Stuck in a rut playing wise...

[Fubajuba]

I'm at the point where I am now trying to learn Wooten-level stuff, and I lack the techniques to pull it off... Now... I am interested in finding out what you guys think would be best to do... I've been playing for... about 4 years... had lessons (from a guitar teacher, any techniques I have picked up on my own or from hints from other bass players) for probably the first year or so of those 4... I haven't had lessons in a long time... I've developed somewhat of a decent ear (don't need tabs or anything for most songs, besides wooten tunes, or Miller tunes).... But I just have no idea what to do when it comes to techniques like double thumping, double plucking... I can't tap worth a crap, even though I'm not too worried about that... I dont really like it much, but maybe I would if I could actually do it...

So really, the moral of this story is... do you guys have any advice for me concerning what I should do? I've seen the videos online for double thumbing and such, and I just can't do it (at least not yet)... I'm making some progress, but I get discouraged when I see other people do it so easily... Should I take up lessons or go to some form of clinic for things like this? Or am I simply being to ambitious for playing for 4 years?

Any advice would be apreciated... thanks :chug:

[BassVirtuoso]

I learned how to double thumb, Just by playing. Just try to incooperate it into a song or something before you just sit there practicing it, at least thats what works for me.

[cmogawa]

he has a lesson in his bass day 1998 dvd
that lesson taught me to duble thumb and taping
take things slow
tap out simple things like chourds
and major minor scales

same with duble thumbing
do sclaes
slow to get the hang of it

[cmogawa]

ps:i am 15 and playing for 1 and a half years
and i can duble thumb and tap (not as crazy as victor tho)
so at 4 years of playing you arn't ambitious
if u want to learn it u just need to set time to commit to learning it
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRATICE

and good luck
(remember if it works for u thats the best thing to
it dont have to be exactlly like wooten)

[mastrrbasser]

put your metronome at about 80 beats per minute and drill your scales and modes with the said techniques. Then up the speed when you're comfortable. this will help you get better with your ear, your theory, your left hand dexterity and your techniques.

[mastrrbasser]

ps:i am 15 and playing for 1 and a half years
and i can duble thumb and tap (not as crazy as victor tho)
so at 4 years of playing you arn't ambitious
if u want to learn it u just need to set time to commit to learning it
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRATICE

and good luck
(remember if it works for u thats the best thing to
it dont have to be exactlly like wooten)


so the fact that i don't want to learn double thumping makes me ambitious? What if he just never got into it until recently? ambition has nothing to do with it.

[Fubajuba]

Don't worry, I wasn't insulted or anything by that... I never actually heard Victor Wooten until the past few months, so I've been working on it since then... When I started playing Bass, I went for Flea stuff... then went onto Claypool, and just recently Pastorius and Wooten stuff... I haven't taken bass as seriously as I should be... I've been hounded by several people to take it more seriously, but I barely practice (maybe once a week if I'm lucky)...

And maybe i'll go on a quest to find that DVD... I'd like to be able to play crazy things like that, But i need to become a lot more committed to playing bass in order to do it... I have gotten better at what I *THINK* is double thumbing, but I'm not even sure I'm doing it correctly, being that I'm basing it off of what I've seen in those random videos, and it's hard to gauge it by them...

But regardless, I think I need to become a lot more committed in order to pull any of this off... I've made it so far by never practicing or asserting myself, so I might be actually somewhat decent if I try... Good luck with that though :smoke:

Where would I get that wooten Dvd anyway? I've only seen the clip on the web of it.

[Fubajuba]

Also.... the tapping thing I'm not so concerned with learning, since it only gets on my nerves... I would like to be able to lay down a crazy good slap groove out of no where... that's a nifty trick with a good drummer... Can kinda do it now, but only to an extent...

Do modes really help that much? (Now, I'm going out on a limb here, probably making myself sound stupid, but what ever)... That is when you play let's say a E-scale... but start from the F#, and go up to the F#, but stay in the same key? Or something along those lines? I just fail to see how that would help me out al lthat much

[Myung]

don't worry about adavncing in techniques, just play cool music.

[Fubajuba]

:-/ Well, problem is, the cool music I'd like to play uses those techniques...

I'm in no way hoping to be like Victor Wooten, I do like a few techniques of his... I won't try to be real good at tapping, since I don't like that at all, sound bothers me.... But, the double thumbing is cool, and can be used to make awesome slap grooves...

Can anyone explain the significance of modes or anything, or if I'm even describing the right thing...?

[cmogawa]

so the fact that i don't want to learn double thumping makes me ambitious? What if he just never got into it until recently? ambition has nothing to do with it.

i didn't mean it in a bad way i just saying
at 4 years of playing he has his basics
and if he wanted to learn dt he should ...
yeah lol

yeah sry about that
it wasn't an insult

[cmogawa]

Don't worry, I wasn't insulted or anything by that... I never actually heard Victor Wooten until the past few months, so I've been working on it since then... When I started playing Bass, I went for Flea stuff... then went onto Claypool, and just recently Pastorius and Wooten stuff... I haven't taken bass as seriously as I should be... I've been hounded by several people to take it more seriously, but I barely practice (maybe once a week if I'm lucky)...

And maybe i'll go on a quest to find that DVD... I'd like to be able to play crazy things like that, But i need to become a lot more committed to playing bass in order to do it... I have gotten better at what I *THINK* is double thumbing, but I'm not even sure I'm doing it correctly, being that I'm basing it off of what I've seen in those random videos, and it's hard to gauge it by them...

But regardless, I think I need to become a lot more committed in order to pull any of this off... I've made it so far by never practicing or asserting myself, so I might be actually somewhat decent if I try... Good luck with that though :smoke:

Where would I get that wooten Dvd anyway? I've only seen the clip on the web of it.


if u get the sound of dt and u like ur way stay with it (as long as it dont hurt)

depending on where u live u might be able to find the dvd in a music shop
or u can go to victor wooten's website and find it in his merchendise
other than the lesson its a pretty good show( it has the victor vs regi slap off[as seen on youtube])lol

but again if u want to learn more u have to set time to practice