How do you practice?

[mikel]

15 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

But IME it services no musical purpose in the context of any song apart from some widdly widdly guitar solos, all of which would benefit from the guitarist playing an actual TUNE instead.

My take also. Could be that "Classical" musicians do it and they are perceived as proper musicians so others follow suit. Just my take. A bit like drummers having to learn rudiments to play properly. They dont. I have drummed in bands for 50 years and never practiced a rudiment, I dont need to, they are simply a natural component of a drum groove or fill.

[oldslapper]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

But IME it services no musical purpose in the context of any song apart from some widdly widdly guitar solos, all of which would benefit from the guitarist playing an actual TUNE instead.

So there's one person's reason, to play a widdly widdly guitar solo. 

I'm not a fan of widdly widdly anything TBH. 

I sometimes play through a scale or two to warm up before a gig. I'm sure they're are many different ways I could do this. 

[Wylie]

Twenty minutes practicing, then ten off. At about twenty minutes, frustration starts to set in, so the break is good. Also, I need to have something specific to work on, no noodling around. If I see even a note's worth of improvement after twenty minutes, that's success.

[burno70]

I practice pretty much everyday, even if it's only for half an hour - you get greater gains in your technique that way. I'm splitting my practice time between a couple of instruments right now so I have to be strict and have a good idea what I'm going to go through and that I touch on everything. For example I go through a warm up routine I got from a bass book which is great for strength and endurance, then I'll hit slap techniques for a while, going through riffs I've learned then finishing on the latest slap riff I'm currently  learning. Then I'll move on to a Jazz bass solo I'm working on then play through some band numbers or riffs for a new song.

Edited January 28, 2019 by burno70

[tauzero]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

But IME it services no musical purpose in the context of any song apart from some widdly widdly guitar solos, all of which would benefit from the guitarist playing an actual TUNE instead.

Didn't seem to do Mike Rutherford any harm.

[Bilbo]

Practising scales helps you to find your way around the neck and to hear the interrelationships between notes and chords. If you are a root note player, you can probably get away without learning them. It depends how far you want to take your music. 

 

I haven't really practiced the bass for about 5 years, at least not in a systematic way. My practice time is currently spent on learning to read guitar music. 

[Reggaebass]

After playing for over 30 years with very little music theory, I decided about 3 years ago to up my game , so I now practice every night without fail, alternating different subjects like,  scales and modes , then root , fifth, octave patterns all over the neck then triads with different fingering, I also spend quite a lot of time on muting and ghost note techniques, but whatever I do I always finish off playing some of my favourite sly and Robbie tracks 🙂

[Dad3353]

To me, there's a fundamental difference in learning, or writing, songs, and learning Music. To me, rudiments, scales, chord tones, time signatures are the basics, the bread and butter, the meat and veg, the Lego blocks. The more different Lego bricks one has, the more varied structures one can create. The more different produce is in the larder, the more interesting recipes one can cook. If one only ever wants bacon sandwiches, it's not necessary to have tons of herbs and spices. If one is only going to build fire engines, red bricks would be what to have lots of. I'm quite pleased to have spent all those years studying and playing rudiments, it has made me a better drummer, which is what I wanted. I'm equally pleased to have worked out for myself, then extended that meagre knowledge of scales, chords, harmony and solfège, as it enables me (I was going to type 'empowers me'; both are true...) in playing guitar, keys, bass and many other virtual instruments. Is what I 'create' Good Stuff..? A moot point, but rather irrelevant. It's what I create, and that suffices in itself. My recipes are varied, too; although I have the staples covered, I can improvise a meal in many different flavours, all very tasty (well, mostly...). I'm currently concentrating on ornery 6x2 Lego bricks, as I use 'em when building my balsa 'planes, but Our Littl'un uses any and all the various bricks to make all sorts of Stuff.
Scales are useful to those wishing to do more than just 'songs'. It's a different approach to Music, Life and Everything. Your Method May Vary; we're all Winners (well, I am, at least...).

Peace. 

[Bilbo]

Dad is wise. 

[martthebass]

Nice use of metaphors Doug!

[Dad3353]

2 hours ago, martthebass said:

Nice use of metaphors Doug!

What's a metaphor..?  Can someone explain to me what the point is of learning to use 'em? 

[peteb]

5 hours ago, Bilbo said:

Practising scales helps you to find your way around the neck and to hear the interrelationships between notes and chords. If you are a root note player, you can probably get away without learning them. It depends how far you want to take your music. 

 

I haven't really practiced the bass for about 5 years, at least not in a systematic way. My practice time is currently spent on learning to read guitar music. 

I would say that even if you are a 'root note' player (which I am a lot of the time in some of the bands that I play with) you still need to know what a scale is and how chords are put together, basic harmony, etc. It amasses me that there are people on what is supposed to be a musician’s forum who can’t see the benefits of knowing and being able to play scales – where do they think the notes that make up tunes come from??

Edited January 28, 2019 by peteb

[josie]

8 hours ago, BigRedX said:

Can someone explain to me what the point is of learning to play scales?

Without them - you can play all the root notes and you'll basically be doing what the bass needs to do in the mix. And I guess if you're doing strict covers you can just memorise the original bassline without really understanding it.  

But there's so much more. If you want to develop an original bassline (imho) you need to understand the scale for the key of the song, so you know which notes will work as passing notes or fills or runs up or down to the roots. That's even more true when you're improvising on the fly, there's no time to think about whether F or F# is the right thing, but if the scale is under your fingers the right thing will happen. 

As for practice, I've discovered very recently that picking up my favourite bass very first thing in the morning seems to kick some good brain circuits into action - I have some favourite Baroque-inspired ornamented scale exercises that I start  every day with and they set me up for the day.

My intended routine is 5-10 min scales/arpeggios - 20-30 min songs for band setlist - 15-20 min new songs - 15-20 min improv with drum machine. But that varies with how soon the next gig is and how much other stuff is eating my life, it doesn't all happen any day. i wish it did. 

 

[Dad3353]

To be fair, BRX wasn't disputing knowledge of scales (or harmony etc...) just the need to practise 'em as a routine thing. If I've understood correctly (don't laugh; it happens..!), he uses his scales knowledge when composing and playing, but doesn't feel the need to go over them routinely. He knows about 'em, and how to find the notes wanted on the fret/key board, and that's enough. Other folks have different approaches to this, which is fine, too. 

Edited January 29, 2019 by Dad3353

[Skinnyman]

40 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

To be fair, BRX wasn't disputing knowledge of scales (or harmony etc...) just the need to practise 'em as a routine thing. If I've understood correctly (don't laugh; it happens..!), he uses his scales knowledge when composing and playing, but doesn't feel the need to go over them routinely. He knows about 'em, and how to find the notes wanted on the fret/key board, and that's enough. Other folks have different approaches to this, which is fine, too. 

Which is fine and I agree..... But in answer to the specific question “what is the point of learning to play scales?”, for me, when I play live, I am inevitably playing selections of notes from a scale, so I feel that it’s important to practise said scales in order to improve my speed, dexterity and muscle memory. 

I’m not a good enough player to get away with not practising and scales are - for me - an essential part of my practise routine.

[Ricky 4000]

14 hours ago, oldslapper said:

Usually last minute! I always intend to practice as soon as I'm made aware of new material, but suffer from the "I've got ages yet" syndrome, then before I know it, the gig/rehearsal is tomorrow. Then it's 24 hours of madness. 

Of course there are times when, once I have established song/key/version, I'll listen to said version, write down the arrangement & chord chart/notation & set time aside to play through on my bass until I no longer need said paperwork. I'll then play it through standing up, & in a variety of rock poses/lunges.

This 2nd approach is usually over a period of time way prior to the gig/rehearsal/recording and is far less stressful than the former.

However, I am unable to remember this, and so revert to 1st approach more often than not 🤨

Is that a dress rehearsal in stage gear, or just in your civies? 😊

[BigRedX]

7 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

To be fair, BRX wasn't disputing knowledge of scales (or harmony etc...) just the need to practise 'em as a routine thing. If I've understood correctly (don't laugh; it happens..!), he uses his scales knowledge when composing and playing, but doesn't feel the need to go over them routinely. He knows about 'em, and how to find the notes wanted on the fret/key board, and that's enough. Other folks have different approaches to this, which is fine, too. 

Thank you. Exactly that. Saved me having to type a post. 

[BigRedX]

6 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

Which is fine and I agree..... But in answer to the specific question “what is the point of learning to play scales?”, for me, when I play live, I am inevitably playing selections of notes from a scale, so I feel that it’s important to practise said scales in order to improve my speed, dexterity and muscle memory. 

I’m not a good enough player to get away with not practising and scales are - for me - an essential part of my practise routine.

But practicing playing scales only gives me the speed dexterity and muscle memory for being able to play scales. Not for being able to play anything of actual musical value.

[oldslapper]

5 hours ago, Ricky 4000 said:

Is that a dress rehearsal in stage gear, or just in your Undies? 😊

Fixed.

😊

[Bilbo]

16 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

But practicing playing scales only gives me the speed dexterity and muscle memory for being able to play scales. Not for being able to play anything of actual musical value.

No it doesn't. 

[BigRedX]

1 hour ago, Bilbo said:

No it doesn't. 

Would you care to expand on that, because it is not my experience at all. For me practicing playing scales has never allowed me to be able to do anything other than play scales. To be able to play anything that I'm actually going to use in a song I have to practice that.

Edited January 29, 2019 by BigRedX

[Deanol]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

But practicing playing scales only gives me the speed dexterity and muscle memory for being able to play scales. Not for being able to play anything of actual musical value.

No. It gives you the knowledge of what notes sound "good" (for a given definition of "good") over a chord sequence. Mainly useful when improvising or when composing your own solos.

If you mainly read other people's basslines (tab or music), or work them out from the recording, then I guess scales (and arpeggios - let's not forget them) are not relevant.

Being able to hear a chord in a piece of music, and then know which scales contain "good" sounding notes that you can use over that chord, is pretty much a fundamental improvisational skill. Learning scales informs you of the rules of music, which you can use to make good sounding music without having to peck away at the fretboard until you stumble on a group of notes that sound okay (which will probably be scales!).

It's a cliche, but learning scales is akin to learning the rules of music, which you can then deliberately break.

Breaking the rules when you don't know what they are is a hit and miss affair.

[Skinnyman]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

But practicing playing scales only gives me the speed dexterity and muscle memory for being able to play scales. Not for being able to play anything of actual musical value.

And that's your experience which is fine. I was describing my experience which is also fine. Our experiences are different and that's a Good Thing as the OP now has two different perspectives.

[Deanol]

7 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

Would you care to expand on that, because it is not my experience at all. For me practicing playing scales has never allowed me to be able to do anything other than play scales. To be able to play anything that I'm actually going to use in a song I have to practice that.

I can't speak for Bilbo, but from my perspective, it is for you to decide whether you want to improvise and compose you own piecess of music, or whether you are content to play other people's compositions. If the former, you will need to know scales, if the latter, you can probably get away without knowing them.

How original do you want to be?

[BigRedX]

Everyone is still confusing learning scales (I already know scales and the notes that make them up and where they are on the fretboard and keyboard) which I agree is an invaluable skill, and learning how to play scales which I find of no musical use at all.