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Gospel Instruments => Bass Guitar => Topic started by: Torch7 on August 30, 2009, 01:20:01 AM

Title: Weakness
Post by: Torch7 on August 30, 2009, 01:20:01 AM
Just finished practicing and was wondering.  What are yalls strengths and weaknesses as bass players.

What are the areas that you would love to improve on or see added to your musical repertoire?  If you could sit down with any player and have him, download into your brain, one of their strengths what would that be?
 
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: jeremyr on August 30, 2009, 02:10:09 AM
Runs
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: ddwilkins on August 30, 2009, 06:09:09 AM
Weakness - perfect pitch

I would like to sit down with Andrew Gouche and Bernard Harris.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: dhagler on August 30, 2009, 07:41:34 AM
Better technique with both my hands.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: DWBass on August 30, 2009, 08:10:58 AM
Speed & soloing.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: B3Wannabe on August 30, 2009, 08:52:52 AM
Strength - My ear; I can hear the notes and changes pretty well.

Weakness - Technique; my fingers are slow. I cannot play everything I hear.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: Kelz-Da-Basshead on August 30, 2009, 09:01:28 AM
my weakness- speed, also i want some crazy scales for runs this christmas.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: sixstringpoet on August 30, 2009, 09:35:24 AM
my ears are pretty good.
my weakness, i cant read music.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: blacklw234 on August 30, 2009, 10:26:31 AM
Weakness= Forgetting Songs, Ear, Relaxing,undestanding that a bad note is not a bad note

Strengths= Clean playing,Slapping, Popping,
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: DWBass on August 30, 2009, 12:10:52 PM
Speed & soloing.
I should have said the above are my weaknesses. My strengths are that I have an excellent ear (almost perfect pitch) and can pretty pick up anything. I can also play most any style including most ethnic styles.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: Asahel on August 30, 2009, 03:53:28 PM
Weaknesses:

At this point pretty much everything... :-\

Strengths:

I am persistent as heck!!!  ;D
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: ssab on August 30, 2009, 04:17:06 PM
Laziness, always waiting until the last minute to learn songs. I HATE WHEN I DO THAT!
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: ssabass on August 30, 2009, 04:36:25 PM
Strengths: I can hold the bass correctly, lol. Well, I have a good ear, clean player.

Weakness:Runs, Reading.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: BigFoot_BigThumb on August 30, 2009, 04:45:04 PM
I consider my strength to be locking in on a good groove.  But my weaknesses are speed, dexterity, and knowing the fret board like the back on my hand.  If I can get those three things locked down, I will be straight.  If I can start playing out again more as a bassist instead of a drummer, I may get it back.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: Asahel on August 30, 2009, 05:25:13 PM
Don't worry BigFoot, you just keep grooving like that dancing icon of yours and you'll be just fine!  :D
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: under13 on August 30, 2009, 06:52:13 PM
Everything. My bass has been in the closet for like 6 years since I had it.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: BassbyGrace on August 30, 2009, 08:11:12 PM
Smoothing out my ideas (and more ideas for that matter). That and focus.  I'm pretty well rounded, but my focus is shot alot of times.  I find it very difficult to concentrate.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: B3Wannabe on August 30, 2009, 09:43:52 PM
Smoothing out my ideas (and more ideas for that matter). That and focus.  I'm pretty well rounded, but my focus is shot alot of times.  I find it very difficult to concentrate.

Sweet.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: csharp57 on August 31, 2009, 02:05:28 AM
Strength - Willingness to practice EVERYDAY

Weakness - Needs to learn the "church way" of playing, not being about to play shouts for more than 15 minutes straight (you know these churches shout for an hour or two.  LOL)

I would like to sit down with any seasoned church bass player that played from the 80's, 90's on up to today.  Joel Smith, Reggie Parker, etc....
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: malthumb on August 31, 2009, 05:04:42 AM
Strengths: Able to listen to songs and figure them out.  Able to get different feels by adjusting hands.  Can put the sound in my head to the fingerboard.

Weaknesses: Ability to improv on the fly.  (Often hear what I shoulda done after the song is over)
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: cordney on August 31, 2009, 06:44:38 AM
Strengths- Eager to learn, love challenges and the ability to laugh at my mistakes.

Weakness- Ear(some songs can take me a day to learn...lol), can't read music and sometimes I lose focus and slapping and popping.

I would love to brainstorm with any bass players period.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: superjaay on August 31, 2009, 07:30:04 AM
Strengths-Practicing everyday, able to read music, formal music training (Trombone, Vocal),  willingness to learn from anyone(cause I'm hungry)

Weaknesses-Fills, runs, solos, you know all the good stuff.

But......I have asked the Lord to bless my playing, so I have already begun to bear fruit.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: phbrown on August 31, 2009, 07:46:18 AM
Weakness: I tend to make some basslines too complicated. Also I can't seem to pop on my 5-string on all the strings yet.

If I could sit down with someone it would be Fred Hammond or Alan Snoop.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: malthumb on August 31, 2009, 09:21:52 AM
....If you could sit down with any player and have him, download into your brain, one of their strengths what would that be?
 

Forgot to answer this part.

I would sit down with ANYONE I can learn from, but tops on my list would be Terrance Palmer.  I'd really want to understand his approach to improv.  Andrew Gouche would be a close second on my list, for the same learning.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: dremy2006 on August 31, 2009, 11:25:53 AM
weakness:.. finding the key of a song..lazy.....oh..!! and when playing with others..I some time 4get everything..lol.. now that trips me out...from notes on the bass to progressions... I know its fear.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: trymone on August 31, 2009, 03:26:56 PM
weakness: retaining songs i learned and knowing my fretboard because i don't know my upper register.

strengths: i'm finding i have more weakness than my strenghts or maybe i'm just too hard on myself because i can't think of any, Well I guess that means i need to practice more. hey i guess that's a strenght. the ability to know my weakness ;D
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: webster808 on August 31, 2009, 04:31:50 PM


Weakness- advanced theory...dont know my theory like I should lol, I am working towards it.


One thing a lot of people who've heard me play say as one of my

Strengths - Solid Pocket & groove, Runs & Licks, Humility as a musician
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: floaded27 on August 31, 2009, 08:44:03 PM
strengths: theory and good pattern recognition, routine oriented so i have no problem sitting for an hour or more doing the same thing over and over

weaknesses: limited speed, take too long to find notes further up the neck, clueless when chord progressions move outside of the key signature (like an A chord in the key of Db, i dont know what to play besides the root), have to set up like 20 minutes in advance to change a patterns position elsewhere on the fretboard during a song, limited right hand speed when moving across many strings very often, playing sounds to melodic when i need to be funky, not melodic enough when i need to be melodic (strange huh)
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: mr.dj on August 31, 2009, 09:33:00 PM
Strengths-The ability to lock into a groove

Weaknesses-Fills, runs, solos, you know all the good stuff
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: Christlike1984 on August 31, 2009, 10:16:57 PM
Strength - My ear; I can hear the notes and changes pretty well.

Weakness - Technique; my fingers are slow. I cannot play everything I hear.
I Second that! LOL
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: isthatagirlonthebass on August 31, 2009, 10:46:43 PM
Ear and runs.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: chrismc101 on September 01, 2009, 08:15:56 AM
Weakness: technique (self taught) runs & dexterity...
Strenghts: ear (ability to hear the music) & my openess  to learn my craft - COMPLETELY.

ENHANCE my gift GOD...
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: praiseHisname on September 22, 2009, 09:04:24 PM
Strengths: perseverance to continue to practice daily in spite of my dwindling confidence of elevating to Intermediate status; playing the major scale and minor pentatonic.

Weakness: Looking to hard at my left hand while playing. Worrying to much about making a mistake when playing

I love to site down with Alex Sampson
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: SavnBass on September 22, 2009, 11:24:08 PM
Strengths-Ear, persistence, thick skin, reliable (If I say I will be there I'll be there and on time.. 9.6 times out of 10), don't mind simplicity..

Weaknesses-Can't read (Working on that one), technique, solos

Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: sbyrd1978 on September 23, 2009, 12:10:21 AM
other than my ongoing struggle to master HTML code like Torch7...LOL.

Stregnth= acknowledging that I have weaknesses (keeps me practicing)
Weakness= sometimes forgetting to acknowledge my weaknesses (this leads to neglecting practice time)
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: Kelz-Da-Basshead on September 24, 2009, 08:03:12 AM
I need to add a weakness.  I can kill anything contemporary but when it comes to old school hymns and songs like that I all of a sudden revert back to being a begginner.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: floaded27 on September 24, 2009, 09:10:51 AM
I need to add a weakness.  I can kill anything contemporary but when it comes to old school hymns and songs like that I all of a sudden revert back to being a begginner.

u too? its like when i gotta play them old songs with what i call the "COGIC/Baptist bounce" (lol) i dont know what to play and anything i play beyond root/5th seems to not fit at all.


didnt realize there was a second question that i forgot to answer. so if i could download from anyone a strength at this moment it'll probably be Sharay Reed's sense of rhythm. Not that i particularly want to play exactly like him, but from what i observed, he plays closely to how I want to play.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: malthumb on September 24, 2009, 10:03:37 AM
I need to add a weakness.  I can kill anything contemporary but when it comes to old school hymns and songs like that I all of a sudden revert back to being a begginner.

I think I need to tack that one up on my board, too.  Listening to some tapes of our services, I notice that when we're playing the congregational songs (ie - old standards) my basslines seem to follow one of the same three basic grooves.  Either its walking in and out, a lot of 3-6-2-5-1, or a lot of 1-4-1-5-1.  I need to work on how to flavor those lines without geting too busy.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: dhagler on September 24, 2009, 10:24:11 AM
I feel like I need to re-post:

Strengths: an innate sense of timing, a quick and effective memory (once I learn a song that's pretty much it and I can play it without having to go back to my notes or charts or the sheet music), a spirit of collaboration and cooperation, the ability to hear progressions accurately.

Weaknesses: I am too rigid in my playing (I need to just let go and play what I feel without worrying so much about progressions and chords), my technique (I could play faster if I had better, and I need to learn to slap and pop). I don't want to run all over the neck but I would like to do more between chords than just chromatic fills.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: MikeGee on October 01, 2009, 02:47:36 PM
Strength- theory and timing

weakness- imagination and improv
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: FenderJazzGuy on October 02, 2009, 12:19:47 AM
Practice time
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: Musicman_00 on October 02, 2009, 12:13:53 PM
Strength: Groove and technique.

Weakness: Speed and soloing
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: jkbeckwith4 on October 05, 2009, 11:16:11 AM
I need to improve on everything: riffs, runs, scales, modes,site reading, dexterity, speed, arpeggios, ear trainig, slapping, tapping,  and most of all progressions, especially with gospel music. I would like someone to download all known gospel progressions into brain. The keyboard player will not share all his progressions, HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: hands5 on October 08, 2009, 01:07:01 PM
Strengths: I can hold the bass correctly, lol. Well, I have a good ear, clean player.

Weakness:Runs, Reading.
I've always said that I play bass,but I'm not a bass player lol,but I have to say that my weaknes is staying interested in the music, regardless of the genre,so therefore I wait until almost a couple of days before the gig to practice (because I just don't have that "raw enthusiasm to practice like I use to when I was younger),as far as reading I have a weds night gig that requires that I read,but I've always felt no matter how good your technique is overhand,slapping tapping ( some call it noodling) the player can always improve their craft.....you just have to want to do it.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: bass_mann1 on October 08, 2009, 01:49:57 PM
weakness- can't create a melody

I would sit with Stanley Clarke
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: mjl422 on October 08, 2009, 04:41:16 PM
Practice Habits.  I practice almost everyday for several hours but, I don't always practice smart.  I know that if I exercised discipline in my practice, I could be so much further along.

If I could sit down with anybody it would be Terrance Palmer.  I would've loved to sit down with Wayman Tisdale.
Title: Re: Weakness
Post by: phatstrings on October 10, 2009, 04:58:42 AM
Weakness: Laziness. Sometimes i'm just held doing doing many things at once and not achieving much.Now that i see that typed out maybe it'll help me focus more.
I also dont know the fretboard as well as i want to.

Strengths: I've got great ears (Thanks you Jesus!)and i play with three right-hand fingers.