Check out this message I just recieved on youtube, and weep:

i saw your bass tapping intro and wanted to point out that you tell your viewers to play an F# (9th fret A string) along with a G (12th fret G string). note that an F# and G are only a half step away from each other and do not fit musically. (if you play them together on a piano you’ll see what i mean if you cant hear it already.) anyways just thought you might want to correct this before new musicians get the wrong idea and are out there playing the wrong notes. remember music comes first before motor skills.

very respectfully,
BM

Urggg.  See, this is what gives theory a bad name.  Theory can be a useful tool, if used in the right ways, and used as a “theory”, rather than being used as something that potrays music as a black and white world of rules and regulations.

“This can’t work with this.  This won’t work with that.”

Ignore it.  Or at least learn it, and then remind yourselves why you should try and ignore most of it.

The riff he’s speaking of sounds absolutely fine.  There is no harmonic conflict there at all.  Infact….it sounds pretty damn good.  Ok, in theory it “shouldn’t” work.  But it does.  Here it is:

Paul Mcarteny and John Lennon did tons of things that theoretically shouldn’t have worked.  This is what gave them their edge, and their different sound.  They experiemented.  They ignored the black and white rules of regulation, and saw music as a colourful world of potential creation.

As I mention above, theory CAN be useful, and is obviously a must when identifying specific notes with other people.  But don’t let it dominate your creativity.

And that is my main message:  Don’t let theory dominate your creativity.

Use and train your ear.  Learn to hear music.  I mean really hear it.  If it sounds good to you, then it sounds good to you.  If you like how it sounds, then it is your right to call it a song/riff/line, whatever.  Because music is freedom, expression.  What you have written may sound crap to the rest of the world, but if you like it, and it comes from your heart then it is as relevent and as important as any other famous piece of music.

Trust me.

Theory is just a theory to make communication within music easier.  It is not a “How to” of everything creative…

Shane asks this question in one of my other blog posts:

Now I play bass alone at home, just me and the ipod, any chance of a blog post on what us loners can buy to help us? Nice pedal with effects, recording, I use a Mac any advice really appreciated…

Firstly, can I just say thankyou for your support, Shane. It’s much appreciated!

Ok, what I’m going to say here is aimed at the Mac, but it can all be transposed to the PC with the right software.

I’m presuming you have a copy of I-life, Shane? With Garageband, etc? (I think you can download them for free, anyway). If you have that, there are lots of things you can do to help yourself. I like to open up I-movie (older version), or photo booth, and record myself playing. I pay no attention to the camera, ignore it and just play. After that, I watch the vid again, and take out the best ideas. The best riffs, and lines.

But you can use it to pay attention to your technique. Play a bunch of songs/riffs that you know, watch it, and pay attention to your technique. If it looks bad, go back and record it again until it looks good, and everything is fine. Be strict with yourself!

A few people have recorded a few vids of them playing, and uploaded them to youtube privately to me, so I can check their technique. No-one has to see the vid apart from me and you. You don’t have to speak, and I don’t need to see your face. Just fingers and fretboard. I’ll be quite happy to do this if you want. If not, just check your technique yourself, and be strict.

If you are a little more confident, upload it and show it to the guys on my forum. It’s a positive place, and people will try to give you positive feedback.

Open up garageband, (Pc users, use audacity, and then google free drum loops) put one of the generic drumbeats into it, and play along. Concentrate on your timing. Change the tempo, and do the same. Take riffs you already know, and play them super fast, and then play them super slow. Garageband is so simple to use, that all you need to do is plug your bass in, and you can record. Play some stuff, record it, and listen. If it’s out of time, delete it, and do it again. Just play with it.

I keep saying “be strict”. This is because when we don’t have a “proper” teacher in front of us, to keep ourselves in line, we can get sloppy. That’s why it’s so important to concentrate and be strict. Really focus. It CAN be done. I’ve never had a lesson in my life, and managed to do it (with a lot of discipline), so take power from that. Really annoy yourself.

Ok, recording…

For all my latest vids, I use this little puppy right here. Check the review I did of it, it’s brilliant. You can record it straight into I-movie, or garageband, using USB. Just plug in and play…

There is some stuff up there that might help you, but I could be off on a tangent. You may already use other software etc, so i’ll sit back and wait for any questions you, or anyone else may have! Hope it helps you a little….

This is an interesting topic, that others may be able to give insight into, so i’ll post it here, on my forum.

What tonal qualities can we achieve with a pick, and where can we use them?

What musics can we use a pick with?

Discussing and covering using a pick with harmonics/metal/funk.

Covering basic pick technique. Downstrokes and upstrokes. Mutes.

My Korg Pandora (what I use to get the effects) review:

What is playing in the pocket?

And here we have some techniques, and a cool exercise you can use!

Great discussion going on at my forum, started by Guzco.

Some really interesting points being brought up by the forum regulars!

Click the image below for a direct link to the discussion…

Interesting discussion going on at my forum, created by regular, Danthewelshy!

He asks the questions:

How often do you change yours?

What are your favourite brands?

Check the topic, right here:

Strings and stuffs!

Hey guys, this video was created for someone in my forums that had fret buzz, and wanted to know how to get rid of it. In this vid, I discuss a few ideas on how to alleviate fret buzz, as well as some other stuff. Enjoy.

How to read the notes on the Bass fretboard!

Ok, ok, this is a simple blog post, but I feel it needs to be in there!

This question has popped up in a few forums I visit, so i’ll do my best to explain it here. Although this term has a few different technical definitions, there are a couple we can all agree on…

When drummers and bass players talk about being “in the pocket”, they are talking about that perfect place where the groove is locked. It’s when the rhythm section are completely in the zone, tight and perfect. This is what all bass players and drummers strive for!

Technically, it can be explained like this (This isn’t my explanation, but my favorite one from round the ‘tinternet.)

The phrase “in the pocket” is used to describe something or someone playing in such a way that the groove is very solid and with a great feel. When a drummer keeps a good metronomic pulse, often referred to as keeping time, and makes the groove feel really good, and maintains this feel for an extended period of time, never wavering, this is often referred to as a deep pocket…

Today, the term “in the pocket” has broadened a bit, suggesting that if two musicians (usually the bass player and the drummer) are feeling the downbeats together, feeling and placing beat “one” at the exact same time, they are said to be “in the pocket.”

Whether you are playing ahead (front) of the beat, or behind (back) of the beat, or right on top (middle) of the beat, as long as two musicians (ie. bassist and drummer) feel the downbeat at the same time, they’ll be in the pocket.

Many people feel that the question is not so much what the pocket is as much as how you know when you’ve achieved it. To the musician, it feels like the music is playing itself, as though everything has merged together … all the rhythmic parts being played by one instrument.

Check out my man bootsy here giving a perfect example of what playing in the pocket is all about!

Also check out tower and power in my funk playlist, for brilliant examples of perfect pocket playing: