The Rodeo

I used to hate playing in front of other people, and I never used to improve my skills. I played the piano for about 10 years before getting a bass guitar. I’m not the best bass player in the world (by a long, long way), but these things I’ve learned let me play well enough that I’m not asked to leave the bass at home. Hopefully they will help you too.

1) Play with (and for) others: Playing by (and for) yourself will never get you performing well. You can always stop if you make a mistake and keep practicing until you get it perfect. But it’s better to play middlingly well and entertain and uplift people than it is to play perfectly for no-one but yourself. Join a band, or jam with some friends, it doesn’t need to be in front of thousands, but playing with others gives you someone to be encouraged by and to encourage with your music.

2) Turn up the volume: Your volume knob goes to 11 for a reason - so people can hear you. When I first started playing, I used to turn myself right down and hide in the background. If I hit a wrong note, I played even softer. You’ll never improve until you turn yourself up, when you play loud, you have to learn quickly to cover your mistakes. And just because you don’t play exactly what’s written doesn’t matter. Getting thrown in the deep end here will help - it’ll also help you learn when you need to play to get the biggest impact.

3) Don’t worry (be happy!): This is actually two tips in one. Unless you are playing in front of a group consisting entirely of professional music critics, the only people who will know when you make a mistake are you and (only maybe) the people you are playing with. Don’t stop. That lets everyone know that you’ve mucked something up. If you can’t keep up with that fancy riff, just play the notes you can. Keep it moving and pick it up when you can.

A smile always helps too, if you enjoy yourself you’ll find it easier to get into a state of flow that will help you hit your rhythm right, and really make a joyful noise.

4) Turn down the volume: Music with all instruments all the time has a special term: a mess. If you want to play better, listen and figure out when not to play - gaps in the noise can actually make a bigger splash than constant noise. Walls of noise don’t give the mind a chance to think. Play softly when you’d normally play loud, let another instrument take charge. The other musicians will thank you for the opportunity and your sensitivity in playing. Don’t turn yourself down until after you’ve turned yourself up first though.

5) The bass guitar is a rhythm instrument. A bass player can get as fancy as they want, playing the melody and bringing harmonies, but their primary purpose is to act as the spine for the music. The drums set the beat, and the guitar and piano play the tune, but the bass is what drives everything along. If you are a bass player and spend too much time fiddling around and bringing the melody, cut back and make sure the rhythm is right. You shouldn’t be in the foreground, people should not even notice you are playing if you are doing it right. You emphasise the beat, and pull the rest of the music together, but the bass isn’t a lead instrument (well, there are exceptions, but I’m talking in general here). If you don’t play the bass, help your bassist by not sitting in his range (play low occasionally, but don’t remain down there all the time), and don’t fight him, but let him drive the rhythm of the song.

RodeoClown: Bassist Extra-ordinary (or not).

Better musicianship also comes with having a really good musical instrument to play. Electric guitars as well as acoustic guitars are very popular musical instruments to have and maybe even a set of drums would work too.

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