Hi guys,

After a few weeks of vacations and other things that did not allow me to play as often as I'd liked, I've finally found a time slot that allows me to practice about 1hr a day, which is the minimum I'd like. So in order to make the most of the hour, and not let it go by just by messing around and not getting anything done, I've thought of the following:

• Recap from the previous session. (Try to remember as much as you can.)

• Learn and practice chords and scales. ()Take it slow at the beginning

• Learn a song or part of it. (Optional. Try to write something instead)

• Improvise and jam a.k.a "free time". (Learning should also be FUN, so go crazy here.)

How do YOU practice? I'm asking those who have been playing the stick (or any instrument) just for one day AND also those who have been playing for years or even decades. How do you make the most of your Stick-time?

Cheers,
Walt

I just - over the past two weeks over 3 nights - just finished watching both volume 1 and volume 2 of Bob Culbertson's instructional video series, and wow... he is not kidding when it comes from covering everything from the basics for a real beginner - to all the way up to someone who is truly advanced and skilled in Stick playing - it was truly incredible !!

*I watched all of Volume 2 last night, what a mistake that was - it was just so much info, but at the same time Bob does alot of examples with Joe the drummer, and it was really amazing to watch them both play.

At one point I swear Bob was playing three seperate patterns at once, I believe with the Weather Report tune he was using as an example of how a popular song could be played - I broke out in a cold sweat after that one - literally !! - it was so incredibly beautiful the way Bob can just be so in tune with his instrument, and that's my point: Volume 1 has these very simple lessons of real basic rudiments - which I will probably spend a very long time just working on - before I decide it is ok to advance further.

Over the winter, I will really break down this video series - maybe watch volume 1 again over a couple of weeks, then a couple of months later - watch volume 2 but this time over a couple of months, because the lessons there are so indepth - not too mention way beyond anything I could ever be possibly doing myself.

So, that's my answer - watch/play and learn from Bob.

Also - and this to me is huge - just plug in the instrument and have fun, preferrably with a couple of other musicians and kind of just clown around, to get a real good feel of the instrument - or in my case - with my old wooden metronome.

I’ve found that getting simple lead sheets and learning them is pretty productive ( for me ) and it’s fun to do. Play the chord symbols on the bass side and work out the melody on.... , well.... , melody side . Greg’s. And steve’s method books are good resources for learning chord shapes. Then additionally , watch a few YouTube videos of those songs ( usually by jazz guys ) to see how they approached the tune. Just start off with simple ones like ‘your are my sunshine’ that you’ll get some continuous satisfaction with by learning the basic tune and then molding it to your own voice once you internalize it.

https://youtu.be/uBtjKTEHKUMd

Lastly , once you get the song down. I would suggest working hard on making yourself not sound like a typewriter ( or a harpsichord) . Sometimes you want that effect, but it’s easy to fall into making everything sound like that. Greg Howard has some specific tips to help with that so a lesson or two from him on that subject wouldn’t be a bad idea.


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I grab Greg’s and Steve’s book from time time. Also check out Greg’s and Steve’s DVD.
Having said that, I generally don’t have too much patience for exercises, so usually I like playing songs which are more challenging than the previous songs I already play.

In other words..I play “exercise” which actually create a song..

Really like Greg’s video tutorial for “time after time”-real mind opening when it comes to song arrangement approach !

I wish there were more like these (Greg ?)

Also Bob have many video exercises (beside his 2 dvd/3 vhs set)

Check out http://www.sticklessons.com/

Cheers

Boaz

What notes am I playing? What fingers am I using?
How can I get to the next note, and which finger should I use?
Once I learn basic patterns , how can I expand from that, ie add a finger, barrre, pull off, hammer etc. and still land on a note that I want, when I finish the phrase, or bass line. Or what bass line do I want to run, while I am trying to run a phrase with the right hand?
How can I use both hands together and create a complete phrase?

When I get "stuck" (playing ruts) I open up the "fake books" - Vince Guaraldi The Charlie Brown Collection, The Henry Mancini Collection, and the Thelonious Monk Fake Book. They hurt my brain and really force my creative juices. The T.M.F.B. is especially recommended because it shows a lot Monks voicings...if you're into that sort of thing.

I studied other Stick players (and still do) to find pathways and fingerings thru commonly used intervallic sequences, chord progressions and cadences on the bass side 5ths tuning. That was really terra incognita for me until I started looking at it like a left handed cello flipped over and played upside down. The melody side is easier because it's so much like a guitar - albeit played overhand with the wrong hand..... After that it's just attending the minute particulars and building repertoire and musical instincts. The devil is in the details. The other thing is I don't try to copy other Stick players. I look elsewhere for material - R&B/gospel piano, bluegrass, Celtic harp, Italian mandolin, surf guitar, Django, jazz vocalists, Hawaiian steel guitar, bebop horn players, Hendrix and whatever else is banging around my skull. I've sat down and had Emmett critique my playing a few times and that always bore fruit. I got a long way to go.

+1 thumbs up.

+2

Kevin Keith if one of my favourite Stick players. So I watch his videos to understand his technique and also to learn some of his songs. He's got killer bass lines.

Guaraldi’s ‘Christmas time is here’. works really well on the stick. Not very complex but different enough in how it’s put together to make it fun to learn


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