Lesson rants and raves.

Brought my spirit in and Mark said it had a baseball neck. I thought it was kinda thin. You're thoughts?

Oh and he doesn't like flats either. These flats are rather bright too. He was like "You like flats don't you?" and I said "Well these came on this bass and the other ones were tapewound"


Also he was showing me new drills to build up my dexterity and he was out playing me with only his pinkies. He called it "Pinkey bass". Damn I wish I was funny and good at bass. He also played "two princes" with his pinkies. I got a kick outta that.

PS: On an unrelated note, I got $100 for my semi-not birthday (don't ask, long story) so... trem or fretless neck!!!

T. Gunn wrote:

Brought my spirit in and Mark said it had a baseball neck. I thought it was kinda thin. You're thoughts?

He is entitled to his opinion, but it is your bass. If you like the neck, who cares what he says?

T. Gunn wrote:

Oh and he doesn't like flats either. These flats are rather bright too. He was like "You like flats don't you?" and I said "Well these came on this bass and the other ones were tapewound"

See above response.

T. Gunn wrote:

Also he was showing me new drills to build up my dexterity and he was out playing me with only his pinkies. He called it "Pinkey bass". Damn I wish I was funny and good at bass. He also played "two princes" with his pinkies. I got a kick outta that.

Who says you aren't funny or good at bass? I would say that it's good to notice attributes that others have, but don't ever judge your value based upon them. I tend to think in Zen terms sometimes, and it this case, it's the concept that you are exactly where you need to be at this time, otherwise you would be somewhere else. We're all still growing and learning, even us old dogs, and it's not about the destination, but the journey. So stop beating yourself up!

T. Gunn wrote:

PS: On an unrelated note, I got $100 for my semi-not birthday (don't ask, long story) so... trem or fretless neck!!!

Hmmm....that's a toughie. If it were me, and those were my choices, I'd probably get a trem. Fretless necks are common, and it's not terribly difficult to convert a standard neck to fretless if you decided to go the DIY route. Just my two-cents.

BTW T, a quick search on eBay reveals that quailty fretless necks can be had for around $100, and there's a lot of them for sale.

T. Gunn wrote:

Damn I wish I was funny and good at bass.

I will just refrain posting a comment for now

Haha

His skill is humbling. I'm not any good. I'll say I'm alright but doubt I can play with a band. I suck at writing, don't know the notes on the fretboard, and with that... I can't read (sheet music)!

If I can find a trem it will happen but MightyMite now offers a unlined ebony/maple neck on MF for $100, new.

Well see. I think for my summer job I will get the amp and finish up this bass, rather than get another bass.

T. Gunn wrote:

I suck at writing, don't know the notes on the fretboard, and with that... I can't read (sheet music)!

Sounds like you are describing me, but it hasn't hurt my career at all! So don't judge yourself based upon this other guy. Music isn't a contest, but more about what you create. There are tons of players that can technically run circles around me, but if all I did was decide that I wasn't worthy of getting out there to make the noise I want to make, then what would the point of playing in the first place be? Sure, there's always something new to learn, and we should never assume that we know everything. And there will always be other players that intimidate us, but so what? Just focus on what you need to do, and enjoy yourself in the process. See?

writing is a pain in the butt. after written ... working it out with my guitar player is even worse ... and lets just say, i dont even want our drummer to hear any of it untill its 100% written or he starts playing what he thinks we're doing ... very annoying.

very rare when writing a song is just as easy as the falling rain.

i still have a poster of a fender p bass on my basement wall with all the notes printed on all the positions ... i even scribbled out the notes and wrote in the notes on the top string for the drop d. i still look at it when writing with dominic for reference for clearer communication.

i can read sheet music and that nonsence that session musicians scribble out for bassists but isnt really clef ... i just dont do it. its more efficent to communicate other ways.

other local bassists watch me play and tell me i'm an awesome bassist and that they wish they could do some of the stuff i do. i dont believe them ... what i'm doing isnt much different than what they are doing. i'm not awesome ... i'm just not ordinary.

there is always more information and material to learn. put the time in and learn it and you can be a decent player. it doesnt just happen ... it requires some work.

T. Gunn wrote:

I'm not any good. I'll say I'm alright but doubt I can play with a band. I suck at writing, don't know the notes on the fretboard, and with that... I can't read (sheet music)!

NEVER tell yourself that. If you can keep time decently, then you can ALWAYS find a band who will take you. And if you can't keep time... there's always hardcore punk!

I was in a band 2 months after I started playing bass, and I got by well enough. And even if you're no good at writing, and don't know the notes on the fret board (BTW, Billy Sheehan didn't until very recently), just ask the guitarist to show you what to play. As for reading sheet music, don't worry about it. I can't, and neither can a lot of people.

I can keep on time alright but you have to be crazy good to do "the funk". I naturally don't have the funk in me (wish I did) so he has to teach me. Its been really hard.

nothing is as hard as being forced to learn yourself by "watching others" as I had to do in my early years, since there are no tabs or teachers to teach you inverted playing. The first 6 months to a year was killer and I almost said I quit MANY times.

BTW, I also never had a formal lesson, just did what I had to by playing a million covers and learned the frets/neck/technique on my own by playing by ear and watching what others were playing.

as far as the slap/doublethumb technique? Let those people who "NEED" to do that, do that. I'll play rock/metal till I'm dead and continue to piss those people off because for the braggarts, most of them CANNOT play anything beyond the slap technique which is what they chose to want to do.

ask a lot of the older folks who can run circles around those slappers, and they will tell you the same thing.. Your playing style is "yours" and should be trained to what you feel is comfortable

Very well said, Mike.

Heck, most of you Guys know what my whole schtick is as a player. You think anyone taught me how to do any of that garbage? No way! As a beginning player back in the early 80's, I had to hear a number of "pros" sit there and tell me "you can't that that on a bass". So, I had to prove them wrong. That sounds like I'm being cocky, and I'm really not. What I'm saying is that I have never had a lesson in my life, either. Partly because I knew that lessons would potentially put me into an arena of playing "normally" that I did not want to traverse. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, I worked on it, I did it the way I wanted to do it, it works well for me and my band, end of story. You will never hear me say that it's "better than" what anyone else is doing, nor will I ever suggest that it's the way to go for everyone. It's my thing. You can call it different, and that's OK. Just as what Mike/Amimbari is doing. Or MadMike. Or Barkless Dog. Or any of Us here.

The whole slapping thing....hmmm....that's an interesting one. Yes, I am extremely impressed with players that can do it, and this probably has something to do with the fact that I don't slap too well myself. But there is a reason for that. Like Mike just stated, I don't want or need to slap. There are already a number of great players that can do so better than I ever will, or even want to, and my playing style isn't suited for that sort of technique most of the time anyways.

You raised a great point, Mike. Remember the heydays of Flea and the Red Hot Chili Peppers? It seemed to me that after they got popular, every street corner had some guy who could slap like there was no tomorrow. Same thing with Primus. After Les Claypool grabbed the spotlight, there were the usual/predictable crowd of wanna be's.

To thine own self be true!

I can slap half decent but thats (IMO) only half of the funk. There is timing and "coming in where others don't"

Not sure how to explain it but it's kinda like this, but a lot harder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHE6hZU72A4

Double thumb is stupid IMO. But thats just me

I can do punk and rock but I feel myself when I listen to funk. I've found myself only listening to Parliament. But I can't play funk, well. Rock, RHCP, slap is easy. Plus, post Mothers-Milk chilis arn't any good. Which is hard to say really cause many claim that the albums hold no candle to the crazy, vibrant, wild shows the chilis would put on.

Just think of flea's stuffed animal pants XD

I concur with what Eric and the Mikes have said...find what makes you happy, give it a little elbow grease, and groove like it's going out of style...

i took 3 months of lessons when i was 20.

i learned some stuff so i cant say it was a total waste of money or time.

compared to what i play today ... ????

total waste of time and money.

everything i play ... i stole. i steal style and riff from everybody. i look for good music that nobody knows so i can steal their stuff note for note. note for note, i lay some flange and synth growl on it and a bit of wah and nobody knows any different from flea to michael anthony. i'll slap. i'll play chords. i'll hammer. i'll trill. mix everything up that you learned from someone else and what do you have? new music.

michael anthony ... what a shame. eddie kept an exelent bassist in a box for years.

tab on the internet is an awesome resource. if you dont learn anything, learn to read tab ... its easy. then, try to learn what it is (tonic, key, scale. timing signature) that you just learned how to play.

whenever i can and i'm sitting with other bassists, i chew the fat and try to get it to, "you teach me something and i'll teach you." best way to learn stuff.

I love funk, and will play it religiously!!!

just no slapping..I may not have the "feel", but I sure have the notes correct

See funk is cool, slapping is overrated.

@Madmike

I can assure you, this is worth it. I've possibly learned more in the 6 lessons (IIRC) I've taken from him than I have the 4 years (every other week, on and off) I've taken from another guy.

So I called him today asking when he was going to be back from his trip. He said "Well... I'll call you when I get back"

I consider him famous, it's kinda weird knowing him, much-less him telling me he'll call me. All this just seems so surreal.

After all, he is only human. Just like the rest of us are.

But I do get what you are saying. I still trip over knowing John Gallagher. And even more so, being in a band with my guitarist Andy, since he is so close to Zakk Wylde after working for him and Ozzy for so many years. Even after an evening of jamming, recording, and knocking back some brewskis with him, I'll still find myself looking at him and going "DUUUDE!!!"

For sure. I like flip every time I think about it. Feelin all special and my mom goes "Who the hell where the spin doctors?" every time I talk about my lesson (and I have to explain every time he was with the spin doctors)