It's easy to rush into things. Playing a fun instrument like the bass is no different. Those reverberating low notes can be exciting to play, hear, and feel, especially when the amps are turned up to eleven! (reference, anyone?)
However, it's important to start well so you can finish well. While it's easy to overlook, the way the bass is placed and held against the body makes a big difference in the functionality and enjoyment of playing down the line.
In the video below, I talk about how to get started holding a bass guitar. There are also a few other tips thrown in along the way, so give it a watch!
(If you like the video, be sure to give it a like, say so in the comments, and to subscribe to my YouTube channel to keep up with all the new things we're doing!
What other music resources would you find helpful?
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About two weeks ago I recorded my first long(er) form video for my YouTube channel. It's a concise explanation of where I come from as a musician, what I've been doing recently, and what I hope to accomplish with Jack of All Staves going forward. You can view it below.
(Remember to like the video, subscribe to the channel, and ring the bell for notifications!)
Leave a comment on the video and let me know what you think! I'd also love to know what instrument(s) you play (and/or want to learn) and any other questions you have.
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I remember being at a local battle of the bands show when I was in high school. I loved the energy and mood. I loved the people I was there with. I loved the music.
Usually.
On this particular day, I was anticipating an epic show. The guitar and bass players had top-shelf instruments, enough pedals to make anyone dizzy, and amps bigger than their bodies. I awaited what was sure to be a life-altering performance.
And my life was altered, but not in the way I had expected.
The band sucked. Completely, utterly, and totally sucked. I mean, I'm sure they were nice enough guys, but they barely should have received a participation trophy. All the glitz, glam, and splendor of their rigs couldn't make up for the absolute lack of true musical skill demonstrated that day. But hey, at least Mommy and Daddy's money made them look good, right?
I wish this were an isolated case, but it happens all the time in so many areas of life. People want to start something new, so they go out and spend, spend, spend on the latest and greatest equipment thinking it will help them get there. In reality, about 1% of that equipment might be necessary at the outset; the rest is just...frosting.
Yes, frosting: the part of the cake that is the prettiest to look at, but lacks substance. Sugar. Pretty colors. Maybe some butter, if you're lucky.
Think about it: if you make a cake with just frosting, it's just a...um...blob of frosting. Now, I'm sure there are people out there just salivating at that thought, but I, for one, am not. Gross.
If I'm going to eat cake, I want it to be about 5-10% frosting (if that) to complement the overall flavor and texture of the cake itself. Solid, simple, and delicious!
The guys in that band from earlier had fallen for the frosting effect: good looks, but no musical substance.
Now, it's important to note that I have no problem with nice instruments, cool effect pedals, and giant amps. In the right hands, these things are tools to create amazing works of musical art. However, it's a losing game to think that just by possessing them someone will magically be a good musician. Some thinks like skill, feel, and musicality can't be bought on a shelf.
So what's an aspiring musician to do? I believe the answer is to start simply.
Once you know what instrument(s) you want to learn how to play:
Pick up a good beginner instrument
Find a trusted guide that can get you started
Commit to small, achievable goals to grind towards
Listen intently to the music you're interested in playing
The next trick after starting simply is to simply start. Like seriously: do it. Do the work! Find time. Make time. Be consistent. Take baby steps. Improve gradually and consistently. There is no shortcut to musicality, but the way has been made clear by those who have gone before: Do. The. Work.
As you grow and become more competent on your instrument's fundamentals and get some "chops," it may be appropriate to invest in supplementary gear such as pedals, fancy sticks, software plugins, etc. However, these will only complement musicality; they cannot be a substitute for it. You've been warned.
So, will you do the work to become a solid musician, or will you fall into the frosting effect trap? The choice is yours. Choose wisely. Your listeners will thank you!
What other music resources would you find helpful?
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I was 5 or 6 years old the first time I played the original Legend of Zelda on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I loved it (still do!), and clearly wasn't the only one that felt this way, given the franchise's success over the past 3+ decades.
So what is it that made this game so successful and beloved by fans? Strong contributors surely include its game play, graphics (8 bit is still charming, right?), and intriguing puzzles. Still, I believe the greatest appeal of this game (and so many like it) is opportunity to become the hero of an epic journey.
The Legend of Zelda begins with the player's avatar (Link) entering a cave where he meets an old man who offers him a sword and states, "It's dangerous to go alone! Take this." The sword isn't fancy, and isn't nearly as powerful as the sword(s) obtained later on in the game, but it's true strength lies in its symbolism. By taking it, the players make a statement of intent to put one food in front of the other on the coming quest, and to use the sword to the best of their abilities to overcome obstacles, defeat the forces of darkness, and save the princess of Hyrule!
For most of us, the stakes aren't quite that high day-to-day. However, we all make choices each day that determine if we will advance in a given area, hold our ground, or fall back. In my life, the degree of progress I've made in various endeavors has been due to three things:
1) Personal motivation
2) The support of people around me
3) Having access to the necessary materials
This is not unlike a certain hero of Hyrule who is motivated to save the kingdom/princess, gets supported by various people along the way (such as the aforementioned man in a cave), and acquires the necessary materials for success as the game progresses, starting, of course, with the cave sword.
This same pattern is at work throughout my personal musical history. Even my false start with piano in grade school failed for lack of motivation: I wanted to spend more time playing Nintendo than practicing what I perceived to be boring.
A few years later, however, I began my musical journey anew when I started playing the baritone in 4th grade. Unlike with piano, I was motivated to practice because I wanted to make first chair in school bands. I also had the support of my teachers, parents, and my fellow students (notwithstanding the obligatory junior high bullies, of course), so I advanced my skills and managed to earn some accolades in various competitions to boot!
Even so, my musical horizons and ambitions were taken to a new level in 8th grade when I began to play the bass guitar. I had gone to a church camp the summer before and felt inspired to pick up the bass to make a difference in the world through music. Suddenly, my reason for playing music was larger than being the best baritone player in school band. The vision was personal, I was highly motivated, and the goal was clear. The only problems? My inexperience and lack of equipment.
Though I come from a musical family, no one had ever dabbled with stringed instruments before, so I didn't have ready access to a bass. However, my dad was my greatest advocate, and just like the old man in a cave at the beginning of the Legend of Zelda, he provided me with the musical "weapon" necessary for the journey ahead: a black 4 string bass. He may as well have said, "It's dangerous to go alone! Take this" when he presented it to me!
Dad bought the bass second-hand from a contractor that was doing some concrete work in our back yard, and it was a fine instrument for a decent price. Pops also managed to get me bass lessons at a local music store where I learned the fundamentals, and got exposed to a way of looking at music that made more sense to me than what I had experienced to that point.
Finally, I had the motivation, support, and materials to get me started on what would become a musical journey that would span continents, last decades, and spur me to acquire new "weapons" and skills on guitar, drums, and piano (finally!).
The years since picking up that bass for the first time have been filled with joys, achievements, and opportunities. I've met some amazing people, been challenged to grow, and (hopefully) had a positive impact on others as well. There have, of course, been trials, hardships, and disappointments as well, but they've been great opportunities to grind my skills, level up, and overcome!
I may not be the Hero of Hyrule, but I am the hero of my musical journey, and hope to inspire and equip many others to become the hero(ine)s of their own.
What other music resources would you find helpful?
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I have a major in biology and minor in religious studies (and chemistry!). I never wanted to study abroad during college, but ended up living in Spain for three years afterwards (and marrying a Spaniard!). I have worked as a barista and as a roofing contractor. I got sick of being in a laboratory during organic chemistry lab, but now work as a medical laboratory scientist in a hospital full time.
Despite the variety in my past, one thing has consistently been in the background (and the foreground, occasionally): music. A brief history:
I took piano lessons when I was in grade school (but ended up quitting because I wanted to spend more time playing Nintendo).
I picked up the baritone horn (imagine a trombone having a baby with a tuba, for the uninitiated) in fourth grade and played in marching bands and well-performing ensembles through high school.
I started playing the bass guitar in eighth grade in response to a personal spiritual awakening (not to mention my dad buying me a bass, paying for lessons, and being my transportation)
I (co)founded a ska band in high school as the bassist, played some gigs, made some questionable clothing choices, and even recorded an LP
I picked up acoustic guitar as a sophomore in high school by learning chord shapes for Spanish praise music (my youth pastor needed someone to play for our upcoming trip to Mexico)
I started playing the upright bass that year as well (again, thanks to my dad for driving to downtown Chicago to buy me a beginner bass from the Bass Place, carrying it several blocks in the cold, and driving me to lessons nearly an hour away each week)
I restarted piano lessons in high school with an emphasis on music theory from a woman that led a Bible study for our youth group
I joined the Cherry Street jazz combo at Knox College as a bassist my freshman year and played weekly 4 hour gigs most of the way through graduation
I played guitar and led worship songs for my college's chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
I picked up the drumset in college (thanks again to Mom and Dad for paying for lessons), and ended up playing in the Knox Jazz Ensemble big band during my senior year
I played freelance jazz gigs in downstate Illinois the year before I moved to Spain
I played a guitar solo at a conference in Austria in front of a few thousand people
I toured a bit as the upright bass player with a Spanish folk/flamenco/celtic/jazzy group (Papel Mache)
I studied music and theology at the Forerunner Music Academy in Kansas City where I refined my piano, guitar, bass, drums, vocal, and music theory skills
After graduation, I taught group classes and private lessons, created curriculum, and instructed student ensembles
Then we had children. Two boys. And I soon realized that they would never eat less than they did at that point, so something needed to change.
Whereas my teaching position was *ahem* "semi-volunteer" (i.e. small stipends for a lot of work), I did what I never thought I would do when I left the organic chemistry lab: I went back to school to become a Medical Laboratory Scientist so that I could better take care of my family.
And it worked.
Fast forward about 5 years and the boys are still eating more food, but we they haven't bankrupted us (yet...).
Many sacrifices were made along the way as I studied late, woke early, took on night shits, day shits, weekend shifts, overtime shifts, extra projects, etc. to get us financially stable. One of these sacrifices was playing and teaching music. For a time, I was too busy (tired?) to miss it, but lately I've felt that something's missing.
I miss playing instruments and feeling the notes produced as an extension of what I hear in my mind. I miss teaching and helping other understand how to play, and how to explain why what they're playing works (or doesn't). Perhaps more than anything else, I miss the intimacy and community that come with playing and creating with other musicians.
I realized I needed to change something.
Over the years, I've compiled a wealth of knowledge and skill in music that was missing an outlet. I don't have availability for private lessons or consistent gigs, but I want to help other aspiring musicians while keeping up my skills.
I'd often thought about creating a sort of musical "cross training" program that would help new and experienced musicians grow their skills by learning drums, guitar, bass, piano, and music theory concurrently. Until recently, this idea has been quietly residing in the back of my mind, but that changed one morning as I was driving to work.
On March 18, 2021 I was nearing the hospital when this musical cross training idea popped up again. I started to think of what someone that's decently skilled in a lot of things is often called: a jack of all trades. I mulled the term over, thinking if I could use some sort of word play to make it apply to music (this process is nearly automatic, given my propensity towards puns and dad jokes).
Then the name hit me: Jack of All Staves.
Why does this name work for music? Well, this is where things get nerdy (nerdier?).
Stay with me...
A staff in music is the group of lines (usually 5) that notes are written on. The plural of staff is "staves" (Professor Google assures me that this is pronounced with the "A" sound like in "aviator," so the word play sounds are solid!). Clef signs are written on the staves to indicate how high or low in pitch the written notes should sound. The most commonly used clefs each correspond to an instrument that I teach.
Treble clef = guitar
Bass clef = bass
Percussion clef = drum set
Grand staff = piano
So it follows that a Jack of All Staves would be a musician that is proficient on each of these instruments. This certainly doesn't mean that mastery of any or all of them is impossible, but rather that a comprehensive understanding of how each works in relation to the others will create a stronger musical foundation for any specific musical pursuits that may arise on one's journey.
Whereas the saying goes, "Jack of all trades, master of none," it is my goal to be and to teach how to become a "Jack of all staves, master of some."
I want to invite you to journey with me into a comprehensive exploration of these instruments--and the theory that binds them together--from the ground up. Whether you're just starting out or have some experience, I want to guide you to musical understanding that can make them more well-rounded, and better on your primary instrument(s) of choice. I want to provide knowledge, skills, and access to equipment and gear that can help along the way, but allow you to move at your own pace.
Ultimately, I want to be the resource that I wish I had access to when my musical journey began decades ago.
To that end, I will be creating an instructional video about one of these instruments (or the theory that's at work) each week. I will demonstrate how learning a skill on one instrument can be laterally applied on another. I will demonstrate how the instruments function individually and how they function as a group. After all, there's a reason why the majority of popular music throughout the last century has included various expressions of them working together (the so-called rhythm section)!
Additionally, I will be writing articles, anecdotes, and reviews of instruments, equipment, and gear that may be helpful purchases for the journey. I'll also provide opportunities to respond to your questions and concerns, as well as to celebrate your achievements along the way.
Growing as a musician is a life-long journey. I've been at it for over 30 years now, and there's so much more to learn. Still, I'm confident that I am in a position to assist others in getting started and/or progressing in their personal musical journeys, and look forward to doing just that.
So won't you join with me on an adventure to become a Jack of All Staves: Master of Some.
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