How do you practice?

[thepurpleblob]

This is probably the weirdest thing I have asked yet....

I have never really found a satisfactory way to sit and practice the bass. I've never found a seat or stool that is quite right, for example. I usually sit in front of the computer so I can use iTunes to listen to stuff I'm learning. Both the computer and my bass connect to a Line6 Pod and I plug headphones into that but then I get tangled in the cables. I also have some wireless 'phones but they have insane amounts of compression and are not ideal. I suffer from back trouble and sitting hunched up for ages is a bad plan all by itself!

So, what I'm asking is have you found the perfect way to sit in the house and practice... even if it's just the perfect thing to sit on?

[Clarky]

Not ideal for replicating live position but I always practice bass on my bed, propped up with a couple of pillows. Very comfy and relaxing. Either acoustically or plugged into a Tascam bass trainer with headphones. Only risk is of falling asleep

[Bloodaxe]

Never sitting - I don't gig sat down, so I don't practice sat down either (on the very odd occasions that I do, I find it hard going as the bass is significantly higher up & I find it quite uncomfortable).

So... Stood up, Bass >> ADA MP-1 >> Alesis Quadraverb >> Tapco 6:2 mixer >> Headphones (Sennheiser HD-212). Also plugged into the mixer is a Tascam MP-BT1 acting as a portable jukebox. If it's 3:00am & I want to have a blow, I can, & the neighbours know nothing!

When I first started out I had a Sharp twin tape deck "Ghetto Blaster" that had a 1/4" Mic input & turntable inputs too. Great piece of kit that was, need to get the heads replaced.

Very rarely do I fire up the gig-rig to practice, depends on what I need to nail (usually the quieter stuff) - Shared accommodation can be a pain!

Pete.

[thepurpleblob]

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='732519' date='Feb 2 2010, 08:10 AM']Never sitting - I don't gig sat down, so I don't practice sat down either (on the very odd occasions that I do, I find it hard going as the bass is significantly higher up & I find it quite uncomfortable).[/quote]

I've tried standing but I'm a 2-band-covers-guy and a lot of my time is spent picking over songs. In reality I'm spending as much time with the computer keyboard fiddling with Transcribe! My sitting and standing bass height is much the same but I know what you mean - it's easy to hunch over sitting ending up with your nose against the frets

[WWRRSS]

All my gear is in my practice room, so if I wanna play I have to go there, so I play stood up with my gig rig at full volume.

Though I don't learn songs, I only try and write new ones and generally get my hands working.

[Bilbo]

I think it depends on what you are doing. If you are working on the intricacies of a complex piece you are trying to learn by rote, your playing position is not that important whereas, if you are practicing something like reading, you may be more inclined to play like you would at a gig so you can get the positions right without taking your eyes of the chart etc. I find it easier to play the DB without looking at the neck so that makes it easier for reading anyway. In my experience, the ability to play standing up or sitting down are both useful as you can be required to do both on different gig (being the only one standing in a pit orchestra can be inconvenient, especially if the pit is under the stage).

Transcribing I usually do without a bass or guitar so its academic.

[thepurpleblob]

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='732545' date='Feb 2 2010, 08:57 AM']Transcribing I usually do without a bass or guitar so its academic.[/quote]

Kindly expand on that... how do you know if you're right then. Your ear must be several orders of magnitude better than mine

[Hot Tub]

I usually sit on the edge of the spare bed, but it's not perfect. Thinking about getting a little "drum throne" thingy with a small backrest....

[Bilbo]

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='732547' date='Feb 2 2010, 08:59 AM']Kindly expand on that... how do you know if you're right then. Your ear must be several orders of magnitude better than mine [/quote]

Nothing that impressive, tpb. I use Transcribe and Sibelius. I have long since heard phrases rather than single notes so, as long as I have a starting point (usually the previous transcribed note), I can put together increasingly long passages using the computer keyboard alone rather than a bass.

[thepurpleblob]

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='732595' date='Feb 2 2010, 09:42 AM']Nothing that impressive, tpb. I use Transcribe and Sibelius. I have long since heard phrases rather than single notes so, as long as I have a starting point (usually the previous transcribed note), I can put together increasingly long passages using the computer keyboard alone rather than a bass.[/quote]

I've got Sibelius but need to spend some time with it. It's actually got quite a steep learning curve. I'm at the screaming at the monitor stage at the moment!

[Bilbo]

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='732599' date='Feb 2 2010, 09:44 AM']It's actually got quite a steep learning curve.[/quote]

Hasn't everything worth learning?

It gets quicker the more you work with it. I find I have to 'think' less and less as time goes on and can just 'do' the musical bit! Once in a while there is a pause whilst I figure something out but, mostly, its an increasingly smooth process (unless you trying to transcribe the chords to '20,000 Prayers' by Jeff Berlin which is a complete nightmare).

[fatback]

Best tip I got was to sit (on a chair) with the bass body on my left knee and my back straight, rather like a classical guitarist.

Two big advantages: first, i don't get aches from being hunched over the fretboard; second, the neck position is very close to what it is when i'm standing, so my hand position feels the same.

As for kit, I'm always in front of the PC (my jukebox) either playing through the sound card and hi fi monitors or (better) through my Trace combo.

[Jerry_B]

I'm very low-tech. I just have an ipod-type headphone in one ear going into the bass amp. Over this I wear headphones plugged in to my PCs soundcard, and just pootle along with songs I want to play or learn. This works sitting down or standing up.

[Marvin]

Sat on the floor, sat on a chair, sat on the sofa, sat on the edge of the dinning room table or stood up. Or any combination.

Afraid I'm a bundle of wires as well.
Either playing through a practice amp with iPod connected to with headphones if I want to learn a song.
Or headphones from the zoom.

None of this makes my practising very productive though.

[Doddy]

I sit to practise pretty much all the time-either in front of the computer if I have to learn any
specific tunes,or with a music stand in front of me.
My general set up is .... Bass into looper into amp. I very rarely use headphones.

[urbanx]

Stood up, maybe one foot on monitor.
Stack amp loud enough to drown out drummer and guitarist.
It's the only way....

[peted]

Sat on my computer stool in front on my computer. I can play through a Zoom H4 connected to my PC but it turns into a mess of wires. Instead I burn all the songs from my PC to a CD and use them in the Tascam BT-CD1 I have next to my PC through headphones, or have the Tascam plugged into the MP3 input of my Line 6 110 Studio if I want to make a bit of noise.

[Golchen]

I alway stand up. The room I practice in has a pretty high table top so it's good for twiddling with the mac laptop etc.

[thisnameistaken]

I've got a little computer chair (more like a stool really - the sort with a little back but no arms) that I took out of a skip once, I usually sit on that to play bass at home and it's pretty comfortable, nothing gets in the way of the bass. And I plug into an awful little 30w 10" Laney combo that someone gave me once.

I sound like a right tight arse don't I? I suppose I am!

[TRadford]

I either sit on my Roc n Soc drum throne, or stand. I seem to get more tired arms when standing though., Im never going to join a band, so it makes no difference if I cant play certain things standing.
I often put my legs up on the chest we have in the bedroom too, when sitting. Otherwise I get really bad pins and needles.

[Pentode]

Nice little(!) Ampeg B25 through a BFM Omni 15.

All set up in my office at work..... In an industrial unit..... In the middle of nowhere..... Ideal

[BarnacleBob]

My practice room/'studio' doubles as an office for my dear Wife who regularly works from home.
As her earning have increased over the years as mine have dwindled so her share of the space has increased.
She now has a desk the size of a small aircraft carrier and a chair that would have put CJs to shame!

Had it been just the basses and an amp it wouldnt be so bad but there are numerous keyboards and outboard gear all now squished into the corner.

I spend more time moving gear about to give me a space to work in than actually practicing but mebbe i'm just using that as an excuse!

For a seat buy a cheapo office type chair with wheels and height adjustment ( i Think tesco do them for £20) and remove the back! Result - A little drum throne type seat with wheels! just remember you've removed the back!


BB

[Malc62]

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='732519' date='Feb 2 2010, 08:10 AM']Never sitting - I don't gig sat down, so I don't practice sat down either (on the very odd occasions that I do, I find it hard going as the bass is significantly higher up & I find it quite uncomfortable).

So... Stood up, Bass >> ADA MP-1 >> Alesis Quadraverb >> Tapco 6:2 mixer >> Headphones (Sennheiser HD-212). Also plugged into the mixer is a Tascam MP-BT1 acting as a portable jukebox. If it's 3:00am & I want to have a blow, I can, & the neighbours know nothing!

When I first started out I had a Sharp twin tape deck "Ghetto Blaster" that had a 1/4" Mic input & turntable inputs too. Great piece of kit that was, need to get the heads replaced.

Very rarely do I fire up the gig-rig to practice, depends on what I need to nail (usually the quieter stuff) - Shared accommodation can be a pain!

Pete.[/quote]

Agree on standing up - I practice the keyboards standing up too as I never sit down on gigs (just as well I don't gig as a drummer). Funnily enough, I've always practised the bass acoustically - only when I've nailed what I want to will I fire up the Line 6 to check how it's sounding.

(That said, I do like to blast for the sake of it now and again.)

Mal