Oh yeah, juries in college are horrible. I was lucky enough to go to a small enough school (before I dropped out) that I knew the professors who were doing the judging.
Worst jury moment was I was playing a piece in an ABA structure (Chopin’s Prelude Op. 28, No. 15), and when I got back to the A section, one of the professors stopped me and said “we know how the rest of it goes, so no need to keep playing it”. Ended up getting a good enough grade, but that did not do well for my anxiety before the grades came out.
With 20-20 hindsight, I feel sorry for the judges for having to sit and listen to a non-ending gaggle of nerve-wracked students play for their grade, but they sure could have been less assholic about how they treated us.
In addition to these fine folks said, I might add that we are so primitive and things take a while to register. Even young folks have some problem with learning new songs too, but they have something we no longer have, blind determination. I play a game with my daughter and after quite a few tries I couldn’t run on the wall and jump to the ledge, I gave up. My 10 year old daughter took over and sure enough half an hour later she just did it like nothing.
My trick is to “introduce” the new song on day one, go through the song and just stumble my way though it all, do that a few times, then move on to the next song. Next session, same thing but it gets easier because I did it already, it can’t be that bad. Usually by the time, I get to the 6th-8th session I could already play along and just have to nail the time on the tricky bits. Next thing you know the muscle memory kicks in and that’s next level. it’s like I’ve been playing this song for years even though the last session was still a struggle.
It takes longer than plowing through in one sitting but the retention is much greater and the recall is just a couple of reps it’d all come back.
Speaking of technique falling apart is anyone else struggling this week? I don’t know if it’s the thanksgiving runaround or the weather change here in PA but my motivation sucks this week and my body HURTS! I mean it always hurts but my hands, arms, shoulders are not feeling the bass love right now.
Bouts of body aches and/or low motivation are relative to each player. When either or both happen, it’s best to do the bare minimum practicing, if any at all.
Just picking the bass up for an intended 5 minutes of playing can do wonders for mood enhancement. Also, the physicality can help a player assess/target muscles that could need massage and/or anti-inflammatory OTC medication (Aspirin, Ibuprofen, etc.).
Lastly, if I ever feel like not playing, I take the Occam’s Razor approach: I don’t play. Sometimes, resting and mentally/physically regrouping is the ticket.
Super important advice. For me this can go on for weeks at a time, and I don’t feel bad at all. My bass is always there for me when I reach for it, and the technique rustiness comes off faster than you expect.
THIS is my main problem that holds me back and stops me from making progress.
I have been taking tutoring for over 2 years (irregularly and regularly) and nothing has changed from day 1 in terms of freezing in front of the instructor.
I am afraid that I will never get with my playing out of the bedroom.
I totally get the frustration of trying to nail every note perfectly. One thing that has really helped me is focusing more on the rhythm and groove rather than stressing over each note. Sometimes, just playing the root and the fifth can simplify things and still sound great. It’s all about finding the joy in playing without the pressure of getting everything right.
Also, instead of trying to cover the whole song from start to finish, I’ve found it helpful to learn one or two bars really well and just play those. It makes practice sessions more manageable and enjoyable. Plus, it allows you to really lock in with the rhythm and groove of the song.
My first time on stage … i crashed hard in a lot of the songs… I was a nervous WRECK.
And we ‘Spinal Tapped’ that gig too ( Got fired first night, guitar players Marshall head blew up, )
Next gig it was better, made less mistakes, next one even better. After a couple weeks… I’d run up to the stage, and was getting through our 3 sets no problem.
Sadly, the only way to get through anxiety like this, is to grind your way through it … it can be tough… but very worth it in the end
Might be a silly question… but have you talked to your instructor about this? Honestly? Not trying to be cheeky… He’s there to help you succeed… Why not ask? Maybe your instructor might have some valuable advice to help you relax… also opening up communication like that will also help you relax
You have recorded videos of your playing, correct?
One possible way to get past shyness of playing in front of anyone is to show them video proof that you can. Let them (and yourself!) see what you’re capable of doing. It might be a trick, but anything is fair in love and bass.
Another possibility would be for you and your teacher to play a practice piece together, slowly but in proper time. Even something super-simple. Doing so would help build confidence that you are capable of playing in front of someone.
Learning to play is a process you’re familiar with. Learning to play before people is a separate process unto itself. You got this. You can do it. One small step at a time.
As others have said, the more you do it, the easier it will get. I had one bass teacher that I could play fine in front of, didn’t get nervous at all, but he and I were friends before he was my bass teacher. I had another bass teacher where I was super nervous every lesson, and made tons of mistakes in front of him I never made on my own.
So one thing that could help is getting to know your instructor better (if possible), developing a relationship beyond just the teacher-student one. But that may not be possible. However, it will get easier with time.
Another thing to keep in mind is performance anxiety is performance anxiety. So as you get more comfortable playing in front of your teacher, you’ll be more comfortable playing on stage when that time comes.
A lot of it has to do with proficiency and confidence too. When I played trumpet, I didn’t have these issues. I didn’t get nervous in lessons. I might be a little nervous before a performance, but as soon as I played the first note, I was fine. But I was very proficient in trumpet and confident in my abilities.
I’m working on this one too. For me it helps to just repeat, “this isn’t any different than practicing at home”
When you play it’s a conversation between you and your instrument, you are making it sing. If you start thinking about anything other than playing you are being rude to your bass. It’s not you missing a note it’s your bass singing off key. Don’t embarrass your bass
I’m working up to an open mic and my mentality is I don’t really care what other people think. I’m up against myself. My job is to play better every time I pick it up.
Also time is a huge component. I know I’m bucking the conventional wisdom on the thread but hours on bass are the #1 thing that will make you better.
There is a limit here, if you push through too much pain you’ll get injured. If your playing hits a mental wall and you start playing poorly then stop. But the greats love the instrument and spend their lives on it.
Knowledge is such a small part. Just like playing sports or driving a car, bass is muscle memory.
Some things you can’t play until you build up technical ability. It’s muscles and coordination.
I play stuff now I had no chance of playing a month or 2 ago. Sometimes I look at my hands and say, “wow how did I do that!”
But being cool is #1. I’m a ruminator. I could tell you a million things I suck at and nothing good.
You can’t bring negative self talk into your bass space. Your inner game trump’s any work you do. Just have fun and do your best. Those drunk Cougars in the front row only hear your root notes anyway.
Please don’t give up.
I have had and still have the same issues.
I still can’t get my fretting hand technique right and suddenly I’ve realised I’ve completely overlooked rhythm!
I’m 68 and only took this up a year ago and I’m still a full time ER doctor so with 12 hour days practice is sporadic.
Ive slowed right down and now practice with real focus. Slowly I’m improving.
My go to quote is this:
Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit.
Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this.
And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.
It is possible to buzz through B2B and have poor technique, because they are recorded videos you’re not getting feedback on your playing from others. Post up some videos in the forums and get “roasted” by the BassBuzz community. That’s what the community forum is here for, and everyone loves to help on this site.
Based on what you stated I recommend you focus on playing clean with a metronome. Do finger exercises and focus on your hand position and thumb placement.
Focus on one thing get it really good before moving on.
I don’t want to trash your f2f instructor, but you don’t need to learn sight reading well, but it is helpful to understanding the timing aspect of sight reading (rests and note duration). That information generally isn’t tabbed out. What notes are which, maybe less important for now or ever… instead of sight reading I would recommend fretboard memorization. Do you know where every note on your fretboard is? That would be a better use of your time.
Best of luck! Post something for the group to see.
I hope the ‘roasted’ bit is tongue in cheek! I’ve never had anything but helpful comment and encouragement from this community, something I hope I also give back to others.
I agree regarding sight reading, at this stage. I’m now 1.5 years into my bass journey, I think sight reading is still a long way off for me, if ever 🫨.
Memorizing the fretboard is arguably the most immediate benefit of studying Mark Smith’s Talking Bass course “Simple Steps to Sight Reading”.
Yes, the title implies that you learn sight reading, but an ancillary bonus is that you learn to play without looking at the fretboard because you’re focused on reading the notation. It’s a truly brilliant approach and course.
In a previous post, I suggested that @MarkeeMark forego sight reading until later in his playing life solely because his stated issue was fretting hand technique and subsequent fatigue. In my opinion, addressing and fixing that fundamental technique needs to be second nature before attempting to learn sight reading. Others might disagree, but it seems logical to me.
