You need tools to be able to improvise bass lines effectively.
Trial and error takes time and yields more error than anything else. Learning music theory eliminates much of the fog or outright darkness involved with knowing what ought to come next, musically.
Look at it this way: While it’s eventually possible to find out exactly where the furniture in a dark room is by just bashing your toes into it enough times to be sure, it’s infinitely better to just turn on a light to know exactly where you’re going, and keep your tootsies safe and sound.
well, I’m not sure which parts of theory are needed…though I think I have “enough”. I think it’s something more along confidence/permission to explore/just putting time into it. Sometimes, I can hear a song and the same note is repeated, and it has meaning…but when I play the same note 3 times while “jamming” it feels boring…and stiff. And I need to get over that self-critical hump to be able to explore more. Or…maybe just realize that maybe my talents just lie elsewhere. I wonder where this falls into the talent vs practice/skill debate too.
My son is a more talented guitar player, and a couple of times we’ll play together on a track (he’s goofing around and lets me join in) and one other thing I find challenging there, is while he’s exploring and I’m exploring, I don’t know how to link up the explorations. Like how to feed off of what he’s doing. So then I go back to my own just play with a track…cause there are less variables and more consistency.
Oh - another thing I’ve tried to do is play more melodies…to get more experience with how to link phrases together. Though that’s a more recent effort too. But I think helps me with learning how to “feel” the notes in a different way. Blues Bossa is the one I’m using for that.
I don’t think this is necessarily reflective of your talent. I think it’s maybe more of what I was getting at earlier in the thread - not everyone likes to jam
I mean we can all have fun with it, but for some of us, it’s not where the magic happens - it’s fun but not our primary or most effective method of creating new music. Not everyone creates the same way.
The key is to recognize this and not let it discourage you.
I’m generally drawn towards the fun parts of things. It’s like seeing kids go off and ride bikes, and I have a bike…and I want to hang with them, but just don’t ride it “well” enough to hang out with them…I’ll keep trying. It’s not discouraging me, more just perplexes/challenges me.
All of it, although i haven’t found real people to play with yet. It’s such a therapeutic exercise and it keeps me nimble and my brain constantly stretching. Looking forward to more!
Maybe try singing along with your playing. Literally just sing or hum the notes you’re playing.
To break out of ruts, try just playing air-bass. Make up a bass line by singing and playing an imaginary bass. Then pick up a real one and see how closely you can match what was in your head.
Dance while you practice. Doesn’t have to be big. But start by moving your body first. Then build a bass line to fit the movements of your body.
Jam to tracks that already have a bass line. Then create a different bass line that compliments that one.
Hook up some effects. Grab some things and turn the settings up to heavily change or distort your sound. Throw on some heavy synth sounds, or a lot of metal drive, or an envelop filter and wah, or defret and a bunch of reverb. Something different from your normal. See what that inspires you to do.
One of my favorite modules in your course was the one where we were jamming. I had so much fun! Now that I’ve completed the course, I’ve been looking up tabs/tracks for some of my favorite songs and jamming along with the tracks. Some have gone well and some…well, let’s just say they will take some considerable practice, but hey, I’ve got nothing but time now that I’m retired. Onward and upward!
→ jamming with a jam track
Whether it’s a chord chart with no bass or “Em drone,” I find these to be a relaxing way to practice “improv” or just something I’ve recently learned, like a shifting pattern for pentatonic or a modal diatonic.
But I feel this approach is often very self discipline driven, whereas they are often intended to just play around and have fun.
→ jamming to your fav songs
How else can you play with someone else and say “Your playing it wrong!!!11!”
But really, this is the graduation phase of my routine for virtually every song I want to “learn.” Jamming to the recording without a tab or anything in front of me.
→ jamming with your guitar buddy
Have had mixed experiences. It’s much more fun when the person is versatile and will challenge to throw you off but also be playing off you. “You wanna play wonderwall?” is more of the expected “jam”
→ jamming with a band
This is my personal preference as it lets you explore multiple things:
You can test yourself that you can play “in the moment” and not just to -exactly- how you play it sitting in your living room.
You can deviate from how you normally play it to see if anyone notices or even compliments you, most people don’t want to be a re-recording of a song but play it to a recognizable level.
It’s just my personal preference to really be in the role of “the bass player” and experience how everyone else plays off what I play or vice versa.
If the band is really good, you quickly are forced to grow and feel pressure to “survive” in time no matter how simple your part is.
Thanks for your replies everybody! Good to hear there’s so much jamming spirit around here.
I push it as much as I can in my lessons, but it really can’t be overstated - the fastest way to get better at bass/music is to actually play it, preferably with other people live.
For what it’s worth I’ve leapt into jamming recently (another Dad at my kid’s school + was gifted a season at the School of Rock adult program).
I’ve been very upfront about where I’m at, what I can do and what’s hard for me. Everyone has been very receptive.
One place I think I"m succeeding is being organized. I’ve been making google docs that chart out how the songs we’re playing work (also a great exercise in counting) and what key each measure is in. How the intros and bridges work (e.g. drums, then guitar, then guitar + bass). My intent is to offload some of the work of memorizing things but I find it’s really helping others too who haven’t gotten a song committed to memory or we just don’t remember how something works.
I’ve got a binder I bring with me that has the charts, lyrics, and frequently how to play some of the riffs and extra copies for anyone else who needs one. Its so much easier than trying to read lyrics from a page off your phone that’s filled with ads!
