Sorry for the simplest of questions, but can anyone suggest the best and fastest way to learn Bass? I can play guitar between beginner and intermediate by learning on my own. Should I just listen to songs and try to emulate them? Thanks if you can help and not flame me! :)

Kurt

A good teacher who is primarily a bass player.

+1 to that

get a teacher from the get go to make sure you dont have any bad habits and get the right technique.

Also, don't do what i did and think "I'll learn the hardest stuff first.. that way the easiest stuff will be no problem at all"

Getting your rhythm tight is everything in bass... shred has almost no place anywhere.. learn it down the track if you want to.

get good with your fingers and dont fall into the "oh pick is easier" thing. practice scales, know your chords and formations, open your mind, and as mentioned: get your rhythm tight.

A, Riley, and Mike, Thanks a lot for your suggestions. Before going to bed last night I realize I should find a teacher like you suggest. I am prone to picking alone too! Thanks again you guys,

Kurt

It's not a bad thing to be self taught, but as said before: Go easy at first. Rhythm is #1 for any instrument, so it is crucial that you learn to groove first off.

But the #1 way to learn is by playing with other people along with your own personal studies. Such is how you learn to groove best.

A teacher can be very helpful in showing you proper technique and learning music theory. I don't care what kind of music you want to play, knowing how chords are constructed can be of great use and that is especially true if you aspire to playing jazz. The technique thing: learn good technique first and once you've learned that you can modify to suit yourself. It's easier to learn the "right" way to do it first instead of having to un-learn bad technique later.

Be aware that not all teachers teach the same way, so be willing to interview several teachers and, if neccesary, try out several. If you don't feel comfortable with one, find another. You might even find yourself using two teachers: one for technique and a different one for theory. IMO, YMMV, etc.

I am self-taught. If I had it to do over, I would get a teacher. That said, here's how I taught myself.

1. Listen to records and try to match the bass lines. Simpler is better, at first. If you can correctly identify even one note, that will lead you to the next note, etc.

2. I got a Mel Bay book of guitar chords. I know it sounds stupid, but I learned a lot of chord theory from that guitar book. The whole I-IV-V, ii vi thing, relative minors, etc. That, plus knowing scales and arpeggios, put me in a pretty good position to understand what I was learning by ear and apply it to different contexts.

Tommy- Thanks! Will remember this.

R-I hear you...Thank you.

Dave-Thank you.. This may sound sacreligious, but I don't care to learn sheet music, but maybe that is a big mistake on my part! Regards,

Kurt

For my money, the best way to learn bass is what has already been posted - formal training from an experienced pro.

The fast way is what I did - my high school friends told me I was going to be the bass player for their new band. I didn't even play at that time. I got a bass, and before I know it, they're throwing Black Sabbath, Jeff Beck, Cactus and Led Zeppelin at me. All that within the first year of my learning. 4 years into playing, I joined a real band, and we wound up doing 2 1/2 years of solid roadwork. 20-28 nights a month non-stop. You learn REALLY fast that way, or drown trying.

In the past 5 years or so, I've tried to learn HOW to play above and beyond knowing WHAT to play.

This may sound sacreligious, but I don't care to learn sheet music, but maybe that is a big mistake on my part! Regards,If you mean you don't want to learn notation, I understand. What I learned from the Mel Bay book is how to read a chord chart. And that, you ought to know.

I mean how to read and play a line to C, Fmaj7, Dm7 G7, C.

Whatever works best for you. I suggest learning theory independent of your instrument and then transcribing songs that you like, along with reading through etude books.

Remember bass isn't a guitar with less strings, it is a separate instrument and needs to be treated that way. The feel, timing, note selection, role in a band, you have to learn to think like a bass player when you have a bass in your hands.