40 yr old.....beginner

[R3dS3ktorA]

Always loved the bass and drums, this is something I want to learn before I get too old and grumpy to care HAHA.

My name is Paul, I live in Pennsylvania, married almost 20yrs, 3 kids ranging from 16 to 5. Nice spread I know. Well I am here to learn from others that learned from others that learned from others, here.

GREETINGS!!

[AxtoOx]

Hey Paul, Welcome. I'm 45 been playing Guitar for 30 years and Bass for much less. I'm still learning all the time.
Do you have a rig yet?

[scottice]

Welcome Paul. I'm a 35 YO beginner.
This is a great place to be if you have questions... whole lotta' knowledge.

[R3dS3ktorA]

Well Im not sure what a "rig" is yet, but if it means what kind of bass, I have a 5 string DeArmond that a co-worker gave to me out of the kindness of his heart which I am ever greatful for and a small Fender Amp. I just added some new Ernie Balls to it, but it still needs a little work, a nice tune-up I guess. I have been perusing the forum for some sort of practice lesson to get my fingers used to the whole neck and all the frets. Something I could practice on a daily basis to keep me warmed up and sharp I am by no means a bass player all I know is I wanna learn,
Thanks for the greeting guys!!

[Late Boomer]

Welcome!

I'm in pretty much the same boat as you. I always wanted to play bass, finally started learning 8 weeks before I turned 40. I'm now almost a month in to learning. It picks up speed rapidly.

Poke around the technique (or perhaps General Instruction) forums. One of them has a practice sticky. Run a search of the forums with the word 'exercise' or 'practice' for more ideas. I can PM you some of the stuff I've collected off of TB and other resources if you'd like.

[oggierobt]

Welcome - I first picked up a bass at age 51, after I realised that there are not too many opportunities for a mediocre tenor sax player in local bar bands. I was lucky enough to find a band needing a bass player for blues / classic rock covers and have been practising like crazy to catch up for the past couple of years.
My main reference book is (don't laugh) the Dummies Guide to Bass Guitar - it has enough detail to get you going and understanding what you're doing, I found it was better training than just learning songs note-by-note. I have a lot of play-along books too, but that tends to get expensive. Powertab (software and songs database) is very useful - I found it was much easier to understand the full notation than getting straight tabs off the internet then trying to work out the timing.
good luck - if I can do it, most people can!

[drumsnbass]

Originally Posted by R3dS3ktorA

Well Im not sure what a "rig" is yet, but if it means what kind of bass, I have a 5 string DeArmond that a co-worker gave to me out of the kindness of his heart which I am ever greatful for and a small Fender Amp. I just added some new Ernie Balls to it, but it still needs a little work, a nice tune-up I guess. I have been perusing the forum for some sort of practice lesson to get my fingers used to the whole neck and all the frets. Something I could practice on a daily basis to keep me warmed up and sharp I am by no means a bass player all I know is I wanna learn,
Thanks for the greeting guys!!

BEST investment you can make is to have someone REALLY good set up your bass for you. And great choice (not like you really made it of course!) on starting with a 5 string -- the chords stack up real nice on a 5 compared to a 4 string.

Oh yes, and don't worry, after you get some time in, you'll get GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) like the rest of us and start lusting/buying high end stuff too!

FWIW, 46 and started to really learn to play about 6 months ago, though i "puttered" with a bass for a while beforehand.

I really suggest you start with the blues as the fingerings (especially on a 5) are a nice repetitve pattern that is fun and easy to learn. You may want to check out:

http://www.amazon.com/Blues-Bass-Han...e=UTF8&s=books (REAL easy & makes you feel good about your playing in no time -- very simplistic and fun!)

or

http://www.amazon.com/Jump-Blues-Bas...711405-5575355
(a big jump up but has a mix of easy & slightly more difficult stuff)

or

http://www.amazon.com/Walking-Jazz-L...e=UTF8&s=books (this one will make you think! but you'll be able to do it over time)

be sure to get yourself a good instructor. a good one is one that you like, has an understanding of theory, and the ability to push you while having the patience to wait for you. try to make time to get at least 30 minutes in a day -- it makes a world of difference!

and don't worry -- Rome wasn't built in a day. neither were your hands for playing bass. they will come together if you put the time in, no matter what you think.

[Bassman62]

Originally Posted by R3dS3ktorA

Always loved the bass and drums, this is something I want to learn before I get too old and grumpy to care HAHA.
My name is Paul, I live in Pennsylvania, married almost 20yrs, 3 kids ranging from 16 to 5. Nice spread I know. Well I am here to learn from others that learned from others that learned from others, here. GREETINGS!!

Greetings to you too; you've picked the best instrument,
I've been gigging a hell of a long time, ther is a great deal of sensible advice here, what I would add is get as good an amp as possible; preferably a decent combo that you can add another cab to if needed.
Get playing (musicaly not physicaly) with other musicians ASAP; don't become a lounge musician.
Having spent a few months on guitar I transfered to Bass on Saturday and gigged the following Friday. What I mean is that you learn the theory/notes at home, you learn to play onstage in a band.
Out of interest I've attached a shot of a page from the date sheet that our 60s drummer kept of our dates.
35 nights out of 50 + a daytime job.