Is(Was) your bass teacher a guitarist?

[paniak17]

Is(Was) your bass teacher a guitarist? Mine is and I like him a lot, but I've heard other people say that they don't like guitarist bass teachers. What's your Beef?

[BassGod]

My bass teacher is a guitarist. He was a great guy, and for a short period of time I played in his band (but later I left). He taught me a lot of theory, like modes of scales, etc. which I really enjoyed. BUT, he couldn't teach me techniques like slapping or popping, so I had to learn those myself. Because I wasn't taught properly, my technique is probably terrible and unreversible. Luckily, now that my local L&M is giving lessons, I can finally have a bass teacher who actually plays bass!

Peace,
Graeme

[sargebaker]

Same my teacher is guitarist/luthier who's been playing for 30 some years and plays with the likes of Alain Caron So he teaches mostly theory and modes (which i have a hard time understanding) and when I don't feel like learning we Jam. He's like quasi Steve Vai calibur I tell ya! he's insane. I'm gonna start ear training when I go back. I just wish he could teach me technique and stuff cause I'm having trouble with the slap-double pop thing where it sounds like a triplet but you're slapping and then doing 2 pops really quickly... And I cant do the really fast slap thing, I believe you call them "thumb rolls"

[CamMcIntyre]

Right now-i am the only "no" vote. My teacher also plays: tuba, trombone, euphonium, banjo, and string bass. He's a general low end guy vs. a guitar/bass only person.

[Eyescream]

I'm another no vote. My bass teacher graduated from university under the music program specializing in string and electric bass. As far as I know, all he plays is bass, and in addition to teaching is a working jazz bassist locally.

He's awesome, too. I feel pretty lucky.

[Boplicity]

I've had several teachers over the years. Two of those were primarly guitarists. The best teacher was the first chair double bassist in a symphony orchestra plus played electric guitar in a very successful rock band. The difference in the quality of instruction between the latter teacher and the two guitar specialists was dramatic.

I feel one huge difference was that the bassist loved the bass and had tremendous respect for what it could achieve and its place both in an orchestra setting or in a heavy metal band. He instilled that love in me and made me proud to be a bass player. He also knew of and respected many of the great bass players in several genres of music. He could appreciate their skills and basslines. I never got anything like that from the guitarists.

Another thing, the guitarists just weren't that well developed in terms of bass technique. Thye had some basic knowledge, yes, but a highly experienced bass player can just take skills so much further. They have a much deeper understanding of the instrument and know how to pass that on to a focused student.

I believe a guitarist can probably get a new student started. They can teach music reading and theory, some basic technique and a few fundamentals of bassline creation. But I feel if that student reaches a point at which he really wants to go on to the next level, there is nothing like having a teacher who has chosen the bass guitar or double bass as his primary instrument and has a more complex and highly developed sense of what the instrument can do.

[Pause]

My first teacher was a classical guitarist. He really couldn't tell me more than what string was which and the mechanics of what frets do to the pitch... which I already knew. It even came to a point where he said it would be better if I got myself a teacher who was primarily a bassist.

[Coutts_is_god]

In the past maybe two, give or take a few months, years I have been taking lessons I have gone through 4 teachers. 1 bass player other guitar players. I really respect them all. They tought me so much.

[Aaron Saunders]

Originally Posted by Pause

My first teacher was a classical guitarist. He really couldn't tell me more than what string was which and the mechanics of what frets do to the pitch... which I already knew. It even came to a point where he said it would be better if I got myself a teacher who was primarily a bassist.

Clearly he wasn't a very good teacher at all then. He could've taught you everything a bass teacher does, short of technique and the proper perspective and role as a bassist.

[MacheteJames]

My former teacher, Lucas Pickford, was (and is) a 6 string bass playing monster of a player.... and he admitted to me that he can't play guitar worth a damn, but he doesn't even own one, so that's okay. I think having a real bassist for a teacher is far, far better than a guitarist.. even using something like Musicdojo.com would be of more use than lessons from a guitar player, who is likely to start you off on the wrong foot, unless they are a true multi-instrumentalist.. just my .01

[Frank Martin]

My teacher graduated from the Academy of Music as a DB-player and later learned BG, as well (you know, those kind of things were very rare in the Eastern block in those times).
I think its cool.
He's a very technical player and the other thing he emphasizes a lot is time - which are both very important to us bassists

[RicPlaya]

I did have a guitar/bass teacher. Very cool guy but no right hand technique to speak of! Also I feel you need a teacher that can get in your head and teach you how to think like a bass player, how to support a tune not rip crazy solos.

[andrewd]

my bass teacher is both bassist and classically-trained guitarist.

[I-Love-Ratm]

Originally Posted by BassGod

My bass teacher is a guitarist. He was a great guy, and for a short period of time I played in his band (but later I left). He taught me a lot of theory, like modes of scales, etc. which I really enjoyed. BUT, he couldn't teach me techniques like slapping or popping, so I had to learn those myself. Because I wasn't taught properly, my technique is probably terrible and unreversible. Luckily, now that my local L&M is giving lessons, I can finally have a bass teacher who actually plays bass!

Peace,
Graeme

Ya he was a great Jazz guitarist by the name of Mark O Leary.Anyone know him?He too thaught me theory but I need technique lessons.

[BucketButt]

My bass instructor does play guitar (and teaches beginning guitar), but he is first and foremost a bassist and bass instructor.