So who took lessons and for how long?

[LuckyCondlins]

I took lessons back in high school for probably 3 moths or so.

took a music class and got some more general knowledge, but mostly it was just 6 months or so of lessons ( took another 3 or so in college era)

but not much after that im 23 now.

what about you guys? do any of you still take lessons?

im actually considering taking some more lessons because i feel like i have hit that plateau if you know what I mean

plus, its better to master your instrument than have it master you at times

[Flalaski]

i started in The orchestra in my junior high for 2 years. it was a really good one too. my teacher was awesome. then i was in a (Horribly crappy) Orchestra in high school for a year. then just a year ago, i started Electric Bass and was in The High school band (different school). I'm basically self taught when it comes to electric. and I'm getting pretty good at it too.

[FingeringAm]

no musical training whatsoever..bought a hal leonard bass book/dvd made it to the d string in 1st position and turned it off and just started playing tabs
then i learned a few scales/chords online and make my own lines from that
i jsut play for fun and learn whatever songs my friends know( usually end up being gay repetative 16th notes :S)

[StyleOverShow]

Been playing 40 years and still think that I have lots to learn. Teach me something.

[MellowTone]

I'm 17, started first learned through school for a year or so, then moved onto private lessons, been having those for 2 or 3 years.

[DudeistMonk]

Band in high school was basic technique lessons and lots of band practices, took private lessons for about 2 or 3 months but never practiced cause the guy didn't teach just threw scales at me and I wanted understanding not scales.

Took a music theory course in college and got the understanding, now back in lessons for the past 3 months with a much better instructor and practicing.

[pedroims]

I have been taking lessons for the last 5 weeks and planning to take lessons for the rest of the year.

So far my instructor has pushing me to:

a) learn all minor and mayor scales over the hole neck. done
b) read sheet music , I am making progress and I love it.
c) mastering my plucking.

he says my sense of time is very good ( thanks metronome !)

Planing to learn more theory and start to play Bach as part of my know ho to read music objective.

So far so good

[maston]

I have been playing for 6 and a bit years now (I'm 22). I initially had lessons whilst i was at school when i was 17/18 - simply because they were free! My teacher back then really taught me sight reading - which was great, and very useful.

I recently started having lessons again - with the wonderful Mr. Lawson - they're fantastic!

Prior to having the lessons i found myself in a bit of a rut. It is great to have someone teach you new things - and the right teacher will help relight the creative spark!

Unfortunately i not having lessons right now - having moved away from london. However once i'm back up there i will get some more!

Matt

[tonedeafmike]

I'm certainly not at a plateau here...more like at the base of the mountain. I'm 45. Been playing for 6 months and taking lessons for the past 5 months. Zero music experience prior to that. As a self-taught golfer who learned the hard way, I thought that taking lessons in the beginning would establish a good foundation and eliminate poor fundamentals. So far so good. The biggest benefits to the lessons are my instructor's feedback on my playing, in which he stresses how I'm playing (i.e. getting the rhythm and ever-elusive feel right) and explanation of how the scales and/or arpeggios fit into the music. Well worth the time and money.

[mattygbass]

ive been taking 2 1 hour lessons a week since feb. ive been playing bass for 3 years and my skills improved 20 fold since i started lessons.

[soong]

Lesson since i was on grade 9, in College now still getting lessons

[StarscreamG1]

I received no lessons, no books, no nothing. All I got was a wacked out [set up] '78 Lawsuit Memphis Tobacco burst Fender Precision and I was on my own (I had just turned 13). I knew no one who played anything. All I had was my KISS albums...

Couple of years later I was hooked up with a guy that was old enough to be my grandfather darn near and he gave me 2 lessons on a bass. He was a country music bassist, he showed me a few standard country riffs...yea... that was the extent of that but I did turn around about 4 years later and buy his '64 Gibson EBO though ^_^ (and like a fool sold it in 1985 )

So then I decided to take lessons when I was 17. Local shop had a teacher that would come to your house. First lesson went unmemorable.. I seriously can't remember any of it. The second lesson I remember clearly though. He came over and as I was warming up I was playing chimes and doing a few 'lead' things on it (Ace was the man) and he said "You can't do that on a bass." To which I said. "I just did... and I want to learn more of that -- teach me." He said he couldn't because I played /bass/ and these things 'just weren't done on a bass'.... that was the end of that lesson and him giving me lessons.

I have also taken lessons both privately and from a friend with a masters in music whatever and in school on how to read music...it just bounces off my head like so much static *sigh* Thank god for tabs!!!! But these type of lessons have been going on now for 30 years by more people that I can count and I still can't read music. I did manage to teach myself basic keyboard music (I played synth for about 2 years.. I miss my Roland D70 ...) but its got to be very simple and I have to pick it out one note at a time (this is after I hunt for it on the board LOL)....

This time around, I am much more serious and I want to learn all my scales and whatever and theory. I have been told by a few here that I don't need to know how to read music to learn theory. I am looking for someone in my area that can teach me theory. I have also considered taking bass lessons from scratch to try and catch up on what I should know that I may not and correct any bad habits I may have instilled in me cause of not having ANY guidance when I first picked it up.

[ryco]

Took lessons on upright in grade school 4-8. Dropped it in eighth grade. Took up electric.

Took 2 years of lessons from a jazz guitarist in high school which I enjoyed. He'd play chords and show me bass notes I could use.
Worked through some Mel Bay books with him as well as chord sheets he made up for rock/pop songs of the day.
We'd also work on my vocal jazz and stage band charts.
He encouraged me to bring in songs I liked and wanted to learn to play.
Took from him until he said "I have nothing more I can teach you". Recommended another guy.

After a couple of years off I took from the other guy - another older jazz guitar player. He showed me theory and more advanced extended chords. I read through the Carol Kaye Electric Bass Series and the Valda Hammerick Series. He would assign two pages - I would learn four.
He also was trying to teach me soloing techniques through arpeggios, but I really struggled with that.
Quit him when I went to college. He wasn't very excited about this decision. Looking back....

Took privately for two years on upright in college. Not a tremendously rewarding experience. Not bad, but spent at least six hours a day trying to relearn upright. Tough! Two years in college and dropped out. Dropped DB with it.
Learned a lot of theory though.

2¢: If you start playing DB - don't stop. If you're in school - stay in school. peace!

[Hella]

Self taught to read treble and bass, but I've since forgotten treble. I can still sightread bass easily though. HS band teacher was a bassist so he gave me a lot of help regarding scales and basic theory. I'm going to start transcribing lines I like (I heard it was amazing for sightreading and theory etc) and I'm going to be taking a music theory class when school starts back up.
All of the songs I've learned recently have been by ear, and will be transcribed

[chroma601]

I am completely self taught on bass (well, I got books from Mel Bay and Carol Kaye), so when my son wanted to learn guitar, I found a local teacher for him. After he'd had a few lessons, I told the teacher, a guitar whz named Joe Dalton, that I'd been playing bass for a few decades without formal training. I thought it would be interesting to take a few lessons. He helped me with my left hand positioning quite a bit, then asked me to join his band. Unfortunately, he moved to Toms River about six months later, but it was a great experience overall.

[WillBuckingham]

Originally Posted by FingeringAm

i jsut play for fun and learn whatever songs my friends know( usually end up being gay repetative 16th notes :S)

Right. The classic gay 16th-note groove.

[stflbn]

I took some lessons the first summer I played (30 years ago). The Jack-hole instructor refused to teach ANY songs or anything actually enjoyable until "his students" had memorized the entire fretboard and scales.

That did not work for me at all. No more lessons.

Later of course I was receiving full ride scholarships in music and art and excelling at music theory coarses, but only because of personal drive and study. Not because of lessons. Just shows that an initial bad instructor can do alot to tarnish an outlook.

[MrPlain]

Got my first bass at 15. Parents wouldn't get me lessons because they didn't think I would stick with it. Self taught out of books and was easily playing Primus covers at 19. I'm 27 now and the last few years I have been slacking on music theory and what not. I'm trying to get back into studying regularly again.

[James Hart]

Sax & Theory lessons for 6 years
Bass lessons for 2 years
Guitar lessons for a year

All while in my teens.

I intend on taking URB and Piano lessons in the near future.

[andybb1500]

Been taking lessons as long as i've been playing bass 1 and a half years now and I have to say it does help.