My holiday from amplification.

[daz]

I have just returned from two glorious weeks of sun in sunny Torbay. I was holidaying with my parents and we rented a large apartment flat in a quiet 'suburb' of Torbay, known as Babbacombe.(where my White [i]George Cox[/i] brothel creepers caused quite a [i]stir[/i] in some of the quieter bars ) I already knew that our elderly landlord and his wife were living below, so i knew that a bass guitar was not going to be exactly appreciated, but i was determined to take my bass and keep on practicing. So i sneaked it into the car without even my little practice combo and zoomed off in the middle of the night leaving my parents to make there own leisurely way down on the train, which they prefer.( As would I, if we didnt need to have the car whilst down there)

When we got there we were greeted by the owners, all smiles and pleasantries and before we could unload the car she was taking us around the flat, showing us every switch and button. So after we eventually were left to unpack I made sure there had been no sightings of them for a good 10 minutes before i swiftly darted out of the car with bass in hand and up the stars into the wardrobe in ten seconds flat.

So every day, as per usual i would take out the bass and have a little practice and noodle to myself, with no chance of anyone else further away than 30 feet away hearing me, even with a window open.

I must admit i was certainly very glad to actually be able to hear my bass when i got back. I had in desperation sometimes found myself pressing my ear to the body of the bass to hear it properly (try it) The strange this was that after i had returned, I'm sure that there had been a small but definite improvement in my technique. Two riffs in particular that had left me all fingers & thumbs were now coming easily to me. This left me pondering if a break of amplification had actually been in any way responsible for this improvement, or was it just co-incidental ?

What do others think ?

Edited July 7, 2010 by daz

[Marvin]

When I picked up the bass again last year, initially I didn't have an amp at all and in some instances it frustrated me as I couldn't hear what I was playing at all, so didn't know if I was playing correctly. But I haven't played un-amplified for ages now so don't know TBH-

[Mr. Foxen]

Listening to the sound your bass makes is good, more from the fingers, less from the amp. If you have hair to your shoulder, some under tension under the strap, also under tension brings some more sound you your ear, cup phone style.

[Heathy]

I always practice unplugged.

I think that it has made me more aware of fret noise, and has probably made my plucking harder than it otherwise would be.

I wouldn't recommend it for tapping techniques though.

[OldGit]

Volume certainly hides a plethora of technique and bass setup problems, thank gawd

I like the "hair under strap" idea Must try that when mine grows back...

Meanwhile another way to hear your bass "sans amp" is to press part of it against a piece of furniture with some kind of cavity. Say a bookcase or wardrobe or even a wooden table. This gives just a little resonance and volume..

Edited July 7, 2010 by OldGit

[thisnameistaken]

For the first 10 years or so of my bass-playing life I never practiced at home with an amp. Mostly because I didn't have a driving license so my amp stayed either where we rehearsed or at someone who could drive's house.

I must admit now I much prefer practising with an amp, even if it's on very quiet.

[munkonthehill]

yeah I noodle in the house whilst watching the tv unplugged all the time. I doubt my wife would allow me to amp up everytime i pickup the bass and I doubt my 11month old boy would sleep as well as he does either hahaha

[oldslapper]

[quote name='OldGit' post='888960' date='Jul 7 2010, 09:23 PM']Meanwhile another way to hear your bass "sans amp" is to press part of it against a piece of furniture with some kind of cavity. Say a bookcase or wardrobe or even a wooden table. This gives just a little resonance and volume..[/quote]

+1
I love playing my bass like this, our kitchen table has a great "boom" to it.

Don't know if your "sans" amp playing improved your technique in itself as I don't know what your usual practice routine is. But I often find any change in my practice routine helps, no matter how small a change.
I wonder if the change in location, or being relaxed on holiday helped, or playing daily (if you don't already).....whichever way, glad you've noticed improvement, nothing better to encourage yourself with.

[Jamesemt]

[quote name='munkonthehill' post='888989' date='Jul 7 2010, 09:49 PM']yeah I noodle in the house whilst watching the tv unplugged all the time. I doubt my wife would allow me to amp up everytime i pickup the bass and I doubt my 11month old boy would sleep as well as he does either hahaha[/quote]

You need a bass trainer - I've a 3 year old and an 18 month old - silent practice is the norm...

[TheBass]

For home practice I recommend Boss Micro BR. It has several amp/cab models, effects, drum computer, a built in MP3 player which is very useful for play alongs and last but not least a 4-track recorder. It's battery operated and just a bit larger than a pack of cigarettes. I am using it since 2 years and would buy a new one if it would brake.

[dougal]

Surprised no-one has mentioned the [url="http://www.about-guitar-amps.com/dragonfly.html"]dragonfly[/url]:
[url="http://www.about-guitar-amps.com/dragonfly.html"][/url]

I have one. It's not used much, but in the situation described above it would have been prefect.

I've also used the tascam BT-1 mp3 thing, but that requires leads & electricity....

[Guest]

I don't practice at home, let alone on holiday, I'd never dream of taking a bass on a holiday.

[Jamesemt]

[quote name='thedontcarebear' post='890250' date='Jul 9 2010, 10:01 AM']I don't practice at home, let alone on holiday, I'd never dream of taking a bass on a holiday.[/quote]

I never practice, but I do try to play everyday - including on holiday