I took on my first bass student 2 months ago. He bought one of my basses and I agreed to teach him some bass until I leave for Australia.

However I'm running out of lesson ideas.

I've been learning bass now for 8 months. one lesson a week. my student has been studying bass with me for almost 2 months twice a week.

anyone got any lesson ideas?

lets see we've been through the notes on the fretboard, how to hold a pick, how to use fingers, the C major scale, natural minor, minor pentatonic, blues scale, basic chord foundations/triads ...major7, min7, dominant, dim etc, chord tones, transposition, muting, staccato, arpeggio, tuning methods, learnt some songs...Margaritaville, Hotel California, Crimson and clover, Bad to the Bone, Octaves, Roots, Fifths, numbering of scale notes, relative minor to major, 7 chords of major scale in 7ths diatonically and their chord tones. oh and we went over some basic notation.

I got 3 more lessons so need some ideas A.S.A.P. I move down under next week Friday.

Thanks!
(I can't move to modes as his fingers are not ready for that)

Get him to apply all those things you're taught him by having him write basslines using each of those principles.

Introductions to different genres of playing. Scales and classic rock =/= well-rounded bassist

Quiz him on each lesson. Make improvements, develope exercises, refresh anything he's having problems with.

I don't see anything in there specifically about playing a groove.

Get a drum machine or equivalent, and have him play with it without rushing or dragging, then drop out the machine for 1 bar out of every 4, then 2 bars out of every 4, then 3 bars out of every 4. Then change the tempo and/or the beat/time signature and repeat.

Give him a pro-rated refund so he can go find a teacher with more experience to undo the bad habits you've no doubt been teaching. If you can't identify where the student needs to go then you clearly can't identify where he's at now nor can you gauge the effectiveness of your own teaching.

"(I can't move to modes as his fingers are not ready for that)"

follows

"C major scale, natural minor"

I guess his fingers weren't ready for those two modes. Give him a refund.

Here's an idea: Ask him what HE wants to learn.

Give him a pro-rated refund so he can go find a teacher with more experience to undo the bad habits you've no doubt been teaching. If you can't identify where the student needs to go then you clearly can't identify where he's at now nor can you gauge the effectiveness of your own teaching.

I hate to say it, but+1 to this.

Wait a mitute...now that I recall a few of your previous posts, I gotta ask: what are doing teaching him stuff (i.e. music theory) when you yourself do not completely understand it?

Eek! You've been playing bass for 8 months!?

It took me fifteen years of gigging and experience, before I felt I could begin to teach.

You may not be able to see this yet, but you should really wait...

Give him a pro-rated refund so he can go find a teacher with more experience to undo the bad habits you've no doubt been teaching. If you can't identify where the student needs to go then you clearly can't identify where he's at now nor can you gauge the effectiveness of your own teaching.

"(I can't move to modes as his fingers are not ready for that)"

follows

"C major scale, natural minor"

I guess his fingers weren't ready for those two modes. Give him a refund.

+1 on that

I hate to say it, but+1 to this.

+2.

OP : You say you have been learning bass for eight months. This means you are a student yourself. I've been playing for only four years, and I would not consider myself any way near qualified enough to give lessons. Maybe the reason you have run out of ideas is because you have not learned enough yet yourself, in order to teach.

Besides, teaching in itself is an art of another kind.

I've only been studying for two years and can't imagine a beginner mastering all you have listed in two months.

How is the site reading progressing?

My thoughts are that you have "taught" too much too quickly. Your student probably can't perform, with any proficiency, any of the 8 lessons he has had. You are craming tons of theory on someone who probably can't play a single song. you have covered more theory in two months than I have had in my 45 years at playing bass.

My thoughts are that you have "taught" too much too quickly. Your student probably can't perform, with any proficiency, any of the 8 lessons he has had. You are craming tons of theory on someone who probably can't play a single song. you have covered more theory in two months than I have had in my 45 years at playing bass.

I think this is a very good point.

It takes time to absorb a lot of this stuff. Especially when you apply it to playing with other musicians. Experience is a teacher in itself.

Thanks for the replies.

I've been playing guitar 15+ years (lead around 5 years) and started playing bass 2 1/2 years ago but only 8 months ago I decided to get serious and take lessons.

I don't want to get into teaching right now just doing this guy a favor as he begged me for lessons. I'm heading to Australia soon to live and could use the extra cash anyway.

I know I've been teaching fast but we only had a short time. Will move him to my Jazz teacher when he's finished with me.

Very nice not getting all pissy from all these replies. Most people would probably blow a casket or something.

If the guy really wants you to teach him, just get him on the basics of playing and physical technique, since this is something you should know already. There's no point in stuffing all this information in the kid's head if he's just going to probably forget it all and learn incorrectly. Leave the advanced bass ideas to the guy he's going to after you, since it is something he should know already.

Very nice not getting all pissy from all these replies. Most people would probably blow a casket or something.

If the guy really wants you to teach him, just get him on the basics of playing and physical technique, since this is something you should know already. There's no point in stuffing all this information in the kid's head if he's just going to probably forget it all and learn incorrectly. Leave the advanced bass ideas to the guy he's going to after you, since it is something he should know already.

yes I think you are right. Might just teach him some more songs. I think he needs to practice what I've taught him a little longer before he moves on. He's got a good start with the theory. now he needs to train his fingers.

Btw my student is like 50yrs old.

Whatever you do, Do NOT take out your LES PAUL!!!!!!!!!

Whatever you do, Do NOT take out your LES PAUL!!!!!!!!!

:LOL: I sold it. only got my SR700 bass guitar. the world is a much safer place. :D

Very nice not getting all pissy from all these replies. Most people would probably blow a casket or something.

Yes, especially if they were dead. ;)

(just funnin' witcha!)

To the OP:

You're only 6 months ahead of your student in terms of FORMAL music education. Playing for 15+ years certainly gives you an advantage with the instinctive, intuitive elements of music, but in a formal lesson setting, it's no wonder you're running out of ideas. I have a formal music education and have been teaching bass for 10+ years, and I still won't take students beyond the intermediate stage. You have to be honest and know your limitations, otherwise you're just taking the student's money without offering anything substantial in return.

One thing you can do is to dump the TABs and keep everything in standard notation. Mix up the genres (and the grooves) and keep your student working and learning. If it's coming too quick and easy, you're only facilitating stuff he could get off the internet. And, being a student yourself, it will motivate you to learn just a little faster than your student and stay at least a step ahead (in FORMAL terms).

Give him a pro-rated refund so he can go find a teacher with more experience to undo the bad habits you've no doubt been teaching.

burn!:D

To the OP:

You're only 6 months ahead of your student in terms of FORMAL music education. Playing for 15+ years certainly gives you an advantage with the instinctive, intuitive elements of music, but in a formal lesson setting, it's no wonder you're running out of ideas. I have a formal music education and have been teaching bass for 10+ years, and I still won't take students beyond the intermediate stage. You have to be honest and know your limitations, otherwise you're just taking the student's money without offering anything substantial in return.

One thing you can do is to dump the TABs and keep everything in standard notation. Mix up the genres (and the grooves) and keep your student working and learning. If it's coming too quick and easy, you're only facilitating stuff he could get off the internet. And, being a student yourself, it will motivate you to learn just a little faster than your student and stay at least a step ahead (in FORMAL terms).

Thanks for the advice.

I don't read tab. I play by ear but can read a little but really slow. can sight read chord charts.

Going to get my music degree when I get to Australia. might teach later. don't know. got a few job offers. will play it by ear.

Thanks for the advice. I don't read tab. I play by ear but can read a little but really slow.

Your candor is refreshing. You certainly have the patience for teaching. This is a tough, unforgiving forum on which to expose yourself.

If you're not into TAB, and you're a beginner reader, then you've been teaching only the instinctive, intuitive things you have learned over the course of your playing career. While that is pretty substantial, without some book larnin' (for you and your student), you will hit the wall as a teacher.

Now's your chance, and you have the motivation, to take another dive into sight reading. Your experience with the instrument will allow you to learn far faster than your student. Get a good begginer standard notation reading text (research TB, lots of great books out there) and stay a few pages ahead of your student. (Tell YOUR teacher that you want to get back into sight reading, and use that text at YOUR lessons). Then work both reading and the intuitive stuff into the lessons you teach.

It bears repeating that sometimes you do reach a natural limitation with a student. I retain students for 3 years on average, and when I get that special student who learns lightning fast and exceeds my ability to justify charging for lessons, I either stop charging or cut them loose. It's part of the deal.

Good luck with your move to Australia and all your music-related aspirations!

:bassist:Where there's a will, there's a way.:bassist:

I don't see anything in there specifically about playing a groove.

Get a drum machine or equivalent, and have him play with it without rushing or dragging, then drop out the machine for 1 bar out of every 4, then 2 bars out of every 4, then 3 bars out of every 4. Then change the tempo and/or the beat/time signature and repeat.

Yes, I know I'm quoting myself, but just for emphasis: the main role of the bass player is to lay down the bottom line groove.

As such here is a great exercise that both of you could use to markedly improve your bass skills:

Go to this site: http://www.bassplayer.tv/

--> in the menu on the left click on "Artist Features"
--> scroll down the menu and click on "Victor Wooten"
--> watch "Exercises 1" and "Exercises 2" from start to finish

This is much more fundamental than learning the modes. In fact, we'd all be better players if we practiced scales/modes etc in this way.

Yes, I know I'm quoting myself, but just for emphasis: the main role of the bass player is to lay down the bottom line groove.

As such here is a great exercise that both of you could use to markedly improve your bass skills:

Go to this site: http://www.bassplayer.tv/

--> in the menu on the left click on "Artist Features"
--> scroll down the menu and click on "Victor Wooten"
--> watch "Exercises 1" and "Exercises 2" from start to finish

This is much more fundamental than learning the modes. In fact, we'd all be better players if we practiced scales/modes etc in this way.

I just listened to these lessons and WOW :eek: Amazing stuff. Wooten is a great teacher.:cool:

Very nice not getting all pissy from all these replies. Most people would probably blow a casket or something.

+1

(By the way, I think the saying is "blow a gasket"... :hiding:)

You might want to take a look at the links in my sig. below for some ideas on how to move ahead with the lessons.

Good luck in Australia!

+1

(By the way, I think the saying is "blow a gasket"... :hiding:)

I really can't believe I forgot that...thanks for noticing it.

Thanks guys.

I will definitely hit the books when I get to OZ.

all the best.