One step back, two steps forward

Better Bass is back! I have been “doing the thing” for a while now and have some new ideas to put into the world for all the budding professional musicians out there.Unfortunately I lied to my whole audience up front, something went *very* wrong with the video recording and the footage was mostly lost. Oh well, all part of the process. Video next episode! Get full access to Better Bass at betterbass.substack.com/subscribe

Most of us have had the use of the metronome in the practice room bashed over our heads since our first lessons. But there are more ways to use a metronome to improve your time than just playing rote exercises with a quarter note click.Visit betterbass.substack.com and subscribe to never miss an episode!The show is also streaming on your favorite podcast platforms - namely Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you’re enjoying it, leave a rating on Spotify & Apple, and tell your friends!Thank you for listening - I’m deeply grateful to be able to share my musical thoughts & musings with you all. Get full access to Better Bass at betterbass.substack.com/subscribe

In the longest ever episode of the Better Bass podcast, we’re talking about some simple and not-so-simple ways to improve your sense of time and rhythm without leaning on a click track. I’m also going through the latest version of my signal chain and how I’ve been changing my sound lately.Visit betterbass.substack.com and subscribe to never miss an episode!The show is also streaming on your favorite podcast platforms - namely Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you’re enjoying it, leave a rating on Spotify & Apple, and tell your friends!Thank you all for listening - I’m deeply grateful to be able to share my musical thoughts & musings with you all. Get full access to Better Bass at betterbass.substack.com/subscribe

Practice and learning are often about making temporary compromises to achieve permanent results. Today we’re applying this philosophy to the bass guitar.Visit betterbass.substack.com and subscribe to never miss an episode!The show is also streaming on your favorite podcast platforms - namely Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you’re enjoying it, leave a rating on Spotify & Apple, and tell your friends!Thank you for listening - I’m deeply grateful to be able to share my musical thoughts & musings with you all. Get full access to Better Bass at betterbass.substack.com/subscribe

I’m back from my brief hiatus, feeling fresh and ready to put some good energy into my practice & my music. Listening to John Scofield playing the melody to Falling Grace has me inspired tonight, so I’m playing a little bit of the track and talking over some abstract ideas about compelling performances - what makes music interesting & engaging. Very abstract & subjective topic for an episode, but it’s very thematic to my recent grappling sessions with my own musical philosophy.Visit betterbass.substack.com and subscribe to never miss an episode!The show is also streaming on your favorite podcast platforms - namely Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you’re enjoying it, leave a rating on Spotify & Apple, and tell your friends!Thank you all for listening - I’m deeply grateful to be able to share my musical thoughts & musings with you all. Get full access to Better Bass at betterbass.substack.com/subscribe

I need a short break to reset my creative process and get some new inspiration into my practice & performance. My mind has felt incredibly jumbled every time I’ve picked up the bass lately, so I’m sending my listeners off with an in-depth harmony lesson on triads and I’ll be taking this Friday off from the podcast. And for the umpteenth time - a massive, massive thank you to all my subscribers, listeners, and everyone who has supported this podcast & supported my creative efforts in any way. Visit betterbass.substack.com and subscribe to never miss an episode!The show is also streaming on your favorite podcast platforms - namely Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you’re enjoying it, leave a rating on Spotify & Apple, and tell your friends!Thank you all for listening - I’m deeply grateful to be able to share my musical thoughts & musings with you all. Get full access to Better Bass at betterbass.substack.com/subscribe

One of the OG Better Bass Podcast subscribers & fans recently left me a comment that helped me realize something very important - while my bass practice process might be at an all-time high in terms of maintenance, efficiency, and technique, in recent months I’ve really lost touch with the reasons I have for making music in the first place. Today I’m talking about that.Visit betterbass.substack.com and subscribe to never miss an episode!The show is also streaming on your favorite podcast platforms - namely Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you’re enjoying it, leave a rating on Spotify & Apple, and tell your friends!Thank you all for listening - I’m deeply grateful to be able to share my musical thoughts & musings with you all. Get full access to Better Bass at betterbass.substack.com/subscribe

Pedals are awesome, sonic exploration is awesome, making noises that the bass guitar was absolutely never intended to make falls under the category of cool as hell, to me anyways. On today’s Better Bass podcast, we’re talking about how to practice with effects, and some of the things I’m working on to make these crazy sounds feel good in a musical context.Visit betterbass.substack.com and subscribe to never miss an episode!The show is also streaming on your favorite podcast platforms - namely Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you’re enjoying it, leave a rating on Spotify & Apple, and tell your friends!Thank you all for listening - I’m deeply grateful to be able to share my musical thoughts & musings with you all. Get full access to Better Bass at betterbass.substack.com/subscribe

I hate generalizations about art. “The 80% rule” was such an unproductive and broad generalization that I’m surprised I even let it slide by myself. But we learn from our mistakes, we refine our process and our mindset as we refine our bass playing, and we continue to move forward & grow. Today’s episode is about minimizing emotion in the practice room, staying objective, and focusing on the details and specifics that make good music & good bass playing.Visit betterbass.substack.com and subscribe to never miss an episode!The show is also streaming on your favorite podcast platforms - namely Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you’re enjoying it, leave a rating on Spotify & Apple, and tell your friends!Thank you for listening - I’m deeply grateful to be able to share my musical thoughts & musings with you all. Get full access to Better Bass at betterbass.substack.com/subscribe

With the new year I’ve been bringing a fresh mindset into my practice, keeping it performance-oriented and sticking to my paradigm of being a more tasteful bassist, while breaking down some personal psychological barriers that might be preventing me from becoming the musician I want to hear. In true podcaster fashion, I even invented some b******t terminology in this episode to take my mindset and make it catchy.Visit betterbass.substack.com and subscribe to never miss an episode!The show is also streaming on your favorite podcast platforms - namely Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you’re enjoying it, leave a rating on Spotify & Apple, and tell your friends!Thank you for listening - I’m deeply grateful to be able to share my musical thoughts & musings with you all. Get full access to Better Bass at betterbass.substack.com/subscribe