Practice Practice Practice

Around the middle of December, our community stage band usually takes a few weeks off of Monday night practices. With holiday perparation, work pressure for end of the year deadlines, and general burnout, this break is usually welcomed.

During this time I still practice fundamentals and other songs using Youtube tab videos to work on ear training and general dexterity. But generally I take a break from the genre we practice on Monday nights. Big band / swing music is great to work on as a group, but not very motivating to practice alone. I should have more discipline, but alas, its fine.

Speaking of motivation…

The Yamaha BB424 I picked up primarily for this group is still going strong. I really like the feel of it along with the tone. It’s a little on the heavy side compared to my older Ibanez I was playing before, but the better tone and quality is worth it.

In the band I play on a nice head and cab. I’m not much of a ‘gear guy’ when it comes to music so I can’t recall the make, model, size, etc. But it’s 100x better than my Hartke B30 from the 1920s I practice on at home. The input jack makes a god awful sound if the cable moves too much (which my family also loves). I really need to invest a few bucks in a better home practice situation.

A lot of reviews speak highly of the general Fender Rumble line. I need to do more reading and I wouldn’t mind trying one out before buying, but I don’t have many options locally for that.

Its good to be back

I enjoyed the first practice of the year. We had a full group and everyone felt ‘focused’ - probably because everyone else was also a bit refreshed and ready to play. We really sound good when we want to and create great moments. I’m looking forward to this year and hopefully we get the opportunity to play a few more shows other than our standard four that we do each year.

The shows we do are great, but as a local jazz/swing band, I think we could do better by putting ourselves out there more and finding more efficient ways to play more local venues. It’s challenging as a lot of the members have other life responsbilities, including myself. I’d do what I could to make the time if the opportunity came up though.

I still have a ways to go until I’m satisfied with my own skillset for this band. I need to learn more notes farther up the neck past the 7th fret. I think I have the 7th fret and below handled easily, but I do get tangled up still when I stay in the lower frets. I think once I learn frets 7th through 12th, I’ll open the door to much better efficiency and much less confusion.

To play a wrong note is insignificant,

but to play without passion is inexcusable.

—Ludwig van Beethoven

Photo Credit

Bass Guitar