Hey, first post here, been lurking for a good week though and my friend urged me to sign up! Anyway, Me and two guitarist friends had a jam tonight at my friend Paul's house(Guitarist the first), and I learned like two songs in a half hour or so, I've only been playing like 6 months, so that's quite good for me, has anyone else had this experience with playing with groups, or do I just have very inspirational friends. By the way, one has been playing 5 years, the other about 2, they say I'm doing quite well as a player so far.
Bass is like a woman, would you wanna touch your woman with a piece of plastic? I think not. ;)
Hey, good for you! It's always fun to play along with other people because it pushes you to things you didn't know you could do just sitting there by yourself. It's like it 'externalizes' everything you've learned because now, other people are hearing it, and you can sorta hear it through their ears in a way.
And as a bassist, that's real important - to be able to blend in and have your part going whilst the others are going off. It's also kinda cool that there were no drums because it makes you, as the bass player, have to keep things going and steady.
And when you get to play with a drummer, you'll notice another 'jump' in your abilities because now you'll have someone in your 'section' playing along with what you're doing.
It's great to get 2 songs down that fast, but that's the way it is. You get a good 'push' and things sorta straighten themselves out for you. You get to see, hear and play things that maybe were only a lesson before, and suddenly you realize how they all fit together and work.
It's a great feeling though, isn't it?
I've noticed that for me many times, but the other thing, the other topic -- which may for you be a little ways off -- is playing live in front of an audience.
Now that's a PUSH and a half, and after one gig, it's like things get so solidified it's incredible. It's like having fifty 'super lessons' all at once and when you walk away from the gig, even if things went really bad or really good (doesn't matter, 'cause it's live and not a recording, lol), you've grown tremendously.
I noticed that when I was gigging back in the 80's. A song you struggled with learning in the bedroom is suddenly so clear in your mind after one or two nights of playing it in front of people that you wonder why you had such a problem with it! For me it was Don't Stop Believing by Journey. I was doing the piano riff on guitar, and it was the first song of the first set in a new club and it was just me and I...totally muffed it! And there was no hiding either, lol, because that intro is JUST the piano (which means just ME), before the bass comes in.
So...I shook it off as best I could, feeling so embarrassed I wanted to melt into the carpet, and started it again. This time it went okay, and from that night on I never muffed it again. I could play it in my sleep pretty much and it felt so solid in my mind and in my hands that it became a pleasure to play.
Anyhow, you are on your way; just keep going and have fun doing it!
Best regards.
Hey Seamus. Nice singature, we gotta do more jams when we find a spot for scotts drums. Get a cool groove thing on the go then.
~PauL~
Vacate is the word...Vengance has no place on me or her...Cannot find a comfort in this world.
Hey, have fun jamming. I noticed that playing with a drummer helps me learn faster also and gives more confidence.
Yea, jammings great even if you havn't organised any songs in the first place.
The first time I jammed it was great because I was used to all the music I played and listened to and then you start to play someone elses favourties and tastes and it opens massives doors to what you do next.
This is my rifle, this is my gun; this is for fighting, this is for fun!
