Instructions for a beginner :)

FreakCM · #1 07-24-2011, 08:33 AM

First of all, good day to everyone, this is my first post and I hope I will be able to get some help of more experienced players, because I'm just beginning to learn about bass playing and I'm a total beginner, and of course, I'm very motivated to learn how to play, and I would like to do it in a most efficient way, considering that i would like to do this for the rest of my life

Unfortunately, I live in a small town and a have no possibility of getting a teacher, because guys that play bass here aren't good enough to be teachers, and they don't give private lessons

So, I would like if some of you more experienced players would help me by giving some advice how to do it in a most correct way

Also, I would like to apologise if this isn't in the right section or there is already a similar thread, but I haven't found something similar

Sorry if my english is bad, I live in Croatia, so I don't speak English on daily basis

Cheers everybody, Marin

**251** · #2 07-24-2011, 08:34 AM

Here is a good, free, guide to start you off in the right direction;
Wheat's BassBook 5.2: A Comprehensive Method & Resource for the Electric Bass Guitar

FreakCM · #3 07-24-2011, 10:23 AM

Thank you very much 251, I think this will be very helpful, combined with some other guides I use

I have another question, considering the fact that I haven't played any instrument before, should I begin with gaining good fundamentals on fretting and plucking hand technique by learning songs and doing exercises, such as spider and hammer on pull off, or is it better to combine that with learning chords and scales parallel with doing exercises?

And of course, any other information or advice would be very welcome

fearceol · #4 07-24-2011, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreakCM

should I begin with gaining good fundamentals on fretting and plucking hand technique

IMO, most definitely. Good technique is one of the first things you should master. Check You Tube, lots of clips there. Before you play, make sure to warm up first, with gentle stretches. Take it slowly and gently on the bass for ten minutes or so, until the hands warm up. Learn the major, minor, mixolydian and pentatonic scales for a start. While it is very important to know your scales, it is chords
that a bassist plays 90% of the time. Here is a great all round bass site. This particular section deals with the importance of chords.

Chord Tones Are Primary

You can make your practice sessions fun by including playing along to your favourite music. This is great for training the ear. Don't get too hung up on tabs. They are OK to a point, but no substitute for a good ear.

Mickee · #5 07-24-2011, 12:55 PM

Hi m8... check out Welcome - Free Bass Guitar Lessons... he a good help and a inspiration to new and more experinced bass players ;-)

MalcolmAmos · #6 07-24-2011, 07:40 PM

Bass Guitar for Dummies will probably be at your public library. It is well written and covers all the fundamentals like how to hold, tune, sound, mute, etc. Plus the visual aids are great.

Dummies and Online Bass Lessons at StudyBass.com are both worth your time.

MattP · #7 07-24-2011, 07:55 PM

If you have a decent internet connection, the limits of your town don't need to limit you. There are many great bass teachers that give lessons over Skype. Athony Wellington and Russ Rodgers are two that I'm aware of. You can't go wrong with either of them.

**251** · #8 07-25-2011, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreakCM

Thank you very much 251, I think this will be very helpful, combined with some other guides I use

I have another question, considering the fact that I haven't played any instrument before, should I begin with gaining good fundamentals on fretting and plucking hand technique by learning songs and doing exercises, such as spider and hammer on pull off, or is it better to combine that with learning chords and scales parallel with doing exercises?

And of course, any other information or advice would be very welcome

Start at the beginning, How to hold the instrument, position your hands, sound a note, use a metronome, ...

Without the solid fundamental skills, you will spend extra time relearning things, tiring easily or even worse, injuring yourself. Likewise learning songs & playing in a group. Master simple tasks before embellishing. The single most important thing I got from more than a decade of lessons is my Tutor's voice, in my head saying, "simplify, Simplify!"

Good luck. 8-)

MisterFabulous · #9 07-25-2011, 07:54 AM

Online Bass Lessons at StudyBass.com I have found is excellent for the beginner. It starts with the absolute basics: tuning your bass; holding your bass; how to form notes; from easy to more difficult.

FreakCM · #10 07-25-2011, 09:07 AM

This has been very helpful and motivational for me, thanks for support guys

I'll try to combine this bass guitar for dummies book and study bass site and try to get maximum out of both sites

I will also try to get my ear trained by taking David Lucas Burge's guide called perfect pitch training and relative pitch training, so I hope it will help my too

and of course, some songs will also be played, as a way of fun practice

Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction, I know how important it is to start by establishing strong basics and good fundamentals

Hopefully some day I too will be able to point some aspiring bassists in the way you pointed me

Russell L · #11 07-25-2011, 10:13 AM

Hi, Marin. Don't forget to just "play with" your instrument like a toy. Find something on it you like and do it without reservations, no rules. Just enjoy. It's one of the best things a musician can do.

MattP · #12 07-25-2011, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreakCM

. . .I will also try to get my ear trained by taking David Lucas Burge's guide called perfect pitch training and relative pitch training, . . .

If you haven't already spent the money, you may want to hold off on these. I own both. I like the relative pitch course, but I'm not sure I'm getting my money's worth out of it. The perfect pitch course certainly isn't worth the money in my opinion. You don't need perfect pitch to be a great bass player and that course probably isn't going to help you learn it.

MattP · #13 07-25-2011, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russell L

Hi, Marin. Don't forget to just "play with" your instrument like a toy. Find something on it you like and do it without reservations, no rules. Just enjoy. It's one of the best things a musician can do.

Absolutely excellent advice. Better than anything I could come up with.

germ_77 · #14 07-25-2011, 11:20 AM

Personally I would say go with something other than the dummies book to start with. It is a great book but I find i use it more as a reference book than actually going through it cover to cover to learn from.

I really like the Hal Leonard bass methods and if you get the ones without the CDs they are like 8 bucks each I think and start from the very beginning.

Everyone has different ways of learning though.

FreakCM · #15 07-25-2011, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattP

If you haven't already spent the money, you may want to hold off on these. I own both. I like the relative pitch course, but I'm not sure I'm getting my money's worth out of it. The perfect pitch course certainly isn't worth the money in my opinion. You don't need perfect pitch to be a great bass player and that course probably isn't going to help you learn it.

Fortunately, I haven't spent money

But I do have both of these guides so I don't know whether I should try, because only thing it would take away would be my time ;D Well, I will certainly look into these Hal Leonard materials, after all, I have a lot of time, I don't have to rush, I will try different ways and stick with the one I like the most. And of course I will play with it, because learning only theory would be boring and i would probably get fed up with the instrument after a while, so i have to find the right balance between the two

C.Linton · #16 07-25-2011, 12:31 PM

A definite +1, you might want to look into the Hal Leonard Bass Method by Ed Friedland
3 volume set (The Complete Set, with all 3 volumes in one book. Best bang for your buck). The CD's are not absolutely necessary, but useful. I got mine (with the CDs) at Amazon.com for about $20 USD.

Russell L · #17 07-25-2011, 02:08 PM

Another tip: once you learn how to tune your bass, start training your ear by trying to pick out stuff you hear. Choose something easy on a CD. Run it backwards and forwards and see if you can find the notes. Do that a lot and you will begin to recognize stuff, and maybe begin to see patterns.

Learning music theory helps tremendously, but just at the start do things that are the most enjoyable for you. I taught myself to play piano and guitar at an early age, way before I knew any theory. I didn't even practice, just played around and tried to pick out stuff and make up stuff. Anyone can do that and have a good time. Make sure your learning process isn't painful. Don't worry about how long it takes (I mean within reason), and never, ever rate yourself. If you think you're bad, it will only hinder your progress and enjoyment. If you think you're hot stuff, you will soon get your butt busted by someone better, then you will go back to thinking you're bad.

I was fortunate in that I was so in love with playing music that it was a hunger. It was compulsive. I HAD to play, even at the weirdest times and under any conditions (like out in the cold garage in a coat and hat because everyone was asleep inside, lol). Enjoy the ride, pal, and let the music take you.

MattP · #18 07-25-2011, 02:22 PM

Here's another ear training tip. Get a tuner with a microphone. Learn to sing what your playing. You can use your tuner to make sure you are singing the correct pitches. This really helps me when I can hum something but I can quite get the right notes on bass.

FreakCM · #19 07-26-2011, 07:26 AM

I will definitely look into all of advices, and I believe they will be very helpful

i have another question, regarding learning music by ear. It kind of freaks me out, beacuse it seems very hard too me and I don't know will I be able to master it.

MattP · #20 07-26-2011, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreakCM

I will definitely look into all of advices, and I believe they will be very helpful

i have another question, regarding learning music by ear. It kind of freaks me out, beacuse it seems very hard too me and I don't know will I be able to master it.

Don' let it freak you out. I spent years thinking there was something wrong with me because I saw other people doing these "amazing" things with their ear that I couldn't do. It set me back musically for a long time.

Are you able to hum Mary had a Little Lamb? How about your favorite song? Have you ever sang Christmas carols with your family or friends?

When you did those things, was the melody generally right? If so, your ear is just fine.

Bass guitar is just a tool to express the musical language. If you can express the language via your voice, then your ears and brain are working just fine to capture the music. Where the work will come in is finding where those sounds are on the bass guitar. Singing into a tuner and learning the locations of all the notes on your neck will help with that.

Something else that will come with time is recognizing when your playing in key. The first time you hum your favorite bass line, then play what you hum is going to be a really exciting day for you. You are going to know that you are playing exactly what you hear. Then you are going to put the CD on and start playing along. The most likely result is that what you are playing will sound like crap. It isn't because your ear didn't hear the right pattern or that you didn't translate it to your bass properly. Your just playing out of key. Move around one fret at a time, playing the same pattern, until it sounds good.