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#85122 by fisherman bob
Tue Sep 29, 2009 2:48 am
Grooving to the music means your hands are on auto pilot, you have no idea what the hell you're doing, but they are all hitting the right notes, at the right time, with the right feel. In other words, you don't THNIK about what you're doing, you're just doing it. When you go up or down the stairs and you think about it what happens? You usually trip. Honestly I have no idea what I'm doing on bass, everybody tells it me it sounds great, so I don't even think about it...

#85151 by philbymon
Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:52 pm
You may well not be able to describe what you're doing on the bass, but you have a knowledge of the neck of the instrument & what notes go together correctly. You know what notes make up a chord, & how to use them & other notes of the scale to get the sounds that work for any given tune. You also must be pretty good in the timing dept to play the bass, bob. You've played a long time to get to the point that you can apply your knowledge so well.

The average child who has no knowledge of these things can't make good music. The average adult who hasn't spent any time with an instrument can't, either. There's a lot more than just "groovin' to the music" involved. There's a history of listening, learning, & practicing, to get to the point that you can jam successfully, & some ppl never get to that point even though they're fairly accomplished players when you give them sheet music.

With a good background in listening & learning & practicing, you might become very adept at tapping into the ethereal or the music muses or whatever you may want to call it, to improvise well. Otherwise, you need some time to come up with stuff through trial & error, like our budding musician friend the writer. Nothing at all wrong with that. In fact, I applaud his efforts, as it's getting into that "practice" area so necessary for good music. But don't expect to walk on a stage & be great without the 3 most requisite parts of becoming a musician, unless you're a savant.

#85180 by Starfish Scott
Tue Sep 29, 2009 3:13 pm
"Tapping the Ethereal"..

I love it. lol


Sounds like one is having sex with an inter-dimensional being or naming the new album of zomething completely different.

"we'll cue that up and we'll take a little trip"..

#85381 by fisherman bob
Thu Oct 01, 2009 1:52 am
philbymon wrote:You may well not be able to describe what you're doing on the bass, but you have a knowledge of the neck of the instrument & what notes go together correctly. You know what notes make up a chord, & how to use them & other notes of the scale to get the sounds that work for any given tune. You also must be pretty good in the timing dept to play the bass, bob. You've played a long time to get to the point that you can apply your knowledge so well.

The average child who has no knowledge of these things can't make good music. The average adult who hasn't spent any time with an instrument can't, either. There's a lot more than just "groovin' to the music" involved. There's a history of listening, learning, & practicing, to get to the point that you can jam successfully, & some ppl never get to that point even though they're fairly accomplished players when you give them sheet music.

With a good background in listening & learning & practicing, you might become very adept at tapping into the ethereal or the music muses or whatever you may want to call it, to improvise well. Otherwise, you need some time to come up with stuff through trial & error, like our budding musician friend the writer. Nothing at all wrong with that. In fact, I applaud his efforts, as it's getting into that "practice" area so necessary for good music. But don't expect to walk on a stage & be great without the 3 most requisite parts of becoming a musician, unless you're a savant.
That's all true, BUT some people are afraid to just let it rip. They have to know everything in advance. Every single note. I play patterns. I know what note starts the pattern, but after that I can't tell you where I'm going. It sounds crazy, but it's all patterns. My hands automatically go where they are supposed to, because a LONG time ago I just started letting it rip. I don't know anything about theory. I've played so much that it is second nature. (It has to be, I sing lots of lead). People get hung up on doing the exact note-for-note thing, and think that by learning theory of why something works that it will make them a better bass player. It COULD if they ALSO just let their fingers rip up and down the neck as well. I think fear holds a lot of people back. Fear they will hit the wrong note(s). The more you play then over time you will hit less and less wrong notes. Just play as often as possible until it becomes second nature. I don't know if there's any other better way to advance on any instrument.

#85395 by philbymon
Thu Oct 01, 2009 11:52 am
You just described the application of the results of listening, learning & practicing, bob. Thank you.

I maintain that this should preceed public jamming.

It's one thing to be hanging out with some muso friends & making some noise, but totally another to be on stage, expected to be able to follow the structure of a song you may not have even heard before.

Yeah, even lots of experienced musos don't want that pressure, & prefer to keep safe with nothing but rehearsed material.

There is something magical about being able to "fitting in" in such improv situations, though - picking up the cues of others, taking a few bars & running with it on your own - & when it comes together well you feel like something huge.

#85470 by HowlinJ
Thu Oct 01, 2009 9:00 pm
...to boldly go where no one has taken the song before...(that's jammin' :wink: )

#85507 by Starfish Scott
Fri Oct 02, 2009 4:26 am
I think playing rehearsed music is fine, but when you improvise and it's good even the haters have no recourse but to admit defeat.

#85523 by Crip2Nite
Fri Oct 02, 2009 4:06 pm
In the land of the blind.... the one eyed man is KING!

#85534 by Chippy
Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:28 pm
Would that be Chippy? :D

#85539 by philbymon
Fri Oct 02, 2009 10:26 pm
I gotcher one-eyed man right here!

#85542 by Chippy
Fri Oct 02, 2009 10:49 pm
Wots wrong is that everyone is replying to a thread that the owner does not use anymore,,,,,

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