an app to train my ear, tried that on the train today and I seem to do well with ascending intervals, not so much with descending. Much work needed I think.

I'll be trying to learn some of the Dave Matthews Band songs I have the transcriptions for, by tapping the tab bit and force myself to read.

Should be fun....

Does anyone know of a software that does the same as the tascam bass trainer? i.e. loop a section speed up slow down etc

Edited April 4, 2011 by davidmpires

[TimR]

I'm well thanks, David. My band is very slack at the moment, we only did 5/6 gigs last year but I don't really have enough time to comit to much more than that at the moment.

I just tend to spend a free evening with YouTube. Pick a tune at random, play along to it. You should get the hang of it (or close enough) after a verse and a chorus. At the end of the tune move on by clicking on the first tune that catches your eye on the suggestions on the right. Its more fun and real life situation relevant than exercises. Do it in addition to the other stuff.

You'll also find a huge number of tunes follow the same relative chord progressions.

[lojo]

I used to be very insecure about being a "faker", in the 90s I played within a very good band doing functions, I was the only non reader without training, and I was accepted and wanted, but its taken me until recently to take the positives and get confident about that rather than always refer to myself as not a real musician, just incase someone thought I thought I was better than I am

If you are like me, I play covers, all kinds, in different bands, I learn the parts, and can produce the details I hear within the line, sure this is done with time consuming listening and rewinding, but come the first gig with that song, I'll play it

So where is the faking ?

Whatever band I am gigging with is billed as "rock classics", "80s classics" or whatever it happens to be, and I am playing the lines that are needed, hopefully most of the time with good dynamics also, there is no lie in that is there?

You don't see a sign up saying "The covers band, tonight 9pm" small print "disclaimer, the bass player and the keyboard player can't read music"

Sure it would be nice to sight read, and I wouldn't encourage any new player not to learn properly the things I didn't

But I realize now I am no more faker being a bass player because I can't read than I am faking anything else I am not at the top of the tree in

Always be honest about your abilities, but try to push them and enjoy using them within the projects that need them


What a great name for a Covers band though "The Fakers" id be in it

Edited April 5, 2011 by lojo

[bigjohn]

[quote name='AndyMartin' post='1186617' date='Apr 3 2011, 11:46 AM']Like most things I've found that learning by ear gets easier with practise. After a while you will be able to hear a note and know where it is on the fretboard without having to noodle around to find the right one[/quote]


Aye. Like all skills, you need to practice it. I practice it by playing along with the radio. Preferably to songs I've not heard before / don't know and in the comfort and privacy with no one listening.

The cat is my judge.

It doesn't take long before you start to recognise some guitar chords and notes. Especially the common ones and their progressions.

[paul_5]

[quote name='OzMike' post='1186451' date='Apr 3 2011, 05:43 AM']When people sometimes compliment me on my playing, I hold back a giggle thinking 'you don't know how crap I really am, and how much practice I had to do to cover it up'. [/quote]

This isn't 'covering it up' - it's growing as a player, and it's the only way this happens. You're on the right track!

[Slipperydick]

Only my opinion, but a decent sound, and a good feel for what you are doing goes a long way, its got me through the last 30 odd years anyway.

We all get cxonfidence issues sometimes - at least I hope I'm not the only one. i dont really know what I'm doing, had no training, aint got a great ear. I have been to auditions for bands more than once where they tell me the last guy they tried out couldnt even manage a decent 12 bar walking bass line, and he'd been playing for years. Now that [i]would be [/i]faking it !

I spose it depends on what you stuff play really. Jazz is not my bag, R&B/Blues/Rock n Roll is. But I have been in covers bands in the past and got by without struggling too much to work numbers out one way or another. So if the OP is faking, so probably are a hell of a lot of others.

Edited April 5, 2011 by Slipperydick

[Graham56]

Hi David, good to hear from you after all this time.

I'm in a pub covers band, in a similar vein to your last one. I find that my practice time is given to stuff relevant to the band - learning new tunes, maintaining existing ones etc etc. What I am not doing is stretching myself into areas where the band doesn't go.

But when we have some down time (band members out of the country etc) I find I have time to open up and play around with different genres.

So maybe this is your chance. Work on a completely new genre or style. Try and find out what makes it tick, even if it's not a style you particularly listen too. Maybe work on that dub reggae. Perhaps some show tunes. Focus on your jazz chops. Whatever takes your interest.

Then also find a few minutes to blast out the stuff you already know, if nothing else just to remind yourself that "Yeah, I really CAN do this..."

Best of luck and I hope you find a playing band soon.

Cheers

Graham

(A faker, combined with a strong element of bluff and seasoned with more than a hint of bullshit...)

[Doddy]

[quote name='Graham56' post='1189893' date='Apr 5 2011, 11:14 PM']What I am not doing is stretching myself into areas where the band doesn't go.[/quote]

Why is that?

[Graham56]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1189968' date='Apr 6 2011, 12:34 AM']Why is that?[/quote]

I guess it's because practice time is limited, such that I have to focus on priorities. It take me quite a lot of work just to 'maintain' and stay able to play anything from our 60-plus setlist. And we always have three or four new songs that we are working on as well. So, while I do spend time working on my groove and tone it's all within the context of the band.

Yes, I know we play simple stuff. I should be able to master the songs with ease and have time left to explore other avenues. But it doesn't seem to work like that.

We are currently in the middle of a six-week gap between gigs so I have been using that to work on other things, such as revisiting the jazz stuff I did at a workshop a few years ago.

And I'm also struggling with "I want you back". I hadn't realised what a brilliant, driving melodic line that is, and how you can hear the fire and energy crackling under the restrained playing. I'm learning a lot from this.

Cheers

Graham

(Sorry about the thread hijack David...)