Ear Training Tip: Have you ever heard somebody say that major sounds happy and minor sounds sad? In general – and in narrow terms, that would be correct. But in broader terms and in context, that may not be the case.
Have you ever heard somebody say that major sounds happy and minor sounds sad? Okay, I can get on board with that somewhat. If you hear it back to back, minor… major yeah, I hear that this is a minor chord – sounds a bit sad.
And this is a major chord – sounds happier. Okay fine. so far so good. Now gets a bit trickier if I mess with the context. For example, if you hear [🎵] right after this you probably say oh yeah yeah, that’s minor, right? Because I made your ear recognize that E as the root.
Okay, but listen now… [🎵] Oooh, now it’s turned into major. I can turn major into minor just the same. Major [🎵] … turns minor. All of a sudden that E to the G sharp turned into a C sharp minor triad.
If two-handed tapping on the bass flummoxes you, try this drill. With one hand stationary and the other hand moving up and down a mixolydian scale, you have a good start. Double up the tempo and keep the flow of the movement in the hands. Pull Hammer Hammer Pull… all the while just listen to the click!
Permutation bass technique drills give you a yawn? Then put them in the context of songs.
Permutations are an enormously useful technique drill on the bass. Here is a direct application – the original is in F and has an embellishment on beat 2 that I left out in this 1 minute short.
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There’s a drill that I call zigzag permutations: one two four three. One two four three on one string, then go up a fret and up a string, and then you keep that up until you get to the end of the fretboard, whereas you turn around and go down.
And try a tempo that’s challenging but not too fast. Make it sound good as if it were beautiful music. Relax, don’t over grip. You can also change the direction.
[ 🎵🎵🎵 Ari plays in the opposite direction 🎵🎵🎵 ]
Don’t look at the fretboard, just feel it. Looking for an application of this thing? one, two, four, three – one, two, four, three.
[ 🎵🎵🎵 Ari plays Peter Gunn riff 🎵🎵🎵 ]
Permutation drills explained:
📗 Music Theory for the Bass Player (book): https://amzn.to/3NtiiaR
Good Times Bad Times giving you a hard time? Challenges on the fretting hand and challenges on the plucking hand – let’s break it down.
[ 🎵🎵🎵 Ari plays the main riff 🎵🎵🎵 ]
Make sure that you get a good handle on this. And while you’re at it, pay good attention to what your plucking hand does. I am strictly alternating and I bet you are too… when going up – but as you keep coming down again, it’s really tempting to rake.
[ 🎵🎵🎵 Ari demonstrates the plucking 🎵🎵🎵 ]
Having a consistent alternate plucking pattern under your belt is a huge asset because you don’t have to think about it. It’s automated. [ 🎵🎵🎵 ]
Then put it together. [ 🎵🎵🎵 Ari plays the main riff 🎵🎵🎵 ]
I watched the videos with John Paul Jones and that’s not necessarily what he does, but I highly recommend that you get this kind of fingering under your belt because it gives you, in most situations, the best starting point. You can always expand from there.
Stealer’s Wheel’s Stuck in the Middle has a great bass groove. Here I go beyond just playing it by making a fun and challenging drill out of it! As deceptively simple as that bass line is, this is quite the fretboard challenge! Try it for yourself!
What does this groove do? 1 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 – 6 -1- 1 – 7 – 2 – 3 – 5 – 6 – 5.
It goes back and forth between the regular major pentatonic and the dominant pentatonic [ 🎵🎵🎵 ]. You can also look at it as a dominant seven chord plus the 2 [ 🎵🎵🎵 ].
Play this groove from the song through the cycle of fifths to the left trying to stay in one area:
[🎵🎵🎵 Ari playing the groove through the cycle 🎵🎵🎵 ]
In this video, I show you how to effectively practice the main riff of AC/DC’s Back in Black on bass using permutations and rhythmic drills. Nail the rhythm, nail the riff. Get the technique and you are rocking! Get Back in Black for real!
Had a student the other day who was struggling with this: [🎵 Back in Black riff 🎵]. First of all, watch the technique. If you have ever practiced my Pivot permutations, that’s where they pay off: one-two, one -three, one-four (almost).
Let’s look at the Rhythm for a second. These are mini groups of threes: 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3. The rhythm de-da, da-da, da-da. What I recommend for you to really feel this rhythm is not so much to break it down in its quarter note components, which is also something you could do, but this one really thrives of being a group of three being moved over a straight groove.
Don’t touch the metronome – just feel it in half time. Groups of threes [🎵🎵🎵🎵] and then you take out the “training wheel” [🎵🎵🎵🎵] Just feel that note that you just played with the training wheel [🎵🎵🎵🎵] … and without [🎵🎵🎵🎵] Double time [🎵🎵🎵🎵]
Discover invaluable insights on how to make your music practice much more effective with this informative video. Gain practical tips and techniques specifically tailored for bass guitarists, allowing you to enhance your musicality and reach new levels of proficiency.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player, Ariane’s expert advice and engaging teaching style will empower you to practice your music better and unlock your full potential on the bass guitar.
No, it’s not the wrong strings; it’s not the wrong bass; it’s not the wrong amp; and it’s not on YouTube either. I have four suggestions for you:
1 – Deep practice. it is also called deliberate practice. This comes from this book. Instead of putting in quantity time when you practice, focus on quality time.
2 – Small bite-sized chunks. Short videos are a great way of going about doing that. All you gotta do is press play and practice along. It’s just like watching a workout video where you exercise along with it.
3 – Group support. Can take many forms: coaches, peers practicing and learning together, maybe even a local lesson. This works really well for some, and,
4 – Feedback. Feedback from a teacher and from yourself through recording.
Hope this was useful. These are just a few tips on how you can get your attention and focus back.
Watch, as I unveil the #1 enemy that’s holding back your progress and growth as a bassist. As an experienced bass player and educator, I’ve encountered this obstacle countless times, and I’m here now to share my insights and tips with you.
Together, we’ll explore practical strategies to conquer this challenge and unlock your full potential on the bass. Get ready to elevate your playing and overcome the hurdles that have been holding you back. Join me in this transformative journey and let’s revolutionize your bass practice routine together!
#A14
The #1 Enemy of Your Bass Practice
Video Transcript
No, it’s not the wrong strings; it’s not the wrong bass; it’s not the wrong amp; it’s not on YouTube either.
The Problem
After observing hundreds of students and bass players, I can tell you what I think the biggest enemy is, it’s distraction. Notifications, email, texts, adverts: play like Jaco in a weekend, advertising. Seriously, if you’d like to learn more about why these kind of distractions are so destructive, I recommend this book. The link is in the description.
Our attention span has taken a nosedive due to technology – the never-ending scroll, constant novelty, video-video-video! They know exactly what they’re doing and the goal is to keep you on these platforms as much as possible. We suffer decision fatigue from all these hyperlinks, so it’s tempting that as soon as the going gets just a little tough, we jump from one thing to the next, to the next, to the next.
Many of us have lost the ability to deeply focus and get into the flow. The flow is such a delicious feeling. It’s deeply healthy to practice and get lost in notes and improvisations – in sounds and technique and reading. It is such a delicious feeling when you feel yourself improved as a result of it.
So, how can we get the focus back? Trying to force focus doesn’t work very well. Instead, what does work is finding purpose in the task. Being in the process of the task helps. This reminds me of what we do when we meditate and observe our breath, enjoying the task.
I have four suggestions for you
1 – Deep practice. It is also called deliberate practice. This comes from this book. Instead of putting in quantity time when you practice, focus on quality time. My PORA method described in my book, Music Theory for the Bass Player is a five-step sequence that can help you achieve deep practice. So, number one is deep practice or deliberate practice.
2 – Small bite-sized chunks. Short videos are a great way of going about doing that. All you gotta do is press play and practice along. It’s just like watching a workout video where you exercise along with it.
3 – Support. Group support can take many forms: coaches, peers practicing and learning together, maybe even a local lesson.This works really well for some, and
4 – Feedback. Feedback from a teacher and from yourself through recording.
Hope that was useful. These were just a few tips on how you can get your attention and focus back. Our programs touch on all of these. We’re big on community and we’re big on feedback.
