Hello fellow bassists and educators, Peter Tambroni here from MostlyBass.com. Jason posted a great article recently about finding time to practice and auditions being a young persons game (check it out here).
But what if you ARE a young person (or not so young) and you still don’t have time to practice? What now? Well, first – MAKE TIME! I find it hard to believe that a student can’t find FIVE MINUTES to practice. Ok ok… What if you really only have five minutes? This was the topic of discussion at a recent lesson with a student and his parents. I thought he could lighten his class load by not taking so many advanced classes, dropping an elective, or not playing a sport. As it turns out there was an ill family member and he really didn’t have time to practice.
So, how about some practical solutions for the 21st century.
1. Each day, FIX SOMETHING. It could be one note, one shift, one rhythm, but improve something.
2. Do more listening. Most students have an iPod or other music player. Use travel time, chores, or laundry time to really get to know the piece you’re working on.
3. Study the score. Again, there are little times throughout the day that playing the bass is not practical (ie lunch) but you could be studying a score or sheet music.
4. Do counting exercises, air bowing, or visualization. Really! It may look a little silly, but the alternative (sounding bad) is even worse. As long as your brain is involved you can get better.
5. Don’t give up! Schedules go through cycles. Just try to have a better practice schedule next week, next month, or next semester.
Thanks and happy practicing!
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AS Maestro Guy Tuneh said in his Interview to Jason (CBC -30):
work hard and use your head and heart, because there is no other way to get what you want.
If player of his caliber say it, i believe!!
Great post as always, Pete! Simply studying the score (something that few bass players do) can do wonders for comprehension and can really help to guide improvement.
Thanks! I agree that bassists need to study more scores. With the local festivals performing Tchaik 4, seeing how all the parts fit together would immediately improve the ensemble.
I did have a the score to another piece they’re playing and I lent it to my student!
And along with listening – if you fill in the other parts during the rest then you haven’t listened enough times!!!!
Definitely true on the studying the scores and seeing where your parts fit in. A good musician doesn’t just know his or her own part but knows everyone else’s parts as well and seeing how they fit together. If you focus not so much on how you sound but on how you sounds within the context of the ensemble, then your playing improves by leaps and bounds.
I just site read tchaik 4 in the wisconsin symphony orchestra, I wish I had a chance to see the score, there are some off beat entrances and I think seeing other parts would probably help with this.