Famous Self-Taught Bassists

[markjazzbassist]

What bassists Famous bassists are completely self-taught? I'm talking about NO lessons and NO schooling. They just play by ear or picked it up themselves. Here's who I have so far


Jaco
Stuart Zender
Pino Palladino

[The Owl]

Two words; Jaco Pastorious!

[Baryonyx]

Jaco is the boy here. I'm not sure Geddy Lee had any schooling though, apart from Piano lessons.

[Mark Perry]

Possibly Victor Wooten? Not sure, but he learned, initially through jamming with his brothers. From what little i know, i'd say he would've known a lot by the time he thought about being formally taught.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by markjazzbassist

What bassists Famous bassists are completely self-taught? I'm talking about NO lessons and NO schooling. They just play by ear or picked it up themselves.

Well I think that virtually every famous rock/pop or even Jazz players, were self-taught and it would be much easier to say who was classically-trained.

Thirty years ago there were no Jazz courses to go and train on and it would only really have been people who were going to end up in Orchestras who would have gone through music school...

Nowadays you can go to music school or University and do courses on popular rock or Jazz and play Bass Guitar!

30 years ago - you would have had to play 'legit' piano and Double Bass to study music and you woudl have been studying Classical Theory.

The way people became rock bass players, was to listen to records, play with other people and pick it up as you went - learn from other musicians and what you saw /heard.


So - go back to 1976 and Norman Watt's-Roy (session BG great and Blockhead) tells how Jaco came over to England with Weather Report.

The audiences in London are full of pro bass players trying to work out what Jaco was doing and then apply it to their playing - no books, no teachers to explain this stuff - just watch and learn!

Norman then applied what he leant from Jaco, to "Hit me with Your Rhythm Stick"!!

[905]

John Entwistle in the way that he created his own technique :s

Flea also I think.

[Demon]

Steve Harris said he was self taught.

[dannoman]

Billy Sheehan

[SuperSonic!!!]

Me.

[lefty007]

Me, too!

[Papersen]

Francis Rocco Prestia

[metalguy2]

I am not sure how much you can call Jaco self taught. I read before that his father taught him how to play music.

[Echowave]

Hey everybody, Sting started out self taught on the acoustic guitar....then moved to bass. (And of course now plays about anything.) So, Sting. Geddy Lee I believe was self taught. Steve Harris. All these guys are already mentioned. With the exception of Sting. Off the top of my head that is all I can think of as far as bassist go.

[iplaybassguitar]

Originally Posted by Mark Perry

Possibly Victor Wooten? Not sure, but he learned, initially through jamming with his brothers. From what little i know, i'd say he would've known a lot by the time he thought about being formally taught.

If you asked him, he would say his brother was his teacher.

he took cello in grades 6-12, so that counts for a little bit...

other than that i believe he was self taught.

[bassist15]

Jaco's father was a traveling musician who saw his son every so often . Now jaco's father and grandfather both played drums , which was jaco's first instrumetn, and they taught him a bit on that but he picked up bass after messing up his arm. He was completely self taught.

[doctorjazz]

I don't honestly think we can count things learned by hearing other musicians in the definition of "self taught", because if we were then there isn't a self-taught musician alive. Everyone you interact with musically can teach you something, often without you realizing it. Best to stick with the definition of "no classical training."

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

Well I think that virtually every famous rock/pop or even Jazz players, were self-taught and it would be much easier to say who was classically-trained.

Thirty years ago there were no Jazz courses to go and train on and it would only really have been people who were going to end up in Orchestras who would have gone through music school...

Nowadays you can go to music school or University and do courses on popular rock or Jazz and play Bass Guitar!

30 years ago - you would have had to play 'legit' piano and Double Bass to study music and you woudl have been studying Classical Theory.

The way people became rock bass players, was to listen to records, play with other people and pick it up as you went - learn from other musicians and what you saw /heard.


So - go back to 1976 and Norman Watt's-Roy (session BG great and Blockhead) tells how Jaco came over to England with Weather Report.

The audiences in London are full of pro bass players trying to work out what Jaco was doing and then apply it to their playing - no books, no teachers to explain this stuff - just watch and learn!

Norman then applied what he leant from Jaco, to "Hit me with Your Rhythm Stick"!!

To me, this post settles the question.

[Rattman]

Paul McCartney... who else?

[rkejeepin]

Claypool, I think.

[acleex38]

Mick Karn