Practising Electric Bass ..

[xilddx]

I tend to practice without, I don't have an amp, only a desk and monitors in my studio. I find I enjoy it more with when I'm plugged in so I play for longer periods.

I sort of assumed practising without any amplification of any sort would enhance my technique and show up errors more easily but I think I might be changing my mind now. probably a volume issue. I play fairly powerfully in fingerstyle too so eveness may be an issue because of this.

What do you think works best? Or do you think it's a purely personal issue?

[Stylon Pilson]

[quote name='silddx' post='239913' date='Jul 15 2008, 12:11 PM']I tend to practice without, I don't have an amp, only a desk and monitors in my studio. I find I enjoy it more with when I'm plugged in so I play for longer periods.

I sort of assumed practising without any amplification of any sort would enhance my technique and show up errors more easily but I think I might be changing my mind now. probably a volume issue. I play fairly powerfully in fingerstyle too so eveness may be an issue because of this.

What do you think works best? Or do you think it's a purely personal issue?[/quote]

I usually practise plugged in. As you say, if you aren't amplified then there is a tendency to play too hard, in an attempt to produce some sound. I'd say that being amplified probably shows up errors better than playing unamplified.

If I were you, I'd consider investing in a practise amp. Take your bass round to a guitar shop and try a few out.

S.P.

[neepheid]

Practice plugged in. You use the thing plugged in. Even when I use my Tascam bass trainer, it's still technically plugged in.

Of course you could get an acoustic bass guitar. They'll show up all your finger squeaks and sloppy technique without an amp quite happily

[Mr Fudge]

99% of the time unplugged. My main bass is in a corner of the front room on a stand. I probably pick it up 2 or 3 times every night for anywhere between 30 seconds to half an hour. I do it without thinking most of the time. The kids and mrs are watching the telly and Im in the same room having a quick plonk.

Very bizzare to the untrained ete I would imagine.

[peted]

I quite often play unplugged to just do some finger exercises. To do some ear-training i'll use my Tascam and play along to a CD. When practicing scales or playing along to whatever happens to be on the TV or radio, i'll plug into my little Line6 Studio combo.

[wulf]

If you can hear the notes you are playing clearly enough without amplification (quiet enough environment, etc), then it can be a good thing to do. It is certainly better than not practising at all and doesn't wind other people up with your repeated attempts to nail a passage or technique.

It is also important to practise with your gear at a level more like you will be performing at but I often go unamped at home.

Wulf

[TKenrick]

I tend to do most of mine unplugged in order to try and get the best sound possible out of just the instrument and my fingers. Having said that, playing through an amp is great when you're working on new techniques to make sure there's no unwanted string ringing going on.

[cheddatom]

[quote name='Mr Fudge' post='239930' date='Jul 15 2008, 12:31 PM']99% of the time unplugged. My main bass is in a corner of the front room on a stand. I probably pick it up 2 or 3 times every night for anywhere between 30 seconds to half an hour. I do it without thinking most of the time. The kids and mrs are watching the telly and Im in the same room having a quick plonk.

Very bizzare to the untrained ete I would imagine.[/quote]

I am the same (minus kids).

I think that practicing without an amp in no way helps you "get the best sound possible out of just the instrument and my fingers" because you can't actually hear the sounds you're making, if you know what I mean? When you're performing, you're using the your bass amplified - that's the true sound of your bass and your fingers.

Anyway, so many times i've been practicing something without an amp, and then I get to practice with the band and it sounds absolutely awful 'cos i'm so uneven etc and I have to practice it all over again with the amp turned up.

So, I don't use an amp to practice, but I should. It's hard to hear the TV when you're amped up though!

[xilddx]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='239967' date='Jul 15 2008, 12:52 PM']I am the same (minus kids).

I think that practicing without an amp in no way helps you "get the best sound possible out of just the instrument and my fingers" because you can't actually hear the sounds you're making, if you know what I mean? When you're performing, you're using the your bass amplified - that's the true sound of your bass and your fingers.

Anyway, so many times i've been practicing something without an amp, and then I get to practice with the band and it sounds absolutely awful 'cos i'm so uneven etc and I have to practice it all over again with the amp turned up.

So, I don't use an amp to practice, but I should. It's hard to hear the TV when you're amped up though![/quote]

Think I'm with you on this Chedd. I went round to my mate's place to with my new Warwick and I felt so uneven through his 4x10 Hartke rig. I seem to play much more evenly with a band, almost like I am my own compressor/limiter, but on my own through his rig I felt crestfallen and went home disappointed in myself.

[Bilbo]

I guess it depends on what you are practising but I would always say amp for the reasons mentioned. If you practice and rehearse in equal measures, it may matter less. I rarely practice because I play so much and rarely get the time but I would always recommend using an amp because I think that this is your natural state and practicing how to use an amp is as important as many other techniques.

[alexclaber]

Unplugged in a quiet room. There is a huge variation in acoustic volume between different electric basses - mine are both very resonant and loud and I can easily hear myself and how my playing is affecting my tone.

Alex

[Adrenochrome]

Home practice is usually with my cheap Aria ABG. Sometimes I use an electric bass and I put it through my Marshall microstack thing [MS2?], often then with headphones.

[blamelouis]

I can practice unplugged with my Status fretted and fretless but cant with my Warwick streamer cos the wood seems to soak the sound up !

Weird innit ?

[6stringbassist]

As people have said, there's a tendency to play harder if you're unamplified, this can cause injury if you're not careful.

Also I don't see how playing unamplified you can get the best from your bass.

[johnnylager]

What Fudge said.

[bnt]

In his book, [i]Beyond The Bass Clef[/i], Tony Levin explicitly advises bassists to practice with a setup as close to the gig setup as possible at all times. He gives roughly the same reasons you do: so that you can hear everything, down to the quietest string noise, and work on getting a good gig sound.

I think Tony's right, but he lives on a farm in upstate New York, with no neighbours to offend!

[Moody]

hmmmm... I used to practise unplugged when staying over in hotels, could never get on with it so I invested in a StealthPlug thing and some headphones, it is not as good as practising with an amp but it saves lugging one through the Holiday Inn at Gatwick...

[alexclaber]

[quote name='6stringbassist' post='240018' date='Jul 15 2008, 01:51 PM']Also I don't see how playing unamplified you can get the best from your bass.[/quote]

It's an acoustic instrument until the pickups get involved. Get the tone you want from it unplugged, then use the electronics to give you the best interpretation of that once plugged in.

Alex

[Sarah5string]

I have a multi effects pedal and a headphone adapter so I can plug my bass into the pedal and then have the sound through headphones. Much better for those late night sessions where you don't want to upset the neighbours.

[cheddatom]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='240160' date='Jul 15 2008, 04:07 PM']It's an acoustic instrument until the pickups get involved. Get the tone you want from it unplugged, then use the electronics to give you the best interpretation of that once plugged in.

Alex[/quote]

I think you are far more likely to hear what your fingers are doing to the tone when you actually amplify it. Also, for working on technique, it's much harder to hear mistakes etc when you're not plugged in. On top of that, what is the point? You're never going to perform with an electric bass unplugged. What if you only ever practiced unplugged, and then got to play a gig with a rig, and realised you were crap? That'd be a nerve-racking gig!

[alexclaber]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='240193' date='Jul 15 2008, 04:46 PM']I think you are far more likely to hear what your fingers are doing to the tone when you actually amplify it.[/quote]

Depends how good your amp is. Too many practice amps are pretty rubbish.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='240193' date='Jul 15 2008, 04:46 PM']Also, for working on technique, it's much harder to hear mistakes etc when you're not plugged in.[/quote]

Depends on the level of background noise. In a quiet room (with no stupid computer fans creating a ton of low frequency noise) you can hear all your mistakes just fine.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='240193' date='Jul 15 2008, 04:46 PM']On top of that, what is the point? You're never going to perform with an electric bass unplugged. What if you only ever practiced unplugged, and then got to play a gig with a rig, and realised you were crap? That'd be a nerve-racking gig![/quote]

The biggest problem I notice with bassists is poor technique at gig volumes. This is usually due to practising in a quiet place with a loud rig, being able to hear themselves perfectly however poor their tone is, plucking far more gently than in a live situation, and then playing a gig and digging in far too hard and not having good control with heavier technique.

Playing through your rig at home is nothing like playing through your rig with a band behind you. Also home practice through an amp tends to lead to excessive fiddling with EQ and sounds when these tones only have relevance in context. Furthermore fletcher-munson rears its ugly head when you take that rig to band practice and use the same settings because "it's your tone."

Caveats - some electric basses are pathetically quiet unplugged. Also some very experienced and excellent players like Gary Willis take a very very light touch approach to bass playing which might make unplugged practice difficult. But if you play with a relatively normal range of force and have an instrument that speaks well then practicing unplugged can be very beneficial in terms of your tone and understanding of the instrument.

Alex

[wulf]

I don't think anyone is suggesting only practising unplugged. As you note, that wouldn't be a good preparation for a gig. However, in my experience, even solid basses have sufficient volume to practise with unplugged, which is both a lot more convenient if you don't have an area permanently set up for practising and also does reveal nuances which can then be worked on amplified.

Another option is to get an electro-acoustic bass. Again, it is a different instrument and won't cover all of the preparation you need to do for amplified gigs with another bass but makes practising a lot easier and thus more likely to get done.

Wulf

[cheddatom]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='240221' date='Jul 15 2008, 05:20 PM']But if you play with a relatively normal range of force and have an instrument that speaks well then practicing unplugged can be very beneficial in terms of your tone and understanding of the instrument.

Alex[/quote]

I accept all your points but I still haven't seen justification for the above.

If we're talking about home practice only, say i've got a sound proof booth at home, and a pretty loud bass when played acoustic. In my sound proof booth is a sweet amp and cab.

Option 1: I play unplugged. I can hear everything clearly, although the nuances of the sounds such as fret buzz, pick attack, note sustain or propegation (correct word?) or low notes will be quite hard to hear.

You could argue with that I suppose, but i've never gone into a guitar shop, picked up a 5 or 6er, played the low B and then thought "Cor, I don't even need to plug it in to hear it!"

Option 2: I plug in, turn up as loud, or as quiet as I like, I can hear the acoustic tone of my bass if I keep the amp quiet, with the amp up I can hear everything that the audience will hear such as fret buzz.........low notes, at a realistic performance volume if I wish.

I know i'd go for option 2.

[alexclaber]

[quote name='cheddatom' post='240229' date='Jul 15 2008, 05:29 PM']I accept all your points but I still haven't seen justification for the above.

If we're talking about home practice only, say i've got a sound proof booth at home, and a pretty loud bass when played acoustic. In my sound proof booth is a sweet amp and cab.

Option 1: I play unplugged. I can hear everything clearly, although the nuances of the sounds such as fret buzz, pick attack, note sustain or propegation (correct word?) or low notes will be quite hard to hear.

You could argue with that I suppose, but i've never gone into a guitar shop, picked up a 5 or 6er, played the low B and then thought "Cor, I don't even need to plug it in to hear it!"

Option 2: I plug in, turn up as loud, or as quiet as I like, I can hear the acoustic tone of my bass if I keep the amp quiet, with the amp up I can hear everything that the audience will hear such as fret buzz.........low notes, at a realistic performance volume if I wish.

I know i'd go for option 2.[/quote]

Regarding Option 1, if they're that hard to hear you're not listening hard enough. Regarding Option 2, I bet you end up with the amp gain louder than necessary and thus fail to practice using your full dynamic range.

Very few guitar shops are quiet enough to test basses acoustically, though I would insist on it, it's the only true way of knowing how good a bass is (electronics can always be replaced). I have played very few low B strings that measure up acoustically, which is why I play a 36" scale.

If I can sound like a bad mother****** acoustically then I know I'll be even badder once I'm plugged in. Likewise if a song sounds great on classical guitar or unplugged bass plus vocals then I know once it has the full power of a band behind it it will be even better. Music first, arrangement second, sound third.

Alex

[Faithless]

Plugged all the time (when practising, that is..)

I think, it's 'deadly' bad practising without amp'ing, cuz you can't hear some 'little thingies and chops' sometimes, no matter how quite the territory, you're in, and your ears and 'feeling' good, is.


You've asked, you've said - it's [i]ELECTRIC[/i] Bass, at last, so, it needs some 'electra', doesn't it?