Getting my first lession.

[ODDBALL]

I hope this is in the right spot. I will be getting my first lession next Tuesday. I am very happy I finally will get to learn how to play the bass. I am 23 years old, I hope that is not to old. But I think it is better than never. I have always loved the bass but never was able to buy let alone get lessions. What should I be expecting or should I ask him? If I am missing anything please fill me in. Thanks for any info!

[The_Ryst]

Bring a CD with a bass line you want to learn, a lot of the time music teachers (along with structured theory, ear training, etc.) will ask if you have smoething you wanna learn.

[stephanie]

Congrats on deciding to take lessons! I was 22 when I started playing bass/taking lessons. I think it's a good idea to know a little of what you want to get out of your lessons. Take some time before you begin to examine some goals you may have. Let the teacher know those goals. I'm big on learning jazz so I learned a lot of theory through the years. I also like to play classical music on the bass so I always bring my Bach book with me to my lessons.

I agree with the above poster about bringing a CD in. That's a good idea as well.

Good luck and have fun!

[Supernova67]

congrats on the lessons......Auctially i just signed up for lessons too. my first lesson will be on monday. Only difference is i've been playing for about 2 years and i'm 14

[Daniel Baskin]

My number one advice for you is to take the route that he wants to take you for learning the bass. Yea, learn a bassline or two, or a certain technique ahead of time, but when it comes down to it, he or she knows exactly what will make you a great bass player, no matter what type of music you end up playing. Granted, I know the few basic things that will make you a great bass player, but I'll leave that up to your teacher to tell you. Good luck, and have fun!

My second piece of advice is to be the smart student. Ask questions, and listen carefully; try to understand the intent of what your teacher is telling you. The big picture will start to show itself the more you do this, and you will begin to appreciate everything you've been taught. This will make you want to think/practice your bass more and your practice time and lessons will be more effective.

[JohnBarr]

Say Oddball (from Kelly's Heros?), you're in for a pretty fun time. I've been learning and taking lessons for two years and it's never been dull.

I've made sure to follow the instructor's course and advice but I also have side roads that I take for my own interest, usually exercises taken from various books or playing along with simple pop tunes.

If you haven't played before, it will take a couple weeks to get your hands in shape. You'll feel your hand muscles develop. Be careful and take your time.

Practice is fun (haven't watched TV since I started). I've found myself going back over the most simple early exercises just to play through them. It's one way to check your progress but also keeps you sharp on the basics (scales, fingering, patterns, simple lines you can build on).



Best,

John

[pointbass]

That's great Lessons always make things more interesting and they also give you firm goals for your practice time. And no, it's never too late to start lessons ......

I've been playing for 44 years, had over 11 years of very formal classical training, and I still get together with 3 other bassists once a month for lessons. We all take turn "teaching" and the stuff I continue to learn is amazing

[ODDBALL]

I would like to thank everyone who has put some input in this thread. I cant wait till tuesday to get started, I will come home and post again to let everyone know how it went. Thanks to everyone for the encouragement (hope I spelled that right) It really makes me feel like I can do it. I have said it before and I will say it again THATS WHY I LOVE THIS PLACE!