One Note Workout!

One Note Workout!

Ok, I don't remember where I read, watched or learnt about this, but one thing I picked up on my quest for learning bass...

This is an exercise designed to help you think more about rhythm, and how the note sounds, as opposed to creating a melody as such. It's also meant to help improvising, without actually needing to know anything about the bass So for those of you who sit there thinking 'wow, how do I create lines like that? I wouldn't even know where to start!', give this a go...

Basically, start a drum beat or metronome off (try monkeymachine for making drumbeats, as posted by dman a while back: http://www.rinki.net/pekka/monkey/#), and pick a note. Then you're off!

Listen to the beat. Now using the note you picked, play along to it, get a rhythm or groove going. Only use that one note. Keep playing for a while, until you're comfortable with playing it. Then actually listen to what you're playing... How does it sound? Now keeping with the same line you're playing, try and spice it up by varying the sound of that one note. Play it harder, or quieter... Give it a bit of life Hold notes, make some notes short... Use your imagination

Keep experimenting, try creating different rhythms or try and play in a certain style (reggae, funk, metal etc). You'll soon find that you're improvising and flowing along with the drums, yet only using one note

Here's an example I've just recorded (the sound isn't brilliant, apologies.) to show you what I mean:

http://smaz.co.uk/bass/onenoteworkout1.mp3

If you can record yourself playing, do so then listen back, see if you can pick up on the good parts, and what you need to improve on. You can also record a groove, then leave a gap.... record another groove, leave a gap etc. Leave it for a while, then go back & try and recreate the groove in the gap you've left.

If you want to take it further, using a rhythm you've generated with one note, turn it into a melody/riff by adding others in. Here's an example...

http://smaz.co.uk/bass/onenoteworkout2.mp3

I hope I've explained this clearly enough... if not, let me know.

Enjoi!

sweetness

i feel that too often dynamics are ignored or not given enough attention in modern music
this excersice should definatly help with that
this needs to be stuck

+1

This is a fun drill!

I just wasted 3 hours straight on it

Do bends count as different notes?