Practice.

The best practice occurs when the body is warm and running like a car on the open road. Too many people get disheartened in the first ten minutes or so of their practice and give up.
Practice should start with at least ten minutes of warming up.
Scales and arpeggios are one good way to warm up. Try to play throughout the range of your instrument. Use a metronome and use harmonics, and open strings, to check your intonation.
Most improvement in your playing will not come on one day, so use repetition to slowly overcome obstacles; plan for the day when these impossible tasks will become easy. Also take time to cement your past gains and to enjoy where your playing is at.
Remember that your tone, how you sound, is everything.

Hi bass lovers.

Sorry things have been so quiet down here lately. I've been busy practising and playing. Here's a link to a bass blog I came across the other day. Click here.
I'll write a longer post soon. I got and email from Richard (of RBB) asking me to share my thoughts and knowledge more often - I think he might want me to post some ideas to help with his bass playing... I can understand why. Anyway, mustn't let him down.

Always busy, always planning.

Hi,
Just thought that I'd better take a little time from my busy schedule to update this blog. The Sinfonia has been quite busy lately, we did a New Zealand Composers' concert, a Mozart spectacular and some Beethoven piano concertos all in the span of about three weeks. I'm thinking about performing some solo bass pieces, with my pianist friend, and might venture into the North Island. I guess I could always stay with my friend Rich while I am in Wellington. I could pay with bass lessons. If any of you devoted readers live further north (than me), I could offer the same deal for accomodation. Just leave a comment on my blog if you're interested in taking me up on this generous offer.
God bless.

All is well in the deep south.

Sorry I haven't had time to post for a while, but the job of principal bass in a busy city orchestra can be quite demanding of one's time. We're just back from a tour of the South Island. I like playing in smaller centers, but I also always enjoy a trip up to Christchurch. Other bass players often ask me for a lesson after they've heard me play. There's a guy in Wellington called Rich who I often help out. I should really start charging him, I'm just too generous a soul really!
Well, must be off. We're playing in the town hall tonight. Today's rehearsal will be there as well. I love the acoustics of that building!

Who is a dick?

Richard, of Richard's Bass Bag.

On Bass Camp.

Southern people will have no problem spotting yours truly in this photo taken at bass camp in Martinborough. That's Rich third from the right at the back. He looks tired. Probably because he didn't play that well. He played at a master class but played a sort of jiggy piece; not entirely appropriate, I felt. Hiroshi (second from right), the principal bassist from the NZSO, was nice to him afterwards. I think that's called pity.
On the way back to the ferry I popped in at Rich's. I thought he'd gone to Russia, but all the lights were on at his house. I knocked at the door but no one answered. I was sure I heard voices. Probably just burglars.
Well, I'm home now and looking forward to some meaty orchestral playing. It was interesting working with Hiroshi and others from the NZSO. I could have given them some advice at times, but didn't want to come across as a 'know it all'. That's just my way, I'm a humble guy.

Life goes on.

It's sad about the demise of the Dave Shaw Fan Club but, hey, life goes on. Anyway, I'm thinking of starting my own me fan club after bass camp, providing nobody else beats me to it. Does anyone know, is it true that Richard (the guy who runs the bass bags) is moving to Russia?