Can You Do This? Most People Can't!

[@Mediocre_Bass_Player]

Thank you for leaving in your mistakes. It can feel like we mere mortals can never achieve the perfection many KZbinrs present. It is good to see someone as accomplished as you also in not always perfect.

[@PushSueAside]

I’ve watched your videos in the past, I think I enjoyed them. …but recently, I don’t know if the content changed, or that your approach is even more interesting. Whatever it is, I’m loving everything you post now, as well as the podcasts. Could be it’s just my interests are changing? I don’t know… but, I just want to say “Thank you for putting the time and effort it takes to share your amazing experiences” also, I’m definitely going to go back and rewatch the older videos. Cheers

[@mozr5053]

This is exactly what I needed to get me motivated. Sometimes, I give myself excuses not to practice. Thank you, sir!

[@rgkism]

Dear Janek, I cannot thank you enough for this. Besides the actual content of your practice ; two more things make this video a real treasure: 1) even a top player like yourself may have days with little time for practice; and 2) even such a day; you feel compelled to make a maintenance session of 10 minutes; and this counts for something.....enabling your subscribers to see these two things is very inspiring; this is another indication of your very transparent and honest approach to music; thanks again!

[@doubledecker1094]

I just love the look of that RKM bass!

[@jakecrowe3797]

Thanks so much for a video like this! Even a short snippet of a practice session is incredibly helpful. My college professor always told me it was his job to teach me how to practice, so that I would be able to do it once I left school. Feel free to revisit this video idea from time to time!

[@olgakuznetsova_bass]

This was a great motivation for me to practice more ! There are so many things to work on and so little time, but this video shows that even 10 minutes can be used effectively

[@chrisbrenner4598]

The point where you hit the frustration harmonics, I felt that

[@michaelanthony9068]

What a generous and humble gift from you, Janek ! Thank you !

[@jrn9872]

Jan, you kill me with that RKM bass sound. You should reach out to them and have a giveaway. I’m sure they don’t mind giving one of them away. Especially after you play that thing.

[@noahmast4888]

Wow, Janek does it again! I need to start my 10min a day so I can grow up to be like you!

[@thumpybones]

Thank you for all the great content. Your comment about practicing on a four string rather than your E A D G C five-string was helpful. I’ve played five string for decades but will now force myself to work on the four also. Cheers!

[@xeode]

remembering to practice is always hard when a lot of stuff is going on but surely even the most hectic schedule has 10 extra minutes in it per day, maybe if I can work out a way to eat while playing i will be golden lol

[@SimonBrisbane]

Thank you. Exactly what we need more of on youtube instead of more people telling us what we should be doing, someone actually demonstrating.

[@tekglitch6596]

Great Video. Thank you for leaving the full process in with the blips. Thats what practice is! I'm new to Bass (Started in Jan). Can I ask, would you class the technique you use for plucking as floating thumb? Thanks Janek.

[@janekgwizdala]

I recently made a video about it: Right Hand Technique for 4-string, 5-String and 6-String Bass kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGrdZH5tbMmGaNE

[@pabliyin29]

Thanks for sharing and for the motivation!I will practice at least 10 min from now on 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@AndyA1234]

I have found out empirically that when I learn a bass piece that I learn it quicker by practicing it in 3 or 4 fifteen to twenty minutes sessions rather than a prolonged session. I watched a TV documentary recently which included a section on how memory works. The parts of the brain responsible for memory (hippocampus & temporal lobe) "plasticizes" when your learning something new. As long as you continue to practice it stays "fluid" and starts to "set" when you stop. I've of course simplified the actual mechanism. I'm sure you've encountered a time when learning something, music or academic studies, where you feel your mind is just a mush. By learning in smaller more numerous sessions your memory has more "plasticizing" & '"setting" episodes thus improving your learning and retention of music. I don't know if you have encountered this phenomenon before but would be glad to hear your thoughts. Andrew Allan

[@glennhm8142]

I always love your tuition videos as I have most of your books, I always learn so much from your YT channel

[@deermeadowhomes]

Janek, your my inspiration to practice. Loving your Pentatonic book!

[@camoswald6752]

Lets go! Love the stuff Janek

[@nazhgul1928]

I'm getting a 6 string soon and this is just what I needed for practicing with a new neck. Thanks so much

[@wallace_nelson]

Love this!! Thank You so much for sharing! This is really appreciated..

[@WladekFoltynski]

Hey Janek, in your e-mail you refered to "10 000 hour rule". Gladwell's catchy concept is taken directly from Ericsson studies on delibarate practice and motor learning skills. In Ericsson works he conducts a research on classical violinists from which the 10 000 hours average timespan of motor skill proficiency is derived. All the best!

[@janekgwizdala]

Anders Ericsson is actually quoted as saying Gladwell misread his research: “He misread that as every one of them had actually spent at least 10,000 hours [practicing], so somehow they passed this magical boundary (…) They were very good, promising students who were likely headed to the top of their field, but they still had a long way to go at the time of the study.” There's a research study from Princeton worth checking out: journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797614535810 Specific to our lane of music here, it concluded that deliberate practice only accounted for 21% of the variance in performance amongst those studied. There are other factors of practice that pertain to how structured the task is. I think certain types of classical music for instance have lots of rules that rarely change, and are widely used as a learning path in western music education. This means most students at academies and conservatoires will be studying an almost identical set of exercises, repertoire and theory. The essence of jazz and improvisation, something that occupies more of my practice routine for instance, is often founded on throwing the rulebook out as soon as possible. I don't have a fully fleshed out theory about this, but it does feel like there could be come commonality for deliberate practice when it comes to the basic motor skills of an instrument, but maybe not so much beyond that. I think so many factors like coaching, environment, ensemble playing, and external pressures away from music then play a huge role in the growth time of someone's skill set. Depending on your level of dedication, and the size of your goals to really rise to the top of a given field, the concept of simply working consistently on something you love is probably going to create greater and more useable results faster.

[@WladekFoltynski]

@@janekgwizdala thank you for clarifying that and devoting your time to answer. Also, thanks for that link - Ericsson "deliberate practice" concept definitely took over popular literature on the subject and I remember at least several musicology works based on the concept (for example regarding mechanics of intonation).

[@bassically7882]

Thanks for playing it slowly.

[@TimBrown-e9l]

That's not a normal warmup, that's the Jaco Pastorius warm up

[@SafeTea]

Are these exercises in your books or videos somewhere?

[@janekgwizdala]

1:07

[@SafeTea]

@@janekgwizdala wow. I somehow missed this setting up my bass to play along, cheers my dude

[@GeorgeMccarter]

are these 2 separate books.and do this book comes a video of each exercise

[@janekgwizdala]

Yes the books are separated, and everything comes with video.

[@aaronreece5617]

The exercises around and 2min20sec, the bebop one, and 5min20sec…which of your books are they from?!?!

[@janekgwizdala]

The first one you asked about is from The Bass Player's Warm-Up, and the second is from The Ten Minute Manual: janekgwizdala.com/store 👍

[@aaronreece5617]

@@janekgwizdala thank you! Going to order them!! Love your content!

[@donvape336]

I have both books and I just can't seem to follow them.

[@janekgwizdala]

What seems to be the issue?

[@CDL27708]

Who are you going on tour with? What are the dates/locations?

[@janekgwizdala]

It’s all on the website: janekgwizdala.com/tour

[@joannalewis5279]

Reassuring as i do maintenance practice too. Just not that well

[@herbertheck]

Thank you, thank you, thank you...

[@tocandoenlacalle2024]

Like Tupac said, playing bach never Hurt nobody

[@chimneyflinttrucking]

That wasn’t completely clean 💀 5:30 that was clean af sir😅

[@rod_andrade]

Those exercises weren´t explained.

[@janekgwizdala]

What’s your point?

[@rod_andrade]

@@janekgwizdala Beginners don´t know what you´re doing there.

[@janekgwizdala]

@@rod_andrade at no point was this video ever advertised as being specifically for beginners. I have a ton of material for all levels and do my best to clearly define what is what. I also encourage players of all levels to actually engage in the material, use their ears to learn what is going on, and challenge themselves not to listen with their eyes and expect everything to explain in great detail.

[@rod_andrade]

@@janekgwizdala I understand. 👍👍