{Music} How to practice? (LONG)

#1 · November 4, 2003, 10:31 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on November 4, 2003, 10:31 pm
Posted by: famkan <famkan@...>

In a recent, vaguely related email, Dave wrote;

> Well, GAS is relieved and now I can better focus on practice.

hmm, I didn't know the two were related. Certainly not for me, its more a case of GAS = GAS+1, an ever increasing series, until I finally get myself into gear (haha) and start practicing again..

Which brings me this email. A while ago I pondered over the whole idea of how to practice - some kind of method where I could set myself acheivable goals, not have the burden of finding hours a day, and could still work on the fun parts as well as the meat and potatoes of technique, rhythm etc. I've come up with something that I wanted to share with you all.

Its based around the three divisions of music: Rhythm, Harmony, and Melody. As bass players we often sit in the middle of these - helping to define the rhythm, and basis of the harmony, and occaisionally supporting the melody, or incorporating counter-melodies in our lines. The idea is to incorporate a portion of each section into the practice period you have available.

In the Rhythm section I include metronome practice, which I always consider essential. When I practice I try to spend at least 5 minutes with the metronome doing various rhythmic exercises - 4ths, 8ths, 16ths etc, and various patterns. This will also include small things like string swapping exercises, and muting exercises, to ensure that my technique is inline with the rhythm I want to play. Technique could be a separate section altogether - maybe in a later revision. A few of you may have my Rhythmic Dictionary from last year, and this can come in handy here too. Also learning to play on top of, in front of and behind the beat.

The Harmony section is far fuller, because naturally there is more to cover. Scales, arpegios, modes (both major and melodic minor), walking bass, 10ths, chords, piano voicings, and learning to develop bass lines and grooves. For a lot of this section I use a lot of different resources, books, transcribing, even just listening to stuff to get and idea of how the bass is making a difference -even if I don't directly go and nut out excatly what its doing. With scales and modes and so on, the original idea I had was to do one key a day, 5 or 6 days a week. Over a 2 week period you would cover all keys. I need a rethink here. Possibly one key a week, and look at the different modes in that key (e.g. D dorian, D phrygian, D minor, D lydian domiant etc). I'm kind of prone to skipping over Db and Gb keys - as I don't really have that much call for them... 😉

The Melody section is less full, and for me less important. Here I include learning classical solos (Bach suites etc), fills, soloing and developing counter melodies. Lots of fun stuff to work on, but maybe not so much of what I want to, or need to play.

Now there is an awful lot in there, and way too much to cover in one practice session, let alone a life time to perfect. (I'm only a young'un' compared with some of you wiser gentlemen and ladies, but the older I get, the more I really do know the further I have to go in just about every aspect of my life - not just playing bass). So the idea here is to set aside a minimum of 30 minutes a day - which really isn't that much. It can be fit in at just about any time, and I don't even do it every day - lately hardly ever!! I divide the 30 minutes into 10 minutes of rhythm and technique, 15 minutes of harmony, and maybe 5 on melody. These are of course all adjustable. I have different divisions for 45 minutes and an hour, should I be so lucky!, as well as for 2x30 minutes, and a 30 and a 45 session in a day.

To help me in all this, I developed a 10 point plan to follow - I'm good with a bit of structure (can you tell??)

1. Set aside the time - close the door, go into "practice mode", and don't be disturbed.

2. Stretch.

3. Metronome practice. start slow or fast and go to fast or slow

4. Rhythm practice

5. Rest, and prepare

6. Harmony

7. Rest and prepare

8. Melody

9. Stetch

10. Rest, and tidy up

The "rest & prepare" sections typically mean, stop, breath, and decide on the stuff I want work on in the next section. We all know that stretching is important, and we've all be told that streching afterwards is just as important. But really, do we do this? I know I don't, unless I internalise it, and make it part of a routine.

The idea is to get a bit of everything at each practice, and to develop an all round approach. I try to keep log of each practice, so I can see what I've done, and what needs to be worked on more. A lot of the time, I find the rhythm section just taking over. Most of the time I do the rhythm stuff with the metronome running anyway, so to me its doubly worth it. And besides, I just love to lay down a great groove, in time, with lots of soul and timing to it. So for me, I think its ok to do that: develop and explore good rhythmic patterns, and grooves.

I hope this might help some of you with learning to practice. I hope it helps me learn good practice _habits_. Its all good theory (or possibly not good theory!), now I need to apply it. Accountability is also a good thing!

How do you practice? Have you ever thought about how to practice, rather than just to do it?

tc&gb, pk

Posted by: famkan <famkan@...>

In a recent, vaguely related email, Dave wrote;

> Well, GAS is relieved and now I can better focus on practice.

hmm, I didn't know the two were related. Certainly not for me, its more a case of GAS = GAS+1, an ever increasing series, until I finally get myself into gear (haha) and start practicing again..

Which brings me this email. A while ago I pondered over the whole idea of how to practice - some kind of method where I could set myself acheivable goals, not have the burden of finding hours a day, and could still work on the fun parts as well as the meat and potatoes of technique, rhythm etc. I've come up with something that I wanted to share with you all.

Its based around the three divisions of music: Rhythm, Harmony, and Melody. As bass players we often sit in the middle of these - helping to define the rhythm, and basis of the harmony, and occaisionally supporting the melody, or incorporating counter-melodies in our lines. The idea is to incorporate a portion of each section into the practice period you have available.

In the Rhythm section I include metronome practice, which I always consider essential. When I practice I try to spend at least 5 minutes with the metronome doing various rhythmic exercises - 4ths, 8ths, 16ths etc, and various patterns. This will also include small things like string swapping exercises, and muting exercises, to ensure that my technique is inline with the rhythm I want to play. Technique could be a separate section altogether - maybe in a later revision. A few of you may have my Rhythmic Dictionary from last year, and this can come in handy here too. Also learning to play on top of, in front of and behind the beat.

The Harmony section is far fuller, because naturally there is more to cover. Scales, arpegios, modes (both major and melodic minor), walking bass, 10ths, chords, piano voicings, and learning to develop bass lines and grooves. For a lot of this section I use a lot of different resources, books, transcribing, even just listening to stuff to get and idea of how the bass is making a difference -even if I don't directly go and nut out excatly what its doing. With scales and modes and so on, the original idea I had was to do one key a day, 5 or 6 days a week. Over a 2 week period you would cover all keys. I need a rethink here. Possibly one key a week, and look at the different modes in that key (e.g. D dorian, D phrygian, D minor, D lydian domiant etc). I'm kind of prone to skipping over Db and Gb keys - as I don't really have that much call for them... 😉

The Melody section is less full, and for me less important. Here I include learning classical solos (Bach suites etc), fills, soloing and developing counter melodies. Lots of fun stuff to work on, but maybe not so much of what I want to, or need to play.

Now there is an awful lot in there, and way too much to cover in one practice session, let alone a life time to perfect. (I'm only a young'un' compared with some of you wiser gentlemen and ladies, but the older I get, the more I really do know the further I have to go in just about every aspect of my life - not just playing bass). So the idea here is to set aside a minimum of 30 minutes a day - which really isn't that much. It can be fit in at just about any time, and I don't even do it every day - lately hardly ever!! I divide the 30 minutes into 10 minutes of rhythm and technique, 15 minutes of harmony, and maybe 5 on melody. These are of course all adjustable. I have different divisions for 45 minutes and an hour, should I be so lucky!, as well as for 2x30 minutes, and a 30 and a 45 session in a day.

To help me in all this, I developed a 10 point plan to follow - I'm good with a bit of structure (can you tell??)

1. Set aside the time - close the door, go into "practice mode", and don't be disturbed.

2. Stretch.

3. Metronome practice. start slow or fast and go to fast or slow

4. Rhythm practice

5. Rest, and prepare

6. Harmony

7. Rest and prepare

8. Melody

9. Stetch

10. Rest, and tidy up

The "rest & prepare" sections typically mean, stop, breath, and decide on the stuff I want work on in the next section. We all know that stretching is important, and we've all be told that streching afterwards is just as important. But really, do we do this? I know I don't, unless I internalise it, and make it part of a routine.

The idea is to get a bit of everything at each practice, and to develop an all round approach. I try to keep log of each practice, so I can see what I've done, and what needs to be worked on more. A lot of the time, I find the rhythm section just taking over. Most of the time I do the rhythm stuff with the metronome running anyway, so to me its doubly worth it. And besides, I just love to lay down a great groove, in time, with lots of soul and timing to it. So for me, I think its ok to do that: develop and explore good rhythmic patterns, and grooves.

I hope this might help some of you with learning to practice. I hope it helps me learn good practice _habits_. Its all good theory (or possibly not good theory!), now I need to apply it. Accountability is also a good thing!

How do you practice? Have you ever thought about how to practice, rather than just to do it?

tc&gb, pk