I am a drummer first and just starting the bass. I highly recommend a clic track, like APP Soundbrenner, for your phone will do well.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Advice on practicing
- Thread starter louismcohen
- Start date
Question. What are some practice tips for an absolute beginner? I have no clue what I'm doing when I try to practice. I'll figure out a few notes and practice something slow but I'm just marking time by going that route. Would love to link up with another beginner online and do a virtural practice. Been trying different sites but haven't found one that really works. Any suggestions?
You could wade through 68 pages of this thread, but the TLDR is just "get this book".
The Hal Leonard Bass Method thread
The general view is that lag makes this almost impossible. If you're using software that gives a direct connection (not through a central server) and both of you have a very fast connection you could get the lag down to the low 10s of milliseconds, but it's likely to be higher and playing in sync will be very difficult.
The whole secret is time and consistency, every thing else will follow, speed comes after accuaracy. More you handle it better off you'll be.
Check out Mark J Smith's TalkingBass.net beginner lessons you tube playlist for legit ideas about what to practice
I respectfully disagree! Reading music helps you come across ideas that you may have not come up with otherwise. It’s maybe not as helpful for your development as internalizing something from learning it by ear, but it’s just one more method of learning to have at your disposal. Obviously it’s not vital to being able to play at a high level, but it certainly helps!
I am learning and have the following a Korg TM60 metronome,$25 this has a volume control v important to keep the noise down to keep the peace and a Alesis SR 16 drum machine I got of here for $60 both work well and it’s good to change it up.
Learning musical notation is really important and fairly easy once your in the right mind set tab is easy but, better to spend your time on notation, a teacher will help a lot but a specific bass teacher not a guitar teacher, I spent a year and a half with a guitar teacher big mistake, I am using the Hal Leonard books, if you buy them make sure to get the ones with the code and not the CD as the cds can’t be adjusted meaning looped, tempo changed etc, slowly helps me and I write out what I play daily to reenforce the notes location and so on, I do 3 or 4 times 15/20 mins and find this works best
Good luck and enjoy
Learning musical notation is really important and fairly easy once your in the right mind set tab is easy but, better to spend your time on notation, a teacher will help a lot but a specific bass teacher not a guitar teacher, I spent a year and a half with a guitar teacher big mistake, I am using the Hal Leonard books, if you buy them make sure to get the ones with the code and not the CD as the cds can’t be adjusted meaning looped, tempo changed etc, slowly helps me and I write out what I play daily to reenforce the notes location and so on, I do 3 or 4 times 15/20 mins and find this works best
Good luck and enjoy
