Low Vibes Are Good Vibes

Last December, I bought a second hand Fender American Standard Precision Bass from a friend at Musicians Institute for $800. Actually, I was only just able to pay him a couple weeks ago. He had loaned it to me for a couple months and let me pretend that it was mine lol. Now it IS mine, and I'll starve and go homeless before I sell it! Considering the like-new condition that the bass was in (less than a year since first purchased), I think I landed an awesome deal - check link for MSRP (Am I bragging? YOU BET!).

Since finals were coming up when I first bought the bass, I wasn't able to really spend time playing it, but now that... well actually, finals are coming up again lol, but somehow I'm playing it more often! You know how your room gets real clean for some reason right before finals? Yeah, it's called procrastination on crack :). I guess playing the bass everyday recently is an extension of that to a certain degree. Nonetheless, I'm having a blast.

It's a joke among musicians that the term "musician" doesn't exactly apply to singers. There are "singers", and then there are "musicians". Of course, I have to disagree (to save my breed's tail and my own). But to be completely honest, I will admit to having a very limited platform on which I can apply all my musical knowledge, that is if I limit myself to only singing. Yes I sing, and in my own humble opinion, I'm not too shabby ;), but it's another thing entirely to be able to play multiple notes on an instrument and have a chord come to life before your eyes and ears without having to arpeggiate it with your voice. I guess that's what Keyboard Proficiency III was for! The bass isn't exactly a chordal instrument, but it helps nonetheless. I to II7 to V7 to VImi to IV to bVI7 to V7 to I... believe it or not, I can hear it all come together on the bass. It's wonderfully eye opening, for the ears that is ;).

When I hold my bass, I feel like I'm inside the music. I haven't played a single tune on it, nor have I officially practiced even an hour on it, but it feels so right just noodling on it for hours! I'm falling for it's full bodied beauty. I wanna connect with it, learn it, love it, hate it, fight it, master it, and fall for it all over again.

Click on any of the following links to hear some of the best - Jaco Pastorius, Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller