Ask Damian Erskine: I Can’t Hear Myself!
Q: I would love to know what you do when you can’t hear yourself on stage or at rehearsals and when you can’t change it. A: That’s just a tough situation, really. It does happen fairly frequently, though. Honestly, that’s when knowing your fretboard and having a strong relationship with your instrument comes in handy, as well as knowing the...
Relax, and Don’t Forget to Listen
Q: What’s going through your mind when you solo? A: Ideally, nothing! I play my best when I know the song well (don’t need to think about chords, etc.) and am playing with solid players who all serve the music. In that scenario, I am simply letting the music dictate what’s going to happen and if I have to solo,...
Ask Damian Erskine: Gigging half-heartedly?
Q: Have you ever felt, for any reason, like NOT doing a gig and if so, for what reasons? A: Of course!! More important than the reasons why (there have been SO many), though are the ways in which it is possible to alter ones perspective so that it is not as dreadful. I have been lucky enough to have...
Ask Damian Erskine: Gigging with No Preparation Time?
Q: How do you prepare for a gig when you have a short amount of time to learn tunes? A: For me, it is more important that I have the tune internalized and have the vibe inside. The second thing is any hits that I’ll need to be aware of. If I can feel the tune, I can use my...
Ask Damian Erskine: Recommendations for starting out?
Q: What would you recommend to someone just starting out on bass? A: These are the things you will regret NOT doing if you stick with any instrument, so be ahead of the curve and do the work now, instead of later or never! 1. Learn to read music (not tab, but actual notation!) Read EVERY DAY, even if only...
Ask Damian Erskine: Setting up your bass
Q: Would you describe what you strive for when setting up your bass? A: I actually just covered this in Bass Guitar Magazine (UK) recently. Here is my blurb from the magazine… The overall playability of my instrument is everything to me. If I have to fight the feel of my bass, I’ll have a harder time “letting go” and...
Ask Damian Erskine: Good Practice?
Q: What is considered a “good” practice session?? Say, if I take an hour to practice, what should I be working on… doing warm-ups, running through set lists of songs I know, learning new material, listening and trying to imitate players I like, etc. Just trying to be as productive as possible with my time. A: In my opinion, ANY...
Ask Damian Erskine: Best way to Shine?
Q: When you are presented with an opportunity to play with people you look up to, what is your approach? To you try and blow everyone away? A: Great question! The first thing I would say is to be yourself! Don’t try and play like this guy or that guy you’ve seen them with, don’t try and do anything that...
Ask Damian Erskine: Practicing in Your Head
Q: So as I walked around the house, my wife asked me, “What are you doing, space cadet?” I guess I had a fairly blank look on my face and was walking around the house in circles. I replied, “Playing Bass… in my head.” She then said, “huh… you should write about that for the No Treble guys!” And I...
Ask Damian Erskine: Transcribing Tips
Q: out of curiosity, what do you use when transcribing? Software or pencil & paper? I’m delving into this area more and grew up with the pencil & paper way, but am becoming more intrigued by all of the software “gadgets” out there. A: A little bit of all of those things, really. Here are my tips and practices for...
Ask Damian Erskine: Finding the balance
Q: How do you discern whether you’re playing “appropriately” or over-playing? A: This is completely subjective and depends on: style of music you’re playing bandleaders interpretation of appropriate taste other things too, but that’s a good start! For the purposes of this article, I’ll assume we’re not talking fusion or jazz here. One simple thing to keep in mind is...
Ask Damian Erskine: How do you go about promoting your CD?
Q: How do you go about promoting your CD? A: I’ve been giving this a lot of thought lately as I’m preparing to release my 2nd release (coming out mid-late January 2010!). With my first CD, I definitely went about it from the ground up. I: Contacted the editors of bass magazines and asked to whom I could send one...