Most common mistakes?

[Jake of Bass]

1. Be patient and go through each exercise thoroughly. Focus entirely on accuracy and proper technique NOT speed. Speed comes with time and if you try to get that first, you'll never get anywhere.

2. Get a tutor if you can. If you can't, get a good bass instruction book (your local music shop will know which ones to recommend, explain yourself to them so they know what to show you) and go through each and every exercise methodically. Don't set time goals to achieve things but rather set goals on playing everything well and having a good knowledge about each and every topic covered before moving onto the next.

3. There's one magical formula for becoming a good bassist, indeed, musician...
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

4. When practising, try to get something out of each session, whether it be knowledge, being able to do something slightly better, memorise something or even getting a slightly aching hand from doing some intense exercise (don't push it too much though!) to build up endurance. Set yourself small goals and work towards achieving them. Then set new ones. The little things make up the big ones and rather than getting down and look at the big goal of playing "Donna Lee" in your first 6 months, look at the small ones, like learning the C major scale, learning how to do a hammer-on, even making sure you spend half an hour or more a day on your instrument. Over time the seemingly impossible goals will be within reach, and after that become almost easy.

5. Listen to a lot of music and pay attention to the bass. Ask yourself questions like "How does that work in relation to the other instruments?" "What time signature is that?" etc. Keep trying to listen for what isn't immediately obvious, it'll help train your ear. Listen to lots of different styles. Seek out good bassist's recordings.

6. Have fun!! Music isn't a chore, it's an amazing 'thing' (there are many words to describe it). It shouldn't be just hard work, so focus upon making the challenge of learning something to feel good about. It's what you make of it, and what you put in, that you get out of it.


Good luck!

[jeffgroove]

Originally Posted by JTE

Besides the wealth of GREAT information already posted, here's what I think are some common mistakes beginners make.

A. Confusing physically playing the bass with making music. You gotta learn where to put your fingers, but that's not the ultimate goal. You need to learn about the language of music and how to make music, not how to play songs. It's tough because you DO need to learn to play songs, but merely regurgitating the fingerings someone shows you isn't playing the song.

jte

Perhaps this is where I have gotten somewhat side tracked, lately I have been studying sight reading as well as doing some ear training, I am trying to take a synergistic approach to learning in mentioning this. However, when I look at music staff, I guess I am trying to understand what connects different notes in the music, or what was the pattern of thinking of the person that wrote this piece. I know that people mention a certain expectation of style from certain musicians, certain note placements, but is there a standard way of breaking down or piecing a song together so it is simpler to play?

On another note, I have not really gotten into chords or arpeggios yet, but if someone can help me understand what I believe to be a missing link for me, it would be greatly appreciated.

[kubacki]

If you get frustrated while practicing, take a break! Sometimes if you're trying something new and have trouble, you're only gonna keep doing worse if you get frustrated. Go do something else for awhile and try it again with a clear head later.

[Michael Campbel]

Originally Posted by TimWilson

Set your strap so the bass is in the same position standing up as sitting down. No matter how fly Trujillo looks, a bass hung that low is harder to play and will force poor fretting hand technique.

My teacher told me exactly this (sans the Trujillo part). I'm too old and never was good enough looking to try to impress anyone, so I'm kinda diggin' mine being held up high now. =)

[TardnOld]

Originally Posted by TimJmoto

NEVER GET FRUSTRATED!

I saw this and felt the need to offer a slight modification:

WHEN you get frustrated... (its unavoidable) you need to step back, breathe, and relax.

You WILL get frustrated.

If you have to speak it out loud, say "Nothing worthwhile comes without effort." Take a moment and think - remind yourself WHY you took up learning Bass Guitar in the first place. Remember the spark that first drove you to begin this journey.

Beware of judging your speed of progress in comparison to others - YOU are not (insert name of Bass Playing Icon here), you aren't your best friend Stevie Finkelstein, you aren't that bloody 12-year-old kid next door who seems to have a freakish knack for learning new songs daily. You aren't them & you aren't in competition with them. You're YOU and you must learn at your own speed.

..but don't be a sloth, either. Don't forget the "Nothing worthwhile comes without effort" mantra.

Now, step back up to the plate. Figure out what's the stumbling block. Break it down. Take smaller steps if you have to. Dig in and work through it.


Just don't give up.

[Dekker]

Beware of the self-imposed trap of "I don't have time to practice"...

Realize it for what it is... a lie.

MAKE time to practice. Practice more often, even if it means shorter practice sessions. Especially at the beginning of your learning process! Your muscles need to get used to different motions, and they will tire easily at first, and frequent practice will strengthen them slowly without hurting yourself. Also, frequent 20-minute sessions will help your muscle memory much more than a single marathon 2-hour practice on a weekend.

If you find yourself saying "I don't have time to practice today", then MAKE the time. Put a video tape in the VCR and record the show you wanted to watch, because TODAY you will practice. Log off from Talk Bass and go PRACTICE. Forget reading that magazine today (but do homework first, if applicable) Wake up 30 minutes EARLY and PRACTICE. You will end up looking forward to it. If you leave the practice until the last thing in the day, you may end up "running out of time". Anyway, I think you get the picture...

You can read a ton of stuff about how to play the bass. You can learn theory up the ying-yang. You can know that such-and-such equipment is cool and that kind sux. But in the end, the best way to learn the bass is to pick it up and... well, practice

(I'll stop now...)

[EADG mx]

+1 to everything in here. Just a few to add:

Using tab, and relying on rote and visual communication. Learn to read music - well. Everything else should be by ear.

Not enough ear (s)training. Ear training coupled with theory is the ultimate thing anyone can do to improve as a musician.

Relying on equipment over skill. Jeff Berlin put it best - take away your tab, your electronic tuner, your fretboard diagrams, and what do you have left? What you need - your bass, your amp, and your brain.

Relying on electronic tuning. Use one for silent tuning at gigs if you must (I do), but using it all of the time is doing yourself a disservice.

[ikenplay]

I agree with all of the advice given in this thread, but I would also suggest that a new bass player develop his/her ability to listen. Music is a shared experience and the best bass players execute what is needed for the song. That means that we cannot fall in love with our own sound or chops, but we have to concentrate on building a beautiful sound with the other instrumentalists. Technique is great and it will come in time if you practice effectively. Using a metronome is important, but also try not to waste time on things that you already have mastered. The idea is to tackle the parts of the line that cause you difficulty. A good teacher will help you to focus on this. In addition, I have found that recording yourself and listening to the playback can reveal deficiencies in technique that aren't apparent while you're playing. Good luck.

[ikenplay]

Originally Posted by KingOvHell

Do you really need to be this technical? If the song is being played right does it matter what kind of techniqe you use?

While I understand the point you are making, proper technique is essential and it does matter. If you begin with poor technique, there will come a time when you cannot execute the music that is in front of you. That will cost you in the long run because it takes a lot longer to unlearn bad technique than to gain the proper discipline in the first place.