The Hal Leonard Bass Method thread

[ShawnG]

Where did you get those pitch exercises?

TalkingBass.com, they are from Mark Smith’s “Simple Steps to Sight Reading” course. He provides .pdfs of all his lesson material, and I had them printed out because I like working from paper vs. screen. The Sight Reading course fills a 3” binder.
The course is not “fun”, IMO, but if you can discipline yourself to do the drills, it really pays off. When I was working on his course previously I got so that I could run through a page of the natural notes (no sharps or flats), on all four strings, frets 1-5, treating the whole notes as quarter notes, at about 60 bpm without looking at the fretboard.
His course produces results, but it is a bit of a slog compared to Ed’s curriculum, which to me is a lot more enjoyable due to the play alongs for so many exercises.

 

[NotAGardener]

I figured this second pass through MB1 would be quicker, mostly, and I could approach it that way but that's not how it's worked out, and it's not a problem, but enjoyable.

Since Aug 19 I've been dwelling on pg 27, ex 56 & 57 (daily...and a pretty good bit of time) and while I can perform them generally well I, rather than move to the next page, am starting to raise the bar on defects. 3/4 of the time there will be something ranging from a slight hesitation here, to a string-stop position error that's not catastrophic but enough to warrant staying put and practicing, there, to the occasional gross flub. So, I'm just going through those two exercises again and again and again, sometimes slowly for quality, sometimes faster to emphasize digit alacrity (it's a great word) while staying on the road, sometimes in-between, sometimes small pieces but more often the entire piece again, or at least an entire staff line. The cool thing is that I'm enjoying the evolutionary journey for it's own sake and feel no urge to accelerate page turning, though I probably will today. I'm finding it an interesting, satisfying process.

I also realized that my D-string is defective, having a change in OD from 0.050" to 0.060" just below (pitch-wise) the second fret; so that's where some annoying fret buzz has been coming from. New strings are on the way, slightly lighter gauge (40-100 thousandths, down from the current 45-105) which I have been informed may affect intonation.....something I knew nothing of, and something else new to learn.

So, pretty good, all around.

 

[NotAGardener]

I turned the page yesterday and find those relatively simpler exercises to be worth spending some time and effort on in general; the 9th bar of exercise 61 especially.

This morning I listen to reggae while just performing plucking exercises, moving across the strings with my right hand and nothing else. I'm trying to evolve the mechanics to be more seamless than they are right now. Then I added freeform fretting exercises to that for the same reason.

 

[NotAGardener]

I have found: I benefit from painting White-Out over the numerical fingering and chord indicators on the exercises. I can't help but see the fingering indicators when practicing and that doesn't help me mentally burn-in the note-head to finger/fret assignment relationships; I find the individual top-of-page note/fret/fingering diagrams sufficient support for the subsequent exercises. The chord indicators can be confusing when they aren't the same as the notes; when they are the same, they're far above my ability to relate to, or process. If I get to the point where I can use them I'll be ecstatic to just get another copy of the book!

 

[ShawnG]

Time for the weekly update. I’m going to try to post something here at the end of each weekend as an accountability device for myself. Hopefully someone else will get some benefit, too.

A frustratingly low-level of achievement this week. Definitely did not meet my goal of 30 mins per day.

Got back into town after a five-day work trip and picked back up right where I left off! No drop off, let’s go!!

Then I brought out the pitch reading exercises…
E & A strings with natural, flats and sharps. Uh, oh… Couldn’t even sort of do it without lots of looking at the fretboard and lots of mistakes.
Too big a bite all at once, so back to the E string, naturals and sharps, then E string naturals and flats, then E string with all of them, same thing on the A string. Tomorrow will be a day off due to work commitments, but I want to get E & A, all the notes (frets 1-5) under my fingers and finish page 22 in the HLBM book by the end of the week and the move to the D string exercises by next weekend.
I really do not enjoy plodding through the pitch reading exercises, but am hoping it will pay off by the time I get through the G string exercises and start moving on to exercises (and songs in the Easy Pop Bass Lines book) that use all four strings.

Enough typing, more practicing. Have a good week, everyone!

 

[NotAGardener]

Do some of you other newbs run into problems here/there with a measure or two that, to look at, seem no big deal but turn out to be maddeningly difficult to perform?

My example is MB1, pg 30, ex 65, Three's A Crowd, bar 8 (and surprisingly 13 & 14, though not nearly to the same degree...just never really quite smooth & solid).

The approach involving bars 5-7 are trivial but 80% of the time I'm gonna botch something after the G of that measure and the even landing on A in bar 9. There is something about that fretting combination (and not-best plucking seems to go along with it) that is maddeningly difficult for me. I slow down, I practice just that bar slowly/medium (various results but generally reasonably clean when performed in that vacuum) but when I try to put the whole thing together and get to bar 8, I cannot keep it on the road!

Intellectually I grok that this sort of thing can happen but good grief!! Four notes, my personal Waterloo! That arrangement of four notes wants to destroy me. Somebody please tell me I'm not the only one who's run into this sort of thing; even if it's a lie.

 

[ShawnG]

Do some of you other newbs run into problems here/there with a measure or two that, to look at, seem no big deal but turn out to be maddeningly difficult to perform?

My example is MB1, pg 30, ex 65, Three's A Crowd, bar 8 (and surprisingly 13 & 14, though not nearly to the same degree...just never really quite smooth & solid).

The approach involving bars 5-7 are trivial but 80% of the time I'm gonna botch something after the G of that measure and the even landing on A in bar 9. There is something about that fretting combination (and not-best plucking seems to go along with it) that is maddeningly difficult for me. I slow down, I practice just that bar slowly/medium (various results but generally reasonably clean when performed in that vacuum) but when I try to put the whole thing together and get to bar 8, I cannot keep it on the road!

Intellectually I grok that this sort of thing can happen but good grief!! Four notes, my personal Waterloo! That arrangement of four notes wants to destroy me. Somebody please tell me I'm not the only one who's run into this sort of thing; even if it's a lie.

I have definitely come across across a measure or a riff that just doesn’t “fit my fingers.” There was a tune I was learning on SBL during my previous go ‘round that had a riff that I really struggled with. The only way I got passed it was to slow it down, I mean really slow it down, and then take it one note at a time, at a speed I can do it at. Once I finally get the notes under my fingers at that very slow speed, I try to up the tempo, slowly, slowly, slowly until I can get there at the tempo the song requires. My $.02.

 

[KindofBlues71]

Do some of you other newbs run into problems here/there with a measure or two that, to look at, seem no big deal but turn out to be maddeningly difficult to perform?

My example is MB1, pg 30, ex 65, Three's A Crowd, bar 8 (and surprisingly 13 & 14, though not nearly to the same degree...just never really quite smooth & solid).

The approach involving bars 5-7 are trivial but 80% of the time I'm gonna botch something after the G of that measure and the even landing on A in bar 9. There is something about that fretting combination (and not-best plucking seems to go along with it) that is maddeningly difficult for me. I slow down, I practice just that bar slowly/medium (various results but generally reasonably clean when performed in that vacuum) but when I try to put the whole thing together and get to bar 8, I cannot keep it on the road!

Intellectually I grok that this sort of thing can happen but good grief!! Four notes, my personal Waterloo! That arrangement of four notes wants to destroy me. Somebody please tell me I'm not the only one who's run into this sort of thing; even if it's a lie.

Absolutely. And it happens to me with measures that aren't difficult, which is way more frustrating than struggling with a difficult measure or riff.

I have always had trouble playing a bass line near the end of the chorus in Stuck In The Middle. Even slowing it down 50% was a struggle. I haven't played it in awhile but I never did nail it. It's on my bass bucket list though...

 

[SteveCS]

The approach involving bars 5-7 are trivial but 80% of the time I'm gonna botch something after the G of that measure and the even landing on A in bar 9. There is something about that fretting combination (and not-best plucking seems to go along with it) that is maddeningly difficult for me. I slow down, I practice just that bar

You might need to plan your left hand fingering a bit better - find ways to use the previous measure to plan and prepare for the next. There is nothing preventing you from, for example, using different fingers on the same fret, or interchanging fingers on the same note to prepare a shift. I don't generally like TAB for many reasons but here I've included it as an useful aid to illustrating the points:

 

[KindofBlues71]

You might need to plan your left hand fingering a bit better - find ways to use the previous measure to plan and prepare for the next. There is nothing preventing you from, for example, using different fingers on the same fret, or interchanging fingers on the same note to prepare a shift. I don't generally like TAB for many reasons but here I've included it as an useful aid to illustrating the points:

I really like figuring out fretting positions when there are 4 or more frets between notes. I have small hands and stubby fingers so I'm doing the Simandl fingering (Index-Middle-Pinky) until the 7th fret (sometimes 9th), which forces me to shift positions a lot.

 

[NotAGardener]

Didn't really think I was plowing new ground with this problem but it was nice to get confirmation. You know, the fingering is actually pretty simple and makes sense, but just a combination that was giving me fits for several practice sessions. Interestingly, today, it all just came together. It's not bomb proof but I generally perform it decently now. I have a hunch that I needed a break from practice as much as anything.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[EddiePlaysBass]

I have found: I benefit from painting White-Out over the numerical fingering and chord indicators on the exercises. I can't help but see the fingering indicators when practicing and that doesn't help me mentally burn-in the note-head to finger/fret assignment relationships; I find the individual top-of-page note/fret/fingering diagrams sufficient support for the subsequent exercises. The chord indicators can be confusing when they aren't the same as the notes; when they are the same, they're far above my ability to relate to, or process. If I get to the point where I can use them I'll be ecstatic to just get another copy of the book!

I was gonna say something, but then i read your last line While I do understand wanting to blank out the chords etc, they are there for a reason. But everyone moves on their own pace. And buying at least two copies of the book seems par for the course here (I am one of those, too )

You might need to plan your left hand fingering a bit better - find ways to use the previous measure to plan and prepare for the next. There is nothing preventing you from, for example, using different fingers on the same fret, or interchanging fingers on the same note to prepare a shift. I don't generally like TAB for many reasons but here I've included it as an useful aid to illustrating the points:

This is one thing I learned from playing ukulele, actually. Maddeningly difficult finger picking patterns that had me sweating, until I realized that the way I fret my chords can assist in the transition and makes things much easier. Never really had that happen on bass too much - guess I got lucky there.

 

[SteveCS]

This is one thing I learned from playing ukulele, actually. Maddeningly difficult finger picking patterns that had me sweating, until I realized that the way I fret my chords can assist in the transition and makes things much easier. Never really had that happen on bass too much - guess I got lucky there.

I firmly believe that notes, fingerings posture and handshape in position should be studied and learned inside-out, but once the hand is fully trained and real music is being produced there is no need to stay wedded to any dogmatic position-based scheme - let the music be the arbiter of what is necessary. Fingerings, positions and shifts morph from being discrete technical elements practiced within defined boundaries into integrated fluid motions linked together with overlapping boundaries and simultaneous execution. That's what I tried to show a little of in the PDF...

 

[NotAGardener]

I firmly believe that notes, fingerings posture and handshape in position should be studied and learned inside-out, but once the hand is fully trained and real music is being produced there is no need to stay wedded to any dogmatic position-based scheme - let the music be the arbiter of what is necessary. Fingerings, positions and shifts morph from being discrete technical elements practiced within defined boundaries into integrated fluid motions linked together with overlapping boundaries and simultaneous execution. That's what I tried to show a little of in the PDF...

That slipped my attention; thank you for going to the trouble and I'll take a look at it shortly!

 

[KindofBlues71]

...That's what I tried to show a little of in the PDF...

It was cool to see how you approach the fingering for that exercise. Do you have trouble with finger rolls or just prefer to use a different finger? I like using the roll when it makes sense; I've been practicing using my pinky but still need to build up more strength to play the note on the string below cleanly. Not a problem with my index, middle or ring fingers though.

 

[SteveCS]

Do you have trouble with finger rolls or just prefer to use a different finger?

I don't have trouble with it but I primarily (last 40 years) play fretless and find I get more secure intonation that way. Once frets enter the fray it is less of a concern but old habits die hard!! Even with all this going on the thumb contact point remains 'in position' so the fingers can quickly return to the 'correct' position and reliably locate any note within the position without compromising hand-shape:

 

[NotAGardener]

You might need to plan your left hand fingering a bit better - find ways to use the previous measure to plan and prepare for the next. There is nothing preventing you from, for example, using different fingers on the same fret, or interchanging fingers on the same note to prepare a shift. I don't generally like TAB for many reasons but here I've included it as an useful aid to illustrating the points:

Steve,

Your considerate and very nice looking page indicates use of 1234 but I'm using 124. In the first few frets even my 4 stretch to fret 3 requires determination. That said, I still sometimes wonder if over the long haul (which cannot reasonably exceed 20 years, and a service life for playing bass of 10 is more likely) switching to 1234 would be possible and pay benefits; I can make it happen in a non-time or performance vacuum, but in a performance domain...not so sure. I tend to think it's not the hot ticket but I do sometimes wonder when looking at the upper range frets.

At this point I've gotten past my problems with those passages; the fretting isn't really difficult now. I think I was fatigued and psyching myself out by letting higher level thought and over-concern for flubs undermined muscle memory drivers. All is well on this piece now.

As an aside, if anybody can recommend a Linux (Ubuntu distro) based program for generating printed music I'd be grateful; I haven't really looked and the need isn't great.

Cheers,
John

 

[atinm]

..
As an aside, if anybody can recommend a Linux (Ubuntu distro) based program for generating printed music I'd be grateful; I haven't really looked and the need isn't great.

I've used Lilypond if that is what you are looking for. LilyPond – Music notation for everyone

 

[NotAGardener]

I've used Lilypond if that is what you are looking for. LilyPond – Music notation for everyone

I will check it out! Thank you!

 

[NotAGardener]

I've been using the floating thumb technique since day one but for various reasons I'm questioning the decision. I decided to try All Four One (uses all the strings) via anchoring on the PU and E strings per videos I've seen; It felt promising, even given the mere 10 or 15 minutes I spent, but I got a ringing A string; how to mute it I wondered. It then occurred to me flip to the front of MB1 to see what Ed might have to say! He's anchoring at the PU, E and E/D strings; no ringing A. The PU & E anchors felt good right away but the E/D will take a little work, but I'm going to try this out for a decent while. If anybody can point me to a video that demos this please sing out; I'm looking but no dice yet. Hmmm, well, I was looking for "instructional" videos; I think I'll just go find one where he's simply playing! Still, if you know of one, please let me know!

Edit: In this vid he's using PU/E and resting pinky or ring on A!