Last year was one of the most challenging years of my life, emotionally and energetically. And there were many weeks where I didn’t have the energy or desire to pick up my bass guitar and practice.
But, recently on social media I came across a beast of a bass player and a young lion too. His name is Angelo Roman and a prodigious talent with the bass. There’s a youthful vigor and mastery he breathes into his instrument and it totally inspires me.
In the video I saw of him, he was practicing some arrangement of what sounded like Gospel artist Todd Dulaney’s song “You’re Doing It All Again.” When I saw the video and heard Angelo’s playing, a fire ignited in me and I wanted to start shedding again on the bass guitar. And, like really shedding.
I picked up my bass and immediately went straight to transcribing the licks and bassline Angelo was playing. And I learned so much in this process.
In this post I’ll share everything I learned along with some actionables to level-up your bass playing
Let’s dive in.
The Video of Angelo Roman That Inspired Me
Watch more videos of Angelo Roman here: https://www.instagram.com/angelo.bass.roman/
Shedding Along
Here’s What I Learned and Some Actionables
- The fastest way to progress on your instrument, especially after a hiatus on the bass guitar, is to simply transcribe something that excites you. I feel my chops, dynamics, articulation, and phrasing all leveled up after transcribing some of these lines that Angelo was playing. Transcription just covers so much ground and is way more fun that simply practicing your scales.
- Singing before you play is one of the fastest ways to internalize a phrase. I sang as much of the Angelo’s bassline as much as I could, before I even touched my bass. I feel that helped me remember the material.
- Change the key immediately, even if you haven’t fully learned the bass guitar part yet. It’s easy to want to stay in your comfort zone. But, I learned that changing the key exposes weaknesses with your ears, your fretboard knowledge, and also your technique. When I was transcribing (and I still have work to do), I changed the key after several takes. If you don’t have time to do all 12 keys, try changing the key either chromatically a couple times or up a minor third a couple times.
- The pentatonic scale is your friend. There’s so much you can do with a pentatonic scale and some of the most “nastiest” licks are solely based on the Major Pentatonic Scale.
- When you’re breaking down a big phrase, try to hear smaller phrases that make up the big phrase. Breaking things down into smaller phrases, make big phrases seem less intimidating.
- Keep it moving. Don’t sweat perfection. Instead strive for capturing the essence of what it is you’re transcribing. You’ll stay inspired, and cover more ground instead of getting stuck trying to play a small part perfectly.
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