6 months...its time for a teacher...

[DaveB in VA]

Check out Teach Me Bass Guitar ([Invalid or Expired Link Removed]) by Roy Vogt. It's a 20 lesson video course on 10 DVDs, or you can get the streaming version if you don't want the physical disks. Roy also offers skype lessons and sometimes has special rates during the summer (www.royvogt.com). The TMBG goes from beginner (never held a bass before) through advanced lessons. One of the cool things is that each lesson has two songs for you to learn that reinforce the lesson material and you can play along with Roy's band.

Another thing that you can do is to find and join your local Blues Society, go to their jams and play with other musicians. This has helped me a great deal.

 

[Nickweissmusic]

Obviously I'm going to be partial to finding a private teacher ;-) the better you can organize and express your goals, the easier you can find the right fit. 6 months experience stil plants you firmly in the "beginner" category, but that doesn't mean you can't be selective.

Let the teacher know what styles you'd like to learn, and that you want to develop your ear to figure out music. Ask how the teacher would go about that. If they're iffy, or their method doesn't appeal to you, move on.

Keep in mind, teachers can be selective too. As a teacher, there was a red flag in your post: the word "fast." How fast is fast, and what do you want to accomplish? You should certainly expect results, but keep your goals realistic. Fixing technique issues can take a mere matter of weeks, depending on how quickly you adopt the changes. Learning to figure out music? Who knows. It completely depends on your innate ability to separate parts out in your mind, your musical memory, and the level of difficulty. Weeks? Extremely doubtful. Months? Possible if you've got a high talent level and are focused in your work, and you're not working on difficult music. But truth be told, a well developed ear is the work of a lifetime.

You've got the work ethic to make a go of it, the smarter you are in your search, the better your results will be. Good luck!

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Teacher.
Abandon tabs.
Learn to read and play with your fingers.

Good luck!

 

[BassLover668]

Listen McCartney basslines.
The Shadows and The Ventures are so good too.

 

[JohnPaulSmith]

I'm going to partially disagree with the advice to abandon tabs. I do agree that you shouldn't rely on them as a crutch. However I think they can be valuable as a check on what you think your ears are telling you. Work out the line by ear and then check a couple tabs to see how you did. Use them with caution though. Tabs are often incorrect. Don't assume they are gospel.

 

[Spidey2112]

When I first took up golf, I couldn't afford lessons, so I self- taught myself, and man, did I suck.

Several years later, my economic conditions improved, and I could finally afford the lessons...

... I didn't really improve, but I did learn the 'why' behind the fact that I sucked...

... so I got that going for me.

 

[Duanestuermer]

A qualified teacher can keep you from falling into bad habits that can negatively effect the way you play for years ahead.
I had a teacher (who eventually ended up in the New York Philharmonic) who had me play with the bass in front of a mirror, this allowed me to catch any awkward movements and become a fluid player. He pointed out any movement that would slow progress, and made me watch for it.
Later an impromptu lesson with Jaco in the late 70s helped solidify much of what the first teacher said.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

A qualified teacher can keep you from falling into bad habits that can negatively effect the way you play for years ahead.
I had a teacher (who eventually ended up in the New York Philharmonic) who had me play with the bass in front of a mirror, this allowed me to catch any awkward movements and become a fluid player. He pointed out any movement that would slow progress, and made me watch for it.
Later an impromptu lesson with Jaco in the late 70s helped solidify much of what the first teacher said.

Good point - how does one determine who is "Qualified"?
Ask for references. Seriously - is he/she in a working band? Does she/he have other students who can attest to their skills?
Don't assume. I had a few teachers who were terrible in my day.

 

[girhen]

Don't worry about who your prospective teacher played with. If they had a yearlong stint with Phish, it doesn't matter. How well they teach counts. How much attention are they paying to you, how much experience do they have as a teacher (in music or otherwise), and how well do they seem to get through to you? That's what counts in any teaching setting.

I admittedly never took lessons. I don't recommend that if you're having issues or are inclined to get one anyway. I was a bit lucky and picked up on things pretty quickly (something I tend to have knack for in general). I played a couple hours a day regularly, and sought to learn Iron Maiden as soon as I could. For the first year or two I used tabs and watched Youtube bassists who played the music I like to learn songs. I noticed I could start picking out when tabs were wrong because my ear was improving, and then I sought to ditch tabs as much as I could. I jammed with people when I could play more than a few songs. If I had a sleepless night, I'd play without an amp and work on messing around with fingering.

Play a lot of different stuff. Try different techniques. Get a bass learning book. Get a teacher. Don't just play the same 3 songs over and over if you're having trouble. Play the same 3 songs if that's all you actually have time or energy for that day. Some practice is always better than none, but don't get in a rut. A day or two off isn't a bad thing. Play songs harder than you think you can do and try to play them well. Don't give up on a song fast, but do decide to come back later once you've improved the transition, lick, or technique that is stopping your from playing it. Yes, there are contradictions in there. It's all part of the process.

 

[Whippet]

Are you studying out of a book? Are you just playing random notes that sound good when you're jamming with your friends?

1. If you don't have a book buy these two books: Bass Methods and Bass Aerobics. And go buy yourself a Beat Buddy.

2. Then go to the internet and check out some videos made by Billy Sheehan. He will tell you how to hold the bass.

3. Practice the living daylights out of Bass Methods and Bass Aerobics. I would say 7:3 ratio (time). Use the Beat Buddy. Every single time you play, just turn that machine on. No excuse. Just turn that sucker on. Turn it 70 to 80BPM every single time you play.

4. Come back and thank me 6 months later.

5. Then go find yourself a teacher.

6. After being with a teacher for 6 more months, then join Ari's Bass Blog. Buy her book.

7. Come back and thank me again 6 months later.

I kid you not. This will work. Takes time, effort, and money. But it will save you time, effort and money.

Don't be fooled into thinking all you need is a bass, an amp and some friends. You'll end up like the Wyld Stallyns in Bill and Ted's Adventure. I kid you not.

 

[Duanestuermer]

I agree finding a qualified teacher can be harder rather, than easier.
My first 3 teachers were all members of the symphony. I wasn't looking to play symphonic music, or any certain pop song, or emulate a temporary star, but wanted to actually learn to play bass. This lead to spending a couple years as a performance major at the local university, then years on the road, playing on many recordings in many musical genre's, musicals/plays and gigs that required the ability to read charts quickly and cut rehearsal times by 50% or more. Depending on your age and ambition, this may or may not be your cup of tea.
I remember an interview with Bill Wyman, where they asked him if he ever desired to learn to play like someone as accomplished as Stanley Clark, and he said something to the effect that if he did, it would put him out of a job in his band.