Wednesday, July 09, 2014

Music Update

I have been reading my bass clef with increasing speed this week.  Sometimes I find myself sight reading (seeing the note and playing it simultaneously) and then I think, "I'm doing it!"  Reading notes is not that hard.  The secret to gaining most skills is patience and repetition.  Take it one measure at a time.  Don't worry about speed at first, that will come automatically (and more quickly than you think).  Knowledge is not acquired instantly, you accumulate it with experience.

I'm playing my big stand-up bass, and I do get tired standing up too long.  So I bought a wooden 29 inch stool from Walmart for only $20.  This allows me to play the bass sitting down, sort of.  Since the stool is tall, I can still handle the tall bass.

Possibly my biggest musical goal has been to play stand-up bass with a jazz and swing band.  However, how do you break in?  Where do you start?  I could never figure that out.  This class, however, appears to be the door.

3 comments:

Always On Watch said...

As a former church musician (piano and organ), my sight reading skills were honed out of necessity.

Besides, I'm terrible at memorizing -- and not very good at playing by ear, either, for that matter.

Stogie Chomper said...

Learning out of necessity is the best way. You have not only the motivation, but can see the practical benefits immediately.

BrokenDrumsticks said...

As my name might suggest I play drums in a band. I suggest going to local sights for your area eg Craigslist and go to their musician boards. You'll find lots of people there looking to jam with others in their same skill set. Also try posting your own ad, start your own band. It's so much fun and great stress relief. Good luck and keep practising!!