LEARNING and LOVING THE BASS

WORKING ON NEW MATERIAL!

2011-03-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

Finally getting to work on new original material with the guys from the band. Our lead guitarist is so great at arrangements, etc. that it makes my job playing bass easy. He already has my part tabbed out. I know I should come up with it myself, but I'm still learning & he is such a master at bass as well as guitar. Can't wait to upload some of our new music!!! On the flip side. My arthritis & lupus has been giving me heck & it has become really hard to play the bass because of the pain. I'm hoping I don't have to give it up. I just slather on the arthritis cream I'm given & play. For Now anyway. I am still loving activebass.com for its lessons & roving around the internet utilizing every bass playing site I can.

WOW! It's been awhile!

2010-09-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

It has been well over a year that I've blogged....that's LUPUS for ya! Much has changed in my bass playing journey! The band broke up, duh! However....I decided I really like the music at this church I was going to & I took a bold step, I emailed the worship pastor & asked if I could audition. To make a long story short, I've been playing bass in a large church, in front of lots of people who stare at me because they just can't get over a 5'2" female is up there playing electric bass guitar! Plus, it has taught me SO much about playing in front of an audience that isn't hidden in the dark, that are drunk, and number like maybe 20 at the most....(the bar settings that bands get to play at). I enjoy it, and I rotate in as there are other bass players, so is I am ill with Lupus, I can take a week or however many off. I've had to learn to actually read music, rehearse, ya know, NOT WING IT like I've done! They have a sound guy that runs everything, monitors I can hear myself & the other musicians, great equipment too. I'm blessed to be able to play the bass in an environment that is really teaching me to step up my game, learn different musical styles & we rehearse a lot so we end up jamming at rehearsals which is fun. There was a time in the last year that I didn't even pick up my bass. I wasn't inspired, figured I'd gone about as far as I could with what I knew, had no outlet to play, and was frankly bored learning songs in my living room for kicks. But that was because I was ill & everything looked bleak. Then I heard an old song with a killer bass line, decided to plug my bass in & learn it, realized that playing my bass did lift my spirits, and dusted it off to start playing it again. So that is where I'm at, at the moment. Still learning new styles, getting a little bit better at using my fingers on the frets, but bottom line, enjoying playing music!!!! It is more fun when you get to jam with others though, and they are humble & helpful & don't yell when I screw up :) OH, love the cropped pants I'm wearing in the photo, geesh, I really need a stylist!!!!

Lupus SLE Rears it's ugly head

2009-03-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't been able to Blog OR play bass for that matter for a few weeks. The painful symptoms of Lupus SLE hit me hard and shut down all the fun! Lupus is an autoimmune disease, and your immune system can turn on itself. Where one person will have the flu and take a couple days off of work, if you have Lupus and get that same flu, it will send you to the hospital and can be a fatal infection. In my case, it wasn't flu. I had this great idea to try snow skiing again,I hadn't done so since years prior to my Lupus diagnosis, and thought I was feeling strong and good enough to do so. However, all it took was riding the lift to the top of the mountain that I realized I was in trouble. My hands and specifically fingers were hurting so bad, as were my knees, and I hadn't even gotten off the lift yet! It was the cold weather. I was bundled up too. But, with my Lupus comes poor circulation to my fingers. Therefore, I got off the lift and automatically wanted to get down the mountain as fast as I could to thaw my hands outs. I was actually nauseated from the pain in my hands and fingers. As I skiied down, my knees felt like I'd been a pro skier for years and had two old knee injuries, which I don't, but they hurt too. When I finally got to the bottom, I ended up in the lodge next to the fire. I told my friends and family to keep skiing, I fine. This little outting cause a month of what is called in Lupus Circles as a "Lupus Flare"....when lupus rears its ugly head and symptoms return. Luckily, mine were confined to my joint pain, fingers, and horrible exhaustion and days on the couch. I am also very fortunate that it didn't attack my kidneys as in the past or my lungs.

BUT, when my friends said, hey! We are ready to put this new band thing together and here is the first track I've written, AND we have a wonderful singer, I did sit up off the couch! So bottom line, I won't be going skiing anymore, I really wasn't that into it, I was always jealous that I could snowboard instead. I am getting better every day and following doctor orders.

It is more important to me to live a long life, and enjoy my family and passions than it is to do activities I don't think through very well. I know my boundaries, I just try to do more than I should and be the person I used to be.

Our new music is pretty cool I have to say though, and I'm learning some new techniques which are helping my playing. I think we are actually going to have a full line up, a full set list, and shows set up by the end of the year! I just pray I stay healthy. I still study a lot at www.activebass.com and watch all the music channels to find songs with different bass lines to learn. For those of you that are healthy and can play bass or guitar, I mean are shredders deluxe!!! Count your blessings!! It takes great talent to do what you do! You inspire me. Also inspiring me are people on my YouTube channel who say nice things about my journey to grow old playing the bass....ha! Yes, and I DO mean old! Keep those comments coming, they keep me going.

As far as gear....I played my friend's Geddy Lee Fender Bass the other night. I had gotten mixed views on it and not knowing all that much about which bass is best for which music, I loved it. The only con was that the bass itself was too heavy for me, my shoulder was pretty sore after the jam. I am used to my little Peavey. The Fender shoulded awesome and the neck was small and easy to play like my Peavey. PLUS, I do love active pickups!!! So, I've played an Ibanez 5-string, Geddy Lee Fender, and my little Peavey Millenium and have to say they were all great sounding. The Ibanez had the deepest tones, the Fender second and my Peavey third. But that is probably because I am not setting it up correctly. Keep playin! Susie

OK, about LUPUS and SUPPORT and playin BASS!

2008-12-31T09:33:00.001-08:00

I feel compelled to write about Lupus. I get many questions as to what it is, etc. Also, most people with Lupus look just fine. They don't look "sick". Leading many friends and family to say "you look fine, why don't you just get off that couch and do something!!!" Or, how can you stand up long enough to learn to play a bass guitar, or use your fingers????? However, those who live with a loved one with the disease long enough, or knew them before they were diagnosed with Lupus KNOW how it effects us. Also, they know how much we want to do the things we used to, or to not be in pain or in fear of Lupus' horrible symptoms and effects on our bodies. For me personally. I was very, very active. I trained horses and showed them since I was a kid. I lived on a ranch and we raised cattle as well. I was a gymnast in high school. I worked in the film and television business as a animal trainer (horses), stunt woman (on horses), trained actors how to ride, be safe, etc., worked in casting and many areas of production as it pertained to livestock. I had to travel a lot with horses, driving long hours and hauling horses. So as you can see, I was a pretty active person. Then I began getting very tired, then extreme fatigue, my joints hurt, I was in a lot of pain but couldn't take the pain meds because they made me ill. I couldn't "kick" the illness. I started having problems with my kidneys which was scarey. Lupus is a disease where your body turns on itself. Your immune systems works against you. So, it effects your organs, like the kidneys, heart, etc. The sun is your enemy, you can't be out in it. It can bring on a flare. And I LOVED the sun and water sports! I was finally diagnosed correctly, after many mis-diagnosis' (which wasn't their fault, it is just hard to diagnose) when a doctor did a barrage of blood tests and other tests. Once diagnosed, I was put on a couple of drugs for the symptoms. Like prednisone, and a drug used for malaria! They helped a bit when I was very, very ill. But I have chosen to try and fight it with taking care of myself. STRESS is very bad for Lupus. I try to stay away from it, but that is impossible!!! SO, I was SO down, felt like life was over, I was going to be old before my time. Can't do anything without fear of having to leave early because I would fade out (get too tired or hurt too much). I did go into this depression on just wanting to lay on the couch with the blanket over my head. But, watching music videos all day and night wasn't all that healthy on me or my muscles...but, I did love watching the bass playersf & their techniques! Figured, why not try to learn to play the bass. Which is why I have.
So, if you know of someone who is ill with something like Lupus, but they look fine. Don't assume they are OK and just looking for attention. They may really be ill. Just support them and let them know its OK to have a bad day, week, or month. But that you support them and there will be good days ahead. I, personally, have been judged pretty harshly, during times I couldn't get off the couch, or when I couldn't go out and do fun stuff.....people would say mean things to me like I am lazy, or I should "buck up"!!! No one knows better than ME how much I wanted to! I tried to do those things, and I became sicker because of it. Now I take care of myself.
With anything, whether it is lupus, depression, just a bad day or whatever....just be kind and supportive. Don't try and "fix" the person....because you can't. But you can love them where they are at, and proceed on with each day and have good times in the midst of an illness that would rather you live a life of pain and suffering. SO, in 2009, be good to each other!!! :)

Learning arpeggios, octaves, scales

2008-12-31T09:26:00.000-08:00

In 2009 my goal is to work on learning arpeggios, working with octaves and scales a lot more. They are so important!!!! My favorite site for learning this stuff is www.activebass.com . Just go to the LESSONS link, then to the BASICS. Sort this lists by "HITS" and you will find the most popular lessons for learning the basics. They have helped me so much. They explain the theory, you can click on the track to listen to it, it has the tabs right there. You can slow it down, speed it up. It is just everything I would ever ask for in learning!!! YEA!!! So, 2009 is hunker down and learn BASS THEORY instead of just playing around.
As far as Lupus goes....2009 will be continuing to learn more about the disease and to learn ways to eat right, take care of myself, have fewer "flares" which are the times when I am really ill and need to rest alost and visit the doctor more. I'll never be "cured" but I can keep working at feeling better. I research online a bunch, just like playing the bass. The Lupus Foundation is a great foundation for trying to find a cure and find ways to help the suffering that comes with Lupus. Here is wishing EVERYONE a Happy New Year!

Learning different techniques

2008-12-08T22:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I was stuck on learning rock bass....for whatever reason. I have since learned from my Internet friends who play bass that it is good to try all types of music and to learn different styles. Which I have been doing and I am glad I have! I am finding I love playing blues bass, some Christian rock, slower stuff, on and on. It has helped me too with the use of my hands in a odd way because since I was starting out learning hard rock, I was forced to learn to play fast, repetitious, all over the place stuff. Not really a good place to start the bass, especially with Lupus! I have been having some lupus flares (meaning, I've been ill lately and unable to play my bass) but I think by this week I'll be able to pick it back up. I have a lot of songs I look forward to learning now. Also, I am going to start coming up with some original music myself! Recording it on my computer music software. Slower, more melodic stuff. It just never ends, the beauty of loving and playing music is that it never gets old, no matter how old YOU get :) !!! It is the only "hobby" "endeavor" "interest" I have that I don't give a darn what ANYONE says to me about it, as is...."you spend all your time on that silly bass! Why?! Its not like you are going to perform or anything." etc. I don't care! When I am down, I play my bass, when I am laying on the couch unable to move, I try to motivate my muscles and body to get off that couch and go play just one song on the bass, when I am having a bad day, I turn on the music.....I lost someone recently, he died WAY too young and was a true inspiration to his family and friends. He had Cystic Fibrosis, he was a senior in high school and played basketball even, but most of all, he was an uplifting, funny, endearing young man with the BEST outlook on life. It has made me realize that living each day the best you can, and having a smile on your face whenever possible, helps other people around you have a better day. And maybe gives them hope. I don't know. But I just hope I can pass it on.....Thanks for all the nice comments to my site and I'll get some new vids up soon since I've been trying to learn new music. Happy Holidays and keep playin' that music!!!!! Susie

It's Been Awhile...But here is a new blog!

2008-11-21T10:18:00.000-08:00

Howdy! I wanted to mention that I've been hanging out at the site, www.activebass.com and doing the lessons on there for bass. If you click on the Lessons icon, and choose what type of music you are interested in, they have thousands of lessons to play along with. Plus, beginner technical stuff that I have been doing mostly. I love it there, I've really learned a lot by playing along with the lessons. PLUS, it is proof that no matter what type of music you play, learning a technique that is comfortable for you is so important. Also, I've received so many great comments but sometimes I get comments on how I am holding the bass incorrectly, or my thumb placement is wrong, etc. BUT, I watch music videos a lot too and study the bassists all the time. Bottom line.....everyone has their own style and it is all over the place! So now I don't feel so bad about sliding, or my thumb sticking up, etc. I concentrate more on what the bass sounds like, the tone, am I playing the song correctly? After watching Stu Hamm playing Moonlight Sonata live, I discover yet another style, which by the way was so inspirational and awesome how he plays. Well, just wanted to let people know about that website and how helpful it is. I am one of those people who have to learn by doing, I don't comprehend what I read too well! I have to actually hear it, then do it. This site will help anyone with that! So long for now and keep playing that great music! Susie

What is Lupus? Why does it make playing difficult?

2008-09-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

I have received many emails asking about Lupus, what it is, why it makes playing the bass difficult, what causes it, etc. I put a link to the Lupus Foundation site on my sites page. But as for me personally, I was diasgnosed with Lupus SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus) around 2001. I had been feeling very fatigued, my joints hurt pretty bad, I had a weird rash, I couldn't heal when I would get hurt as fast as usual, and I got a horrible cold that turned quickly into pneumonia....I had some tests that showed my kidneys were being attacked. After a hospital stay and a multitude of blood tests, I was told it was Lupus SLE. I must keep a close monitor on my kidneys and also get flu shots so I don't catch the flu as it could be bad for me, whereas for someone else, it would be a couple of days in bed and some Nyquil. My joints, mainly hands and fingers were hit hard, they hurt and lock up and ache constantly. WHY I decided to play an instrument is beyond me, it was like I said to myself, how dare you attack my hands, I'm just going to find something that requires me to use my fingers and hands and I'll just conquer this! I can't hold the neck of the bass correctly, I have to more or less cradle it in my open hand sometimes. It is VERY hard for me to play the notes on the frets, but that is getting better I think. My wrists hurt because I have to bend them, blah blah blah.....Here is a more "medical" explanation.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, usually life-long, potentially fatal autoimmune disease characterized by unpredictable exacerbations and remissions with variable clinical manifestations. In Lupus SLE there is a high probability for clinical involvement of the joints, skin, kidney, brain, lung, heart, serosa and gastrointestinal tract.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by immune dysregulation resulting in the production of antinuclear antibodies (ANA), generation of circulating immune complexes, and activation of the complement system. SLE is notable for unpredictable exacerbations and remissions and a predilection for clinical involvement of the joints, skin, kidney, brain, serosa, lung, heart, and gastrointestinal tract. The pathologic hallmark of the disease is recurrent, widespread, and diverse vascular lesions.

But not to fear!!!!! I am fighting it, like everyone else I know who has it. Some days, weeks, months are horrible, some are wonderful and free from some of the symptoms. You just have to treat yourself well, eat right and exercise but most important, try to have a positive attitude, stress is horrible for lupus. That is why picking up the bass and playing my favorite song helps. So that is what Lupus is. It is not known how or why people get it, it is predominent in females, but many men have it too. Yes, it can be fatal at the drop of a hat, but...... in the last 10 years great advances have been made in the treatment of Lupus, there just needs to be a lot more, just like all the other horrible diseases out there that we need funding for. I was just glad they could come up with a diagnosis, I was too energetic and loved the outdoors too much to suddenly be struck down. So after learning what I had, I then could find the tools to fight it. That is my story! I am sticking to it.....

MY FIRST BAND AUDITION - A funny story at my expense

2008-09-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share with you the story of my first "real" audition for a band. Some of you have asked me how I got into a band finally, and I think you should hear about the ones I didn't get into first! The photo is of me around the time I auditioned for this band, I'd just gotten my Peavey bass, this will help you visualize my experience. It was an ad on Craigslist in the city I lived. The ad read something like this, A "Hardcore **F-ing** group of guys looking to take over the death growl metal scene in our city. You must have your own gear, transportation, be able to practice once a week and love Judas Priest, Dream Theater, Queensryche....." Now, I wasn't into death growl metal, but I could play some Judas and some Dream Theater so I emailed them. Told them I was a female (I would later be refered to as a chick...no problem) my age range (I lied), what I played. I emailed them a couple of videos of me playing the bass (I had just started and learned a couple of cover songs) I got a response back, "hell yea! We don't mind a chick! As long as you can keep up with us, we mean business". So I got their address, set up a time to meet them, loaded my Peavey bass and mid-sized combo amp and off I went. I was told we'd be playing Metal Gods by Judas, and Pull Me Under, plus another song, I can't remember. So I learned those. I drove to the seedy part of the city, was met by some guy that said, "are you here for the audition? Just go downstairs over there", I did, I unloaded my amp and carried it down the stairs. One guy talked to me, the other 3 never said a word, just looked at me. It was a little room, with a drum kit, and their amps. There were Iron Maiden, Ratt, Kiss, Motley Crue, Twisted Sister, etc. posters everywhere. They all hooked up, then and the guitarist asked me what tuning I was in.....drop D. OK, lets start with Metal Gods and away we went. I felt SO OUT OF PLACE and nervous, but I played it. I was told, nice work, (that gallop tires you out). We played the rest, the one guy spoke for everyone and said they were looking to do covers and some originals but hadn't played live yet, none of them had. They were in their 30's. The others just stared at me with their arms crossed, more of a glare as if to say..."this chick don't look the part" which I didn't. I didn't enjoy their singer's growling, I couldn't lock into the drummer, and the guitarist was trying to shred, but sort of got lost. I am sure I sucked really bad too. BUT, as I drove away, I said to myself...I DID IT. I actually auditioned for a band, and I am no where near ready to play live, but I did try! I was told they would talk about it and get back to me. As I drove home I'd already decided that I didn't want to do this and hoped that all bands weren't like this, as far as egos, ability, being realistic about playing live, and the always saying "we are going to KILL THIS CITY WITH OUR METAL!!! YEA!!" Well, in the city I lived, there are at least 500+ metal bands? I decided to wait another 6 months before auditioning again. I did get a response, they told me they liked what they heard BUT I didn't fit in with the rest of the band. I had to agree. I would need to wear death metal garb, and in my size, which is tiny, I'd have to probably get a costume catalog from Halloween and order a goth or metal kid, crow costume....maybe a Kiss costume and I could adapt it or something. But, I couldn't head bang AND play at the same time, which sucked! I tried it at home, I got lost in the song, about dropped my bass. Then I tried jumping in the air, got lost on the bass again, and twisted my ankle. I was not ready. Not even for this group of 30+ dudes that were about to make it big in the city. I saw there ad on Craigslist for weeks after that, I hope they finally found someone. But, this first audition taught me: 1. Be Ready 2. Know what tuning they play in 3. Know what they want you to play and learn it if it is a cover 4. Don't audition if you don't want to play that kind of music 5. Be honest with them about what YOU are looking for in a band, i.e., music, wanting to play live, tour? age, what they expect. 6. Take someone with you in case you end up in the seedy part of town, at least they can help you carry your amp down the stairs. As you look at my site, and see my photos, you can probably see why it wasn't the best fit. But honestly, these guys loved their metal, and were going to do it no matter what, I had to hand it to them, and I honestly do hope they got their bassist and they got to play live!

When to quit saying..."I'm learning to play the bass"

2008-09-03T17:24:00.001-07:00

Well, sooner or later I need to quit saying that I am learning to play the bass, and change that to, I play the bass. After all now, it has been almost 2 years...almost. At some point I have to quit hiding behind the "oh, I'm just learning to play the bass...." so somehow it makes my mistakes not so bad!
So, I guess that I DO play the bass, and most things, I should know better, and should have learned by now!
Now I turn my energy to enjoying playing the bass, playing in the band, and picking up new styles, etc. However, you never really quit learning certain things in life, there is always something to learn from someone.
Today I learned just how precious life is when you are on the side of good or decent health. I learned that a school friend of mine is fighting, for the second time, cancer. And this time it is going to be a huge fight as it has come back with a vengence. In school, I always admired her because she was so beautiful, sweet, nice, everyone loved her, she was just cool....and still is. Her integrity during this time and grace is unbelievable. So, I am not complaining about the little crap in the day that happens, or losing any sleep over something someone said to me. I can't imagine how hard she is having to fight and the fear she must have but doesn't show so that her loved ones and friends won't worry about her....Playing the bass is a blessing and a gift to me, I'll never take it so seriously that it engulfs my life and takes my real concentration off of living life and loving the people around me. Playing that bass just adds to the fun.

Bass Notes and Chords

2008-08-22T14:25:00.001-07:00

Here is a good one for you. Since the day I began the bass, I didn't know until, probably a month into it, what "letters" the 4 strings on my bass were. I used the site www.tunemybass.com to tune it to standard, but I just would look at it from, top string to bottom string. Finally, after a few embarassing moments of someone telling me, no, it's your A string during a jam. I thought I'd better learn the important stuff, like THE NAME OF THE STRINGS! Next came the notes, didn't learn them until a YEAR into playing. See, I taught myself by ear, I would hear a note, then go find it on the fret. I have natural rhythm, so once I found the notes and wrote them down, or rather, where they were on the neck, I would learn a song. When I joined the band, it became painfully obvious that I needed to learn my notes and chords, and since my lupus had me sliding all over the place, it was even MORE important to realize I could play that note on a different string, on a different fret. Dave and Tiger helped me and I ended up online at activebass.com or other sites, learning my notes. I printed them out in big print and taped them to my wall!! THEN, I saw the Stu Hamm live video of moonlight sonata and wanted to learn that part, I printed the tab and spend an entire month learning it, and playing it like he would of the frets. If there is ANY ADVICE I would give someone starting out, it would be...LEARN THE NECK, THE FRETS, THE NOTES, THE CHORDS, YOUR SCALES, ETC.! GO GET LESSONS OR SOMETHINGH! It will save you much grief! I made it through finally to knowing my notes and scales, and jamming is SO much more fun, besides making you a better player and more sure of yourself. Just a little tip from someone (ME) who should have known better ;) Susie

JOURNAL ARCHIVE

2008-08-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

You may view my short archive from when I first got my bass in late 2006 up until I began the blog site. My journal of starting out with mixed emotions about playing bass guitar ect., there is still a lot of the journal I haven't translater in html and loaded online, but will soon, so visit the beginning at:
http://www.playsbass.com/journal.html

So much for Birthdays

2008-08-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

Had my birthday, I am a day older. I didn't touch my bass. I have been pretty sad lately. I don't have much to write about right now. But I will soon....

Today is my Birthday!

2008-08-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday! I am celebrating it alone, but that is OK. My progress on the bass has slowed a bit because being in a band, you play so much with them, or at least I did, that I didn't feel like picking up my bass during the day to learn new things. That is really important, especially when you are self taught. To go online to lessons and learn the basics. The chords, scales, notes, and different types of playing styles.

Maybe that will be my quest for this coming year at my new age, to LEARN the theory of playing the bass. And do start writing solos, and such.

One important thing I DID learn recently is....YOU MUST REPLACE YOUR STRINGS. I went 2 years without replacing mine! I am embarassed to say so! But I was wondering why my bass wouldn't stay in tune, and my intonnation was so off. My bandmate asked me, when was the last time you changed your strings? Um, 2 years ago. So, I took it in and had a professional at the Guitar Center change them and set the intonnation, etc. It sounds GREAT. That is it for today... I hope today is a better day than tomorrow, but I still feel blessed that I have today so far. Susie

Another Video

2008-08-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

This song was hard for me, just the movement between the notes and timing. But I loved the song so much and I really like Ryan Shaw, I worked it out sort of. Lupus finger pain IS a pain, but I got er' done!

A video for you

2008-08-10T14:16:00.000-07:00

OK, here is one of my very first videos I recorded. I love the Chili Peppers and downloaded some tab and took a swing at it. A fairly simple song to play, but still was hard for me...

YouTube Videos

2008-08-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

In formatting my new blog, I am trying to add some of my YouTube videos to my blog. But I can't figure it out. So, if you'd like to see some videos of me from day one, learning to play the bass and throughout the year learning new songs. Visit my YouTube page. Ya know, YouTube is great, but I don't like all the "haters" that make ugly, rude and mean comments. Why? I guess because they can! So what if they are correct, like "you suck at bass" why take the time to remind me? Also, the comments like "you are one ugly chick"..... I have the option to approve the comment to show up on my YouTube video, or I can remove and block them. I usually go ahead and post them for all to see. They don't take the time to read the Channel info about me to realize I am not posting to show the world I think I am one hot bass playin' fool! I know I am not. I post videos for all the people like me, who feel they don't have anything they can do because they are in pain, or are limited, or have other people telling them they can't do it. So I suck at it at times! Big deal! I hang in there for the comments from people saying they are inspired by my quest to not allow an illness stop me, or that I am improving. I also get quite a bit of great advice, which by the way has really helped me learn playing techniques. I appreciate those people who care enough to send me those comments. So, with all that said, check out my videos. There aren't any recent videos because I've been sort of busy, and ill. But I am getting ready to make some as soon as I am able.....

MY FIRST BLOG POST

2008-08-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

I did it! Set up a blog....like a journal. To share my thoughts, opinions, etc. This blog is for my site, playsbass.com. So I'll be talking about all the ups and downs of learning to play music plus the personal struggles and triumphs too....so, more later!