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12-09-2008, 01:36 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Montreal | | | What should I know to make the best out of a bass teacher?
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First, let me explain the reason I'm asking this. I've recently started playing the bass, quite simply because I felt like it. I was a bit cold towards the instrument until a few days ago, when I think I got hit by cupidon and I'm now in love with the instrument. 
I'm playing about 2-3 hours a day and I'm making what I think is good progress. I'm considering having some lessons. I don't think I would keep doing lessons for very long (I have highly varying schedules), but I think at some point I'd just need to have a pro help me.
But what I'm wondering is, what should I work on my own before seeing a teacher in order to get the most from it?
I know there are things I could just learn on my own just as well as with a teacher, so I'd rather get that out of the way rather than waste my money and someone's time. |
12-09-2008, 02:20 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Seattle | | | If you are just getting started, the most valuable thing a decent teacher will show you is good technique. A lot of trouble -and pain- can be avoided by being strict about technique early on. Eventually it will become effortless habit.
so be sure to ask the teach to consider your technique.
Clarify for yourself what you feel you do well, and what you know you do poorly. run your conclusions by your teacher and see what the feedback is.
Listen to bassists or bass lines and find ones you really like : let them be an intermediate goal, something specific for you and the teacher to aim your lessons for. |
12-09-2008, 02:56 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Sydney | | | Apart from the technique thing your tutor should be starting with basic diatonic theory. The first lesson should be about introducing you to the major scale and getting you to play it. That way they can assess your technique at the same time as they introduce you to the fundamentals of all western tonal music theory. They should also assess you sense of time.
I would commit to at least four weeks of lessons without interruption to start with and in that time you should be shown how to modulate and derive the relative tertian triads and tetrads. You should learn the difference between major, minor and diminished and what a dominant is. You should also be given some sight reading exercises and your technique should be reassessed every lesson. Make sure they are looking at your wrist positions and thumb position on your left hand (if you are right handed).
Things that I think are dubious with tutors is if they are teaching you the modes without explaining how they are formed. If they are showing you Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian and so on without explaining that each mode is a permutation of the major scale played from a different degree you are going to end up learning some scales that you don't necessarily know how to use. Make sure you ask your tutor how modes work when they bring them up.
The same goes for chords. If they are showing you a chord or arpeggio and you haven't been told how tertian triads are derived diatonically (from the major scale) you are going to find using them in context difficult.
Not all tutors will use the same approach and I know there are going to be a lot of posts here that will say "your teacher needs to be nice and fun and show you how to groove". I will put it to you this way though, if you go for your first lesson and the tutor says "ok we are just going to have a nice chat so I can decide what to teach you" or they say "ok let's start with smoke on the water" you are wasting your time and money on that person.
As far as "grooving" goes, despite what some people will inevitably post here even though most of them don't teach themselves, a good tutor will know that the elements involved in being a "groovy" player come from good solid foundation in technique and a working knowledge of theory.
As far as what you need to do in preparation, I would suggest that asking a tutor the right questions before you take lessons is the best thing you can do. A good teacher should know what you need and be prepared to teach you right away. When you arrive you should have a brief and friendly discussion with your tutor involving what your goals are as a player and so on and you should be given a short overview of what to expect from lessons and how you are going to proceed. It shouldn't be a half an hour chit chat though.
Here are some questions to ask a tutor over the phone to make sure you are getting someone that knows what they are doing.
1. What does your first lesson generally involve?
2. Can you explain how modes work and not just show me a bunch of scales?
3. What technical issues do you look at in a beginner?
They should answer with things similar to what I have said above. |
12-09-2008, 03:08 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2008 Location: Studio City, CA | | | +1 to Mambo's post on technique. Get your thumb on the other side of the fingerboard! Do the work with scales, arpeggios and stuff as a regimen, like brushing your teeth (or flossing at my advanced age), and if you can manage, sing it! Training your ear will help you to recognize intervals and that will help you as the things get more complicated.
The only other thing that I advise is to have short and long term goals. In the short term, learn the technique and theory. Along the way (mid term) learn some songs that you like or are interested in playing. In the long term, have a goal, like being able to read charts, bass lines, melodies, (bass) solo or whatever. I think having thought of these things before you start gives you an idea of how far you've come and what there is to do. Bon chance.
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'99 Music Man Sterling, Sparkle Blue, Cremona DB, Mark Bass II, Avatar B410, Eden D212 |
12-09-2008, 03:26 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2008 Location: SF Bay Area | | | The first thing I'd determine is what you want from playing - playing casually with friends? serious gigging? studio work?
For anything more than fooling around you'll need to know how to read and have a good base of music theory. Begin this buy learning major and minor chords and be able to identify the location of everynote on the fretboard.
Technique as mentioned earlier is important as it is easier to learn correctly than fix bad habits after the fact. Lessons are are always a good thing. |
12-09-2008, 04:33 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Montreal | | | Ok, I guess I should have mentioned I'm not starting from scratch. I have had a solid month of training alone, not at being a human jukebox, but mostly at music theory applied to bass. Most of the general music theory I am able to cover on my own. I have had excellent music classes in high school, and while I thought I had forgotten it, books and online resources are helping me a lot bringing that back. I've learned how to sight read, although I am very rusty (used to play the 'bone, so I am used to reading bass clef). I already know what the scales, the modes, the chords are. I play scales (and their arpeggios) for the major, minor, dominant, half-diminished, with and without their 7th, I use them in context in short, easy grooves (mostly based on arpeggios). I've recently learned the blues and pentatonic scales and I am able to apply them in short solos.
So I guess it's the actual bass technique a teacher would be most able to help. Until I can start taking lessons (too busy schedules these days), I'll be careful to take any habits I might want to lose later on (ie: I'll stick very strictly to orthodox technique, even if it means slowing down).
I am also interested in playing jazz, and I see the majority of teachers around me seem to come from that background, so I'll be able to work with a teacher on jazz-specific applications of music theory.
As for my goals, I'm not quite sure about that yet. As I mentioned, I'm not particularly interested in being merely a human jukebox, playing only songs I've learned mechanically, so it's more than just fooling around. As for serious gigging or pro, no, that's not it either. I don't really have a goal; I just want to learn how to play the instrument properly, because I enjoy it.
Last edited by guizzy : 12-09-2008 at 05:03 PM.
Reason: Precision
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12-09-2008, 05:44 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Sydney | | | I would still, and always do start on the major scale even if just as a refresher. I know I have taught a lot of people that say they have a good understanding of diatonic theory but every time I have been able to teach them something they missed on the subject. You will also need to have your diatonic theory refreshed before you start looking at "jazz theory". As a teacher I would want to see that your general theory is quite solid before I started teaching you anything about "jazz theory".
It's not just about knowing the modes and chords but understanding how they function, like for example understanding how the circle of 5ths works when playing a II7 V7 I progression, and how secondary dominants work etc. This is all stuff you reference by diatonic theory.
If you are indeed up to speed on this stuff a good teacher will be able to go through this fairly quickly with you and move on to other things. Also having it explained to you by a teacher will probably put it into a new perspective for you.
As far as technique goes, a good tutor should also make sure that you are doing things very slowly at first and in time, usually with a metronome.
Having the goal of wanting to be able to play well because you enjoy it is a good enough one, really. |
12-09-2008, 08:18 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Los Angeles | | | | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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