I just started playing a few months ago and I just really don't know what I should be practicing to get the most out of my practice time. Any tips or suggestions would be most appreciated. Also if anyone has any tips for transposing music by ear it would be very helpful.
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Advice for a beginner
- Thread starter bsmith27
- Start date
Take care of your hearing. If your bandmates won't turn down (not saying its a problem but be aware of it),wear earplugs or find another band.
I can't stress this enough. You only get one set of ears. Hearing damage is NOT cool, ever.
And play with as many people as you can. Books and online learning is great, but you'll progress a lot faster if you play with others.
Never stop learning.
I can't stress this enough. You only get one set of ears. Hearing damage is NOT cool, ever.
And play with as many people as you can. Books and online learning is great, but you'll progress a lot faster if you play with others.
Never stop learning.
Start with what you enjoy listening to, then expand from there. After a few months see is a few lessons could help, then just take it s you feel till you want to be a bit more serious......but learn to play what you enjoy first. 
Practice time: Scales if your just beginning & play along with what you like as Fergie said
Transposing: You need to know scales to be able to transpose. This is all adding up to
bass lessons which is invaluable to a lot of beginners.
And yes, take care of your ears,don't end up like me.
Transposing: You need to know scales to be able to transpose. This is all adding up to
bass lessons which is invaluable to a lot of beginners.
And yes, take care of your ears,don't end up like me.
A few people have already said it but scales are important when you are first starting out. I also found it invaluable when I got to jam with my best friend who is an amazing guitarists. I was very surprised at how much I learned in a very short time when I joined his band.
Since i started out around a year ago i have been in a band, luckily for me. Its the best way to learn in my opinion, just like learning a language, you need to communicate with others. I also believe that knowing what you are playing and the theory of the bass and all intruments is important to know and understand, but that will come in time as long as you put time and effort into learning it. There are loads of bass lessons on Youtube, almost too many... Which means that yes you can learn lots from it, but you can also learn too many things at the same time, with different people telling you different things. I can give you a tip on one specific bass player on youtube whose channel is called devinebass if im not mistaken. He is a good player no doubt and an eve better teacher, he has one of the biggest and fastest growing bass youtube channels and if you really take in what he has to offer i think you will learn a lot, i sure did, and still am. Cheers
Just 10 mins a day with Ed Friedland's Fast Track books was all it took for me to learn most of the fretboard quickly. Saying the notes (in your head or out loud) as you play them really drives it home.
- Jul 30, 2006
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After 43 years behind the bass, I still practice scales. They always come into play and there's always an application I have not thought of that presents itself.
Scales/Modes are critical for sure. Understanding chords and key help too in improvisation, so that you know when to play which scales or modes when you're jammin'. This is more theoretical. Understanding this music theory can really cut down the time it will take to learn new instruments if you don't want to stop at the bass. Playing with a band can fast track you to kicking your improv game up, so take advantage of band time (play boldly, and don't be afraid to screw up! failure is the best teacher) I would also suggest throwing in a few tabs of your favorite songs to your solo practice sessions to cut down on the monotony of an all-scale session. Work on your ear too. Pick a song you like and try to tab it out yourself. Reverse engineer what you hear! Learning to play your favorite songs is cool, but training your ear will bridge the gap between "bass player" and "lifelong musician".
Learn to read music while playing your bass. Get a good book and have at it. I like "Serious Electric Bass" by Joel DiBartolo, published by Warner Bros. Join the bands at your school. Play real music and get your hands dirty with the materials of music. Get comfortable reading rhythms, "Modern Reading Text in 4/4" by Louis Bellson will help you a lot.
Really learn your fundamentals. Scales,chord tones, basic patterns, etc.
Make sure you have the steak before you worry about the sizzle.
Don't be afraid to pick up a working knowledge of theory. Learn your intervals. I think a search will bring up a few great topics on it right on here.
Once you understand your basics, and how many songs are based on common progressions and patterns, and can identify intervals with some success, transcribing and working by ear becomes easier, because you will have a better idea what you are hearing. And when you can't quite make it out, the knowledge of those common progressions and patterns can allow you to at least make educated guesses.
If you can get a good teacher who can guide you and evaluate your progress, so much the better.
Playing with others where you can is great, but even putting on some of your favorite songs and working on playing along will help move you along towards ear training and application of knowledge.
Make sure you have the steak before you worry about the sizzle.
Don't be afraid to pick up a working knowledge of theory. Learn your intervals. I think a search will bring up a few great topics on it right on here.
Once you understand your basics, and how many songs are based on common progressions and patterns, and can identify intervals with some success, transcribing and working by ear becomes easier, because you will have a better idea what you are hearing. And when you can't quite make it out, the knowledge of those common progressions and patterns can allow you to at least make educated guesses.
If you can get a good teacher who can guide you and evaluate your progress, so much the better.
Playing with others where you can is great, but even putting on some of your favorite songs and working on playing along will help move you along towards ear training and application of knowledge.
Before any suggestions, I need to ask you the most important question:
Are you ready to accept the GROOVE as your one and only guiding light for the bass and play nothing else but the GROOVE in any tempo and any style?
If so, here is my very short "compressed" advice:
Be a Musician (with a capital M) first who is a true Team Player and happens to play the bass guitar.
Remember, the more professional you are, the more you know about the limits of your instrument.
After 40 years with the bass, I'm still trying to follow my own advice.
(In my leisure time, I'm still trying to figure out what I meant.)
+ 1 to all this. Protect your ears once playing live. And, IMO, the best way to get better and learn more is to just jump into a band/group of people and just start jamming with them. I learned a lot from tabs and so forth in the beginning but my best education came from being in a band. And hard blues/rock band to be more precise. Once I learned the blues it was all downhill from there. And playing along to your favorite songs is a great help too. It was for me anyway. Timing is key for bass players too. The best thing I ever did though was jump into a band setting. I didn't know what the hell I was doing at the time but the guys I played with didn't care that much fortunately and coached me a little. Once I got more confidence and learned how to play a few things I was on my way. Good luck and keep on playin!
Learn your fretboard. Learn music. Tab is okay for starting out, but you'll get more out of it if you can learn music as it'll open up a whole lot of music to you that you might not even be thinking about right now.
Also, get a decent bass (if you haven't already), and make sure it's set up properly - if not, some technique issues that you think are your fault might actually be the bass's fault.
Never give up. Don't quit. Learn to enjoy the process, no matter how frustrating/tiring/difficult you find it on any day. Bass is like that good friend or pet who's always happy to see you, no matter what your day has been like. Treat it accordingly.
Also, get a decent bass (if you haven't already), and make sure it's set up properly - if not, some technique issues that you think are your fault might actually be the bass's fault.
Never give up. Don't quit. Learn to enjoy the process, no matter how frustrating/tiring/difficult you find it on any day. Bass is like that good friend or pet who's always happy to see you, no matter what your day has been like. Treat it accordingly.
Yeah. Team player is a must. Gotta let the ego go, and fit in your place to make good music on the whole. I don't care how technically proficient any one player is, if they want to show off all the time instead of making good music with other people, I won't play in a band with them, period. This is more about not being a jerk than having musical talent
.
+1 to playing in a band. Much like jobs and other hobbies, you can spend your life in books learning about it, and still be missing "something" which would be practical experience. If you can find yourself some patient and knowledgeable musicians to play with, do it.
If you can, try setting up a few lessons. It's pretty easy to find someone via craigslist or something like that. You can go to craigslist and find your location, then go to Community section, then Musicians, then type in search box "Bass" title only, and hit search. You'll find teachers.
Some teachers will even give lessons over Skype. It's definitely worth taking a few lessons when you first start. Sure, you could checkout some basic bass lessons on youtube as well, but nothing beats being able to ask questions. You'll learn much faster and you'll develop good habits as opposed to bad ones. The key things that you should learn up front is:
- Tuning the instrument.
- How to hold the instrument while sitting.
- Proper left and right hand positioning.
- Fretting and plucking.
- The C Major scale.
- A simple song in C Major while tapping your foot to maintain a steady tempo.
That simple 30 minute lesson will be the most helpful lesson you'll ever have if you're serious about learning this instrument.
From there, do the homework that the teacher recommends (hopefully they make it fun) and setup a few more lessons. I cannot stress this more. Learning on your own will take much longer than sitting down with someone and playing together.
If for some reason you don't have the money for a lesson, then I'd suggest searching youtube for "beginner bass lessons". You might be able to find some quality lessons there. I've actually learned how to play the banjo pretty decently using youtube only.
Also be aware of the "I suck hump". Whenever you learn anything, you have to get over this hump. Emotionally, it's a bit difficult because for a while you're just going to think you suck and you'll never get better. But don't let the feeling fool you. The more you practice, the better you're getting, whether you see it or not. I remember when I first started, I had the "I suck" feeling for about 3 - 4 months and thought I'd never be able to do it, until a friend of mine said "hey, that's sounds pretty good!". And that's all it takes! It was an eye opener and it really pushed me over that hump. I kept practicing, and in 8 months or so I was already in a band playing basic rock!
If you really want to be a musician, perseverance is key for the first 6 months. Before you know it, all the things you struggled with on your first few lessons will be natural to you and you won't even have to think about it. Just like riding a bike. But from there, there's always something to learn and that's the beauty of being a musician in general.
Don't give up! The rewards are better than you can imagine!
Some teachers will even give lessons over Skype. It's definitely worth taking a few lessons when you first start. Sure, you could checkout some basic bass lessons on youtube as well, but nothing beats being able to ask questions. You'll learn much faster and you'll develop good habits as opposed to bad ones. The key things that you should learn up front is:
- Tuning the instrument.
- How to hold the instrument while sitting.
- Proper left and right hand positioning.
- Fretting and plucking.
- The C Major scale.
- A simple song in C Major while tapping your foot to maintain a steady tempo.
That simple 30 minute lesson will be the most helpful lesson you'll ever have if you're serious about learning this instrument.
From there, do the homework that the teacher recommends (hopefully they make it fun) and setup a few more lessons. I cannot stress this more. Learning on your own will take much longer than sitting down with someone and playing together.
If for some reason you don't have the money for a lesson, then I'd suggest searching youtube for "beginner bass lessons". You might be able to find some quality lessons there. I've actually learned how to play the banjo pretty decently using youtube only.
Also be aware of the "I suck hump". Whenever you learn anything, you have to get over this hump. Emotionally, it's a bit difficult because for a while you're just going to think you suck and you'll never get better. But don't let the feeling fool you. The more you practice, the better you're getting, whether you see it or not. I remember when I first started, I had the "I suck" feeling for about 3 - 4 months and thought I'd never be able to do it, until a friend of mine said "hey, that's sounds pretty good!". And that's all it takes! It was an eye opener and it really pushed me over that hump. I kept practicing, and in 8 months or so I was already in a band playing basic rock!
If you really want to be a musician, perseverance is key for the first 6 months. Before you know it, all the things you struggled with on your first few lessons will be natural to you and you won't even have to think about it. Just like riding a bike. But from there, there's always something to learn and that's the beauty of being a musician in general.
Don't give up! The rewards are better than you can imagine!
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