The Alternative rocker

Therapy? bassist Mike warns us not to get complacent

We humans are creatures of habit by nature. Most of us have a favourite

seat in our house, a familiar route when we walk to the shops, and a morning routine. Of course, when it comes to the bass, our habits can sometimes stifle creativity and inhibit musical growth. We may not even realise that we’re doing it, but reverting to familiar sounds, predictable runs and fills – or simply refusing to embrace a new playing technique – can set back our musical progression.

If you’re stuck in a rut, how can you get a fresh perspective on your playing? The obvious way for me is to swap basses. Now, I’m not condoning buying a lovely new bass every time you’re bored, but

I do find that a playing a different instrument can prompt a flush of creativity. A different neck, or even a shorter scale, can shake up your approach to writing parts, and your fingers will end up playing different patterns. If you don’t want to shell out for a new bass, you can always swap with a friend. That way both of you will get the benefit.

Another trick, if you’re a pick player, is to start using your fingers for a bit, and vice versa. Try a bit of slap playing, and while you’re at it, experiment with where you pick the string over the body. It’s amazing how much the range of tone and attack can vary that way. Another good way to shake things up is to write a new bass-line for a song, either for one of your own tunes or a cover. Try and ignore the original line and come up with something completely new and off the wall – this can be a very enlightening exercise.

At rehearsal a while ago, I swapped pedalboards with our guitarist. Now I had distortions, delays and reverbs at my disposal, while he was using my flanger and octave pedals. It was a fun, interesting sonic experiment that turned out to be surprisingly productive. Just like in life, where you can take a different route to the newsagents, or sit in a different chair to watch TV, you can also come at your bass playing from a different angle and get a whole new take on it. Happy experimenting!