here's a spin on an oft-asked question...

im new to *teaching*, what's the best way to go about this?

im not charging or anything, but a friend of mine has an interest and i promised to help her out. plus, it'd probably be good for me too. and we need more chick bass players, yeah?

ive taken lessons for years and all, but i dont really remember the best way to get someone started out...

any help would be awesome-
-Tom

1. Determine if her bass is set up well. If not, recommend that she get it serviced.

2. Teach her how to tune.

3. Demonstrate good fretting hand technique and plucking hand technique.

4. Teach her to name each note on each string (up to 12th fret).

5. Does she like to sing? If so, teach her some bass lines that fit songs that she likes to sing. If not, teach her lines that go along with recordings she likes. (Songbooks might help)

6. Later (probably much later), teach her scales and chord construction.


At first, emphasize musicality and the learning of numerous songs.

Encourage her to be as self-reliant as possible.

Good luck - you'll probably get as much out of the experience as she does!