The term “well rounded bass player” is a popular term in bass education. Lots of teachers try to make their students into well rounded players. This means that teachers will help them to obtain a variety of playing skills and abilities. But acquiring a well rounded ability doesn't happen in music school. Mostly, it happens outside of it because it involves the use of the musical skills that you were taught in school. Players that were taught how to read and play the bass via solid musical principles practiced over many months are qualified for a lot more playing situations other than the one or two styles of bass playing that many are familiar with. Their musical ability gets people to be qualified to play in various musical situations. Thus, they learn in the throes of real time bass playing. It is in the experience of live and recorded playing where musicians begin to develop the skills that makes them well rounded. It doesn't take place in music school. This is how bass players become well rounded; they play a lot.
For me, the expression "well rounded bass player" is a synonym for "broad bass education" in that both expressions don't specify anything concrete. Being taught via a broad education doesn't specify either the method or the goals that come from being taught this way. Nor is it easy to actually be told what to expect by being a "well rounded" bass player.
A broad education offers students a smorgasbord of lessons but doesn’t appear to specify any one musical subject as necessary for deep learning. But, in music history, musicians never were taught via this philosophy. It simply never seemed to have existed. Instead, bass teachers seemingly have encouraged students to try everything instead of offering reliable specifics in what and how one would be taught.
Many bass players aren’t well rounded, by the way. They're specialists! While players like Will Lee or Anthony Jackson fill the well rounded definition, the bass players that many admire are specialists in that they tend to only do their thing. Bootsey, Geddy Lee and Flea are more specialized bass players in that they function well in their musical thing within their bands or with other like-minded musicians. Well rounded doesn't seem to apply to bass players that specialize in something. A blues bass player will almost always remain a blues bass player.
Neither does offering a "broad education" seem to define anything concrete regarding a solid musical curriculum for the length of time that you are studying bass at your schools. In truth, the more that a student is offered a broad education to learn from, the less that a student can know which course carries more importance than another one. Since your teacher seems to view each course as equally important as any other course, how do you know if you are focusing on the type of musical training that is the most necessary to improve your playing? Since your career begins and ends with your ability to play, doesn't it make sense to improve this skill first and foremost, hence, a need, not for a broad education but a specific and narrow one?
Consider this next paragraph as circumstantial evidence for my views:
People learning a second language study one language. Hence, a narrow approach to teaching a second language. No language school to my knowledge encourages students to take a little German, French, Spanish and Japanese at the same time. In cooking schools, students are taught basic skills (and they are all taught the same ways, by the way.) Students aren't encouraged to learn Mexican food recipes in the morning, Chinese food stir fry in the afternoon and Frence pastry cooking at night. If other forms of education focus on the teaching of specific skills through a narrow educational curriculum, then bass students would benefit if their teachers decided to teach bass as other forms of education appear to be taught.
The floor is yours.
For me, the expression "well rounded bass player" is a synonym for "broad bass education" in that both expressions don't specify anything concrete. Being taught via a broad education doesn't specify either the method or the goals that come from being taught this way. Nor is it easy to actually be told what to expect by being a "well rounded" bass player.
A broad education offers students a smorgasbord of lessons but doesn’t appear to specify any one musical subject as necessary for deep learning. But, in music history, musicians never were taught via this philosophy. It simply never seemed to have existed. Instead, bass teachers seemingly have encouraged students to try everything instead of offering reliable specifics in what and how one would be taught.
Many bass players aren’t well rounded, by the way. They're specialists! While players like Will Lee or Anthony Jackson fill the well rounded definition, the bass players that many admire are specialists in that they tend to only do their thing. Bootsey, Geddy Lee and Flea are more specialized bass players in that they function well in their musical thing within their bands or with other like-minded musicians. Well rounded doesn't seem to apply to bass players that specialize in something. A blues bass player will almost always remain a blues bass player.
Neither does offering a "broad education" seem to define anything concrete regarding a solid musical curriculum for the length of time that you are studying bass at your schools. In truth, the more that a student is offered a broad education to learn from, the less that a student can know which course carries more importance than another one. Since your teacher seems to view each course as equally important as any other course, how do you know if you are focusing on the type of musical training that is the most necessary to improve your playing? Since your career begins and ends with your ability to play, doesn't it make sense to improve this skill first and foremost, hence, a need, not for a broad education but a specific and narrow one?
Consider this next paragraph as circumstantial evidence for my views:
People learning a second language study one language. Hence, a narrow approach to teaching a second language. No language school to my knowledge encourages students to take a little German, French, Spanish and Japanese at the same time. In cooking schools, students are taught basic skills (and they are all taught the same ways, by the way.) Students aren't encouraged to learn Mexican food recipes in the morning, Chinese food stir fry in the afternoon and Frence pastry cooking at night. If other forms of education focus on the teaching of specific skills through a narrow educational curriculum, then bass students would benefit if their teachers decided to teach bass as other forms of education appear to be taught.
The floor is yours.
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