So...i have my very first bass student

[soong]

Anyway, my guitar (yes, guitard by night) teacher had a few of his kids wanting to transfer to bass, and he wasnt interested, so i've got a couple students now.

I've got no formal training, although i've been privately taught since the dawn of time.

Are there any absolute basics i need to know when i start privately tutoring bass?
And what direction should i take with lessons? theory? songs?

thanks in advance

[John Wentzien]

You should know it yourself before teaching...with all due respect...

[soong]

haven't started teaching. i am in a few weeks. i just want to prepare some material.

[John Wentzien]

How to tune .
Proper fingering.
Learn the notes on the neck.
basic triads...root ...3 ....5
keeping time..
teach them a song that they like to keep interest...
Show how the basics apply to that song!

[meev992]

With all due respect, I don't think I would want to have a teacher that has a username "I suck at Bass".

[soong]

Meev, not productive...my username was an attempt at humility (which is definitely talking me down). We all suck to a certain degree.

anyways. Great starting point John. thanks mate

[fivestars]

I think you can find some tutorials online , try your luck with google .

[mutedeity]

The first thing any teacher should teach is the major scale and how it relates to diatonic theory, modes, triads, 7th chords, the dominant. This can all be done as part of technical development too. Also get your students started on some rhythm excercises where they are reading. Later on I generally tie in clave for example with some simple I V7 progressions though this is generally after a few lessons going through all the diatonic functions.

I think that anyone that goes to a teacher that doesn't teach them that is wasting their time and money. Songs can come later and as part of analysis. Teaching songs just to keep their interest means that you are going to be making them happy in the short term, but later they will be looking for someone that does teach them what they need as opposed to what they think they want. That person will probably be told and will certainly think that the student's last teacher had no idea what they were doing.

[RiddimKing]

Teach a I IV V blues progression, in a few different keys. (There are CDs available with play along basic blues on them.) This will start them on the path to hearing the changes, and to internalizing shuffle rhythms. Have them play rhythmic roots, then root/fives, then arpegios (three and four part) over the changes. The added benefit is that after a few weeks or a month or two, when they ask if they can finally get started on learning songs, you can inform them that they've already learned hundreds. Then have them play along with you to Mustang Sally...

[Stiv]

I've been a teacher for years, since I was 15. At that time, I only had a very fundamental knowledge of the instruments (guitar and bass). I think that while it is necessary to have an understanding and degree of competency, the best teachers I have experienced rarely operate on the "I'm this amount of great, and maybe you can be to someday!" theory. Most students at a begining level don't need to double thumb written classical pieces after their 3rd lesson. Teach basics and fundamentals, find a correlation to something tangible (songs, etc.), and always, always, always teach rhythm. That's 90% of learning. The majority of students that I have had aspire to play in a band within weeks of my teaching. Which is entirely possible. But let your students know that the most important element, especially in a "band" or collaborative setting, is rhythm. Beyond that, they can feel their own way towards making notes that please the ear. You're just giving them groundwork, a starting point that they couldn't get on their own. If you start to teach at an intermediate level, that is when you need to start incorporating more technically and mentally intensive studies on the instrument. Students dig feeling like your peer, as opposed to inferior. Just make sure you know what the f*** you're talking about.

[Voltaren]

First of all.... Good on you for making yourself available to help these kids get started, its not easy in some areas for them to even find a teacher.

I personaly have not much to offer more than Stiv and John
Wentzein and RiddimKing.

Of coarse to the very beginners even using both hands on the right strings together is a bit of a challenge so start with that of coarse.

They want to play something quick too and this is very important, find something simple, basic blues 1 1V V is the probably the way to go. May Your God help you if they want to play Metallica in the first week

mmm. I suppose the old major scale should be taught pretty soon too, how on earth would they know what 1 1V V is without it.
Anyway the other blokes have given good direction.
Teach their ears and the best of luck.

[mutedeity]

Honestly, I don't see what you can teach if you don't ground your students in understanding diatonic theory to begin with. I mean if you are teaching drums, sure you can teach them rhythm only, but how do you explain to someone what a b3 is, for example if you don't explain the concept of the major scale as a unit of comparison? How do you get them to analyse anything unless they understand the basic building blocks of analysis? It's like building a house and adding the framework later. Sure it can probably be done. But in the meantime you have a shoddy house that probably will need to be adjusted once the frame is built anyway.

Now, that is not to say that you go and teach people about things like lydian dominant theory or serialism from the start but if you don't teach them basic tonal theory they are going to be doing things that they don't understand beyond that you told them to.

Tonal theory also goes directly to establishing good basic technique. Playing scales to start with establishes good left hand technique in getting them to use all of their fingers. It also helps them to develop good right hand technique by making them alternate fingers and gets them familiar with all of the strings. Even advanced technical development is best taught from the perspective of tonal theory. After all, actually putting any technique into practice needs a tonal context.

What good are rhythmic concepts on a tonal instrument if they can't be put into context? One way I teach rhythm early on is to teach clavè. The best way to put clavè into context is to demonstrate it as a I V7 or i V7 progression and without explaining how the dominant works or the way that harmonic minor works you are teaching them a couple of shapes they really don't understand.

Basically the way I see it as a teacher is that I treat all of my students as though they are paying me to bring them up to a level where they can play professionally, that is to play in a working band, and to be able to undertake their own development eventually. No matter what their goals are I feel that that is what they are paying for. If you feel that that is expecting a bit much you are either undermining that person's ability or you are not capable of providing that kind of service in which case you should probably not expect to be paid a lot, if at all. I personally ask every student what they want to get out of taking lessons when they call me. The one thing I tell them universally is that I teach theory and technique from the beginning. I don’t know how many students I have taught that, after I explain how the major scale works and how modes, triads and so on relate to each other universally, tell me that their last teacher taught them nothing and that what I teach them makes a lot of sense now.

Sure, it is good for your students to relate to you as a peer. Expressing yourself as a superior and intimidating them with how much better you are than them isn’t going to help anyone. It will make them feel that they can never achieve your level of skill and it will make you seem arrogant and unapproachable. On the other hand you are a mentor and if it wasn’t for the fact that you have something to teach there would be no point in them coming to see you. So really it comes down to whether you have something to teach or not.

[weberglass]

I have found the site www.studybass.com very helpful. Seems that anyone looking to teach/play should know most all this site info.

[Mike Shevlin]

Dear Suck, these young men are lucky to have you. When I was young I KNEW I was a bass player but there were only guitar teachers in my small hometown in Rhode Island so I took guitar lessons for many years before I ever found a great bass teacher (Darryl Williams in Las Vegas NV). One thing that you can do for your young students is keep it fun for them. I had a guitar teacher that would assign current songs of the time (and classic rock tunes) and mix them in with my guitar lessons. You can also teach them some guitar & teach the integration of the two instruments. my 2, good luck

[dman_113]

Originally Posted by John Wentzien

How to tune .
Proper fingering.
Learn the notes on the neck.
basic triads...root ...3 ....5
keeping time..
teach them a song that they like to keep interest...
Show how the basics apply to that song!

I would just like to add, the role of the bass in music to this list.

[Stiv]

mutedeity, what good is a house without a foundation? Of course a tonal context is necessary, but I have had a lot of students that have come to me that have more knowledge of modes than you could shake a stick at, but what good does it do them if they don't know how to play them with rhythm, with soul. I definately agree that you need to introduce them to diatonics early, as I do with all of my students, but I stand behind the idea that the most important fundamental with a tonal or percussion instrument is rhythm. I didn't mean to negate the basic fundamentals of learning what the actual notes are and why they exist in the patterns that they do, but overemphasizing clave and scales in my observations and experience, are the quickest way to take the soul out of somebody, and in many cases turn away would-be-artists. I agree that you have to approach each student as a unique entity, and design lesson plans accordingly. It's generally been my experience that most new, young bass students are playing cause they have a bunch of friends they want to jam with. Occasionally I get a student that is only interested in technique and jazz progressions and classical structure and theory. In either case, I make sure to teach the importance of rhythm as it coincides with lesson plans. I'd rather have them playing the correct rhythm and missing a few notes than hitting everything without feel, soul, rhythm. But also, I think that part of the beauty of teaching is that you don't get the same education from any two teachers. I've had teachers that taught only tone and theory, and I've had teachers that don't ever approach technique, and I've learned from every single one of them. With new students, you have to lay a foundation, but making music is why they are there, so give them a real life connection, a context. Generally I think that you can almost do no wrong as a teacher, unless you go into territory that is unknown to you. I'm amazed at how much I learn from students actually.

[mutedeity]

Originally Posted by Stiv

mutedeity, what good is a house without a foundation? Of course a tonal context is necessary, but I have had a lot of students that have come to me that have more knowledge of modes than you could shake a stick at, but what good does it do them if they don't know how to play them with rhythm, with soul. I definately agree that you need to introduce them to diatonics early, as I do with all of my students, but I stand behind the idea that the most important fundamental with a tonal or percussion instrument is rhythm. I didn't mean to negate the basic fundamentals of learning what the actual notes are and why they exist in the patterns that they do, but overemphasizing clave and scales in my observations and experience, are the quickest way to take the soul out of somebody, and in many cases turn away would-be-artists. I agree that you have to approach each student as a unique entity, and design lesson plans accordingly. It's generally been my experience that most new, young bass students are playing cause they have a bunch of friends they want to jam with. Occasionally I get a student that is only interested in technique and jazz progressions and classical structure and theory. In either case, I make sure to teach the importance of rhythm as it coincides with lesson plans. I'd rather have them playing the correct rhythm and missing a few notes than hitting everything without feel, soul, rhythm. But also, I think that part of the beauty of teaching is that you don't get the same education from any two teachers. I've had teachers that taught only tone and theory, and I've had teachers that don't ever approach technique, and I've learned from every single one of them. With new students, you have to lay a foundation, but making music is why they are there, so give them a real life connection, a context. Generally I think that you can almost do no wrong as a teacher, unless you go into territory that is unknown to you. I'm amazed at how much I learn from students actually.

Tonal theory is the foundation. I don't know many teachers that think otherwise. I also don't know many students that don't want to know how to write their own music or learn how to improvise. You can teach rhythm until the cows come home, but if they don't know how thier instrument functions tonaly you aren't really teaching them much at all. Furthermore teaching rhythm is part of any instruction. As for overemphasising clave, clave is one of the most basic ways to teach a whole range of rhythmic concepts. If teaching people theory and proper technique takes the soul out of them I look at it this way. I would rather have a lot of "souless" musicians out there playing professionally saying that I was their tutor than someone with "feel" that can't read a chart or know what to write with their band looking or someone to correct the fact I taught them nothing.

[fountain boy]

I agree with Stiv 200%!

Please, inculcate the rhythmic aspects of playing.

There are no less than 3,000 books out there on scales and modes already, and all they seem to do is tie one up in knots!

I'd rather play all the wrong notes and groove like a mother than know all the correct chords, modes & scales.

I wasted many a formative year chasing down theory related instruction, only to get out grooved year after year, by players with 'feel' out the ying yang.

[mutedeity]

There is a huge difference between reading books about scales and having someone who knows what they are talking about explain to you how relative theory works. Good for you if you don't mind plaiyng a bunch of bum notes. I'm sure there are plenty of garage bands that will have you. On the other hand if you want to be able to respond to someone when they tell you a chord progression or a key and sound like you know what you are doing you will need to learn how theory works. It's not about playing the "right" notes either it's about understanding how tonality functions. Being able to analyse and apply that kind of knowledge only benefits those who can. Those who can't usually spend their time trying to justfiy why knowing theory would make them "less groovy".

[fountain boy]

Originally Posted by mutedeity

There is a huge difference between reading books about scales and having someone who knows what they are talking about explain to you how relative theory works. Good for you if you don't mind plaiyng a bunch of bum notes. I'm sure there are plenty of garage bands that will have you. On the other hand if you want to be able to respond to someone when they tell you a chord progression or a key and sound like you know what you are doing you will need to learn how theory works. It's not about playing the "right" notes either it's about understanding how tonality functions. Being able to analyse and apply that kind of knowledge only benefits those who can. Those who can't usually spend their time trying to justfiy why knowing theory would make them "less groovy".

Understand mute, that no one is saying pursue one, and forsake the other. Yes, a knowledge of diatonic harmony is imperative but what happens when a drummer strikes up a groove? All that theory goes right out the window if one cannot get on the same page as him rhythmically.

From my limited experience, well equipping a bass student to me, is helping him first to become as rhythmic as possible. How to sync up with a drummer/drum machine/metronone.

In hindsight, i would've benefitted greatly from a teacher having a drum machine pattern playing and helping me to hear & feel the kick, snare & high hat pattern and enabling me on how to sync up with what i'm hearing. That's real world experience.