Noob in Music want to learn bass badly....

Well, welcome to the boards first of all. Next, please use proper english.

From what I could decipher, there's no reason to be scared. Before my first lesson, I was listening to music with crap basslines, I thought that bassists played only with there thumbs, and thought that you press down on the neck in the middle of the frets. Four years later, I'm pretty good i'd say (I'd like to be humble. )

Just don't get pissed when you dont' succeed. Also, personally, I would start with a 5 string bass.

Buy a bass, get a teacher, and practice a lot.

The worst thing you can do without a background in music is try to teach yourself. When theory eventually comes in, you'll be scratching your head.

Welcome to Talkbass.

Get the book "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway".

Buy, download, and install the software program Transcribe! This program allows you to put a CD into a computer and slow down and repeat sections of a song so you can hear it and learn it.

Many people here on Talkbass listen to, learn how to play, and ask about some fairly complex songs and music theory. Don't get caught up in difficult songs right away. Keep a pad of paper and a pen with you as you listen to music in the car or at work and write down song names or if you don't know them write down a part of the song lyrics. When you get to a computer search in Google for "lyrics [type song words here]" and you can find out song names from web pages that have song lyrics.

Learn songs note for note from beginning to the end. If you are frustrated, get songs that are less difficult even if you may not actually like the songs. Listen for songs that you believe you can learn. Start slow and keep going.

Take lessons if you can. If you can not afford continuous lessons, take a few lessons right now to make sure you are holding the bass and fingering in a manner that you will not hurt yourself.

Find the General Instruction and Technique sections of this forum and start reading every post you can. When you are interested in something specific, figure out how to "Search" for more information on that.

Your growth will come in stages as you put effort into this. I am sorry, but you may not learn as quickly as you feel you should. I do not feel that I am getting out of bass what I have put into it. This is typical. We spend so much time thinking about what we want to be able to play, we do not realize how far we have come.

There should be a board at your local music store where you can post a sheet of paper looking for a beginning guitar player to play some songs with.

Good luck.

tim99.

tplyons said:

Buy a bass, get a teacher, and practice a lot.

Click to expand...

Yeah. That pretty much sums it up.

Read everything in General Instruction and Technique that you can, as Tim said.

Click the link for my homepage, (by clicking on my username in this here post).

Search for member Ed Fuqua, and read every post he's ever made. Twice.

Good luck.

tplyons said:

Buy a bass, get a teacher, and practice a lot.

The worst thing you can do without a background in music is try to teach yourself. When theory eventually comes in, you'll be scratching your head.

Click to expand...

I second this. I have been playing bass for two years, and people think I am good ( also humble ) anyway, The only reasosn why I stuck wi th it with out a teacher was my dad was a guitarist, a bassist, a sax player, and a keyboardist, so he helped me out a lot, plus I used to play violin when I was little. I did have a teacher but he wasn't that great ( 5 months in= me" Yes, Rush is a great band, btu I don't want to learn every Rush song known to man, I want to know theory! )

Just stick to it, and at first, it might be a little hard, but after a while, you'll do fine. Also, check otu http://www.bassbooks.com You might find a godo book or two to get there to help you start out.

Do as everyone else has said, and remember this, even the greatest people, in anything, has started at the same point...at the beginning. Ok, some people seem to have more of a "natural" talent for it, but they all started at the same place. You wont learn everything over night. I've been playing some sort of instrument for about 7 years, and there is a bunch more I have to learn. Heck, I still cant play even sixteenth notes....Also, if your not having fun with what your doing...Like if you really hate it and you dread practicing, then it isnt for you. Go and find something new. But dont get this confused with just some minor beginner problems. Like if you dont "get" something, dont give up. Keep trying. Or if you've had a bad week, just keep trying. But you should know within a couple of months if its really for you or if it isnt. And if it turns out, that bass isnt for you, keep looking, there'll be something out there. But the first instrument is always the hardest. After that, it comes TONS easier....

"Noob in Music want to learn bass badly.... "

If you want to play badly, don't follow the advice you've received here. Get a teacher.

Have fun.. Make music.
Best of luck.