From: glenn@access.digex.com (D. Glenn Arthur Jr.)
Subject: Learning Experience
Followup-To: alt.guitar.bass
Summary: The advice I got, and what I did with it.
Keywords: Theater
Organization: The Space-Time Fabrication Institute, Rockville, MD.
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 10:00:48 GMT

Some time back I posted about having been asked to play bass
guitar for a musical.  I mentioned that I'm really a guitarist,
not a bassist, that I didn't read bass clef, and that from a
look at the sheet music, I really wasn't sure that I could do
it, but that I really wasn't sure I _couldn't_, either.

I also said that I was just getting this all off my chest, not
looking for advice.

I got advice anyhow.  A couple of people gave me hints in case
I decided to go for it.  They and one or two others urged me 
to try.



Well, a couple hours ago I got back from the cast/crew/band
party to celebrate closing night of the MAD Productions
production of Little Shop of Horrors.  I played eight of the 
sixteen shows.  I made mistakes, I had "off" nights, and I
played some tunes without confidence or boldness.  But by
the end of the run, my mistakes were fewer, and I actually
felt good and solid in my part.  Confident and bold right
through act I and on a good chunk of act II, even.  :-)

I had a _blast_.

I now read bass clef faster than I used to read treble clef.
I haven't checked to see how quickly I can read in treble now.
I've gotten used to playing in keys with lots of flats in the 
key signature.  I haven't gotten the hang of slapstyle, but 
I did find another technique with a similar sound (as long as
I don't have to play anything faster than eighth notes).  I've
finally found out what it's like working with a conductor.

And a week ago, when I was improvising on bass along with a
harpist, a flautist, and three guitarists, a friend told me
afterwards that I did in fact sound like a bassist, and that
I sounded good.  This is different from my usual approach,
which sounds like a lead guitarist playing an octave low.
It seems I'm starting to get a handle on what a bass _does_,
musically.  (Key word:  "starting")

It was work.  

At home, struggling through tunes I couldn't even _hum_ yet,
to uncertain tempos, and not reading well, hoping I'd get 
enough of it off the paper to be able to keep up when I 
got to rehearsal.  At rehearsals, struggling to keep up with
music going a bit faster than I could read, and learning to
keep the conductor in my peripheral vision.  And in performance,
trying to figure out how to fix the latest thing I'd found 
to do wrong.


Was it worth it?

Oh yeah, y'all can't see my grin from there.   :-)


Did I do well?  No, not _well_, I'd say,  but _well_enough_, 
I suppose.   *I* heard every damned mistake I made.  The
rest of the band only heard some of the worst.  The cast
said I sounded fine, that the whole band sounded great.  And
apparently my mistakes weren't obvious to teh audience.  So
I did well enough, but _I_ wasn't pleased with my overall 
performance.  


But some tunes, some nights, ahhhh ... oh yes, on some tunes
I did do _well_, and oh, how good that felt.

And I just loved playing the curtain call music, which has
eleven measures in the bass chart marked "ad lib".  In the
middle of a repeated section yet.  For that, I didn't mind
sounding like a low lead guitarist, especially on the nights
when we didn't have a guitar!


The only problem is that now, whenever I hear someone say, "Feed
me," my fingers immediately reach for that C....

"Feed me, Seymour, feed me all night long..."


Thanks for the advice, folks.  I learned a lot _and_ had
amazing amounts of fun.  I met some really neat people, 
and I learned how quickly I can learn new things when I
have to -- a very important thing to know.

I've always liked the low notes.  Now I find I like the 
bass even more, and in new ways.  Looks like I'm becoming
at least a little bit of a bassist.

I'm looking forward to this group's next musical.  I said
I'd be available on bass or guitar if they need me.  They'll
probably need me on bass again.  That's fine by me.

I figure it should be easier if I'm not joining at the last
minute.  I'll have time to actually learn my part _before_
the show starts.  :-)


Random bits o' stuff to close with:

There's one song in the show in F#.  That struck me as being
way too many sharps, and I decided to play it in F instead.
I got some really odd looks, but I demonstrated that a Shubb
capo does in fact work fine on a bass guitar.  Now I'm 
wondering; am I the only one who uses a capo on a bass?
(Yeah, I know it's "cheating".  I was having a _lot_ of
trouble with that song until I did that though.)

There's also one song that has a whole lot of octave slides,
marked 'p'.  I still haven't figured out how to slide up twelve 
frets without going from 'p' to 'at least 'ff' in the process.


Again, thanks to the people who urged me to go for it.  The
work would have been worth it for either the fun or for what I 
learned -- as it is, I got both; I grew significantly as a
musician *and* I had an amazing good time.  (Fortunately, 
having to work at something doesn't prevent me from finding 
it fun.)



D. Glenn Arthur Jr., The Human Vibrator, new address:  glenn@digex.com
"Being a _man_ means knowing that one has a choice not to act like a 'man'."

-- 
D. Glenn Arthur Jr., The Human Vibrator, new address:  glenn@digex.com
"Being a _man_ means knowing that one has a choice not to act like a 'man'."

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