Playing without looking

[Pete Academy]

[quote name='Marvin' post='759312' date='Feb 27 2010, 06:28 PM']WAKEY WAKEY! [/quote]

C'mon, an old man has to have his kip somewhere.

[xgsjx]

Was that during a guitar solo?

[OldGit]

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='759310' date='Feb 27 2010, 06:28 PM'][attachment=43709:sleep_bass.jpg][/quote]

Hey hang on ...

[MacDaddy]

As general rule - 1 finger per fret.

that has the first 4 frets covered.

If your little finger is on the 4th fret, you should be able to move your hand so your index finger is on the 5 fret without looking, then you have postions 5, 6, 7, and 8 covered.

Adjust for what key or position you start on.


I tend to find looking at the fretboard gets in the way of throwing shapes and posing
[attachment=43745:dsc_0119.sized.jpg]

[Shockwave]

How about playing without looking down.... or looking normal?

[Pete Academy]

[quote name='OldGit' post='759501' date='Feb 27 2010, 10:44 PM']Hey hang on ...


[/quote]

In my dreams.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='OldGit' post='759179' date='Feb 27 2010, 03:22 PM']Old Git's Top Tip:
For right handed players, stand to the left of the drummer.
Look at your neck then look up a bit and there's the front person and the drummer and, just beyond the front person there's the audience.. Just a little change in your angle of looking and you can chack your fingers on your board too..[/quote]

Struggling with this one, Si. Or do you mean "camera left" as opposed to "stage left"?

As a right-handed player, I prefer to stand stage right because then my headstock is pointing at the drummer and when I look at my fretboard I'm also looking at the drummer and (beyond him) at the keyboard player. Swing my eyes slightly to the right and there are the guitarists.

Since my drummer is also right-handed, he has his hi-hat to his left which means I can hear better when I stand stage left.

Logically, what I really need is a left-handed drummer.

Either that, or to learn to play bass properly.

[OldGit]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='759602' date='Feb 28 2010, 09:52 AM']Struggling with this one, Si. Or do you mean "camera left" as opposed to "stage left"?

As a right-handed player, I prefer to stand stage right because then my headstock is pointing at the drummer and when I look at my fretboard I'm also looking at the drummer and (beyond him) at the keyboard player. Swing my eyes slightly to the right and there are the guitarists.

Since my drummer is also right-handed, he has his hi-hat to his left which means I can hear better when I stand stage left.

Logically, what I really need is a left-handed drummer.

Either that, or to learn to play bass properly.[/quote]

Yeah I mean stage left ie when viewed from the dance floor I'm to the left of the drummer bass neck pointing his way.
I know it means we are not on the Hihat side and thus the potential for eye contact with the drummer is less (as they tend to look towards their Hihat side)
However on balance I think it's better and easier than playing on the other side. Over there looking at your fretboard means looking away from the drummer and anyway.

Oh, and playing without looking is largely about knowing your parts well and being confident.
It's also about not worrying too much about the odd jazz note.
For non jazz gig, in a room with 100 people in it only one or possibly two percent of the people there will notice or give a damn about duff notes. If one of those is your guitarist and he gives you the death stare when you make an error, sort that out first.

For non-looking practicing play in the dark or watch telly with the sound down... Try this a bit and you'll find that it's not that hard for normal stuff.

If you have to look because you don't know the part well enough then work on that.

If you have to look because you are playing complex and interesting parts all over the neck then your audience probably won't mind or need eye contact to relate to you.

[Doddy]

[quote name='OldGit' post='759501' date='Feb 27 2010, 10:44 PM']Hey hang on ...


[/quote]

I disagree.........

Pete looks nothing like Eva Longoria

[jakenewmanbass]

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='759310' date='Feb 27 2010, 06:28 PM'][attachment=43709:sleep_bass.jpg][/quote]
I recognise the shiny head of Mr Hargreaves there

[HarryPotter]

[quote name='Doddy' post='759910' date='Feb 28 2010, 05:06 PM']I disagree.........

Pete looks nothing like Eva Longoria

[/quote]

Seconded.

He has better legs

Allegedly

Edited February 28, 2010 by HarryPotter

[Pete Academy]

[quote name='Doddy' post='759910' date='Feb 28 2010, 05:06 PM']I disagree.........

Pete looks nothing like Eva Longoria

[/quote]

[Pete Academy]

[quote name='jakesbass' post='759922' date='Feb 28 2010, 05:20 PM']I recognise the shiny head of Mr Hargreaves there[/quote]

Can't remember, Jake...I was asleep during the whole of that gig.

BTW, have you heard or seen him on the Wogan Show?

[EskimoBassist]

I find that when my parts are all around the same area in the neck, I have no problem playing without looking, but on those trickeir lines that go up and down the neck I think it's always worth having a gander to avoid any mis-haps. I'd prefer to stare glued to the neck than play a horrible bum note!

[fatback]

[quote name='OldGit' post='759179' date='Feb 27 2010, 03:22 PM']It depends....

Old Git's Top Tip:
For right handed players, stand to the left of the drummer.
Look at your neck then look up a bit and there's the front person and the drummer and, just beyond the front person there's the audience.. Just a little change in your angle of looking and you can chack your fingers on your board too..[/quote]

And you're less likely to bash a cymbal stand or whatever with your headstock while leaping about. Often a nasty consequence of not looking at the fretboard.

Edited March 1, 2010 by fatback

[Earbrass]

[quote name='OldGit' post='759713' date='Feb 28 2010, 12:47 PM']Yeah I mean stage left ie when viewed from the dance floor I'm to the left of the drummer bass neck pointing his way.[/quote]

That's stage right, not stage left.


Wiki:
The terms "stage left" and "stage right", respectively, denote the sides of the stage that are on the actor's left and right when the actor is facing the audience, while "house left" and "house right" are the reverse, denoting the sides of the stage as viewed by the audience.

[OldGit]

[quote name='fatback' post='760561' date='Mar 1 2010, 11:27 AM']And you're less likely to bash a cymbal stand or whatever with your headstock while leaping about. Often a nasty consequence of not looking at the fretboard. [/quote]

Ah no.. you are more likely to bash a cymbal ...

Right! Stage right "on the right viewed from the stage" derrrr.. I'll never make it in show business

Edited March 1, 2010 by OldGit

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Earbrass' post='760569' date='Mar 1 2010, 11:34 AM']That's stage right, not stage left.


Wiki:
The terms "stage left" and "stage right", respectively, denote the sides of the stage that are on the actor's left and right when the actor is facing the audience, while "house left" and "house right" are the reverse, denoting the sides of the stage as viewed by the audience.[/quote]

I always used to get confused by this until a friend who works in TV said that they refer to "house" left & right as "camera" left & right.

For some reason, that instantly cleared up any confusion for me.

[Low End Bee]

I have succombed to looking without playing a few times recently.

This has been the fault of some female audience members mainly.

[Earbrass]

[quote name='Low End Bee' post='760605' date='Mar 1 2010, 12:04 PM']I have succumbed to looking without playing a few times recently.[/quote]
Very zen ...

[quote name='Low End Bee' post='760605' date='Mar 1 2010, 12:04 PM']This has been the fault of some female audience members mainly.[/quote]
... or maybe not

[Malc62]

I found it a very handy skill to have on function gigs; saves you missing out on the inevitable wardrobe malfunctions (thanx, girls).