I have this habit of getting an itch to play a song that I've learned in the past or gotten notes for in the past. I go look for it in my pile of music stuff and it is never anywhere to be found. This happened last night. I remembered that my bass teacher last year gave me the tab for "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac and I went looking for it. Vanished.
The good news is it made me look online today for Fleetwood Mac stuff (there is kind of surprisingly little, but I guess that's an indication of the lack of tech savvy-ness of people of a certain age)...which led me to How to Play Bass Dot Com. I've stumbled across this guy before, but I was reminded today of how great his video lessons are. Then I wondered how one got pdfs of the tab. Subscribe of course. What's nice though is that he gives a fair amount away for free. He has a paid subscription too, and it might even be worth it, but frankly it is more information than I have time to absorb currently. Anyway, I'll be getting his monthly video/tab package for free now and we'll see how it goes.
His philosophy is that you learn by playing songs, which has kind of been how it has gone for me. I just can't focus on scales. He has two books that interest me..."Deliberate Practice" (which seems to be temporarily out of print) and "How to Practice in Your Dead Time" (about Visualization, Ear Training, Rhythmic Perception, Finger Exercises, Sight Reading, Bass Line Analysis, and Expanding Your Bass Guitar Map).
I've long noted that there is a difference between playing and practicing. I'd be interested how someone how focuses on playing tunes applies a deliberate practice mentality. For me it is about slowing things down and going over rough spots again and again until you get them. Sometimes you have to take a break and come back to it if you aren't cracking it. And then working transitions into and out of those tough spots is key too.
I've been avoiding doing that tough practice work for a while now, but recently started trying to do it again. I try to give myself a mix of "deliberate" practice and playing for fun. Part of my deliberate practice lately has become memorizing tunes that I thought were too complex to memorize. For the most part I'm finding that this just isn't true. If you spend enough time with something almost anything can be memorized. I also keep thinking that there must be a limit to how many songs you can keep memorized in your head at one time, but that doesn't seem to be true. If anything, the more that you memorize, the better that you get at it and the more capacity that you have to take in more. It is a strange thing.
Memorizing the tune also seems to help in playing it better, because now you only have to focus on looking at your hand...you don't have to look at the music. So shifts gets better and proper finger placement to avoid buzz, and good right hand technique all develop. It is a win-win.
Of course, memorizing things for performance is also terrifying, because without fail I WILL have a brain fart at a show no matter how well I know a song. It happens. Though I'm at least get better at recovering from these things.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Song of the Year 2014
Like last year, I'm doing this early.
Song of the Year for 2014 will be "Somewhere in the Between" by Streetlight Manifesto.
I didn't give it much thought this year. I like the song. It works. And I like taking things in the ska direction.
Here's a video of the tune:
Here's a video of the lyrics with the tune (there is annoying background noise).
And just the lyrics:
"You were gone when we found you
You were practically surrounded, you were trapped
But the opposition stalled, their blood ran cold
When they saw the look of love in your eyes
Maybe the times we had, they weren't that bad
And everything else was part of the plan
We sang: "I don't know where we go from here"
This is the alpha, omega, beginning and the end
And we all just idolize the dead
So you were born (So you were born), and that was a good day
Someday you'll die (Someday you'll die), and that is a shame
But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream
And nothing and no one will ever take that away
You had a love and that love had you
And nothing mattered, you were fine
If some will complain, they're just bitter, what a shame
They know that loving and losing is better than nothing at all
Maybe the times we had, they weren't that bad
And everything else was part of our path
We sang: "I don't know where we go from here"
This is the anthem, the slogan, the summary of events
And we all just idealize the past
So you were born (So you were born), and that was a good day
Someday you'll die (Someday you'll die), and that is a shame
But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream
And nothing and no one will ever take that away
(Instrumental Solos)
Yeah, the times we had, they were not that bad
And everything else, it was part of the plan
And we sang, "I don't know where we go from here"
This is the Alpha (Alpha!), Omega (Omega!), beginning and the end!
And we all just idolize the dead
So you were born (So you were born), and that was a good day
Someday you'll die (Someday you'll die), and that is a shame
But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream
And nothing and no one will ever take that away
And someday soon my friends, this ride will come to an end
But we can't just get in line again."
Here's the usual background:
Since I was 14 years old I've had a New Year's tradition of picking a song to represent the coming year. Sometimes it is a pessimistic song...sometimes it is an optimistic song. Sometimes I am not even sure why I pick the song...but they almost always end up...one year later...to have been an excellent representation of the previous year.
The song is supposed to be the first song that I hear in the New Year (and the previous year's song is supposed to be the last song that I hear in the previous year). Of course, logistically this is not always possible, but usually it is.
Why do I do this? Who knows! But no sense in ruining a perfectly good tradition...
1985 Kids from Fame I Still Believe in Me
1986 Go West Don't Look Down
1987 Outfield Taking My Chances
1988 Police King of Pain
1989 U2 Where the Streets Have No Name
1990 Erasure Hideaway
1991 Aztec Camera Stray
1992 Erasure Home
1993 Kirt Kempter Standing on this Bridge
1994 John Wesley Harding End of Something
1995 Poi Dog Pondering Postcard from a Dream
1996 Indigo Girls Watershed
1997 Poi Dog Pondering Complicated
1998 Michelle Shocked The Hard Way
1999 Ani DiFranco Fuel
2000 The Nields Giving it Back to Susan
2001 Barenaked Ladies Falling for the First Time
2002 The Nields This Town is Wrong
2003 Fleetwood Mac Landslide
2004 Barenaked Ladies Go Home
2005 Barenaked Ladies For You
2006
2007 The Motor Primitives Favorite Dream
2008
2009 Barenaked Ladies Testing 1, 2, 3
2010 Barenaked Ladies Maybe You're Right
2011 The Breeders One Divine Hammer
2012 Anna Vogelzang Heart Beat Faster
2013 The Breeders Huffer
2014 Streetlight Manifesto Somewhere in the Between
Song of the Year for 2014 will be "Somewhere in the Between" by Streetlight Manifesto.
I didn't give it much thought this year. I like the song. It works. And I like taking things in the ska direction.
Here's a video of the tune:
Here's a video of the lyrics with the tune (there is annoying background noise).
And just the lyrics:
"You were gone when we found you
You were practically surrounded, you were trapped
But the opposition stalled, their blood ran cold
When they saw the look of love in your eyes
Maybe the times we had, they weren't that bad
And everything else was part of the plan
We sang: "I don't know where we go from here"
This is the alpha, omega, beginning and the end
And we all just idolize the dead
So you were born (So you were born), and that was a good day
Someday you'll die (Someday you'll die), and that is a shame
But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream
And nothing and no one will ever take that away
You had a love and that love had you
And nothing mattered, you were fine
If some will complain, they're just bitter, what a shame
They know that loving and losing is better than nothing at all
Maybe the times we had, they weren't that bad
And everything else was part of our path
We sang: "I don't know where we go from here"
This is the anthem, the slogan, the summary of events
And we all just idealize the past
So you were born (So you were born), and that was a good day
Someday you'll die (Someday you'll die), and that is a shame
But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream
And nothing and no one will ever take that away
(Instrumental Solos)
Yeah, the times we had, they were not that bad
And everything else, it was part of the plan
And we sang, "I don't know where we go from here"
This is the Alpha (Alpha!), Omega (Omega!), beginning and the end!
And we all just idolize the dead
So you were born (So you were born), and that was a good day
Someday you'll die (Someday you'll die), and that is a shame
But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream
And nothing and no one will ever take that away
And someday soon my friends, this ride will come to an end
But we can't just get in line again."
Since I was 14 years old I've had a New Year's tradition of picking a song to represent the coming year. Sometimes it is a pessimistic song...sometimes it is an optimistic song. Sometimes I am not even sure why I pick the song...but they almost always end up...one year later...to have been an excellent representation of the previous year.
The song is supposed to be the first song that I hear in the New Year (and the previous year's song is supposed to be the last song that I hear in the previous year). Of course, logistically this is not always possible, but usually it is.
Why do I do this? Who knows! But no sense in ruining a perfectly good tradition...
1985 Kids from Fame I Still Believe in Me
1986 Go West Don't Look Down
1987 Outfield Taking My Chances
1988 Police King of Pain
1989 U2 Where the Streets Have No Name
1990 Erasure Hideaway
1991 Aztec Camera Stray
1992 Erasure Home
1993 Kirt Kempter Standing on this Bridge
1994 John Wesley Harding End of Something
1995 Poi Dog Pondering Postcard from a Dream
1996 Indigo Girls Watershed
1997 Poi Dog Pondering Complicated
1998 Michelle Shocked The Hard Way
1999 Ani DiFranco Fuel
2000 The Nields Giving it Back to Susan
2001 Barenaked Ladies Falling for the First Time
2002 The Nields This Town is Wrong
2003 Fleetwood Mac Landslide
2004 Barenaked Ladies Go Home
2005 Barenaked Ladies For You
2006
2007 The Motor Primitives Favorite Dream
2008
2009 Barenaked Ladies Testing 1, 2, 3
2010 Barenaked Ladies Maybe You're Right
2011 The Breeders One Divine Hammer
2012 Anna Vogelzang Heart Beat Faster
2013 The Breeders Huffer
2014 Streetlight Manifesto Somewhere in the Between
Tone
I notoriously am not very concerned with tone...or maybe more to the point...I've never felt like I could hear the differences that other people have in tone. But it is becoming an issue in my bass playing.
I know that what I like is a deep, boomy, smooth sound. I know that what I don't like is a trebly, "tink-tink" kind of sound. But the problem with a deep, boomy, smooth sound is that it can get "muddy"...where all the notes kind of melt together and lose their separation. This isn't such a big deal when you are hanging on a root note 8th pattern (90% of Pixies bass lines) or playing slowly or playing whole notes. But it is a problem for fast moving bass lines like those that I play in ska.
My remedy for the problem has just been to turn down my bass tone and turn up my treble tone on my amp and the turn the tone knob to more "tinky" on my bass. But I kind of hate the tone and it still bleeds together a lot. Playing with a pick increases the separation, but it is really hard for me to play fast with a pick...especially if I'm doing a lot of string crossings or playing on the high strings a lot. I got unsolicited advice once that suggested that I not pluck so high up on the neck. I rest my thumb on the corner of the fingerboard and play right there when I play with my fingers. I've tried moving back to the bridge or to the pickups...but it feels really weird. And I don't think it really helps or sounds any better.
Anyway, I was listening to Fleetwood Mac this morning and realizing that John McVie's tone is exactly what I'm shooting for. It is smooth and low and booming...but there is a definition to the notes....the notes don't bleed together and get muddy. And he's playing a lot of notes. So, aside from him being a great player, I could look into what kind of equipment he used. Just a thought.
I know that what I like is a deep, boomy, smooth sound. I know that what I don't like is a trebly, "tink-tink" kind of sound. But the problem with a deep, boomy, smooth sound is that it can get "muddy"...where all the notes kind of melt together and lose their separation. This isn't such a big deal when you are hanging on a root note 8th pattern (90% of Pixies bass lines) or playing slowly or playing whole notes. But it is a problem for fast moving bass lines like those that I play in ska.
My remedy for the problem has just been to turn down my bass tone and turn up my treble tone on my amp and the turn the tone knob to more "tinky" on my bass. But I kind of hate the tone and it still bleeds together a lot. Playing with a pick increases the separation, but it is really hard for me to play fast with a pick...especially if I'm doing a lot of string crossings or playing on the high strings a lot. I got unsolicited advice once that suggested that I not pluck so high up on the neck. I rest my thumb on the corner of the fingerboard and play right there when I play with my fingers. I've tried moving back to the bridge or to the pickups...but it feels really weird. And I don't think it really helps or sounds any better.
Anyway, I was listening to Fleetwood Mac this morning and realizing that John McVie's tone is exactly what I'm shooting for. It is smooth and low and booming...but there is a definition to the notes....the notes don't bleed together and get muddy. And he's playing a lot of notes. So, aside from him being a great player, I could look into what kind of equipment he used. Just a thought.
Friday, December 20, 2013
All Gigs 2013
I thought FOR SURE I had done this summary every year, but I can't find it anywhere for previous years.
Assuming I've kept good records, I played 32 gigs in 2013.
-7 for TD
-11 for SVFD
-5 for SSW
-7 for CJ (one as INXS)
-2 for FW
(note CJ/SSW shared one of those bills)
Details below! Click to enlarge.
Assuming I've kept good records, I played 32 gigs in 2013.
-7 for TD
-11 for SVFD
-5 for SSW
-7 for CJ (one as INXS)
-2 for FW
(note CJ/SSW shared one of those bills)
Details below! Click to enlarge.
UPDATE: Found the other lists. They are tagged as "summary" in the blog but all posts are incomplete I think. Allow me to report again below (pre 2009 gigs not included). I have to say, I'm surprised at how sparse 2012 was...
2009: 6 gigs
2010: 22 gigs
2011: 37 gigs
2012: 13 gigs
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
The Perception of the Copycat
In late summer of 2010 I took over drumming duties in TD from a friend of mine. He'd had enough of band drama and I think he wanted to take his life in another direction. I offered to take over on a whim. It was one of those odd moments in life when I didn't even question if I could do it or if I SHOULD do it...I just did it. I think just to keep the band from imploding, they gave me an "audition" and I got the job. This is strange because it happens every so often...I just decide to join a band on a whim and have no worries about it. Conversely, there are just as many or more groups where I fret and sell myself short...I say things like "I'm probably not good enough but if you wanna take a chance." Shockingly, I don't get call backs on those gigs.
Anyway, when I took the job my only intention was to copy the drum parts as closely as I could to the originals. This was a little tough, because I was stepping into the shoes of a self-taught, unconventional drummer. I'm mostly self-taught too...but I kind of operate in a very standard framework. Not so for my predecessor. But I tried my best to copy him. And I thought I did a decent job.
But all along the band has said things like "I really like what you've done with the drum part" or "this song has a whole new feel with you playing drums." This frustrated me because my goal was to just copy the old way. This meant I was either failing in that...or that someone was blowing smoke up my ass (my default assumption about all compliments...I HAVE ISSUES).
This morning I listened to the first album by the group because we are adding back in two old songs from that disc that I haven't done much with them. I was surprised to find that, yes, I DO play most of the songs significantly differently from the old drummer. I had no idea. There are parts that I would have sworn that I stole from him that just don't exist. And he plays stuff I've never played. Me skipping things he did doesn't surprise me, because it was hard unconventional stuff that I just couldn't pull off at the time. But the adding of things that weren't there to begin with surprises me. I know that I didn't do it on purpose. There was no grand creative vision. It just happened because it felt natural to do...and so I guess I assumed that it was already there. Not to blow my own horn, but the upshot I think IS actually better than the original. I've left out busy sections that distracted from the vocal or other parts and I've added things that add interest (particularly on the bass drum). The bass drum is interesting, because the first album had no bass guitar. But when I came into the group, we had a pretty dominant bass player. My right foot naturally just did what the bass player was doing without me realizing it.
I don't know what to make of all of this except:
1) Apparently I have my own style even though I didn't think I did
2) Without trying, I seem to make "musical" choices that support the group. Whether this is because I can't play complicated things or if it is an instinct built on years of playing music I don't know
3) Now I'm super worried that all those Pixies bass lines that I thought I was playing note-for-note from the original could be TOTALLY WRONG. I can't decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing.
Anyway, when I took the job my only intention was to copy the drum parts as closely as I could to the originals. This was a little tough, because I was stepping into the shoes of a self-taught, unconventional drummer. I'm mostly self-taught too...but I kind of operate in a very standard framework. Not so for my predecessor. But I tried my best to copy him. And I thought I did a decent job.
But all along the band has said things like "I really like what you've done with the drum part" or "this song has a whole new feel with you playing drums." This frustrated me because my goal was to just copy the old way. This meant I was either failing in that...or that someone was blowing smoke up my ass (my default assumption about all compliments...I HAVE ISSUES).
This morning I listened to the first album by the group because we are adding back in two old songs from that disc that I haven't done much with them. I was surprised to find that, yes, I DO play most of the songs significantly differently from the old drummer. I had no idea. There are parts that I would have sworn that I stole from him that just don't exist. And he plays stuff I've never played. Me skipping things he did doesn't surprise me, because it was hard unconventional stuff that I just couldn't pull off at the time. But the adding of things that weren't there to begin with surprises me. I know that I didn't do it on purpose. There was no grand creative vision. It just happened because it felt natural to do...and so I guess I assumed that it was already there. Not to blow my own horn, but the upshot I think IS actually better than the original. I've left out busy sections that distracted from the vocal or other parts and I've added things that add interest (particularly on the bass drum). The bass drum is interesting, because the first album had no bass guitar. But when I came into the group, we had a pretty dominant bass player. My right foot naturally just did what the bass player was doing without me realizing it.
I don't know what to make of all of this except:
1) Apparently I have my own style even though I didn't think I did
2) Without trying, I seem to make "musical" choices that support the group. Whether this is because I can't play complicated things or if it is an instinct built on years of playing music I don't know
3) Now I'm super worried that all those Pixies bass lines that I thought I was playing note-for-note from the original could be TOTALLY WRONG. I can't decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing.
Monday, November 25, 2013
TD 11/22/2013 Mr Roberts
With Stereo Effects. Another tale of two gigs. Previous Thursday's gig was a disaster...this one nearly perfect. There's no explaining it.
Setlist:
Some Delirium
At the Door
Easy Life
Goin Down the Drain
1 is 4 man
Jake
It's alright
Movin' On
HSUL
Sent It
Bodies R Burnin
Better N Better
Gotta Tell U
Gun in your Grave
Hold You Under
Kiss U Kill U
Vacuum Man
Setlist:
Some Delirium
At the Door
Easy Life
Goin Down the Drain
1 is 4 man
Jake
It's alright
Movin' On
HSUL
Sent It
Bodies R Burnin
Better N Better
Gotta Tell U
Gun in your Grave
Hold You Under
Kiss U Kill U
Vacuum Man
Friday, November 15, 2013
TD, Mr Roberts, 11/14/2013
We played with Tween Wolf and The Type. I used TS's kit from The Type and it was great. Pedal (a DW5000) was set exactly the way I like and the heights on all of the cymbal stands were good and in the right place. I only used my own throne, cymbals, and snare. His kit was tuned higher than mine, which was a little weird sounding for the tom heavy tunes, but it was okay. He showed up super early to set it up too. One of the best kit sharing experiences that I've had.
Despite the kit being great...the evening was...well...
Sometimes shows are just weird. The whole thing feels like a blur now. I wasn't getting any lead vocal in my monitor. What's weird is...we've played shows with WAY worse sound. I thought I could push past it...sing along in my head...but no, I kept messing up the transitions. A contributing factor could have been that I also couldn't really hear the bass, which I probably key off of a bunch too. Later on someone told me that it wasn't me messing up the transitions, it was the lead singer. In retrospect, this makes a lot of sense. If he wasn't getting the transitions right and I couldn't hear him...than I couldn't adjust to his mistakes. Still, I guess it felt shocking to realize that without the lead vocal...I get a little lost in the song and can't tell where I am. Again...duh...if you go "boom-chick" 5,000 times in a row you are going to get lost without sign posts. Anyway, I feel like I played well technically...but was unhappy with the performance because I was getting lost so much. I'm sure that, aside from us all grumbling about it audibly, the audience was none the wiser that there were problems happening. That's the way audiences are generally.
There was other stuff too. Interpersonal stuff related to the above. Lots of stuff. But happily no one seemed to find me at general fault...but more a victim of technical and ...stuff. There are just behavior patterns and ways of relating at play that get tiresome over the long haul. And even when things seem to be getting a little better as time passes...people really never change at a fundamental level, or if they do they change painfully slowly and sometimes, often, revert to past behavior. Bands = drama. It has always been so and I suppose it always will be so. 'Nuff said.
We have another show in a week...a 90 minute set...which is probably the longest show we've ever played. I have a feeling last night will be talked to death during load in. Hopefully it'll mean things go better...but it could very well mean things will go worse. Who knows? I know that I will make damn sure that I can hear the vocals and the bass.
We brought down $50 per band.
Setlist:
HSUL
Better
At Door
Easy
Some D
Bodies
Jack
Hold U Under
Gun
Gotta Tell U
Despite the kit being great...the evening was...well...
Sometimes shows are just weird. The whole thing feels like a blur now. I wasn't getting any lead vocal in my monitor. What's weird is...we've played shows with WAY worse sound. I thought I could push past it...sing along in my head...but no, I kept messing up the transitions. A contributing factor could have been that I also couldn't really hear the bass, which I probably key off of a bunch too. Later on someone told me that it wasn't me messing up the transitions, it was the lead singer. In retrospect, this makes a lot of sense. If he wasn't getting the transitions right and I couldn't hear him...than I couldn't adjust to his mistakes. Still, I guess it felt shocking to realize that without the lead vocal...I get a little lost in the song and can't tell where I am. Again...duh...if you go "boom-chick" 5,000 times in a row you are going to get lost without sign posts. Anyway, I feel like I played well technically...but was unhappy with the performance because I was getting lost so much. I'm sure that, aside from us all grumbling about it audibly, the audience was none the wiser that there were problems happening. That's the way audiences are generally.
There was other stuff too. Interpersonal stuff related to the above. Lots of stuff. But happily no one seemed to find me at general fault...but more a victim of technical and ...stuff. There are just behavior patterns and ways of relating at play that get tiresome over the long haul. And even when things seem to be getting a little better as time passes...people really never change at a fundamental level, or if they do they change painfully slowly and sometimes, often, revert to past behavior. Bands = drama. It has always been so and I suppose it always will be so. 'Nuff said.
We have another show in a week...a 90 minute set...which is probably the longest show we've ever played. I have a feeling last night will be talked to death during load in. Hopefully it'll mean things go better...but it could very well mean things will go worse. Who knows? I know that I will make damn sure that I can hear the vocals and the bass.
We brought down $50 per band.
Setlist:
HSUL
Better
At Door
Easy
Some D
Bodies
Jack
Hold U Under
Gun
Gotta Tell U
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