A New Start

[chokeslam512]

Greetings TB'ers! I'm sure this question comes up a bit frequently but without new threads, the mods would have all kinds of trouble closing mega threads. So here goes:

I have been playing for around 15 years and I feel like I am nowhere near the skill level that I should be for having played for that long. I am in a cover band now, using tabs and playing by ear, I took lessons for a couple months about ten years ago and didn't get much out of them (probably poor instructor/student chemistry). I learned to play by myself in my bedroom since day one with the exception of those few lessons.

I would like to learn to be able to play in a certain key on demand and to increase my fretting speed as well as optimize my plucking... so really a complete overhaul on my technique and skills as a player. I am not doing any hired gun stuff obviously but I figure that opportunity will arise and I want to be ready.

The question: any good books/programs for someone who knows how to play well if given enough time to figure it out, who wants to get back to basics and improve over all as a player?

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by chokeslam512

I have been playing for around 15 years and I feel like I am nowhere near the skill level that I should be for having played for that long. I am in a cover band now, using tabs and playing by ear,.....

This is why I preach the ills of tabs and good luck with playing by ear. There is a place for tabs and they come in handy finding out how something is played, however, having to rely upon tabs for the entire song, is what I'm talking about.

Bands pass among themselves fake chord or lead sheet music. I've never see a band director hand the bass a bass line in tab format.

See what you can do with fake chord. There have been several posts on this subject. If you can not find them just ask.

[chokeslam512]

Hmmm, well, not quite the answer I was looking for. I am looking for a good bass method for learning better technique at the same time as learning more scales and theory.

[mambo4]

check out the PDF in this thread
Music Theory Book - Free Download

[derridiandrift]

Originally Posted by chokeslam512

I would like to learn to be able to play in a certain key on demand and to increase my fretting speed as well as optimize my plucking... so really a complete overhaul on my technique and skills as a player.

The question: any good books/programs for someone who knows how to play well if given enough time to figure it out, who wants to get back to basics and improve over all as a player?

I get the impression, and I may be wrong, that you're mistakenly envisioning your growth as a musician to be held back by one specific thing a book can solve. Given the fact that you've done lots of playing by ear and reading tab, my guess is that you're not going to grow by using one book exclusively.

I think what might work better for you than independent study is an open-ended arrangement with a private instructor. I realize that you didn't have a good experience with one teacher, but don't let that stop you from finding a better one. It's possible (or even likely?) that you could benefit from lessons that cover a range of things like theory and harmony, reading exercises, fingering/dexterity practice, and just plain "playing for the fun of it" in order to accomplish what you're trying to do.

Anyway, this is a long-winded way of saying that you currently don't know the depth of what you don't know, and a good teacher is better positioned to guide you through the rough patches to get you to where you want to be as a musician.

[derridiandrift]

Oh, I forgot to add that if you're absolutely, dead set against taking lessons, I like Ed Friedland's books....Ed Friedland