practice, homework, motivation and the like...

tordensky

tordensky

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i have been searching these forums for similar topics and debating for a while where to put this and this place seemed the most appropriate.

i used to be in a pretty decent prog metal band and could shred pretty well. a bad turn of events crushed me and well, now i am starting all over again. i have started taking bass lessons from one of my favorite players in the area. however, i am finding it very difficult to get motivated to practice and actually work on the things that i am given.

i have several internal (mental disabilities) and external inhibitions (neighbors) which make it difficult, but the main thing i am asking for here is:

what motivates you to practice, do your lesson homework, to actually sit down and do the tedious work that is involved in mastering the instrument?

i am not really looking for advice. i just want to know what makes you tick in that area in hopes that i can find something to spark that flame again in myself. i also think a lot of suggestions in this area could help out a lot of people who might find it difficult to sit their butts down to woodshed.
 
I just love to play bass.
10- 15 years ago I was sitting down up to 10 - 12 hours a day, and everybody was thinking I am a hard working musician. The truth is that I really had a good time doing that.
 
if you've got a bass you dont like playing it can be hard to find it fun practising...
 
Since you asked:

1) I've got the practice "gene". It sounds silly, but I just can't put the instrument down... I even like practicing the "tedious" stuff as I know it will make me play better in the long run!

2) When you watch the crowd playing "air guitar" at gigs, and saying "yeh! I really want to do that", I think " thousands of hours of practicing... hundreds of hours of rehearsing... that's what it takes!"

3) Neighbours - used to be a problem when I played sax. But I usually practice bass through a Tascam trainer and headphones

4) Now the psychological stuff... total lack of encouragement from my parents (they ALWAYS screw you up) has affected me. I've got to be better than the last bass player in the band (and better than the next one!). I turn up, don't make a fuss, and lay down some solid basslines without making mistakes (well... none that anyone else would notice :wink: )

5) I probably look like a right miserable sod when I'm playing... but I really am having fun on the inside!

Here endeth the lesson!
 
Usually whenever the wife is asleep and I'm not down here at the office online I'll practice. What motivates me... Problaby turning on some music, Usually of the death metal genre, Or some drum beats or something along the lines of that. I really should be working on getting the chord chart down but I usually stray and end up playing along to some cd :P

I just like to imagine where I will be 5-10 years from now at the rate I'm practicing... It keeps me going :)

I remember how bad I was just a year ago... And in that year I've figured out double thumping, 4 finger picking, and a few other little things :)
 
+3 on the posts above!

When I come home I take off the jacket and put on the bass. It's there until I put on my pyjama.

I practice in front of the TV, to the beat of the traffic outside, to the beat of my neighbours doing it ...

It's never a burden... it's meditation for me. Even if I play the same line for 2 hours. /Pat
 
Scubadiver said:
+3 on the posts above!

When I come home I take off the jacket and put on the bass. It's there until I put on my pyjama.

I practice in front of the TV, to the beat of the traffic outside, to the beat of my neighbours doing it ...

It's never a burden... it's meditation for me. Even if I play the same line for 2 hours. /Pat
Click to expand...

Theres nothing like getting lost in the music :) unless your live then you have to cut through a bit :P

I usually play the same slap bass line over and over and over again... it's becoming a problem for me :P
 
What a great thread!

Tordensky, you mentioned that you're taking lessons from one of your favorite players, but that it's not enough to make you want to practice the stuff you're given to work on. This could be a bigger red-light than you realize.

The first things I ask a new student:

"Why are you here?"

Assuming they tell me something like "to learn to play bass", or "to improve at the bass", then we move on. But you'd be surprised at some answers. I've had a few look at the floor for a minute and then say, "I don't know", or my favorite, "my parents want me to play an instrument".

If you are only studying with a teacher because someone else told you you should, then DON'T; quit. Do it yourself until you genuinely feel that you need help from someone else. Help of any kind needs to be WANTED by the person being helped to be of any real value. Otherwise you're wasting your money.

"Why do you want to play the bass?"

Again; I hope for "because it freakin' RULES" or "because it's feels like home", or "because I love the way it sounds", or "because I love the groove", yadda yadda yadda. But sometimes you hear, "my friends and I are starting a band, and they already have guitars and drums", or "my Dad used to play and this is his bass", or the WORST REASON EVER: "I heard it was easier than guitar."

We all know that bass is a challenging instrument, and that if you don't love it enough to work around the big neck, thick strings, and EQ-ing nightmares, you're not going to last long.

"What do you want to play?"

This is usually the most loaded question. I find that very often people feel they need to give some kind of pre-programmed answer like, "I want to learn everything... I just want to get better... I want to become a well-rounded musician..." when nine times out of ten they want to play nu-metal. They'll say they want to learn to read music when they have no intention of reading any music. Basically, they think they're telling me what I want to hear. For that reason I usually have a lot more fun with my younger students... an eleven year old usually has no trouble admitting he just wants to be like Ryne Martine. It's the older guys who second-guess what I'm asking who get themselves into stuff they have no interest in learning, and it's THOSE guys who hate to practice.

If your teacher doesn't teach something you want to learn, get a new teacher, or do it yourself. It's your money.

As for mental disability, I can offer a few words on the subject. You didn't specify what you deal with, but maybe you can glean something from it...
Here in the U.S., they're in the habit of diagnosing every fifth or sixth child with "attention deficit disorder" or "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder". It seems to be part of the territory that many kids with these "afflictions" end up in my teaching studio... maybe the reasoning is that they think they can't concentrate or learn, and so an instrument with less strings will be better for them, I don't know...

Anyway, the thing that overcomes both over-antsy and over-spacey students of all ages is DRILLING. It doesn't matter how it manifests; the fact is simply that for whatever reason, the student isn't paying attention to what he's supposed to be doing, and my job becomes simply: get him to pay attention. If you have to do something once or twice, you don't necessarily need to invest yourself in it too much. But if I'm sitting across from you telling you to do it until I tell you to stop, you're going to get familiar with it by the thirtieth time.

So what is "it" that I'm asking a student to drill over and over? Pieces. Specifically, pieces built backwards. It's easier to remember a piece of music if you memorize the END first, and then work backwards towards the beginning. Try it; it's crazy. :D Learn a riff, or a solo, or whatever... but take it apart into small chunks, and start with the LAST chunk FIRST. Slow your metronome down to an easy speed and play that chunk over and over and over and over and over... then, when it's easy, add the chunk right before it, and so on and so on and so on... you'd be amazed at how much attention a student is suddenly paying to the whole process.

Another affliction I've had experience with is the manic depressive... the player who is seemingly either too frantic and talkative to listen or to have any patience to learn something, or too mopey and apathetic to care. These guys are tough, and usually don't last too long with a teacher unless they're forced to, but the best response I've seen is from simply telling someone like this to JUST PLAY; to create something on the spot. I don't mean asking them to play something from memory; I mean improvising. Eventually, that will lift a depressed person out of their apathy or slow a manic person down to the speed their hands will allow... and in both cases it will eventually spark the person's INTEREST in what they're playing.

For anyone not dealing with mental health issues, but who still finds themself uninspired, there are other threads on this forum where we've discussed other ideas. My favorites are: to simply listen to brand new music you've never heard before, or to try and imitate other instruments on the bass.

The key with any of this comes down to one simple idea: PAY ATTENTION. It's already been mentioned "I usually end up playing the same slap line over and over again"... well all that's going to do is get you really sharp at playing that ONE SLAP LINE. Another thing I don't get is the person who "Practices while watching TV"... I don't see how it's possible; you're either ignoring what you're playing or you're ignoring the TV... unless you're playing along with the movie score or something... the point is that you're not going to get fired up to play unless at least some small element of creativity in your practicing. Playing things that you already know doesn't really inspire, and if you're not inspired... you won't practice.

Thoughts??
 
i noticed few people say they dont stop practisin and play all the time.. i prefer to jus practise in small blocks maybe just 30 minutes on say 5 areas a day, i find that so much more effective than slogging away for hours. and at least one day of the week try and close myself off from anything musical atall.. it just depends what u want to get out of your instrument, my old teacher used to bollock me for slapping all the time n said that youl probly slap in 1% of ur musical career,he's totally right..i also like to practise without my instrument, i find going over stuff and just picturing it in my head is a good method....
 
Seth, I printed that out and it's in the front pocket for the gigbag. Cheers, Pat
 
Great thread... and excellent post, Seth.

Funkassassin - I agree, sometimes I get better just by taking a day or two off! And breaking the day into small chunks also helps sometimes... other times I just can't put the damn thing down.... just go with the flow!
 
I was waiting to hear what Seth would say about this, and once again a great post!
The only problem I'd say I have is practising modes. I do practise them them, I just don't feel that it really does anything for me! Any tips?
 
Great post Seth. HOWEVER, I must disagree with the practises while watching TV part. A teacher of mine, Jannik Jensen (GREAT), used to practise techniques while watching soccer games on the TV. He spent 15 min. before the game getting it into the fingers, then put the game on and just had the fingers go over it again and again. Then when a new technique came along he sat down 15-30 min while focused and then soccer game on and played it while he had it in his fingers. This DOES work. But u HAVE to pay attention while u get in "in" ur fingers, so that u do so correctly.
 
i reakon it depends what you want the TV to contribute. if your watching a film it can contribute emotion, and your playing can mirror what the film makes you feel. a soccar game could contribute a fluctuating rhythm. a nature show could contribute melodies that you never otherwise think up...

these are just my thoughts though
 
I must also disagree with not playing while watching tv. I find it really fun to turn on some random show and play to the emotions of what's happening on screen. It's more fun if it's a movie I haven't seen before or a show I don't normally watch. I can go anywhere on the fretboard and do anything to sound like what I see. Seems to help me learn to better express what I feel about any given situation - some funny, some scary, some sad... doesn't matter. Plus, I don't get the feeling I'm wasting my life glued to the couch in front of the idiot box... :D ~M~
 
I totally see the point Daniel makes... if what you're practicing is strictly muscle memory, then all it takes is repetition, and as long as your muscles are doing the pattern correctly, then it requires no brain power; only repetition. In that case, you could totally concentrate on watching TV.
 
wow. amazing responses. thank you so much all of you. there must not be many females here, because i did not see one "chocolate solves everything" response. *grins*

i have heard different opinions about playing while watching TV. i suppose it is just one of those things where it works for some and not for others. personally, i hate the TV altogether so it is not really an issue for me, and i am so thankful for that.

i think that i may need more structure and perhaps i need to sit down and write out a schedule for myself. i have always done better with structure and discipline. drilling is part of discipline, yes?

a day or two off does help when you are working non-stop. however, when you are not working or hardly working at all, that will not be of much help.



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seth,

red flags abound with me, though i am starting to feel more motivated and like i am getting somewhere, albeit VERY slowly. i still wanted to post this thread because i think it is an important topic to address.

and here is my life story... sorta.

nobody is sure what i have. i am in between mental health professionals at the moment because the one i was seeing just left the company. whoever i am being assigned to next is supposed to contact me for an appointment in the next couple of weeks. i have been diagnosed with just about everything except for schizophrenia since 1989 or so. i have trouble with emotions, focus, perceptions, memory, people, nightmares and severe anxiety... i have been through so much abuse in the past 10 years that i am now very easily discouraged by even the smallest of things... things that the normal person could just brush off.

i started playing bass in 1990. there was a period of time where i had sold all of my gear (that i had not destroyed) and stopped playing completely with the intentions of quitting because i had been brainwashed into thinking that i needed to give up the "dream" of being who i was and find a "real" job. i just could not stay away from music, because no matter how hard i fought what was inside me, whatever else i tried to do just was not me.

i started fresh a few years ago, all new gear and the like. i let my bands motivate me, and whatever it was that i needed to learn, i learned. since i lost my last band a while back, i do not have that anymore. because i have rigid neighbors and apartment management that makes the nazi regime look like a walk in the park about sound disturbances, i find it very difficult to let any music inspire me. i find it easier not to listen to anything at all.

bad finances make it impossible to relocate at the moment. headphones work to a point, but after a while, that is physically painful. i have a very small frame and they do not fit right. they press on the cartilage of my ears and i can only wear them for about an hour before it gets really painful. still, that is what i have to do, and i do it for as long as i can. i think more frequent sessions with less duration might be beneficial here.

the biggest problem is the lack of outlet and emotional constipation. i know that, but there is just no fix for that right now. however, as i said, i am finding that i am making some progress in my lessons and practicing now. my teacher is GREAT. between lessons, she sends me emails to make sure that i am understanding the material and everything. i have never had a teacher do that for me. in fact, i just had a conversation with her about how wonderful it is that she does that and how i was uncertain in the beginnining that i could actually DO this.

it was not until just a few nights ago that i started feeling like i was not completely wasting my time and hers with this. i actually felt like i was making progress and that is something that has not happened with me in a long time. i think they call that jumping a hurdle? i believe something just "snapped", and that my lessons have finally started to inspire me a bit. but again, with all of the other mud i am living in, it still seems pretty grim and difficult and as if perhaps that is not enough.

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but i did not mean to drag anything down. i really just meant to open up a topic on motivation and practice techniques.
 
That's fantastic that you feel comfortable enough to share that, and I'm glad you thought our words were beneficial. Life doesn't shut down around us whether or not we're practicing the bass, and it seems like you live in an environment where a lot of things can restimulate anxiety for you. I'm willing to bet it creeps up on you when you're playing and affects your motivation. So while you're on the path to sorting that out, I applaud you for not giving up! That can be so, so hard to fight. Bravo. :D
 
thank you, seth. i feel pretty comfortable here, and that is a really nice feeling. everyone seems to be really cool, knowledgable and helpful, and that is just awesome.
 
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