Words of Encouragment

[sherlock10851]

Any

[randall p]

Less difficult? Dunno about that. Advice, have good timing. You don't need to play 100 notes over 4 bars, just play 4 notes with the right time and groove and you will be an asset to your band.

[anonymous122511]

Originally Posted by sherlock10851

I just want to be able to play for my church... Is there a way to make it, less difficult?

No there isn't. Learn to embrace the difficult...to look at it as a gift. Easy makes you comfortable and comfortable makes you soft and slow. Constantly exceeding your comfort zone is the only way to move forward.

Some advice I was given years ago that's gotten me through many moments of doubt and discouragement is to always play like it's the last time you're gonna get to because one time you pick up the instrument it will be.

[waleross]

Get into an ensamble ( group ) of any kind. Have your teacher help you find a situation to play in. You can't play bass alone , music is a social function. the sooner you do this the better. I remember playing for the first time in school bands, the experience was very valuable. In your case,there might be a music studio that offers beginning esamble playing, Just a thought...............Best of luck .....

[Coop Soup]

Learn your foundation and never slack on the basics. Once you get those down (that happens through practice... sorry, now easy way here) you'll be able to expand.

[elwood1205]

Congrats on the enthusiasm. Some of the things I have taken to heart over the last 26 years or so are
*Play with others. Nothing is quite as satisfying as being part of something. Exchanging ideas and music with others is kind of what it is all about.
*Try and play with folks that are more advanced than you are. I always felt like I learned a ton from playing with people whose education/ability was a little more than mine. It made me always bring my A game. Constantly challenge yourself. Also play with folks with different musical influences. You can learn a lot from all types of music and relate it to what you play.
*Find a good teacher. I had a great one for about six months when I was first starting and I ended up moving away. I was never able to make that connection with another teacher again unfortunately. Which leads me to another point on teachers - try a few out before you decide, if you can. Sometimes personalities or teaching styles don't gel, find one that leads you but also challenges you.
*Just play. Sometimes I'll throw the iPod on shuffle and just try and play whatever comes up next. If I know it already, I play it anyway for practice. If I don't, I try and learn it.
*Lastly, and most importantly, have fun.

[sammyp]

learn how to play:

Folson Prison Blues - Cash (country root/5th)
Stand By Me - Ben E King (motown std)
Let Me Love you Baby - SRV (walking blues)
Every Breath You Take - The Police (pop)
Slow Ride - Foghat (classic rock) easy slap
Limelight - Rush (easier Geddy)
That's the Way i Like it (intro to 70s funk)
Play that Funky Music White Boy ( intro to 70s funk)

it's all about working around a few styles IMO

[billgwx]

Offering some sage advice from another hobby of mine, I'll just say Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew (or in this case Play the Bass)!

[Jazzdogg]

Be patient with yourself: becoming a bassist is a life-long marathon, not a sprint.

Practicing correctly and deliberately provides better results than practicing the wrong stuff for long periods: quality, not quantity.

Make a list of the thing you need to learn and practice, and have your teacher help you prioritize the list.

Avoid the temptation of doing what's fun instead of what's necessary.

Master the previous before leaping to the subsequent.

Whenever you are awake, you have an opportunity to work on your time and listening skills: no instrument required.

Learn the cycle backward and forward.

Learn to read standard notation, and develop a left-hand technique that facilitates sight-reading!

Learn basic piano - it makes learning theory much easier!

Ear training is imperative for bassists. Learn to hear, sing, and play intervals in all keys; start with perfect fourths, perfect fifths, major and minor thirds, octaves.

If you can have fun while paying your dues, you'll enjoy the ride a lot more. But you've gotta do the work. Pay your dues. There are no magic bullets.

Do not compare yourself to anyone else. The only person you have to be better than is yourself.

Read Victor Wooten's book!

[calshands]

A few things that I have found to help:

-- play with others (can't say enough for that)
-- get a stand: out of sight = out of mind. You'd be surprised how much you'll pick her up.
-- play a little every day. Have a set time of 10 mins to play. You can always play more...
-- relax. Time will pass whether you want it to or not. In 5 years, you'll be saying, " I remember when it was a struggle to play I-IV-V in G!"

[SMILEYSIXX]

Learn your scales. It sounds so cliche and over stated, but trust me, learn them. Once you can figure out keys and you learn how to play around with that, improvisation and making your own lines becomes easy street. I was with the school percussion ensemble today at the states competition and they left the cafeteria open for people just to sit and practice (but most of us bassists and guitarists were screwing around) and I was messing around with my scales and this bassist walks up and is flabbergasted by these crazy lines I was improvising. The look on his face when I told him it was a I-IV-V chord progression was priceless.

Long story short, you can do A LOT if you know your scales.

[James Judson]

Lots of good advice here.

I say: Learn the basic chords on guitar and keys. Being able to "read" other musicians is priceless.

Best advice is "don't quit". As you plug on down that long hard road you will not perceive the advances but in a short time someone will say "your really good" and you'll know your starting to get it.

[LowNotes1]

A few recommendations:

It is better to play fewer notes well than a lot of notes poorly.

Play along with recordings. It will help with your timing and is less boring than using a metronome.

Keep your bass in tune.

Have someone set up your bass properly for you if you are unable to do it yourself. Some players like high action for better tone or whatever, but it can also be challenging for newbies as it may slow down your playing. Even after playing for 37 years, when I get a bass the first thing I do is set the action as low as possible without getting fret buzz. You can always raise it later on, after you get your fingers in shape.

[gnjpowell]

Ah yes, words of encouragement. BTDT. Started playing at an aged 51 year, will be 54 this summer. Always wanted to play bass since high school. Got a late start! Self taught, not one lesson. I too just wanted to be able to play in church after re-discovering music after 30 years away from listening when I first heard so-called "modern worship" or "contemporary worship" music (rock & roll with Christian lyrics) after re-discovering church. Now I'm a regular on the worship team and playing in 2-3 bands. Very first paying gig tonight! Whowouldahthunkit????? If I can do it so can you - stick with it Bro! Find players better than you to play with. Practice. Alot. HAVE FUN!

[sherlock10851]

Originally Posted by sherlock10851

Any words of encouragement for a new bass player just starting?

I have been in love with this instrument forever but never had the guts to decide to learn to play... I am 25, have a private teacher and am trying to pick stuff up from various websites... My head is spinning... Timing, find the root, know all of the notes on the bass, major minor scales, progressions and lord knows what else...

I just want to be able to play for my church... Is there a way to make it, less difficult?

Thank you all very much for your input! It will all go to good use. I will definitely be here and there on this site... clearly the toughest thing to achieve is patience... but I wont quit

[Cirk]

Learn how to maintain your own instrument. This will give you a much clearer idea of how things work, as well as saving you a lot of money. I'm just talking about the basics here - adjustments and setup. Leave the heavy work to those who are more qualified (and this is not me).
One great thing about this site is that there are so many bassists at so many levels here, and everyone is more than happy to help you out. Just good people.

[geddeeee]

Just practice, practice, practice. Above... Enjoy yourself!!! The bass guitar is an instrument that you either love... or like...

I feel that love gets you further, quicker!!!