New to bass, where do I start?

[Tpu2]

Hey everybody, I finally got my first bass and want to really start playing it. My question is where should I start? I know I should probably get a teacher, but the closest one is a good 45 min away. Other then that what should I do? Should I just find tabs for songs that I like and start playing them? I feel like I wouldn't learn anything if I do that. What about just trying to learn songs by ear? I don't know if this will work well, because I don't even know most of the notes on the fret board as well as scales and chords and stuff like that. What about books? Thanks for the help.

[Torch7]

You are gonna get the "Get a teacher response" and this is probably going to yield the best results, if you get a good teacher.

For me... I have gotten

Bass Guitar for Dummies by Patrick Pfeiffer...very good book.

Do searches on this forum. people tend to get short if the same questions crop up time and time again...

These links may also be helpful...
http://www.cyberfretbass.com
http://www.activebass.com
http://cyberschoolofbass.com/
http://www.adamnitti.com/lessons.shtml

[Steve Harris Is]

Originally Posted by Torch7

Bass Guitar for Dummies by Patrick Pfeiffer...very good book.

I liked the book so much I actually started taking lessons from him in Manhattan every few months...AWESOME book and teacher.

[Tpu2]

So it wouldn't be a good idea to just get tabs for songs I like and start playing them?

[cmhgreg]

Check out a piece of software called eMedia Bass Method Vol. I. You will find it at most good music stores, including the big online retailers like music123.com and musicianfreiend.com. I used this to "get started" and found it very worthwhile. When I did decide to start taking lessons my teacher told me that I was much farther along than the general novice.

[tZer]

I would really recommend a teacher first. It is really important that you do not develop bad playing habits that you will need to overcome later in your bass-playing life. So learning good finger technique, left hand position, etc. at this stage is far more important then learning your first song. Go ahead and noodle around with learning songs from recordings, but contact that teacher that is 45 mintues away, set up a few months worth of weekly lessons, and bite the bullet. It is worth a drive once a week for 1 1/2 hours for a few months to correct what years of bad habits can destroy.

[BadMonk]

I'm new to the bass too and found the Bass For Dummies book to be helpful...in conjunction with Hal Leonard's Bass Method books/CDs and Supplementary Songbooks. It's a good combination for me.