First bass lesson.

[Chief2112]

So I have my first bass lesson today after picking up the bass two weeks ago.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any tips on what I should expect. Should it be normal to sit down the first time and talk about what my goals are like reading music etc? He seems to have some good credentials and has studied music theory, composition, general education and stuff like that.

I'm just not sure what to expect and how to tell if it will be a teacher I will enjoy.

Any tips other than shut the hell up and listen? LOL

I'm excited!

[Muttleybass]

Nope. No other tips. Just have fun!

It'll probably be all about the finger exercises and finding out where you're at.

Enjoy the journey and welcome to the bottom dwellers.

[MalcolmAmos]

He/she will give you some homework. Unless you make some notes you will not remember what you are to work on. It will be all a blur. BTW - What are your goals - after you learn how to read standard notation? Can you verbalize that? Will help to get that out.

[Chief2112]

The first lesson went well. I really like the teacher and he seems like a cool dude. Based on what I'd learned on my own so far we just talked a little about the major scales and what they are good for.

He then focused on the C Major scale as it's has all natural notes. My homework was then playing all the natural notes up and down the neck of the bass in 1-5th position so that's what I'm working on. I can already tell it's helping me a lot learning the notes on the fretboard and I'm making sure to voice each note as I play it.

He is aware of my desire to learn to read music so I'm assuming this is just a building block and we'll go from here. I'm looking forward to it.

He did point out a few things technically to work on as well based on what he saw. Oh and he seems to be a strong proponent of OFPF in 1st position. Not too thrilled about that. My hand has stretched some already in a few weeks but I don't see me being able to OFPF up that high on the neck. It's just extremely uncomfortable for me and it hurts to try. We'll see how that goes.

[PerlNinja]

For the OFPF thing, you might want to start off a bit higher up the neck; start where it's easy to do, then go down a bit so it turns into having to make a little effort to get there. Rinse, repeat, and sooner or later you'll find yourself at the bottom of the neck

[dalkowski]

IMHO, goals are the most important part of lessons. They give you targets to reach for, they keep the curriculum focused and when you achieve them, you feel great and motivated.

Good luck and enjoy the journey!

[Chief2112]

Thanks everyone! I'm as excited about the journey as a crusty ole' 42 year old can be. Woke up at 7am and couldn't wait to get the bass in my hands. Spent about an hour practicing before breakfast and I'm sure it will be back in my hands sooner rather than later. It's definitely nice to have something specific to work towards.

[drummer5359]

After noodling around on my own and picking up what I could from on line "lessons" for six months, I bit the bullet a little over a month ago and started formal lessons.

Our teachers seem to have similar ideas and you and I have similar goals. I have smaller hands and I was more than a little skeptical bout being able to streach to some notes after my first lesson. It gets easier every day and it is worth the effort and early pain.

I'm 52 by the way. It's lot a lot of fun no matter what your age is.

[Chief2112]

Originally Posted by drummer5359

After noodling around on my own and picking up what I could from on line "lessons" for six months, I bit the bullet a little over a month ago and started formal lessons.

Our teachers seem to have similar ideas and you and I have similar goals. I have smaller hands and I was more than a little skeptical bout being able to streach to some notes after my first lesson. It gets easier every day and it is worth the effort and early pain.

I'm 52 by the way. It's lot a lot of fun no matter what your age is.

It's always nice to know some "older" folks that are starting out as well. Thanks for taking the time to reply and give some encouragement.

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by PerlNinja

For the OFPF thing, you might want to start off a bit higher up the neck;

+ 100.


Playing OFPF on the lower frets (1-5) is too much of a stretch for a lot of people, let alone a noob. Here is a link that explains why.



Bad Habits for Bass: The 1 Finger Per Fret System - YouTube

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by drummer5359

it is worth the effort and early pain.

Sorry, but I disagree with this. Pain should never be involved with playing the bass.

[PerlNinja]

Originally Posted by fearceol

+ 100.


Playing OFPF on the lower frets (1-5) is too much of a stretch for a lot of people, let alone a noob. Here is a link that explains why.



Bad Habits for Bass: The 1 Finger Per Fret System - YouTube

Mmm I don't really agree with that video either, OFPF is one of the more economical ways to fret, but if you're just starting (like me... 9 months in now) it's a bit of a stretch (oh.. aha.. hee...heh... ouch my liver... pun intended) to actually do it when you're down low on the neck.

If you start off around 9th/10th fret it's a lot more manageable, but you do have to move down the neck until it becomes a bit of an effort to do it; run some simple exercises around that area, and repeat for a few days.

As soon as you notice it doesn't take effort anymore, move down the neck a few frets, rinse and repeat.

Pain isn't supposed to be part of playing bass, but at the same time it's similar to learning how to do, say, martial arts - playing bass means using your body for things it was never designed to do; it also means you have to condition your body to what's going on - but conditioning takes time, and should be done slowly, hence, start up high on the neck and work your way down.

I must admit I can do the stretch, but where most people can't get their pinky under control, I can't seem to get my ring finger to go where it needs to... oh well

[Chief2112]

Originally Posted by PerlNinja

Mmm I don't really agree with that video either, OFPF is one of the more economical ways to fret, but if you're just starting (like me... 9 months in now) it's a bit of a stretch (oh.. aha.. hee...heh... ouch my liver... pun intended) to actually do it when you're down low on the neck.

If you start off around 9th/10th fret it's a lot more manageable, but you do have to move down the neck until it becomes a bit of an effort to do it; run some simple exercises around that area, and repeat for a few days.

As soon as you notice it doesn't take effort anymore, move down the neck a few frets, rinse and repeat.

Pain isn't supposed to be part of playing bass, but at the same time it's similar to learning how to do, say, martial arts - playing bass means using your body for things it was never designed to do; it also means you have to condition your body to what's going on - but conditioning takes time, and should be done slowly, hence, start up high on the neck and work your way down.

I must admit I can do the stretch, but where most people can't get their pinky under control, I can't seem to get my ring finger to go where it needs to... oh well

I read Carol Kaye's thoughts on a lot of this in another thread and it's pretty good. Apparently the ring finger is about the weakest finger on the hand.

I've already started employing the 1244 technique when playing through the natural notes in the first several positions and it's much more comfortable and realistic for me.

I have moved the "stretching" exercise farther down the neck. I can manage it with a little challenge starting around the 7th fret. I will continue to do that until, like some of you said, it gets easier then I'll move up one fret. I don't want to ignore OFPF but I also don't want my practice to be too painful.

But yeah, 1244 in first position feels "right" at the moment.

[dave64o]

Another old fogey checking in. I started lessons when I was 45 and have had an interesting two years so far. I started with a 20 year old who could really play guitar well, could play bass passably, but really needed some additional experience before he could really teach well. He had the ability, but didn't have the background for doing things the way I wanted to - he used tab only, it was all by ear, he taught exercises but didn't really have a point behind them, he couldn't read and I wanted reading to be an integral part of my lessons, etc. Also, because he was less than half my age and his next oldest student was only 1/3 my age, it seemed like he had a tough time understanding my life situation. I got several lectures about dedication when I wasn't fully prepared and finally had to tell him I don't have 4 hours a day to practice like every other teenager he teaches so I don't want to have any more of those conversations about dedication. Things never got nasty, but I just don't think he could really relate to my situation.

However, he did help me find another instructor who has the ability, experience, and desire to do all those things. So for that I give him a lot of credit for doing even that if that's what it took to help me improve the way I wanted to. My progress was more important to him than just have a student to take money from, and I do respect him for that.

Since making that switch, I've progressed far more in the last year or so with this instructor, even after taking a break for a few months because he had regular gigs on my lesson night, than I had in my previous 8 years of mostly just messing around.

Some of the things I've figured out since I first started:

1) Make sure your teacher is focused on making you a better musician, not just making you into someone who can play some songs on bass. There's a big difference, and it takes the right teacher to do that - and the right student!

2) Make sure your teacher gets that you're not a teenager. You have adult responsibilities and they come first. You will work at learning as best you can, but I can assure you life WILL get in the way at times and you won't be prepared for a lesson once in a while. Both of you need to accept and understand that (my teacher is even older than I am, no problems there! ).

3) When life does get in the way, put more time in on a later lesson when you have some extra free time and come in and just nail it.

4) Talk a lot in your lessons. Some of my best lessons are the ones where we hardly play at all. There are MANY benefits to this. Could be about the main point of a lesson, any other things I learned while doing them, did I have a "light bulb" moment and see something I never saw or knew before, did I suddenly break free of a plateau and why did that happen, did I find a mistake in something my teacher said or did, etc., etc. are all things that have come up for me. These things, as well as what I said in #5 and #6 make sure both you and your teacher understand where you want to go, where your teacher can guide you to going toward your goals and things you "Should just know or be able to do", and how to help get you to those places.

5) If you're not happy about things, talk about it and come up with ways to clearly express your goals, why you don't see things going the way you wanted them to, and how you can help get there. The talking I mentioned in #4 comes into play here.

6) Just as important as #5, be open minded and really listen to your instructor. You might not see where you're headed, but odds are good he does have a plan for getting you there. The talking I mentioned in #4 comes into play here

7) Be open to new approaches, new techniques, new genres, new .... everything.

8) Apply what you're learning in songs you work out on your own. I find myself re-working them sometimes and either figure out something I was playing wrong, something I could play differently (different position on neck, different fingerings, different technique, etc.), etc.

9) Learn about your gear and how to maintain it. I just recently realized we've never covered this, so once we get through my current topic we'll fit this in as well. It's important to keep your instruments in good shape and knowing at least the basics of how to set them up is important.

10) Continue to work on things on your own outside of your lessons. Could be some basics exercises, working on songs, even just listening to music you wouldn't have normally listened to before (I *hated* disco when I was in junior high and in high school but I've learned there are some AWESOME bass lines going in in a lot of disco songs!).

11) It might be hard for you to find people to play with, but it's important and you need to do it. I have no time to commit to a band right now and my instructor knows it, but he's trying to get me to an open jam just to get my feet wet and be able to play with - and meet - other musicians. This is one of the things I haven't done but really need to do. (I did play in a band when I was in college, but back then I was the singer and messed around on guitar).

12) Have fun. If you're not having fun, figure out what's not fun about what you're doing and talk to your teacher about it. Find new ways to make it fun again.

13) On your own and with your teacher, find ways to challenge yourself.

14) Simply aim to suck less tomorrow than you do today! (that's my personal mantra )

[Chief2112]

Originally Posted by dave64o

Another old fogey checking in. I started lessons when I was 45 and have had an interesting two years so far. I started with a 20 year old who could really play guitar well, could play bass passably, but really needed some additional experience before he could really teach well. He had the ability, but didn't have the background for doing things the way I wanted to - he used tab only, it was all by ear, he taught exercises but didn't really have a point behind them, he couldn't read and I wanted reading to be an integral part of my lessons, etc. Also, because he was less than half my age and his next oldest student was only 1/3 my age, it seemed like he had a tough time understanding my life situation. I got several lectures about dedication when I wasn't fully prepared and finally had to tell him I don't have 4 hours a day to practice like every other teenager he teaches so I don't want to have any more of those conversations about dedication. Things never got nasty, but I just don't think he could really relate to my situation.

However, he did help me find another instructor who has the ability, experience, and desire to do all those things. So for that I give him a lot of credit for doing even that if that's what it took to help me improve the way I wanted to. My progress was more important to him than just have a student to take money from, and I do respect him for that.

Since making that switch, I've progressed far more in the last year or so with this instructor, even after taking a break for a few months because he had regular gigs on my lesson night, than I had in my previous 8 years of mostly just messing around.

Some of the things I've figured out since I first started:

1) Make sure your teacher is focused on making you a better musician, not just making you into someone who can play some songs on bass. There's a big difference, and it takes the right teacher to do that - and the right student!

2) Make sure your teacher gets that you're not a teenager. You have adult responsibilities and they come first. You will work at learning as best you can, but I can assure you life WILL get in the way at times and you won't be prepared for a lesson once in a while. Both of you need to accept and understand that (my teacher is even older than I am, no problems there! ).

3) When life does get in the way, put more time in on a later lesson when you have some extra free time and come in and just nail it.

4) Talk a lot in your lessons. Some of my best lessons are the ones where we hardly play at all. There are MANY benefits to this. Could be about the main point of a lesson, any other things I learned while doing them, did I have a "light bulb" moment and see something I never saw or knew before, did I suddenly break free of a plateau and why did that happen, did I find a mistake in something my teacher said or did, etc., etc. are all things that have come up for me. These things, as well as what I said in #5 and #6 make sure both you and your teacher understand where you want to go, where your teacher can guide you to going toward your goals and things you "Should just know or be able to do", and how to help get you to those places.

5) If you're not happy about things, talk about it and come up with ways to clearly express your goals, why you don't see things going the way you wanted them to, and how you can help get there. The talking I mentioned in #4 comes into play here.

6) Just as important as #5, be open minded and really listen to your instructor. You might not see where you're headed, but odds are good he does have a plan for getting you there. The talking I mentioned in #4 comes into play here

7) Be open to new approaches, new techniques, new genres, new .... everything.

8) Apply what you're learning in songs you work out on your own. I find myself re-working them sometimes and either figure out something I was playing wrong, something I could play differently (different position on neck, different fingerings, different technique, etc.), etc.

9) Learn about your gear and how to maintain it. I just recently realized we've never covered this, so once we get through my current topic we'll fit this in as well. It's important to keep your instruments in good shape and knowing at least the basics of how to set them up is important.

10) Continue to work on things on your own outside of your lessons. Could be some basics exercises, working on songs, even just listening to music you wouldn't have normally listened to before (I *hated* disco when I was in junior high and in high school but I've learned there are some AWESOME bass lines going in in a lot of disco songs!).

11) It might be hard for you to find people to play with, but it's important and you need to do it. I have no time to commit to a band right now and my instructor knows it, but he's trying to get me to an open jam just to get my feet wet and be able to play with - and meet - other musicians. This is one of the things I haven't done but really need to do. (I did play in a band when I was in college, but back then I was the singer and messed around on guitar).

12) Have fun. If you're not having fun, figure out what's not fun about what you're doing and talk to your teacher about it. Find new ways to make it fun again.

13) On your own and with your teacher, find ways to challenge yourself.

14) Simply aim to suck less tomorrow than you do today! (that's my personal mantra )

I think you make a lot of great points. Luckily my teacher seems like a great fit. I don't think I'm too much older than he is so we are close in age. He's been teaching since the late 80's and has extensive playing and education experience. Hopefully it will work out well.

[Muttleybass]

Originally Posted by Chief2112

My hand has stretched some already in a few weeks but I don't see me being able to OFPF up that high on the neck. It's just extremely uncomfortable for me and it hurts to try. We'll see how that goes.

Well, it shouldn't be TOO painful, but yeah, you gotta stretch. Like when you start excercising muscles you don't normally use, you might get sore for a bit. Take it slow and stretch them out. OFPF is good advice. Just warm up slow.

I don't want to say "No Pain, No Gain", but proper technique takes a little time to build up. Strength and agility is earned, not given.

Keep working at it. It will come.

[dave64o]

Originally Posted by Chief2112

...
Any tips other than shut the hell up and listen? LOL
...

Originally Posted by Chief2112

I think you make a lot of great points. Luckily my teacher seems like a great fit. I don't think I'm too much older than he is so we are close in age. He's been teaching since the late 80's and has extensive playing and education experience. Hopefully it will work out well.

Well, at first I was going to start with something basic like "Shut the hell up and listen" but ...

Glad to hear you found a good teacher. That makes such a big difference. And looking at your user name, I see you have at least one great influence you can learn a lot from, too. I've only learned a few Rush songs but they can really take me a long time to work them out. It's usually a pretty slow process, but once I get through one I feel like I really accomplished something.

[Chief2112]

Originally Posted by dave64o

Well, at first I was going to start with something basic like "Shut the hell up and listen" but ...

Glad to hear you found a good teacher. That makes such a big difference. And looking at your user name, I see you have at least one great influence you can learn a lot from, too. I've only learned a few Rush songs but they can really take me a long time to work them out. It's usually a pretty slow process, but once I get through one I feel like I really accomplished something.

I do love my Rush (along with Porcupine Tree and a ton of other bands...mainly classic rock and alternative rock) but I know I won't be playing any of that stuff anytime soon. I'm happy I've learned Roxanne at this point, now I just have to play it correctly and up to speed. LOL

I think Hot Blooded might be next. Other than working on technique and learning the notes on my bass I'm pretty focused on sitting in the pocket and finding the groove.

Just having a blast right now and this site certainly makes it more fun. It's nice to be able to have someplace to get more opinions and share in the journey.

[Chief2112]

By the way, something that just started bothering me today. My left shoulder is a little sore and I've noticed it got tired today. That being said I probably played more today than I have yet. Could I have overdone it a little today or is some muscle soreness normal at all??

[FretlessMainly]

Soreness is not really the same as pain. Keep an eye on it, but don't be too concerned about soreness unless it begins to last more than a few hours or a day after a prolonged session. Personally, I feel as if I've cheated my bandmates, my audience and myself if I don't finish a gig or a rehearsal in a state of exhaustion and some soreness (fingertips, forearms, shoulders; overall body workout symptoms).

Of these, your shoulders are most prone to longer-term effects, so be aware. But pain is most often found in wrists and fingers, and this is not muscular, but ligament and tendon-related. This is something to be very aware of - you can tell the difference between soreness and this more insidious pain fairly easily if you experience it. So be sure to avoid things that cause pain.

Lastly, in addition to teaching you some theory and technique, be sure that you discuss playing position and various ergonomic issues with your teacher. While it is often true that there is no "right way" to create the art that is music, there are some general posture and positional "rules" that are best not broken. Good luck.