Ever done a clinic?

markoism

markoism

Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
633
Reaction score
8
I have been asked to do a clinic at a local music school to discuss bass, music theory, composition and my experience of being in the music industry. I have some ideas of what to say but are there any thing you always wanted somebody to discuss at a clinic?

Any stuff would be helpful.
 
Well, I asked the same question, and I can give you what Andy answered to me:
"
tell them to be nice, and to listen to all styles, learn the different characteristics of each style, heal others and them selves with music, have fun, remove the concept of competition from their playing, build an indiviual style and personality to their playing
Get a full tone, land all rhythm, groove deep and play simple line that honor the song
and most of all stay away from hookers and cocaine "
Good avices...
Try to keep it fun and interesting.
 
I've seen Andy's clinics and a lot of the stuff he says I was planning on talking about, minus his years of experience vs. mine. I talked to the organizer of the clinic and I'm going to try to get the local music store to sponsor it and donate us basses for people to use so I can go over some fun exercises and jams. Yes my main goal is to make it fun. I have almost 10 years of teaching music, mostly kids so I'm always trying to make it fun. How many kids really give a damn about music theory, my old students DO!

Pretty much I'm going through a bunch of clinic DVDs to get ideas of what I would do instead and what I would take from. I got a month to prepare so this will be fun.
 
I don't know if I'd even mention music theory. I think to most working musicians, and people who just play at home or with friends for fun, music theory is one of the last things they learned about, if at all. Hell, ask Victor Wooten about music theory.. he will say flat out that he knows very little about it.

I read a music theory book. I don't think I'm a bettery player because of reading it.
 
Oh no I don't want to go into music theory but the organizer wants me to mention it so I'm probably gonna just show how I use music theory when writing but thats about it and drift away from it by showing them some of tunes which would lead into a play along. Gotta make something boring fun somehow.
 
Its about 30 mins. I'm the first one and the other guy is a Ibanez endorsed player, forget his name not a big name player but pretty good. He has like 45 mins.
 
I'm sure I will! Can't wait, it'll be a nice experience and something to put on my EPK when I bug Warwick for an endorsement haha.
 
Id you need to touch the music theory thing, maybe you mention some rhythm theory... Not too many people know the theory behind the striaght bass lines, and the shuffle ones. that can be really mind opening for a lot of bassists.
Good luck, bro!
 
Start with the basics: double thumbing, sweep tapping, stage poses with the bass by your knees, blaming the sound guy, playing hungover, getting the perfect mid-scooped "smile" EQ and setting your stage monitoring so loud that it causes your drummer's teeth to shake loose.
 
why does everybody use the "smile"?...sometimes letting the mids sing is pretty sweet to the ear
 
Florin said:
Id you need to touch the music theory thing, maybe you mention some rhythm theory... Not too many people know the theory behind the striaght bass lines, and the shuffle ones. that can be really mind opening for a lot of bassists.
Good luck, bro!
Click to expand...

YES! Nobody mentions that, I'm planning on discussing that for sure. That and keep reminding them that everything they hear about like crazy tapping, slapping and all the other advance techniques are really there just to let you have more fun.

Augie said:
Start with the basics: double thumbing, sweep tapping, stage poses with the bass by your knees, blaming the sound guy, playing hungover, getting the perfect mid-scooped "smile" EQ and setting your stage monitoring so loud that it causes your drummer's teeth to shake loose.
Click to expand...

You forgot about learning how to deal with groupie carbs
 
The smile bass EQ cover your mistakes. You need balls to play the bass with strong mids :)
 
`




Returning to music theory, I'd suggest that you include
stuff that is undeniably appropriate in Music Theory 101
courses, or perhaps in a Music Theory for Idiots type of
self-teaching book ... HOWEVE !!! do NOT introduce it as
"Music Theory" but rather as "framework" stuff, stuff that
can get noobs off string tab charts or rote song learning
... basically just the stuff that means they don't flip out
over a key change.

One version is the Nashville Number System. You don't
hafta actually train them in it, just show them how simple
it is to use, and show them where to find some resources
to self-learn it.

I think "liberation from string tab" is an important line that
"rote song learners" need to cross to become listenable
players. Even those who do rote songs, but never use tab,
need to cross that very same threshhold.

Anywho, keep it unintimidating and don't call it theory
even tho it essentially IS basic theory the moment you
learn any musical ideas rather than rote songs. When
I encounter "Music Teachers" who teach 14 yr olds to
play songs requested by those 14 yr olds, by simple
rote song practice and repetition, it makes me wanna
wretch [talkin 14 yr old simple noobs, not prodigies
thaz been playing since they was babies in a musical
households].

Call it simple structure, framework, foundation, just
about any honest descriptive word, but not "theory".

I'm no theory whizzid. But somebody hasta rescue
the noobs who THINK I am just cuz I play my part on
no more info than "it's 1625 in Eb and fake the bridge
with FG & C". I know I'm an idiot, but it was harder to
learn the rules for sorting and delivering mail than it
was to learn to comprehend "changes by number" to
play bass.

Be subversive. Thaz ALWAYS fun !


`
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top