CROSS-TRAINING FOR MUSICIANS
by huskybones
In sports the concept of cross-training is used to describe the training an athlete does that's outside of what they normally do. I have adopted this term to describe the study of material that's outside the norm for a particular instrument. For example a runner may cross-train with a rowing machine and a guitar player may play along with a movie on video instead of practicing scales. When we "train" or "practice" techniques from another instrument, or look to another source for ideas it's almost always uncomfortable and by definition "new". We force our minds to think about music differently and our bodies to function without the familiar tools. That's just the point, learning is not comfortable.
Within any given song there are a wealth of learning opportunities. Take a song that you want to learn and in addition to learning your part, learn the other parts as well. This may require you to simplify, interpret or alter a part slightly but the closer you get to doing it like the other instrument the better it is for you. Remember this exercise is all about synthesizing the things you hear into your own music. I love the drumming of Terry Bozzio (Missing Persons, Frank Zappa) and I would listen carefully to his hi-hat and snare patterns and learn those rhythms on the bass. Try this with your favorite drummer, then substitute your own notes and you may have a flash of inspiration. Learn the keyboard part on your drums. Separate right hand and left hand (high and low) and assign a drum to each. If there are two really cool parts working off of each other like a keyboard and a vocal, try to play both at the same time. Music goes way beyond "key" and "style" and often it's the interaction that makes things groove. The idea is to take it a step farther and dig a little deeper. This has the added benefit of letting you hear all music in a more knowledgeable way. In other words don't just listen to it, know it.
This bass and drum example may seem a bit obvious so try this. Learn the vocalists' part. Not just the words (If you're learning a song you should know them anyway!) but the whole thing and play it with your instrument. Ask yourself "Where is there a breath?" and "How does a breath sound on my instrument?". Learn every slide, stutter and nuance of the part exactly. Listen to the vibrato. Is it fast and narrow or slow and wide. Also pay close attention to the rhythms of the lyrics and play them as accurately as you can. The more energy you put toward sounding just like the singer on your accordion, the more you get out of the experience.
I took a lesson from a Flamenco guitar player and he showed me some of the specialty things like strumming with fingers in a downward motion. I had to practice this for quite a while but now I use it with authority. Again, not my instrument but I got a good technique out of it.
I heard a pianist on the radio whose specialty is the use of "chord clusters". Chord clusters are non-triad groups of notes played "as-if" they were chords. Kind of hard on the ears but I dig 'em. The problem is that they sound cool on piano anytime but on the bass one must be selective and sensitive to the context of the tune. After some experimentation I think I've found places where I can use these although not everyone is a fan of this approach.
As I said I am a bass player and in my efforts to learn about "slap style" or "funk" style playing I used an idea from the drums called rudiments. Rudiments are a method for teaching drummers independence and control of their two hands. One rudiment consists of a series of eight beats alternating hits between the left (L) and right (R) hand RLRL RRLL. I decided to take this idea and substitute T (thumb) for Right and F(finger) for Left. So you come up with TFTF TTFF and as you can see, this put two finger pulls and two thumb hits together, which presented it's own difficulties. Working through those areas to come up with a way to get it done taught me a new way to play. There are as many possibilities here as one has time to imagine and you can always flip it around FTFT FFTT or try it on one string if it gets too easy. When you try this, let me know how it goes because it kicked my butt.
Randy Rhoads (Ozzy) was always an inspiration to me and when I saw a transcription of his instrumental piece "Dee" for acoustic guitar, I wanted to try it. The first step was to transcribe the guitar music to bass so I could see what was what. In conjunction with that, going from 6 to 4 strings required that I move harmonics and chord inversions around. Then with that all done I had to learn to actually perform the thing and after many years of noodling with it, it sounds pretty good. Playing chords on the bass also led me to take a closer look at the tone of the instrument so there's another aspect of it.
You might try actually getting your hands on another instrument. I think that all bass players should get behind a drum kit and try to play a beat at least once. Drummers make it look so easy don't they? This gives you an insight into the "How?" and "Why?" of the other instrument. In other words by playing another instrument you get a little deeper into the interaction part of music as well as improve your ability to communicate with other musicians.
One final idea for you. Let's look at what's hidden inside of you already only from another angle. Do this one without your instrument. Put on a CD or tape that you really like, set up a tape recorder so that you can record both the music that's playing and anything you might say or sing, and then SING over the music. Improvise solos, parts, lines or just weird sounds. Forget about keys, notes and right and wrong. Just let out whatever you feel. Now rewind the tape and learn what you just sang, exactly. It's all you, but it probably doesn't contain any of your usual licks.
Well, I'm going to wrap this one up for now. If you try something here remember that results take time and energy but like my friend Melvin says "Once you learn something, it's yours". Thanks for your time. Wax on.
by huskybones
In sports the concept of cross-training is used to describe the training an athlete does that's outside of what they normally do. I have adopted this term to describe the study of material that's outside the norm for a particular instrument. For example a runner may cross-train with a rowing machine and a guitar player may play along with a movie on video instead of practicing scales. When we "train" or "practice" techniques from another instrument, or look to another source for ideas it's almost always uncomfortable and by definition "new". We force our minds to think about music differently and our bodies to function without the familiar tools. That's just the point, learning is not comfortable.
Within any given song there are a wealth of learning opportunities. Take a song that you want to learn and in addition to learning your part, learn the other parts as well. This may require you to simplify, interpret or alter a part slightly but the closer you get to doing it like the other instrument the better it is for you. Remember this exercise is all about synthesizing the things you hear into your own music. I love the drumming of Terry Bozzio (Missing Persons, Frank Zappa) and I would listen carefully to his hi-hat and snare patterns and learn those rhythms on the bass. Try this with your favorite drummer, then substitute your own notes and you may have a flash of inspiration. Learn the keyboard part on your drums. Separate right hand and left hand (high and low) and assign a drum to each. If there are two really cool parts working off of each other like a keyboard and a vocal, try to play both at the same time. Music goes way beyond "key" and "style" and often it's the interaction that makes things groove. The idea is to take it a step farther and dig a little deeper. This has the added benefit of letting you hear all music in a more knowledgeable way. In other words don't just listen to it, know it.
This bass and drum example may seem a bit obvious so try this. Learn the vocalists' part. Not just the words (If you're learning a song you should know them anyway!) but the whole thing and play it with your instrument. Ask yourself "Where is there a breath?" and "How does a breath sound on my instrument?". Learn every slide, stutter and nuance of the part exactly. Listen to the vibrato. Is it fast and narrow or slow and wide. Also pay close attention to the rhythms of the lyrics and play them as accurately as you can. The more energy you put toward sounding just like the singer on your accordion, the more you get out of the experience.
I took a lesson from a Flamenco guitar player and he showed me some of the specialty things like strumming with fingers in a downward motion. I had to practice this for quite a while but now I use it with authority. Again, not my instrument but I got a good technique out of it.
I heard a pianist on the radio whose specialty is the use of "chord clusters". Chord clusters are non-triad groups of notes played "as-if" they were chords. Kind of hard on the ears but I dig 'em. The problem is that they sound cool on piano anytime but on the bass one must be selective and sensitive to the context of the tune. After some experimentation I think I've found places where I can use these although not everyone is a fan of this approach.
As I said I am a bass player and in my efforts to learn about "slap style" or "funk" style playing I used an idea from the drums called rudiments. Rudiments are a method for teaching drummers independence and control of their two hands. One rudiment consists of a series of eight beats alternating hits between the left (L) and right (R) hand RLRL RRLL. I decided to take this idea and substitute T (thumb) for Right and F(finger) for Left. So you come up with TFTF TTFF and as you can see, this put two finger pulls and two thumb hits together, which presented it's own difficulties. Working through those areas to come up with a way to get it done taught me a new way to play. There are as many possibilities here as one has time to imagine and you can always flip it around FTFT FFTT or try it on one string if it gets too easy. When you try this, let me know how it goes because it kicked my butt.
Randy Rhoads (Ozzy) was always an inspiration to me and when I saw a transcription of his instrumental piece "Dee" for acoustic guitar, I wanted to try it. The first step was to transcribe the guitar music to bass so I could see what was what. In conjunction with that, going from 6 to 4 strings required that I move harmonics and chord inversions around. Then with that all done I had to learn to actually perform the thing and after many years of noodling with it, it sounds pretty good. Playing chords on the bass also led me to take a closer look at the tone of the instrument so there's another aspect of it.
You might try actually getting your hands on another instrument. I think that all bass players should get behind a drum kit and try to play a beat at least once. Drummers make it look so easy don't they? This gives you an insight into the "How?" and "Why?" of the other instrument. In other words by playing another instrument you get a little deeper into the interaction part of music as well as improve your ability to communicate with other musicians.
One final idea for you. Let's look at what's hidden inside of you already only from another angle. Do this one without your instrument. Put on a CD or tape that you really like, set up a tape recorder so that you can record both the music that's playing and anything you might say or sing, and then SING over the music. Improvise solos, parts, lines or just weird sounds. Forget about keys, notes and right and wrong. Just let out whatever you feel. Now rewind the tape and learn what you just sang, exactly. It's all you, but it probably doesn't contain any of your usual licks.
Well, I'm going to wrap this one up for now. If you try something here remember that results take time and energy but like my friend Melvin says "Once you learn something, it's yours". Thanks for your time. Wax on.
