How do you keep getting better?

[simondee]

Hey guys,

I've been thinking about this alot recently so thought I'd put it out there.

When I started learning bass I was really thrown in at the deep end by playing jazz, learning to read, learning fingerstyle before pick - basically all the things that are considered 'good' to do when starting out. I ended up a pretty quick reader and got pretty good at improvising from chord charts and locking in with drummers.

Thing is, this was ten years ago when I was still at school. I got to play with some great big bands with some very talented musicians, and I really had a sense after every good gig and long rehearsal, that I was genuinely getting [i]better[/i] as a bassist. It wasn't just the technicalities either, like 3 or 4 finger style, layering harmonics in and generally getting [i]faster[/i], it was more rounded and satisfying than that. I felt solid and confident and could do things month on month that I couldn't do previously.

I also got more respect from much older and much more experienced musicans that I was playing with. It was good times.

Which leads me on to the following:

At the moment I play in two bands, and technically, neither of them push me whatsoever. One is a poppy rock band, one is a metal band and they're both lots of fun. Thing is I worry that the basslines that I come up with now aren't as [i]good[/i] as they were when I was younger. The musicians I play with now don't have a shred of the talent of those I've played with in the past and I'm really starting to worry that as a consequence I'm stagnating as a player.

So my question to you guys is: how do you stay sharp and how do you keep on improving? What can I do to keep getting better as a bassist and a musician in general?

[urb]

While not wanting to state the obvious, if you start learning jazz in some form or other you'll soon find you'll encounter a lot of advanced rhthmic and harmonic material that stretches you way beyond the technical side of the bass. Having good technique is one thing but being able to listen and react to musicians in a split second and play without any limitations is, for me at least, the ultimate goal. However this doesn't mean shredding or playing tons of notes it means playing something original based on your own knowledge and experience.

From my own personal experiance of playing in rock orientated bands for far too long, as soon as I stopped doing that and switched to playing funk, jazz and world music, my playing improved massively. Learning how to jam creatively, improvise in different styles, with good musicians is the way out of playing riff based music that once you have learnt the riff or the chords then that's all the bass does. When you have more freedom to create your own lines, push the groove with a great drummer, and play music outside your comfort zone, that's when you'll start to discover stuff 'beyond chops' as Mr Jeff Berlin would say!

If you can go on a course or take some lessons with a good teacher, at least that way you will get a better idea of what level you are actually at, and that way you can then get some focus on the areas you need to work on. I did this a few years ago and while I was slightly shocked at the areas I was weak in, thinking I knew more than I did, the following year's work I did meant I really improved. So when I went back and did the same music course a year later the tutors really commented on how much I'd improved. If you set yourself attainable goals with your playing, and subsiquently acheive those goals, it will have a cumilative effect, so that after a number of years of focused study and practice, you will defiinitly be a better musician, and bass player!

Hope that helps

Mike

[foal30]

Play what you feel, make a direct effort to only do this in a certain situation.

Play contrary to what your brain says. Switch off the brain and play.Record this. See if anything interesting is in there.

Learn some Piano

Really try to bludge of better musicians.. get into a position where your ass could be kicked.

Organize practice regime to include material that you feel are weak spots.

Maybe the basslines you are coming up with now aren't as good. At least your listening honestly. Now make a new line that attempts to recreate how you felt in the "good old days".

Also sometimes I do not think the "job" of playing in the "band" needs to be the reason or value of the totality of our musical identity...if you can think of it as one facet maybe that will fire you up again.

Transcribe some Paul Chambers, he'll give you an idea or groove for sure!

[The Funk]

[quote name='simondee' post='268839' date='Aug 24 2008, 12:36 PM']At the moment I play in two bands, and technically, neither of them push me whatsoever.[/quote]

Time to join a more challenging band or start your own band as leader / composer / arranger.

[wateroftyne]

I try and play with as many great musicians as possible, and and spend approximately ZILCH time fretting about wether I'm improving or pushing myself. All I'm concerned with is 'am I serving the song, engaging the audience and other band members, and having fun?'

If the answer to these is 'yes', then... job done.

I'd like to think I am learning and improving, but it's all accidental and subconscious.

[wulf]

Yes - definitely try to play with some great musicians. Even if you can't find anyone locally, you can learn a lot by listening to and transcribing from recordings by others (and then thinking about what can be applied to your situation).

Wulf

[lukeward2004]

Im in a similar position - my primary focus just recently seems to be on learning songs for the band, which in itself has taught me a few new things, however a year or two ago I was able to practise at least for 2 hours a night, working on technique, harmony, groove, and generally anything and everything I felt I struggled with.

I got to be a pretty good slapper, and just started to get to grips with Double thumping, and pinch harmonics - then I got busier at work, and socially I had to sacrifice some of my practise time to compensate. Now Im lucky if I get an hour a day to practise, but I am in the studio/rehearsals for at least 4 hours a week and gigging most weekends.

I think I was a better slapper back then, and generally a better musician in terms of what I could do creatively with my bass - although a few muso chums of mine seem to think im a better, more tasteful player now because I dont get so technical and I work on serving the situation.

For me, I think you need a balance between being creative with an originals band and replicating other peoples lines in a covers act - I will hopefully be starting an originals project with a close friend of mine very soon, so im hoping this will chang my focus a little bit.

Lessons is also a good idea - get yourself a good tutor and he/she should be able to "refresh" things a little!

[carlosfandango]

Learn another instrument - somehting that will give you a new perspective on bass playing e.g. piano (great for "discovering" harmonics), or a solo instrument like sax or flute for melodic insights beyond bass. Playing a solo instrument gives you a great insight into what good bass playing is about.....e.g not getting in the way! I regulary gig on other instruments andit's great fun to play with other bass players!

[mcgraham]

+1 to Mike's comments on setting achievable and measurable goals. I have always made the most progress when I set my sights on a target and made plans on how to get there.

+1 to Carlos's comments on trying out another instrument. It will benefit your bass playing by seeing music from a different perspective. I found that leading a band from guitar really helped me to see the functional aspect of the bass more clearly, rather than just an instrument that occupies a given register.

+1 to Wulf's advice on listening and transcribing pieces. Transcribing things either in your head, on paper, or on your instrument will help to broaden your vocabulary (doing it without your instrument is a [i]fantastic[/i] workout). Transcribing will improve your ear/listening ability, it'll open your ear up to a whole host of new ideas that you'd be unlikely to come across yourself, and will help you to develop your technique in order to play difficult phrases you've heard. While doing this, you're likely find other phrases/ideas while trying to figure something out, and afterwards you'll more than likely end up with further ideas that have 'mutated' out from the pieces you figured out.

All in all there's some good advice already posted above!

Mark