Stop taking lessons?

[bmwrenen]

Hello. I will make this concise as possible. I played bass for one year (took lessons, learned technique, songs theory), then took a year off. Now I am back into it for a few months, got a new teacher, have had two lessons so far. I am 21, college student parttime, unemployed parttime. I already know basic music theory, pentatonic scales, notes inside chords, etc. I am learning Bernedette, currently with my teacher, but I could have just gotten the tabs of the internet, or transcribed it myself. Most the stuff he says I know. I also try to listen to all sort of music to get different perspectives to play bass parts. So I think the best way for me to improve is to join a band. Other than joining a band, transcribing songs by ear, using a metronome, experimenting with parts, what can I do to improve. I have A LOT of time to practice, and want to make it useful.

[TrevorOfDoom]

i'm glad you know a lot of this, but to stop taking lessons would be a mistake. here's the solution: get a new teacher, one who'll challenge you.

and yeah, you can join a band, play by ear, transcribe, yadda yadda yadda. but i'd get a new teacher as well.

[AlphaMale]

Never thought of learning to read or play over chords?

[nsmar4211]

My teacher booted me out of lessons after a while saying that I needed to go play.......period. (booted me *after* I found a band ). Told me that once you get to a certain point, you've got to go play with other people.. then told me to come back when I had more questions .

Here's something you can do in the meantime......pick a song. Learn the bass line. Now, grab a recorder and try to record the bass line. Play it back. Hear all those mistakes? Amazing what you think you know till you hear yourself . And things like muting the ringing notes that may not be obvious while you're playing but show up glaringly on tape.....

Might ask your current teacher if he knows any bands looking for a bass player?

[Elsebet]

I took lessons for about six months after purchasing my bass, then I found a band willing to tolerate my amateur (at best) skill. I started feeling the lessons were not doing anything for me compared to the band time, so I am taking time off from lessons and just practicing myself and playing with the band. I feel I am just cresting over the "noobie" wave of instruction but am not ready for the intermediate, so this works for me right now.

Is your bass teacher strict? My first bass teacher was very strict and seemed genuinely disappointed on the rare occasion I didn't practice enough between lessons. I was very motivated to not let him down and each lesson was very businesslike. When he moved to another city, the second teacher I had was more relaxed and social. I felt a bit bored and restless with him.

[BryanM]

I've had great teachers and not so great teachers. I had one teacher who would openly state his disappointment with me if after a week I wasn't able to sight read certain complex sheets. On the other hand I've had teachers who treated lessons more like a jam session, and while this was good for my playing to an extent, I didn't feel it was worth what I was paying for lessons. I'm right now between teachers, but if I find someone who's willing to challenge me further every week and continually pound different styles and scenarios in, I'll go back in a heartbeat. I think that up until a certain point it's very useful to have a teacher, even if just once a month or something along those lines, it's when playing with a teacher becomes just two peers on a relative level playing together that you have to question whether to stay or even seek out a more advanced teacher.