Beginning Bass Lessons-Is this the right fit

[rsmbass]

Need some advise from those who know. Just started taking bass lessons this week. I have a 5 string bass and the instructor is encouraging me to learn on a 4 string. I don't want to buy another bass, I love the one I have. I don't intend to play a 4 string. The instructor thinks that it's easier to learn on a 4-string and I want to know is this true or does he not want to take the time or does he not have the skill to teach me on a 5-string. I'm new at this, so I don't know a great deal, but I know what I want. HELP

[dalkowski]

Find another teacher.

[Asher S]

While it is indeed "easier" to learn on a 4-string, there's nothing your teacher can throw at you that can't also be played on a 5-string bass. The opposite is not true.

[Jayhawk]

There's nothing "advanced" about a 5 string over a 4 - it just gives you more note options in a lower octave. I think if you're going to play a 5 you should learn on the 5, if for no other reason than to become accustomed to the string spacing.

[bassandbeyond]

I used to advise students to start on whichever type of bass they ultimately want to play, but my thinking has changed a bit over the years. There are, in fact, some extra technical hurdles to overcome when playing 5 string (particularly the issue of effective string muting).

Having said that, if a new student came to me already in possession of a good 5 string bass, I wouldn't insist that they go out and buy a 4 string. It's not that much harder, IMO.

[CrackerJackLee]

As a fretless bassist, I'm interested in your quest and do not envy your position. Since my chosen instrument is neither fretted nor upright, it also doesn't fit the mold for music teachers.

Maybe, being in the teacher's chair magnifies the difference between 4 & 5 string basses and he's not comfortable in renovating his curriculum (and manuscripts) to suit a minority instrument - especially sight reading with revised scale and arpeggio fingerings. If the five string bass is your chosen instrument, then you need a teacher who wants to teach that instrument.

I took six music lessons when younger with my fretless bass. The teacher was a guitarist, well known in the city. After two lessons he decided, selflessly, to turn me over to a double bass player because he thought I would gain more from him than from a guitarist. Well, I wish he would have stuck with me, because the double bass teacher spent most of the time yacking or bragging that the only bass was an upright bass. And his fingering was different from the guitar fingering used by bass guitarists. This is when I realized that I am not a bassist - I am a "Bass Guitarist" - and this inspired me to learn to play guitar also. I never renewed, to my loss, as I much preferred the older guitarist - a real, experienced musician/educator who coaxed me to sing along as I played and to write out the scales myself. His chording along when I played bass was very inspirational.

You may consider not to give up on a good teacher and replace him with some amateur who may waste your time and money. There are hundreds of years of skill and knowledge amassed on the four string instrument.

Would you consider buying a really cheap 4 banger to take your lessons with a good teacher and a proven curriculum? Or keep searching for a dedicated teacher who has the music and fingering for the fiver? And what are your goals? At the moment, all music is written for four string double bass and bass guitar. This leaves that extra string to hang there unplayed and resonating, except when your playing for fun. And where does it fit into conventional music gigs? I don't envy your position, but it's a nice position to be in.

Thanks for starting an interesting thread. Cheers!

[7StringBassist]

I have a Local teacher that also plays 7 string, He could help if your near the South Bay, Los Angeles Area

[David Lansen]

If you think your teacher is good, aside from this small issue with the number of strings, you can ask him to just ignore the 5th string and teach you as if you were playing a 4-string. The fact that you have 5 strings doesn't mean you have to use all of them.

I play a 5-string most of the time, but I don't use low B much. The first time I ever played a 5-string bass in a music store, I loved how the other 4 strings were a bit closer, so I bought one. Occasionally but rarely I play a low D note.

[rsmbass]

Thank you all for your advise. It makes it much easier to make a decision. I have high expectations from an instructor and my thought was no matter what type of bass I came with, he would/should be able to teach me on that. My first impression is that he is an okay instructor, I wasn't overly impressed with his skills. I'm sure that most of his students come with no experience. My experience is that my husband plays bass (5, 6 and 7 string) so I've seen high caliber playing. I don't want anything less than that in an instructor. So, I was a little disappointed when I left the lesson. Like it was mentioned here, the instructor seems to have a set curriculum and it doesn't appear that he wants to or can adapt to what I want, he wants me to adapt to the way he teaches.

[schnigges]

+1 on ignoring the B string... I like how it stops my plucking fingers compared to a four string, where I have more difficulties playing fast riffs on the E string .

[Lesfunk]

If you have a 5, Learn on a 5. If your instructor doesn't want to teach you on a 5, find a new instructor

[ThisisCraigP]

Just because it has less strings that doens't make it eaiser to play/learn how to play.