Advice

[pandros]

What is the one piece of advice you wish you could have given yourself... when you first started to play bass??

 

[Hulktopus]

I would tell myself to take a few lessons instead of self-teaching.

 

[two fingers]

Buy less gear and practice more.

 

[Peepaleep]

Buy less gear and practice more.

+1

Less gear, more practice, and don't stop taking lessons.

 

[El-Bob]

Learn basic major and minor chord formation, and jam with skilled musicians as often as possible. There's no more effective way to learn than jamming with more skilled musicians than yourself, it seems.

 

[Fallen Zephyr]

Just take it easy, both technique wise and with not trying to over think things musically or being to worried about things being perfect.

 

[EricssonB]

She's crazy, wrap it up.

 

[fearceol]

Wear hearing protection if/when playing in a band !

 

[mcglyph]

Have the loosest most, "ready" fingers on both hands possible, I mean right against the fretboard, muting the BOTTOM string with those nice loose effortless fingers, keeping your fret hand in a cluster to whatever extent possible, so all of them are ready to do something, not full of tension and hangin in space. Practice string crossing forever, alternating fingers.

 

[Jhengsman]

Go ahead and join that band.

 

[SurferJoe46]

Clothing is not optional. (I played a lot of topless bars in SoCal)

 

[basslayer]

Don't be afraid to outgrow a band.

 

[Bassist4Eris]

Stop playing so many damn notes!

 

[lbbc]

Stay with it..never stop playing and play with as many musicians as possible.

 

[gai113]

pay attention to tension, posture, technique while playing

you can really cause bad habits and injury early

 

[RoadRanger]

Spend less time "talking" about it and more time "doing" it .

 

[JTE]

Listen to the whole band sound, not just bass and drums.

OWN the harmony- know the chords of every song and how they relate to the melody.

Have fun!

That redhead with the big... well, never mind...

John