Lessons or band?

[bumpytrot]

Hello! This is my first post.

I'm moving to Austin, TX and I'm not sure how draining my new job will be. I've been playing bass guitar for a year, and I took lessons for six months or so right after I started, and since then I've just been practicing on my own. It's a hobby for me, but I practice for at least a little while every day. I haven't been in a band yet. I would still describe myself as a beginner.

Now that I'm moving, I'd like to try to find a new teacher for lessons, and I'd like to join a band too, but I don't know how much energy I'll have left on the weekends because the new job sounds like it might be pretty demanding. What would you suggest? I could try just one or the other and then see how the job works out, or I could try doing both of those but only every other weekend at first.

And does anyone know of a good bass teacher in Austin?

Thanks all.

[Poop-Loops]

Here's my take on it:

Lessons will teach you new things, most likely in theory and improvising.

Playing in a band will teach you new things, maybe improvising, probably just playing in a band.

It's really up to you. If you think your job will be that draining, I would take lessons for a while and then find a band. If you cancel a lesson or something, it's generally not a big deal. If you don't show up to practice a few times, your other members will be mad...

[steveb98]

Do both if you can find the time. Even if just a bunch of guys to get together with and jam. One helps the other.

I thought I heard Ed Friedland moved to Austin recently, if he's there he will be teaching. Ed has written many books on bass and suppose to be an excellent instructor.

[RockFace]

when i started out, i thought that i would be lost without lessons. when i took the lessons, however, the teacher, as awesome as he was, was obsessed with jazz music and everything about it. he oriented every lesson around walking jazz bass lines and jazz progressions. basically, everything went right over my head until i later took a music theory course.

long story short, be wary of taking lessons just for the purpose of taking lessons. you can learn a lot on your own and even more from playing with other musicians. listen well, to everything, and experiment.


rock on.
wes.

[JcHc]

Both....Every thing you learn from lessons will make so much more sense, and you exercise what you learn, just being in a church band on wednesday and sundays made me so much more better than taking lessons

[IanStephenson]

if you've been playin a year, and are basically competent, I'd recommed the band.

lessons are reat - do both if you can, but the experince of playing "for real" with other people is essential. There's nothing worse than a guy with great chops but no band sense!

Do the band, and you'll understand what you nned to work on. then you can go back to lessons in a month or two (even one a month).

Ian

[vindy500]

to rockface

if the lessons are going over your head your teacher is not very good imo. a good teacher will explain what he means ect till the student understands. its like a university lecture going to a class of 6 years old teaching them thermo nuclear physics. sure the teacher might be smart but his teaching is pretty useles..

[bumpytrot]

Okay, thanks a lot for the advice. I'll see if I can do both! If not, I think I might try lessons + open jam sessions.