The Next Level Bassist - Practicing

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2 • Next Level assist ext evel N L Letter from the Publisher Practice covers a surprisingly large amount of our lives as musicians. What do I mean by that? Well, whether you’re in the practice room, or walking around thinking about how to get better, you are still practicing. Practice can be done with the instrument, away from the instrument, and it has an on and off switch (even though sometimes, you have to force yourself to press it!) As a bass player, there is time to excel on the instrument — trying things out, experimenting to decide if an idea works or not, and implementing designs that are known to work. You will ultimately spend thousands of hours practicing intonation, rhythm, new music, improvisation, feel, awareness — the sky is the limit. Away from the instrument, you should find yourself thinking about practice. In this edition on practicing, one can find a variety of approaches to very specific aspects of double bass playing. The information contained may run against your own knowledge, or things you have heard in your studies, but every word in these pages is excellent and worthwhile. Your challenge is to test these approaches and see how they can help you improve. I found my own way of practicing through years of playing the bass, collaboration, study, listening to trusted mentors, listening to non-musicians, and our old friends, trial and error. Like everything else on the bass, it falls to you as the individual to put the pieces together. Figure out what works for you! Personally, I’ve always thought of myself as something of a doctor, diagnosing where problems lie and deciding how to improve the situation. What medicine do I need to make the thing I’m working on better? Finally, a word about technology. There are a thousand supplies at your disposal as a musician today. The metronome, video, recording on the computer or phone, the list goes on and on....These devices can offer perspective. Outside perspectives are so important for feedback — this isn’t just about playing for others, it’s about using the “tools of self-reliance” to aid in your growth. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say if you aren’t using, or learning to use, those tools in your practice, you’re probably not maximizing the time you’re spending! No matter what you get out of this particular edition of The Next Level Bassist, remember to take an individual approach to your own practice, and use it to better yourself at all times. It’s my job here to restate that this is supplemental information, like a library book or encyclopedia. This is not a substitute for real life experience, but if it can help create more solutions for practicing as you progress as a double bass player, then I’ll see you on the Next Level! Ranaan Meyer Publisher assist
Staff Publisher • Founder Ranaan Meyer Editor • Sales Brent Edmondson Copyeditor • Layout Jessica Arnold johnson string instrument VIOLINS, VIOLAS, CELLOS, BASSES & GUITARS www.johnsonstring.com THE BASS SHOP 26 Fox Road Waltham, MA 02451 800-359-9351 sales • rentals • antique • contemporary • electrics susanwilsonphoto.com Contents Feature Stories To Practice or Not to Practice? 9 By Rufus Reid Make Practice Perfect 20 By David Allen Moore Exclusive Interviews Getting There 3 With Jonathan Borden, Dan Carson, and Alex Jacobsen Additional Features Transition and Stronger 15, 18 Music by Ranaan Meyer Next Level Bassist Review: 24 DPA d:vote 4099B By Ranaan Meyer Next Level assist • 3
Page 1: The ext evel N L The Practice Issue
Page 5 and 6: great resource. Sometimes it’s ha
Page 7 and 8: know that I’m going to find the w
Page 9 and 10: To Practice or Not to Practice... B
Page 11 and 12: controlled sense of dynamics and ph
Page 13 and 14: you that you are doing something in
Page 15 and 16: Transition works on a range in the
Page 17 and 18: Next Level assist • 17
Page 19 and 20: S = Slap H = Hammer On P = Pull Off
Page 21 and 22: Practice is universally recognized
Page 23 and 24: Dynamic Forms Here is one particula
Page 25: contact need to move due to the cha

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