Becoming a Competent Musician: Playing Instrumentals Helps

To become a jazz musician, or any genre of musician, you must practice consistently over time, both with other musicians and alone.  Progress will be incremental over time.  You will not wake up one day and voila:  you are a competent musician.  You will get better little by little and you will reach plateaus of achievement. 

It is very helpful to record yourself, especially when playing with other musicians or a band.  Do this for both practices and actual gigs.  The feedback is invaluable.  You can learn what you are doing right and what needs improvement.

I record all the practices with my band.  Over a year and a half, while listening to the recordings, I notice that I wince less than before!  I hear fewer missed beats, fewer wrong chords, better rhythms.  I can tell I am progressing and it is encouraging.

Yesterday, Sunday, August 19th, we had our usual Sunday practice.  Our singer couldn't make it, so we used the opportunity to polish our instrumentals.  It's a different trip to play just instrumentals, because the lead instruments (guitar and piano, in our case) have to carry the lead by themselves. 

Have a listen to the practice here:  www.soundcloud.com/gwaltrip.

Are You Gig-Ready?

"Gigging" is the term that means playing in musical performances.  A gig is a musician's job.  Playing in parties, clubs, festivals and other venues is called "gigging," or "playing gigs."

Being good enough to play in such performances is being "gig-ready."  Being good enough to gig is the goal of every serious musician who wants to perfect his craft.  That's what we strive for in individual and group practices.

To get gig-ready, you have to be willing to "let it all hang out," to coin a 1960's era slogan.  Take a chance.  Perform!  You may screw up, you may make a fool of yourself.  If so, be the fool, after all, it's only temporary.  You are a work in progress, and on the way to becoming a competent musician.

If you don't have gigging as your goal, why are you practicing your instrument?

Leaving the Legends

I have begun practicing with a local Hollister band and by mutual agreement, have left the band "Legends in Their Own Minds."  There are many videos of the Legends practicing and gigging, embedded in this blog.  Scroll down to prior postings to find them.

I was with the Legends for one year and seven months, and it was a beneficial association for me.  Practicing twice a week, and gigging occasionally, developed my skills.  As a result, I am now the best bass player I have ever been.   Thanks for that, Legends, and good luck in the future.

I want to go in a different direction now.  I am interested in playing jazz swing and jazz standards, with some classic rock and country thrown in.  An avenue opened for me and I had to take it.

A Successful Band MUST Have Excellent Singing Voices

On Thursday evening last, I practiced with a local band here in Hollister, the Shiloh Band.  Actually, I only practiced with the two lead singers just to get acquainted, and I may begin playing with them on a regular basis, if the rest of the band likes me (and I like them).

One thing that impressed me was the quality of singing voices in Noelle and Steve Sladon.  You can't play and sing the Eagles' "Love Will Keep Us Alive" without really excellent voices.  You may get by in a pinch with a mediocre voice, belting out rough and guttural rock songs, but that isn't going to take you far enough.  The voices are the steak, the instrumentation merely the condiments.

I don't believe the band I am currently in will go very far with our current vocal abilities.  However, I don't contribute much to our vocal effort, so it's easy for me to say.  One thing is certain, however, I must sing more and I must improve my singing voice through training and practice. I must contribute a lot more than I am now doing, because problems don't fix themselves and merely griping about a problem won't fix it.

As a bass player, it is difficult to sing lead and play bass riffs at the same time.  It can be done, as Paul McCartney has proved, but I am yet to do that.  I will start including singing as part of my practice routine, recording it and striving to improve it.  In the vocals department, every member of the band must contribute.  Simply playing an instrument is not enough.

I will look into voice training and lessons as well, and let you know what I find out.

Rockin' Lorraine and Her Wa-Wa Peddle Blues