etc

I have a new website that focuses more on my teaching. check it out:

denverbasslessons.com

We all strive to improve ourselves on our instruments, but we are often unaware that much of our growth occurs in situations outside of the practice room. Here’s some of the thing you can do without even needing to play a scale.

1. Listen

Every time you listen, you are growing. The more active and engaged you are while listening (i.e. dedicating time to listen to music rather then simply using it as background sound while doing something else), the more you will gain from it. And while listening with depth to a single recording is important, it is equally important to listen with span as well, so be sure you are constantly making an effort to expose yourself to new recordings, artists, and genres regularly.

2. Watch

When I was in music school, we were actually required to attend a certain number of concerts per semester because it was understood that seeing live performances is crucial to your development. I’m still amazed at how simply seeing a great artist (especially on the bass) can sometimes magically change my approach and break up routines the next time I play. If you can’t make it out much, rent some concert DVD’s or spend a little of that web surfing time on youtube.

3. Play

I would say it’s impossible to really become a great musician without playing with others on a regular basis, or more precisely, it’s impossible to become a great player without playing with other great musicians. As bassists, we are often in demand enough that we can get ourselves into groups that have much better players then we are, and I assure you that if you keep showing up, you will get “pulled up” to the level around you. Play in as many school ensembles, community groups, garage bands, church groups, and jam sessions as you can.

4. Study

Build a library of music related books. Everything from theory texts to biographies to music related fiction will sink back into your playing. A simple place to start that I have used since day one is to subscribe to Bass Player magazine. If you simply read an issue a month, I assure you that you will be developing a treasure trove of great information on all aspects of playing, and at not much more then a set of strings, it’s a great bargain!

Of course, the trick is to take these experiences and integrate the insights gained from them into your practice time. Hopefully, you’ll return to the “shed” with renewed sense of purpose, direction, and last, but not least, inspiration!

After searching online for 6 months for a new bass and then traveling to the ISB to try candidates this June, I found the maker of my next instrument, Nick Lloyd. Nick’s basses had all the qualities I was looking for- clarity, a tight but substantial bottom, playability, great aesthetics, and the price was just right as well. Since then, I have been trying to figure out how to get into one of his 3/4’s and finally lined it all up after much planning, hand wringing, long chats with my wife, and thinking for months. (Still need to sell my Hawkes FS here!)

Anyway, I’m thrilled. Nick and I have been talking for months, and one of my students just purchased the 7/8s he had at the ISB, which was few points shy of a gold medal but had a solid silver for tone and certificate for workmanship.

We went over some details today. I’m getting the 3/4 walnut with standard F holes, violin corners, 41″ scale length, and chromatic extension. This will be a jazz bass, so Nick’s going to put high arching on the top and give it some real punch and clarity, maybe slightly brighter than the one 3/4 he had at the convention. And he’s just updated his top varnishing. The new results will be on his website in the next week, and I could tell he’s excited about the outcome. It should be a good match for his walnut back and sides.

The bass should be done in January. I’ll fly out to pick it up in person and do small setup adjustments, and perhaps a few beers with the luthier himself. I’ll post some pics and vids here when it arrives. Hopefully this will be the bass I play for the rest of my days, or at least the next 20 years!

Nick Lloyd Basses

I’m excited that my new website has been launched but it is still under development. Please check back soon for new media (including videos and free lessons), blog posts about all subjects music related, and other information about my music career and teaching.