Re: Q for gigging bassists: how do you practice?


"Boom" <mmm@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:s4hcr1l8n3d82teai94bpd23c8d7201eq3@xxxxxxxxxx
> On Sat, 31 Dec 2005 06:47:25 GMT, "John Shaughnessy"
> <johngoogleplexNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>I think you kinda proved my point. You're breaking down the vocal and bass
>>parts, isolating them into individual phrases *based on scales*,
>>practicing
>>them that way until you are comfortable with them, then integrating them
>>back into the song. Chances are, the next similar song you learn will be
>>much earier because you took that extra step.
>>
>>Jamming along to songs over and over is fun, sure, but you never get the
>>level of mastery that you do from isolation and repetition.
>
> I see both points here. Kind of a catch 22. You don't get the level
> of mastery that you get from isolation and repetition, but in order to
> get to that point you have to learn how songs are put together. I see
> it as one following the other, with not being able to reach the 2nd
> point without going through the 1st point. Walking before you can
> crawl, if you will. Once you reach the point where you can dissect
> songs to that level, it does become whacking yourself off just to do
> nothing but practice to songs. But how else do you get to that point?

"Learning how songs are put together" is a great way of putting it.
Years ago I joined an oldies ('50s-60s) band, not thinking it
would be much of a musical challenge. The band was into duplicating
the records as exactly as possible, which sounds uncreative, but I
ended up learning quite a lot by "dissecting" those old hits to find out
how they were "put together".

- Gary Rosen


.

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