Indeed. As a bass-playing yoga instructor, breathing, relaxation, and mindfulness all contribute to what feels like the bass is playing itself. All musicians, all people, no matter their profession, need to breathe more and relax more. Master breathing and one can master mind and body for any scenario.
Dude, I swear to God as sure as I am writing this right now. My wife has been constantly asking me if I am tense while I am practicing because she hears me exhale or sigh. Often. I practice with headphones on so all she hears is, Haaaaaaaaa! We talked about this less than 24 hours ago. I do hold my breath when I play. Shallow lung-based breaths lead to tension and sometimes can make one feel anxiety. Crazy thing is I meditate quite a bit and know better. When I sat down today to practice, I was mindful of my breathing and low and behold I clicked this video. Crazy how things work sometimes. Here's to big belly breaths my fellow Brown'stonians. Namaste'
Awesome. I played and taught trombone for many years and relaxation - trombone yoga - was my thing. These days I play bass and these reminders are so important. Thanks for being there and keep doing what you do. 🙏
Solid approach. The only thing that presupposes this is that your instrument is PROPERLY adjusted. The softer touch requires a set up that accommodates this. Some folks don't even realize how bad their action is. Lower, even action, correct intonation, softer touch, and have the amp do the work. Regarding the breathing thing, a lot of that comes from horn players and how they phrase. One of my mentors also turned me onto the importance of breathing independently of my playing. As with yourself, I hadn't even noticed I was doing it but I recorded my self playing with a drum machine and I was dragging in the beginning of the bar then rushing the end because I subconsciously was depriving myself of oxygen. Thank you for the reminder, brother!
I sure wish I lived closer to have in person lessons. These videos are super informative and have seriously improved my playing and my nonexistent theory knowledge. Thank you!
Excellent video - reminds me of an old favorite knowm as Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - the fundamental concepts apply to all walks of life 😊👍
Thanks very much, Andrew. I read Zen & the Art of Archery in my late teens. That book was the main inspiration for this video. Also, Kenny Werner's book Effortless Mastery and Thich Nhat Hanh's Peace Is Every Step were real game-changers for me.
what a God send as im sitting down with Heating pad on my rib cage i've been breathing rhythmically for so long and playing my bass tense for as long as i can remember wow time to refocus Thank you
Regarding my long experience, you are simply the sole guy I heard about breathing during playing. Maybe you are not the first but to me you are, congrats because body language and feelings are merely out of the scene for musicians... except drummers and horns of course 🙂
I think wanting to play softly versus playing hard is a preference thing. For me, the aggressive attack you get from playing hard is a tone that cuts really well in a mix. There's a punch to the tone that upright players like to get when they really dig in, and I'm very much from that school of playing. I think it's important to teach how to play hard while also maintaining a relaxed right hand.
Wow good advise there, thanks again.... Somehow I intend to keep my breath without notice it. When I finish with a play I wonder why I kept my breath🤔..... 👌👌👌👌Good lesson 🎸🎸
Shout out from HamOnt! I see you representing my city with your F bass. Thanks for the lessons! Bass rookie here, learning how to play with an old '60's Kent, only when I record myself playing do I realize how not chill I am.
Thanks so much. Funny how we don't even notice these things (very important things) until we closely examine our technique. I had some really terrible habits. I'm trying to get away from all of them these days.
Thanks Rich!! This was one of the best lessons I’ve heard in a very long time. This should be taught to every musician. I’m guilty of holding my breath during a difficult phrase. I also tend to breathe in time with the groove. I’m really going to have to work on this. Excellent!!
Alot of my mistakes when playing in a band, on stage or infront of a teacher comes from being stressed, tensing up and being scared of doing mistakes wich always ALWAYS ends up in playing alot more mistakes
Thanks, Rich. After playing for 50 years, arthritis is giving me problems in my two right plucking fingers and my left thumb. Even with pain, it's hard not to abandon habits and not dig in and play that hard and snappy Jazz bass style. I hope the younger players can benefit from your advice. Let the amp do the work. In the years to come, your hands will thank you.
Hello, I am advancing in my age and starting to have pain in my plucking forearm, hands and plucking fingers. Have you found anything that can help? Thanks
Incredible - I Have Never Once Paid Any Attention To My Breathing - Relaxed Hands, Yes - Even Tones, Yes - My Gut Brain, Nope - Outstanding Awareness Mr Rich - Well Done Go Team Human, Cheers
Not just a great lesson, but a crucial one. Our embodiment and expression of the music is rooted in our physical relationship with the instrument. Just Being with the Bass opens the flow. Thanks for this, Rich!
This is an important concept I first learned as a sprinter. The real trick to sprinting is getting to top speed as fast as possible and the RELAXING all the other muscles as much as possible to carry the pace to the end. A lot of activities benefit from relaxing while doing.
Hey neighbour Rich, this is a topic I can confirm to 100%....I can only invite everybody to try it out and from my own personal experience IT WORKS! Try to get as much relaxed as you can and do not underestimate the power of relaxed breathing...it took me years to understand...and the moment I tried it for the first time it had positive influence to my playing...thanks Rich for that "rich" and precious vid...your german neighbour...kind regards
Fantastic video! I certainly need to focus on playing with a lighter touch. But proper technique is KEY! I had developed tendonitis in both of my wrists after trying to learn double bass on my own (without a teacher; NEVER do this!) and at the same time playing a 6 string bass with a wide, but shallow-depth neck where I was bending both of my wrists at 90 degree angles when playing. But, after focusing on proper technique for about 6 months to 1 year, I have been able to play pain free for 18 years now!
I've just started playing the bass and your video has been the most human bass lesson I've come across so far. I can see your advice being real and not just mindless speed playing or showing off skills. Thank you for making this! I've noticed that in addition to relaxing the body, a relaxed mind helps a lot when it comes to feeling the music and composing bass lines or improvising. We all have melodies hiding within us. We need to foster a relaxed and safe environment for those melodies to come out
That really does mean a lot. Thank you so much. You're so right. The music is already inside of us. Being as relaxed as possible helps up to more accurately articulate our ideas. Well said!
Breath is Life...We breathe to give oxygen/nutrients to our body on that same note our breathing is ultra important to our limbs getting the oxygen/nutrients that helps play better....Thanks Rich...Bassist to Bassist a great lesson that's applicable to playing and Life..Please keep the lesson coming 🎵
This is another fantastic video, Rich! You have nailed an issue that I have struggled with my entire playing career. Relaxation does not come naturally to me, but this will help a lot as all your videos do. Thanks so much my friend and keep making us all better bass players!!
Rich you keep me motivated over the years i as a musician must learned to love different music as all the different color flowers what a drag life would be if there were only one color flower.
The Professor has spoken! This has to be one of the most important aspects of not only playing a musical instrument but other endeavors in life we participate in. I have shot competitively for years and am a firearms instructor and I have to stop the classes all the time to talk about tension. I took violin lessons for a period and my instructor would ask me “Mike, are you breathing?”. And if I was it was very shallow. Tension is our enemy in life so we have to practice controlling it. Love your videos and I’m lurking in the background.
Yes sir! I played with ridiculously high action for years, tensely...until I stopped. I still play with a wee bit of space between the strings and the fretboard and a tiny bit of relief in the neck because I like the tone(still exclusively fretless), but no longer have callouses on my plucking hand fingers. You are giving great advice on this channel, sir! On the mental side of staying relaxed and refraining from harshly judging ourselves when playing, I highly recommend checking out Kenny Werner's EFFORTLESS MASTERY stuff...There are a bunch of his clips on RU-vid... ETA The breathing advice you share is so utterly important and essential; string instrument players tend to forget about it... Thanks for your ongoing super-chill, wise lessons and dry humor. Do you serve coffee at the Brownstone?😉 Gratitude and respect!✌🏾👍🏽
Thank you, brother. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I'll serve it up if need be. Effortless Mastery really taught me how to love my sound. Such a great book for many reasons.
I am new to this channel and I want to say that something like that has happened to me. I was told to work on those areas of my playing, and it made a world of difference. Thank you for those little nuggets. I truly believe that it'll be a blessing to someone. My brother, your voice is also soothing as well.
Did I say guru? Great lesson Rich. And you speak such truth! I play in a rock band so I do a lot of digging in. But I have learned a difference if I get too aggressive. Still keepin the notes at the same strength is very important. I still hold my breath too much though. And I grit my teeth a lot. Zen...gotta learn still. Thank you Sir!
I would hold my breath and tense up the muscles in my right arm when I tried to play faster. This never works. We all gotta learn, my brother. Thank you for watching.
Hey Rich, your viewers might enjoy reading the grand-dad of the western ZEN books. I Zen, In The Art of Archery EUGEN HERRIGEL Translated from the German by R. F. C. HULL First Published 1953 This book is available on-line for free. This book was the only recommended reading for us jazz students under John Gittins tutelage (1973-1980). Especially in relation to time feel and understanding the way to relax and let the time flow through you, NOT AIMING for the beat.
excerpt: "Grimly set on my purpose, I continued practising. The Master followed my efforts attentively, quietly corrected my strained attitude, praised my enthusiasm, reproved me for wasting my strength, but otherwise let me be. Only, he always touched on a sore spot when, as I was drawing the bow, he called out to me to "Relax! Relax!" ̇a word he had learned in the meantime ̇ though he never lost his patience and politeness. But the day came when it was I who lost patience and brought myself to admit that I absolutely could not draw the bow in the manner prescribed."
" You cannot do it ", explained the Master, `because you do not breathe right. Press your breath down gently after breathing in, so that the abdominal wall is tightly stretched, and hold it there for a while. Then breathe out as slowly and evenly as possible, and, after a short pause, draw a quick breath of air again − out and in continually, in a rhythm that will gradually settle itself. If it is done properly, you will feel the shooting becoming easier every day. For through this breathing you will not only discover the source of all spiritual strength but will also cause this source to flow more abundantly, and to pour more easily through your limbs the more relaxed you are." And as if to prove it, he drew his strong bow and invited me to step behind him and feel his arm muscles. They were indeed quite relaxed, as though they were doing no work at all.
Thank you again, Master! Is always so deeply inspiring and nurturing to have your advices and lessons. It gives us the confidence that we’re in the right path! It’s so kind and generous from you!
I'm a beginner, playing for 4 months, but I improved immensely when relaxing my body and especially my hands during harder phases. I think all of us have the pressure to perform, even in our room... Just relax, who cares if you make a mistake when practicing, that's what it's for.
This has to be my best vid you put out this far!! I'm super guilty of being so tense before I play😳. Breathing and relaxation is my new focal point as of now so thanks Mr. Brownstone 🤯🍺🍺🎸♥️🔥👍🏾
This is great advice. As an 'off and on' bass player since I was 19 (am now 45) I've heard about relaxing and not thrashing your hands on the instrument and it's always something I've struggled with... picking hand calluses and blisters will attest to that, and a touch of what is probably tendonitis in my fretting hand knuckles too. It's great fun to have at it in the moment, but it does slow down your progress, and when you get a bit older, you don't recover from minor strains and injuries as quickly. So...play smart not hard hehe. This is another reminder to pay attention to the subtleties of your playing (like correcting a bad habit or a sloppy technique) you have to concentrate on actually doing it every time you play; I'll remember to do this at rehearsal tomorrow evening.
I was just thinking the other day that I rarely feel relaxed when playing because I concentrate so much on my tone and string muting. I'm not the best at those 2 things and even after years of playing this hinders my freedom on the instrument.I have to try harder to relax the fingers of my right hand.Playing without an amplifier in my beginning months may have something to do with it.Thank you for the lesson.
I find that playing without an amp can definitely lead to playing too hard. I still sometimes practice without an amp. I just have to be more mindful when I do.
Great lesson Rich! I just recently discovered your videos and you are great! I have been learning to slap and needed to hear this. My thumb is hurting real bad!
James! Yes, man. I'm sorry to hear your thumb is in pain. But even with slap, a light bounce on the string is all it takes to get a good tone (check out MonoNeon with Ghost Note, or Marcus Miller).
brother! nice class, this video looks amazing ! have you think on making a video on how the hell can I play behind the beat?! no idea how to practice the pocket!!
Yo Big Up Star.....great lesson! I would definitely like to see more content like this. Also, do a lesson on how you put together a solo; regardless the genre 🤪(just make sure it’s FUNK.). Are you thinking scales, linking phrases or riffs? How how how! Daalu for this platform Rich, you’re much appreciated!
This is great! Thank you! There have been so many of your topics that I find right when I need it. I’ve been chasing my tone. Amp settings, bass settings, plucking hand and fretting hand technique. I was using a light tough but thought maybe it was wrong after seeing so many heavy handed players. So glad you set me right. Turn up the amp! Love it. Would you turn up the volume or gain? Thanks again!
Thanks so much, Christopher. I'm so glad the videos have been helpful. To answer your question, I find that sometimes increasing the gain can add a bit of unwanted overdrive to my sound. I tend to increase the volume, as that controls the output of the amp--as opposed to increasing the input from the bass (gain). Hope that makes sense. 🙏🏾
@@richbrownbass Perfect sense. I’ll experiment with both. One more of I may. By brushing the strings am I using more finger tip or pad. Seems basic but I get a different tone each way. Thanks again!
Nice outside the box lesson! Just always so smooth. Do you use any compression when you are live or in the studio? Or are you Zen enough to do without? All my best from PDX
Rich I have a big question that's really conflicting in my mind about modes. I saw your video about the modes and I know you get asked this a lot about what chord you play a mode on. But I'd like to expand on it. Let's take C lydian for example. I noticed a lot of music teachers of almost all genres, even some Jazz, teach that modes have specific characteristic chords. So for C lydian it be C, and D. And then some say it's also okay to play Bm but definitely not G because that'll now sound like home base. But too tell you the truth, I did that with something like melodic minor because I was playing with lydian augmented at the time and hung out on a Cmaj7(#5) and noticed my music started sounding a lot more boring. So then I did that with Lydian, went back to something a little more simple, used the chords and same results. Then did another composition using inversions, avoiding the root note in melodies, and using the forbidden chord to C lydian so G, Idk if I'm going crazy, but it sounded a lot more interesting. but on whatever instrument even bass, in any genre even jazz, wouldn't you think I need to play a C lydian on a chord progression like C, D, Bm, D in order to sound dreamy? What actually makes the mode? The soloist, the chord progressions, or the bass? I don't know why tons of people are teaching these modes as chords, I don't know if I feel restricted or I'm just insecure about the music lol. I don't know who to side with but I feel like my music was better when I wasn't that restricted. You know, I'd just use mostly minor chords if I wanted something dark, and mostly major chords if I wanted something bright and play a lydian shape over it. Any take on this topic would definitely be appreciated. Sorry this was super long. Big conflict as of right now. Thanks for your time Rich. Maybe you have some tips on song writing?
I had to start by playing easier things that I could basically play in my sleep. Once the muscle memory kicked in I could focus on my breathing. Then I started practicing songs, then full gigs where I was more aware of my breathing.
@@richbrownbass Damn. I was half joking. lol. I wish you were here in Charlotte NC. I would come take lessons from you in person. You are awesome. Perhaps the best bass teacher on youtube. I am a guitar player trying to learn some bass 🙃
Hi, I have been playing for many years and recently have been playing more frequently and for longer periods of time. Lately, I've been experiencing pain in my right forearm (my plucking arm) after playing. I don't seem to notice pain while I play though. Also my plucking hand has been cramping in the middle of songs during practice, forcing me to stop. I'm in two bands now playing guitar and bass in one, and bass only in the other. We have a performance coming in less than a week in the bass only band, and my hand cramped up again at practice yesterday. I know the short answer is "seek medical advice", but I have and the problem persists. I'm really worried some permanent type of damage may be happening. How can I work to build stamina, if I need to rest my body to recover from the thing I'm trying to improve? You may not be a physician, but do you have any suggestions for plucking hand and forearm pain and muscle spams with bass playing? Thank you so much! I love your channel! Shawna
Hi Rich, just seeing this today. I recently had a lesson where I was told to stop playing one finger per fret below the fifth fret. My hands are big enough and I was initially taught by a six string player who told me one finger one fret and I have been doing it a while - 30 years. So, it will be a big change for me. One of the reasons I have responded to your channel is how often I see you playing one finger per fret. Thoughts on this controversial topic?
I don’t understand why anyone would tell you to stop playing this way. It helps with finger strength and agility. It also helps you to navigate and memorize the shapes you’re playing in a given position. What are you (we) supposed to be doing beyond the 5th fret?
@@richbrownbass Thanks for taking the time to reply Rich, much appreciated as it would be a big unlearning for me, I think. The advice was 124 from the 5th fret down and you are ok to play one finger one fret from there up the neck.
So, a Fmin scale would be played 124? I think this is either a classical or upright bass technique where you don’t use the 3rd finger. Lots of great players abide by this. But many others stick to 1 finger per fret. This is what works for me.
@@richbrownbass Yes, that's right, with position changes, and yes it does come from upright I understand. Carol Kaye is one of the people who historically said it was the 'only' way to play and I have encountered people going back and forth about it in bass forums. I really appreciate you taking the time Rich. I will persevere with one finger one fret.
* if this seemed off topic, I just noticed your chromatic warm up and was prompted to ask. I am also taking on the idea that you have no callouses, that's a huge technique tip in a very short sentence. Thanks for the channel.
Your voice is TOO mellow. I like that you're not as over the top as Scott D. But you're so laid back it's Mr. Rogers type vibe and if I'm not fully alert and I listen to you, I'm out. So between him and you, I have find a middle pitch. 😄
@@richbrownbass as am I, but I play leftie! Looks like you learned to play rightie - I tried to, but just couldn't! I wished I could've - would have open a ton of Bass selections! Like a kid being in a candy store!
