Perfect Practice - Bass Matter · home, Victor Wooten, Anthony Wellington, Michael Manring, Marcus Miller and you guessed it, pretty much any pro out there in ... Perfect Practice

TIME IS LIMITED by ryan mcclelland

perfect

practice

NO WASTE. 100% EFFECTIVE

Congratulations. You!re a bass player and you!ve read my other e-book the “Bass

Crash Course” right? You!re confident, you can play, maybe you!re teaching

some lessons, a big sessions player or just enjoy jamming out some lines when

you have time. Time is the problem for most people. Desire and motivation are

things we!ll jump into as well, but even if you want to practice, if you don!t have

the time it!s game over. We!ll spend a lot of time on “time”.

Okay, let!s clear the air shall we? You may be an accomplished bass player,

famous, totally confident in your abilities or simply “happy where you!re at”.

Awesome, cool, good for you. Please discard this book. Bye-Bye. =)

Okay, I!m on the same page. I get it, I need to practice to get better, sound better, enjoy new technique styles and more. So where do I start?

w w w . b a s s m a t t e r . c o m

TIME TO WORK

Why practice?

Now, for those that stuck around,

let!s get down to business. Tiger

Woods, the golfer......ring a bell?

When he was the #1 golfer in the

world, he had a golf coach.

Thaaaaaaaaaat!s right. Mr. #1

knew he could get better and had

a teacher. Let!s bring it closer to

home, Victor Wooten, Anthony

Wellington, Michael Manring,

Marcus Miller and you guessed it,

pretty much any pro out there in

our bass land practices their butts

off to get better. Even though us

mere mortals are unlikely to

achieve international success

within the bass category it doesn!t

mean we shouldn!t refine our craft

and grow.

Victor Wooten

Anthony Wellington

Michael Manring

Stanley Clarke

Les Claypool

Rocco Prestia

Your Name Here

Billy Sheehan

Okay, let!s get serious for a moment. If you don!t want to practice. That!s cool, this book isn!t for you.


Better Practice with Better Use of Time

With out having goals you don’t know what to learn, you’ll waste precious time on “skating”

through material and not moving ahead.

There!s one foundational rule with practice. Breaking this rule will erode your time, minimize the effectiveness of your practice, cost your more money than needed, dull your spirits, eliminate motivation and everything else negative you can think of for expanding your skills within your art. This book is built upon this rule and if it!s something you don!t adhere to, then this book as a tool may as well be a hammer when you have a screw.

RULE #1Goals

Set

Now, I!ll be the first to admit, when something new and shiny comes out I get a bit excited. A new technique, a new piece of gear, a new cover I have to learn and so on can pull me away from “practice”. It!s about finding a balance and continuing to find the dedication to practice and sticking to your predetermined goals. The pace in which you chase your goals down is up to you. Surprisingly, “life happens” and our situations change that can increase or decrease your time available for practice. Your “time” will be more productive, even if you have less of it by sticking to your goals. You!ll get better, faster making your play time more fun and enjoyable. Who would!ve thought? Getting better makes playing more fun?!? WHAT A CONCEPT!!! =)

Practice Verses Play

Now, if the fun stuff isn!t fun to you, then add your own fun list and identify what things you need to practice to learn the fun stuff. Now, what I!m about to tell you is TOP SECRET bass pro stuff that is reserved for the elite. If you!re playing the stuff your having fun with, you are ALSO practicing!! SSSHHHHHHH!! This isn!t for the masses to know. You can decide what is fun, and practice it!! You!ll find over time there is a home for stuff you see right now as boring, but as you progress, you!ll figure out why you need those tools, and then they will be fun to practice.


Practice Vs Fun

Fret board notes

Scales

Music Theory

Right Hand Tone Technique

Modes

Arpeggios

Chops

Ear Training

Styles- Finger Style, Slap, etc.

The List Goes On

- Be able to play songs by notes!

- Be able to play songs by charts!

- Be able to play by understanding!

- Change your sound on the fly!

- Be able to predict what!s next!

- Be able to make great bass lines!

- Be able to play for longer!

- Figure out songs fast!

- Play more types of music!

- So does your playing and fun!!

Don’t let practice become a “chore” and take away

from the enjoyment of being an artist. Yes, it’s easy to let practice turn into something that you hate to do and we can simply “justify” away skills

that we acquire from practice and focus on the “fun”.

practice fun

Does anything in the “fun” column not sound like stuff that would make playing more enjoyable and more fun? Like being

able to learn to play your favorite songs faster, be better at them and create and

play your own cooler bass lines?

Things you need to hit your

goals. If you don’t know, ask someone to help you figure out what you need to do to make it happen!

There’s a blank one of these in the back of the

book or available online for free. Here’s an example of how this can work for you.


Goal Charts can be for anything. Learning scales, modes, a song, a technique and a new cookie recipe. Short, simple easy to remember. You!ve heard no doubt from some motivational person at some point to write your goals down. Yup, write them down, it helps and you!ll be amazed how fast you move through them. Even better a cool looking chart too.

GOALS

Be a Rock Star

Do Cool Hair

Learn to Play

Form Band

Replace Drummer

=)

NOTES and PROGRESS

Keep track of your progress here. As you discover new things to make goals for make a new sheet, ad your own timelines of you need to. Use this chart to teach other bass players how to practice and more! ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

future goal

future goal

future goal

Elements of Practice

Don!t know where to start? No big deal. Start at the top of one or all of the lists and start working your way down. Already a pro? (Stoked you!re here but don!t know why) There!s probably something in one of the three categories you can brush up on. Also, there are many charts available from bassmatter to help with these.


- Fret Board Notes

- Major Scales

- Minor Scales

- Arpeggios

- Modes

- Circle of 5ths

- Key Signatures

- Reading Sheet Music

- Music Notation

- Music Time 4/4 3/4 ect

- Poly Rhythms

- Tablature

- Nashville Numbers

- Ear training

There are different elements of things to practice. All of them will enhance your skills and enjoyment of the instrument. Set multiple goals to achieve in different categories. Below are three different groups of things to practice. Try setting a goal from each one to work on and switch as you get bored or even frustrated with one.

- Plucking

- Picking

- Walking

- Slap

- Pop

- Tap

- Hammer On

- Muting

- Sweeping

- Double Thumb

- Double Pluck

- Triple Pluck

- Sliding

- Harmonics

- Bass

- Amp

- Tone

- EQ

- Effects

- Stings

- Fretless

- 5+ Sting Basses

- Intonation

- Tuning Methods

- Alternative Tuning

- Bridges/Action

- Pickups

- Truss Rod Adjustments

theory technique gear

Time Finding

For the longest time there!s been something one will call logic or even rational when considering starting or continuing to pursuing an art. One may “grow up” or “not have time” or “lose interest”. Usually this is because there is a fear of a time commitment or poor time management that will bring artists away from their craft. This is fine and happens to the best of them, however, it doesn!t need to be so. You can develop your art even without your bass, use your ears and eyes too. =)


There!s nothing you can do about it. There!s only 24 hours in a day. Though many have tried to create more time and failed, this is really about time management. Practice doesn!t need to be a solid time commitment. Fit it in where you can. 10 min here, 30 min there and so on. You!ll still move forward instead of saying “I have no time for practice”. Seriously, life happens and that!s okay, just because you can!t carve out a 3 hour block of uninterrupted time each day, or once a week one even once a month, it doesn!t mean that you can!t still stuff in several hours a month of great effective practice. Here!s another bass pro secret.....you don!t need to have your bass to practice several elements of being a great bass player! “WHAT?!?” you ask, thaaaaaat!s right. You can practice a ton of things that will help you play your bass that don!t require its

with without ! listening

! technique

! chops building

! playing styles

! muscle memory

! music experiments

! ear training

! equipment tone

! memorization

! counting/rhythm

! And more

! listening

! technique

! ear training

! theory

! memorization

! styles studies

! counting/rhythm

! coordination

! research

! Goal Checking

! And more

notice

any

simila

rities

?

kjsdf

Often times different ways of learning to play a song will still incorporate music theory terminology. Tablature, chords, private lessons, by ear, and so on. Understanding what these details are even if you don!t have “sheet music” is important for communication and figuring things out.


Cool Way to CountNeed to practice your counting skills? No, really, counting. I promise it!s not an insult. Here!s a cool strategy I picked up from Bassology (Nice Work Anthony). Others may and do use it, but I saw him do it first, so he gets the credit. Okay, we have to use standard measurements here for this to work. If you went through the “Bass Crash Course” Ebook you!ll know what the details below mean. This is a cool way for you to practice time and poly rhythms. Simply specify a hash mark, count it out and play on the hash marks you select on the print chart. Here!s how to use this chart.

kjsdf

Singing. You don!t have to sound good or have a beautiful voice. You must work on hitting the right note. Being tone deaf is not an excuse, you can make this work. Being tone deaf and being a bass player really don!t go together. It!s kind of like Ice Cream and Bacon. Oh, and bass players that can sing backup, get work.


S i n gingdo

re

mi

fa

solati

Yup. If you only sing alone or in the shower no biggie, let er! rip!! By practicing singing you!ll develop your listening skills. Now, what do you sing one might ask? Well, start with your favorite songs and pay attention to how your singing related to the bass line. You!ll notice you!re usually coming in at the root of the melody. You ever notice how often times great bass players will play a note other than root to create a short harmony to what everyone else is doing? Yeah, that!s the tasty stuff singing will help you develop. Now, most even if they haven!t seen the movie “The Sound of Music”, will know the “do, a deer, a female deer” song. Or more officially known as “Do Re Mi Fa”. Now, one must understand that this song follows the major scale. And the Do Re Mi stuff is called “Solfege” If you!re playing a song C Major for example, and you can correctly sing Do Re Mi, you should be able to hit the correct note by singing which would be E by the way. This will do wonders for your ear training and being able to hear a song and know that they are on the Mi in C Major which is the note E. Now, once you get that figured out you!ll already know how to figure out Minors. So no training here.

Sing the bass line. No really. Singing the bass line will help you train your brain to distinguish the bass line from the melody. Don!t think this is a little bit difficult? Try singing and playing the bass at the same time. Now you!re in for a work out. Yes, some can do it easier than others, but your ears are trained to listen to the melodies and harmonies and file the root away. Break this barrier and new doors will open for you.

Bass Matter may be used as a scape

goat for horrible singing. Please inform

potential complainers that this is part of

your practice and is important. We never

said you had to sound good, only hit the

right note. Bass Matter cannot be held

liable from broken windows or property

damage as a result of horrible singing.

kjsdf

I think this page makes the point. Drum, you!ll see why after you get into it. Or learn the Banjo, that!s pretty big too.


D r u mming

Syncopation. “Synco-huh?”. Yes, Syncopation. Please see Wikipedia or the Harvard Music Dictionary for an in depth explanation. As a bass player, I like to look at it as “a groove changer”. You know how drummers do those fancy fills or snappy little blips here and there that really make a tune “tasty”? To music lovers, it!s that one place in a song where the toe tapping tempo, placement, accent ect changes and somehow it magically comes back together. Yeah, as a bass player, to kick it up a notch learn to drum. You will be amazed at how practicing drums and creating independence between your limbs will unlock creative road blocks plaguing fizzled out musicians or ones resting on their canned licks. I!m not going to lie, I get to this dark place often....then off to a drummer friends house I go and grab the sticks, make a fool of myself and viola! New brain stimulation opens up and back to my trusted EADG I go. You don!t even need a drum set or sticks to get started. If you have both hands and feet, begin trying to tap them all at the same time to 8th notes at a temp of your choice. Then hands on 1 and feet on 2, then one hand, one foot on 1 and 2 and you get the idea. Play drums, try to tap out songs and more.

You!ll possibly find the drums a remarkably fun instrument, powerful, eye opening, brain stimulating and stress relieving. Not only will drumming in some manner help your playing from a coordination and creative perspective, but also from a relational standpoint. When you understand the drummers role in a band more in depth, you!ll begin to see the vital relationship between the bass and drums. Most already know that the bass and the kick drum mirror each other more often than not, but it goes so much deeper than that. A good drummer and good bass player, “get it”.

FreeAir

Drums!!

starter

drums

free!

Arpeggios

Modes, scales, arpeggios.....does this grind of memorization every end? Uhh, to say this gently, no. However! No-one said you have to learn all of this to be or call your self a bass player. It!s just a matter of how in depth of a musician you want to be. =)


Have you heard this word yet? Know what it means? What does it mean to “arpeggiate” something?This is really simple and you!ll be happy to know as a bass player, you are the Arpeggio MASTER in the band. That!s all you do, all the time is play arpeggios. An arpeggio is a chord, played one note at a time in an Ascending order (low to high). Sometimes we hear about guitar players say “I!m learning my arpeggios” and it sounds like a brutal process. Don!t worry, there are more than you can make up. Here!s the basic rule, play three or more notes one at a time from low to high and you!re playing an arpeggio. Now, not all notes work all the time within a scale or mode that sounds “good” or more specifically modern, but you get the idea. Want to practice and learn great sounding bass lines and know which notes will work 100% of the time if you!re told the chord? Learn the chart below, and if you have the chord chart or can get it from the rhythm guitar player, you!re hooked up to be awesome! Let!s say you see a D aug chord on the chart. Cool, you play D and you!re good. But you could spice it up and play a 3rd or a #5th which would be F# or Bb and they would work 100% of the time! You!re a pro now!

Here are 16 of the most popular

chords for bass in western and

modern music. Learn these and you!ll be able to play and invent bass lines for

almost any kind of music you run into.

Not to mention you!ll be fast on

your feet to improv and really expand your horizons in

playing.

Running out of time

Practice. Practice. Have fun. Practice.


Since this books started with the concept of using time. This book is short. =) Now, make your goals and find new and creative ways to use your “time” through out the day even

without your bass slung over your shoulder to help you become a better bass player, and musician. We wish you luck, and keep it low.

t h e e n d

free

time

charts to

print

GOALS


notes

your goal

things you need for your goal future goals


counting smarter

1 2 3 4

e and a e and a e and a e and a

1

16th note

8th note

dotted 8th note

1/4 note

dotted 1/4 note

1/2 note

dotted 1/2 note

whole note

With a foot tap a metronome a clock or anything with a beat, practice playing on specific marks between each number, or mix it up. This will help sharpen your clean playing and super accurate timing!! Mix it up and develop that grey matter!!

ARPEGGIOSMAJOR Minor Sus4 b5 Dim Aug

Major 6 Minor 6 7 7Sus 4 Minor 7 Major 7

Major 7#5 MinMaj7 7b5 Minor 7b5 Aug7 Dim7

R - 3 - 5 R - 3 - # 5R - b 3 - b 5R - 3 - b 5R - 4 - 5R - b 3 - 5

R - 3 - 5 - 6 R - b 3 - 5 - 6 R - 3 - 5 - b 7 R - 4 - 5 - b 7 R - b 3 - 5 - b 7 R - 3 - 5 - 7

R - 3 - # 5 - 7 R - b 3 - 5 - 7 R - 3 - b 5 - b 7 R - b 3 - b 5 - b 7 R - 3 - # 5 - b 7 R - b 3 - b 5 - 6


Documents

Perfect Practice - Bass Matter · home, Victor Wooten, Anthony Wellington, Michael Manring, Marcus Miller and you guessed it, pretty much any pro out there in ... Perfect Practice