Finished the BassBuzz lessons a while ago. Have taken a few in-person 1-on-1 lessons and even joined the School of Rock adult house band for a couple of shows.
I’m 58. Been playing and learning bass for two years now. I’m trying to shift my practice routine to focus primarily on Rock and Hard Rock. From Sabbath to Alice in Chains is my rock wheelhouse.
My question is… Does anyone follow a practice routine or are aware of specific routines tailored to someone who just wants to be a good rock and classic metal bassist?
At my age I feel that I don’t really have the time to get much more immersed into theory when all I want to do is find or start a band that does rock covers.
Any advice or links to resources would be so freakin’ appreciated. Thank you all in advance!
I don’t know of one.
I also don’t think it’s necessary.
If you’re done working on theory / technique / general bass things and want everything to be zeroed in on hard rock, just learn every bass line to every song you want to play.
Keep challenging yourself with harder and harder songs.
And - most importantly - be in a band.
The School of Rock thing should be perfect for this, but you’d probably be happiest with a dedicated hard rock / cover band on the side so that you’d have a place to constantly practice and perform the music you love.
The bio of most heavy and hard rock players would most likely be: I picked up a bass, learned a few songs, joined a band, and that has been my life ever since.
You learn heaps by learning other bass lines and being in a band. Sounds like that’s the place you want to be.
Thank you for answering. I definitely don’t want to do the School of Rock thing again. Was fun and allowed me to get an idea of what it takes to learn a setlist and perform it live. Yet I can’t even use video or audio as a showcase of my playing because, truth be told, not everybody was playing well. Either the singer couldn’t sing, the guitarist didn’t practice enough or the drummer couldn’t keep time.
But I will take your advice and find a band and do my best to utilize the skills I’ve learned so far.
Best of luck!
Keep us posted on the band hunt.
It is the single most important step in bass player development, I think.
I get stoked when I see folks find their way out of home-practice-land and into the band realm.