I'm 40 years old and started trying to learn how to play about three years ago. I've not had any formal bass lessons and as a 40 year old with family and business obligations, practice time is the last thing to get fit into the day. The closest thing to lessons for me, is that I used the Bass Method software to get started . . . and, I think is pretty good for what it is.

I've been playing with my church praise team for a couple years now. I'm a very basic player, not technical or flashy at all. We always play off sheet music so I have the guitar/chord notation in front of me. I typically just play the guitar notations, with only adding a little rhythm, a short step up/down between notes, etc. For what we are playing and the setting we are playing in, it is working fine, but I'm now wanting to learn to be able to do more if the situation fits.

The way I learned to play is note by note. I look at the next note and think about where it is on the bass and play it. I've been playing long enough now I don't have to think that hard about where the note is, but its still a note-by-note kind of thing. Because of the way I learned, I rarely play above the fourth fret on my 5 string bass since I have every thing I need (to get the job done) right there between open strings, and the first four frets.

I absolutely can not sit down with friends and just jam. I need the music with the guitar chords in front of me. So, now I'm just starting to work on patterns and general music flow to learn how to do this. Up to this point, I think I'm seeing that I'm not catching on to patterns and flow, because they are not as obvious from song to song and key to key when playing by note with open strings and the first four frets. The advantage I can see from playing that way however, is that each note is always in the same place in relation to my fingers . . . I don't have to think about where I'm at on the fretboard, I always know where c# is when I need it.

Finally, (sorry for rambling) to my question . . . for you guys and gals that can easily pick up a song and start jamming along with it, what are you thinking about? When you are playing, are you thinking about each note you're playing, are you thinking of which pattern to play, are you thinking of intervals, something else, or nothing at all??

To learn how to "just jam" along with a group, is patterns and intervals what I should be working on?

To me, learning to play has been about learning to think in progressively bigger "chunks", for lack of a better word. First it was note by note, then chord by chord (ok, Am to G to F ...) and then sort of section by section (ok, the first part is I-VI-II-V in F, then the bridge is ...). This is the same way you learned to read: first letters, then words, then phrases, etc.

Ultimately, I think you can forget all that and just play the sounds you hear in your head. I'm not there yet.

When I was starting out I learned a great deal about improvising by copping licks directly off of recordings. For me it was Jack Bruce and Jack Casady and later Eddie Gomez and Steve Swallow. The theory is essential and you should vigorously pursue that but if you don't let some of the masters show you what can be done with that abstract knowledge it won't mean much and will be frustrating to continue practicing.

I absolutely can not sit down with friends and just jam. I need the music with the guitar chords in front of me. So, now I'm just starting to work on patterns and general music flow to learn how to do this. Up to this point, I think I'm seeing that I'm not catching on to patterns and flow, because they are not as obvious from song to song and key to key when playing by note with open strings and the first four frets. The advantage I can see from playing that way however, is that each note is always in the same place in relation to my fingers . . . I don't have to think about where I'm at on the fretboard, I always know where c# is when I need it.

Finally, (sorry for rambling) to my question . . . for you guys and gals that can easily pick up a song and start jamming along with it, what are you thinking about? When you are playing, are you thinking about each note you're playing, are you thinking of which pattern to play, are you thinking of intervals, something else, or nothing at all??

To learn how to "just jam" along with a group, is patterns and intervals what I should be working on?I tend to break chords up into Major7, Minor7, Dominant7, and Diminished7. I have stock vocabulary (licks, scales, leading tone, patterns, generic stylistic grooves, etc.) that I can use to get through playing a pop/rock type of song I'm not too familiar with.

You should spend some time learning some songs off of CDs by ear and see if your ears can tell you what the quality of the chords are (minor, dominant7, etc). Try learning some bass licks that you think sound really good off of these songs and then try to incorporate them into your own playing.

Take some songs you play very well and transpose them to another key. Try singing a bass part and then learn the notes on the bass. If you can hear it, then that's half the battle.

Try to play as much as you can and listen like crazy. Don't get frustrated if it's not happening overnight. Good luck!