Oscar South Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 What stuff did or do you do regarding bass playing that is technically wrong but you do it anyway out of pure laziness? As an example, when I was a beginner me and my friend used to cover a lot of rage against the machine songs but I couldn't be bothered to detune to drop D all the time, so I just played everything in standard tuning and hoped nobody would notice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allighatt0r Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Bad left thumb positioning, I'm getting a callus on the side of the knuckle of my thumb But this is mainly due to having the bass too low... my wrist stays more or less straight. Oh and bad pick holding style, but this is mainly due to my very flexible thumbs... i think they call it hitch-hikers thumb? :S I have an excuse for everything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 I'm pretty crap at using my pinky, so sometimes it hides itself behind the neck and i can't get it out unless i need to play something with it... hmmmm.... Also my slapping technique is pretty lazy, you're meant to do it with your thumb straight i believe but i tend to bend it a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordrhys1 Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 I use to have really long nails when I was 16, then one day someone pointed out that I actually picking with my nails not my fingers cant believe I didn't even notice very embarrising :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mewsie Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 playing while lounging in a papasan chair with a cuppa. working on the computer with bass on lap, playing inbetween sessions of cursing at illustrator. with a cuppa. x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markytbass Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 I don't have any lazy habits, I may have some unorthadox energy saving techniques, but not lazy . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 [quote name='markytbass' post='214625' date='Jun 7 2008, 09:08 PM']I don't have any lazy habits, I may have some unorthadox energy saving techniques, but not lazy .[/quote] i'm sure my technique sucks full stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Sometimes I use a plec THAT WAS JOKE in case anyone missed that fact Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJA Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 use my left thumb to fret notes on the E string. then again, Sting, Chris Squire and Stanley Clarke do it sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 Cleaning my bass, not putting the effort into learning how to read or sort of understand notation, slouching in a chair over my bass. Leaving it to the very last possible moment to learn a bass part for a rehearsal or gig. Not sorting the intonation on my Jazz. There are more but I think that's enought to send me to hell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 I don't know if it's a bad habit or not - You guys can decide... I really can't see the point in rehearsing! The two bands I play in are highly professional & have always just gone out and played (ie. These two outfits have never rehearsed at all!) In my experience, the tightness comes from playing it out in the field, as it were & pure spontanaity. I joined a 70's band the other year & hated the endless rehearsals, generally acheiving nothing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exile252 Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 I have a bad habit where if I'm sitting down and playing, I rest my wrist over my bass, which in turn cuts of blood and then I get lots of hand cramp hehe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 I have a mutant slap (as in DB) technique I sometimes subconsciously employ which means the strings hit the pickup poles. CLACK! Sound guys love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='214861' date='Jun 8 2008, 01:24 PM']I don't know if it's a bad habit or not - You guys can decide... I really can't see the point in rehearsing! The two bands I play in are highly professional & have always just gone out and played (ie. These two outfits have never rehearsed at all!) In my experience, the tightness comes from playing it out in the field, as it were & pure spontanaity. I joined a 70's band the other year & hated the endless rehearsals, generally acheiving nothing![/quote] That sounds like the ideal situation, I've only had that with a few players, most players I've met want to get some sort of rehearsal in, which is fair enough. I had to put strict rehearsal in while playing a few Zappa covers with a band. If it is a lazy bass habit OTPJ.....it's a good 'un Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayfan Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 I do a runner when the drummer wants his car unloading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Being self taught, probably all my habits are lazy/wrong but what bugs me in particular.... left hand - finger per fret technique is rubbish. I subconsciously support my pinky with my ring finger on the D & G strings and often slide up a fret in runs with the 2 fingers clasped together rather than going there directly with my pinky. It's not that I have small fingers (which I definitely don't have) I can only put this down to years of playing guitar before switching to bass and I've never developed the correct pinky response. When I remember, I practice not doing this but I hate finger exercises. right hand - I get a bit over excited and finger the E string (normally tuned down a tone) too hard which slaps it off the toppest frets. I didn't really notice this until we went into the studio and the engineer made a big deal out of it. I've managed to lessen this by playing closer to the bridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Dave Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 [quote name='stingrayfan' post='214872' date='Jun 8 2008, 01:36 PM']I do a runner when the drummer wants his car unloading. [/quote] It's a known fact that the handles on drum cases can promote carpal tunnel problems in bass players , so you're right to avoid this at all times. And That's true that is , I should know - I'm a Dr. Me - right hand is too heavy , left hand gets too closed and I end up not using the middle 2 fingers half the time. My laziest habit is seeing my FX in the gig box and not bothering to connect them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crez5150 Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='214861' date='Jun 8 2008, 01:24 PM']I don't know if it's a bad habit or not - You guys can decide... I really can't see the point in rehearsing! The two bands I play in are highly professional & have always just gone out and played (ie. These two outfits have never rehearsed at all!) In my experience, the tightness comes from playing it out in the field, as it were & pure spontanaity. I joined a 70's band the other year & hated the endless rehearsals, generally acheiving nothing![/quote] +1000 for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galilee Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Just generally not pushing myself like I used to. Sitting down to practise and playing the same old stuff, occasionally looking at something complicated, trying it a few times and then giving up much too easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 [quote name='wateroftyne' post='214869' date='Jun 8 2008, 01:34 PM']I have a mutant slap (as in DB) technique I sometimes subconsciously employ which means the strings hit the pickup poles. CLACK! Sound guys love it. [/quote] I do that too. Sometimes I find myself muting strings with my fingers and not my palm whilst or just before playing a new note and whacking the strings down on the pole pieces. A guitarist I play with likes it - it's like percussion he says... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamble Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I'm glad to see I'm not alone in most of the bad technique habits listed above! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I can add my name to the list of occasional thumb-over-the-top merchants, although I'm more prone to it with guitar than bass. Generally not learning anything new, repetoire or technique, is my inner Homer Simpson manifesting itself. Oh, and my Squier Of Doom is STILL under my studio desk with the Wizards and the Badass on, but waiting for me to get the soldering iron out and finish the job!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarPig Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 [quote name='Galilee' post='215343' date='Jun 9 2008, 12:06 PM']Just generally not pushing myself like I used to. Sitting down to practise and playing the same old stuff, occasionally looking at something complicated, trying it a few times and then giving up much too easily.[/quote] . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teen t-shirt Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 if breaking two E strings in the last week counts as a bad habit then yeah i should burn in hell or something for that one... my only other bad habit is i play faster and get a harder sound with my fingers than i do with a pick... (broke the two e-strings while playing fingerstyle) oops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Randall Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 [quote name='wateroftyne' post='214869' date='Jun 8 2008, 01:34 PM']I have a mutant slap (as in DB) technique I sometimes subconsciously employ which means the strings hit the pickup poles. CLACK! Sound guys love it. [/quote] Hi there. I noticed your beautiful 71 fretted Precision in your pic (the one on the far left?). It'll be a while before i can buy one but i was after a sunburst with chrome exactly like that until i was distracted by my Gretsch G6072. Was it expensive? Mr Randall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.gif.9ad672bb8b84505709f76b39c8c256ec.gif)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.