#1940105 - 05/10/08 07:08 AM
Rate my first live experience!
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lil_jahnbassman
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Hey guys. I'm eighteen and i picked up bass with no previous guitar experience just over a year ago (last spring break, in fact). I recently played my first actual "gig" (really just one song) for our school talent show, YYZ by Rush. Below's a youtube link to it, and I was wondering on your guys thoughts and opinions on it.
Youtube
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#1940216 - 05/10/08 11:05 AM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: lil_jahnbassman]
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Smelvin7
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A song from guitar hero, what a surprise for a school talent show.
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#1940219 - 05/10/08 11:11 AM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: Smelvin7]
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lil_jahnbassman
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Nah. My drummer and guitarist have grown up on Rush, although i've just recently gotten into them.
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#1940229 - 05/10/08 11:43 AM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: lil_jahnbassman]
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Bumpcity
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Do you an honest opinion?
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#1940237 - 05/10/08 11:54 AM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: Bumpcity]
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DJR_Bos
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Nice first time out guy. For one year in anyway.
Word of advice – If you really want to impress pick a song you can play really, really well. Not a song some people think is hard that you can, more or less, get through.
Here's the thing – To a bassist, and the band that counts on them, little is more important than timing – Focus your practice there.
- DJR
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#1940241 - 05/10/08 12:07 PM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: DJR_Bos]
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jeremy c
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You're asking for opinions from bass players all over the world?
You're pretty brave. I hope not as cocky as the guitar player appears to be.
First of all, tell the person with the camera to hold it steady and s l o w l y move it and use the zoom button s l o l y as well. I was getting kind of carsick there.
Keep practicing, learn hundreds of songs, learn how to read, play in the school jazz band, take two aspirins and call me in the morning.
Welcome to the forum.
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#1940306 - 05/10/08 02:12 PM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: jeremy c]
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TimR
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Great. The audience where behind you. Literally. Face front, you might have got more camera time.
I've been playing 20 odd years and still don't think I'd have the nerve to play that tune. Well done.
Somewhere, somehow, sometimes the timing was out, isn't some of it in 13/8? Tricky.
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#1940364 - 05/10/08 05:47 PM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: TimR]
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Bottomgottem
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I've heard much worse.
You need to fix the video title. It says RUSH by YYZ.
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#1940398 - 05/10/08 07:36 PM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: Bottomgottem]
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SeamyD
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For playing for one year I think it was a good effort.
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#1940411 - 05/10/08 08:00 PM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: lil_jahnbassman]
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lil_jahnbassman
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Thank you for your guys input. I know b/c that you are all experienced musicians, your idea of "good" is a lot higher up than mine. I personally thought we did decent, but not our best. But we did manage.
I wouldn't have picked such a hard song to play so early on normally, but the guitarist wanted to play it last year & didn't, & needed a bassist this year, so I volunteered. B/c it really has helped my playing tremendously, I was wondering this... Is it really such a good idea to push yourself to play something like this so out of your level until you finally are skilled enough to perfect it, or wait until you naturally build up after the years then learn it?
Also...although it's really hard to tell from the video, I was wondering if you guys can see any real problems in my technique. Someone else had mentioned that my right hand technique was rather unique. I would rather fix bad habits now then later on down the road.
Thank you guys so much.
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#1940506 - 05/11/08 05:30 AM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: lil_jahnbassman]
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EddiePlaysBass
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B/c it really has helped my playing tremendously, I was wondering this... Is it really such a good idea to push yourself to play something like this so out of your level until you finally are skilled enough to perfect it, or wait until you naturally build up after the years then learn it?
Whichever way works best for you personally. That said, one must first learn to walk before attempting to run. Do not fool yourself into thinking that because you can play hard songs, you can play them well.
That said, welcome to the forum  And for the record, I'm not judging your playing in my above comment, just making a general statement.
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#1940616 - 05/11/08 09:19 AM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: lil_jahnbassman]
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jeremy c
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Yes, your right hand technique is unusual. You've got your hand kind of sideways.
Watch this video of Adam Nitti and try using the hand position he does.
Adam Nitti on BP tv
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#1940683 - 05/11/08 12:16 PM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: jeremy c]
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Tom Capasso
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It's one thing to push yourself (individually or as a band). It's another thing to select a song for a show/contest that is really difficult. Like others said - pick something that you can play really well. The trick sometimes is to pick a song that people really love.
Tom
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#1940781 - 05/11/08 05:13 PM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: Tom Capasso]
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Bumpcity
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I'm going to restrain myself and just echo what others have said: You picked a song well over your head and that was a very bad decision. The entire band is struggling to play their parts let alone keep the song together.
It is fine to challenge yourself but it is generally not wise to play a song that you can't even begin to execute properly on a stage in front of people. Keep those songs in the rehearsal room until such time that you own them. Then unleash them on an audience.
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#1940859 - 05/11/08 08:52 PM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: Bumpcity]
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Chewbubba
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You picked a flippin' awesome song, but I don't think you guys were really ready to perform it live yet. Keep at it, though.
Personally, that song is one of my "high-water" marks, that is, if I can ever execute it like the record, then I will have reached new heights in my playing.
(Unfortunately, I'm not there yet. :-P)
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#1940891 - 05/12/08 03:05 AM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: Chewbubba]
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Bottomgottem
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You all seem to take turns racing for the finish line. Your drummer is the worst culprit, followed by your guitarist. Relax. It's a tune that really drives you, and you have to concentrate in order to stay together. You have to begin to think as a single unit and not a collection of individual players.
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"Our time should be spent on building intimate, everlasting relationships with those who care for us, thus transcending this physical realm....but first you have to get that bass." - rizzo9247
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#1940967 - 05/12/08 07:11 AM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: Bottomgottem]
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cassius
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Oh sweet, sweet high school.
I won't comment on the video, just keep playing, you'll be fine. You may want to get in with a bass teacher so that they can educate you about proper technique. It's not always necessary to have, but it's also there for a reason.
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#1940982 - 05/12/08 07:41 AM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: cassius]
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rizzo9247
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Was that a young Alex Lifeson up there?  
Welcome to the forum...and keep practicing, we all need it.
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#1941095 - 05/12/08 10:37 AM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: rizzo9247]
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yourlord
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I have to say I wouldn't have dreamed of attempting YYZ on a stage at 1 year. I think at that stage the hardest song I could play was 5 magics by megadeth and even then it was with mistakes.
That said, it was a bad pick for this show IMO. If rehearsals yielded anywhere near the number of mistakes as are evident in that video, the song choice should have been aborted in favor of something easier..
You know most of the song at this point, so in answer to your query, yes, keep working on it. Once you master it you will have a decent command of Geddy's style of playing. But, keep working on other styles. While Geddy is a god, he has a playing style that won't suit other types of music very well and it's too easy to master one style of playing and think you have mastered the instrument.
Your right hand position is a little odd looking, but don't let that worry you too much. The questions you need to ask yourself are "Is it comfy? Can I play with this position for hours without significant strain or pain? And, does this position make getting to any of the strings with any finger excessively difficult?"
You ideally want a position that lets you play the G string with your index and the E with your ring/middle/whatever just as easily as vise-versa.
+1 for having the stones to get on a stage with 1 year of playing under your belt and at least trying to belt out YYZ..
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#1941169 - 05/12/08 12:54 PM
Re: Rate my first live experience!
[Re: yourlord]
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cassius
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I bet you and the guitarist could've pulled off Tom Sawyer decently... nowhere near as busy. (The guitarist needs to tone down the 'tude though.) The drummer needs to do some work on groove and pocket. Also, it's cruel to put a lone guy up there to merely do the keyboard parts... and he didn't even know them! Next time you need to figure out a way to do the keys yourself or else you'll have a sad, lonely figure standing up there with you doing nothing. And no it's not okay to give him a tambourine! Sorry.
Seriously, though, at least you tried. It's a tough song.
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