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bass guitarsecrets.com

#41
Man, I took one look at that site and hit the "back" button on my browser. There's prolly more in the Mel Bay bass method than in that site. Originally, I was signed up for a "one a week" video lesson for that instrument with thin strings. I forget what the site for that was, but it was pretty cool most of the time. When I got into bass I decided to look for something similar. I did sign up for something (I guess) cus about a week ago I got an e-mail for his "new" system or something.

No offense, but the guy is a freaking windbag!
 
#43
Here's the secret...

If you want to be famous and make fishloads of money, write catchy songs with more hooks than a tacklebox, aiming for somewhere between the 13-39 year old crowd. Don't forget the "look" too!

If you want to be a good bass player, practice a lot.
 
#45
greekbassist said:
Hi Everyone,

I was wondering what your opinion's are on stuff like this that is offered on the internet?http://www.bassguitarsecrets.com/

I know one has to becareful because the internet is like an infomercial...However, I downloaded a free sample of what lessons would be like and I liked them very much.

This guy Alex Sampson (is a teacher and bassis) who also writes a blog that I checked out while downloading a sample of what his lessons would pertain...

PLEASE read carefully (even though it's long) and tell me what you all think...

If I did go for this program, I figure I have nothing to loose as my money is refunable and it's not like I am spending a fortune....

Thanks, Greekbassist
Click to expand...

He left out the most important and valuable secret there is to bass playing..... or playing any instrument for that matter...
PRACTICE!!!!!!
 
#47
fryBASS said:
Close this. I went to the page and then Norton blocked a virus from it :/
Click to expand...
+1. It wasn't a virus per se, but it was spyware telling me I had spyware and I could install a spyware program to remove the spyware that they just put on my machine. Any good bass lesson program would never accept advertising from spyware companies as it would make enough money on its own. Time for Spybot :(
 
#53
Shovelbone said:
He left out the most important and valuable secret there is to bass playing..... or playing any instrument for that matter...
PRACTICE!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Hi everyone,
I'm a bass player of 17+ years, and I bought Bass Guitar Secrets a couple of years ago. I've since bought his Fretboard Formula and the Bass Chopz Accelerator.

I like these courses. They are a bit rambling, but they are basically the same as any other bass book - taking you through the important stuff step by step, with exercises, anecdotes, thoughts and enthusiasm.

Alex has said he used the name "Bass Guitar Secrets" cos it sounded cool, nothing else. And to say he forgot to mention practice - almost every page has what he calls "woodshed exercises" - ie "go away and practice this".

We all love playing bass - the sound, the feel, the groove, the weight(!) what does it matter how we learn? Why can't we use whatever resources we want? I have all of Dave Overthrow's books and they are also great - I would recommend them and Alex Sampson's stuff equally, but I know some people would prefer one over the other.

Let's just celebrate the fact that we all have a common love, and give the guitarist some groove back.

For god sake, people!!!! It's like a school yard in here sometimes!!!!

Peace and love on 4, 5, 6, or 8 strings (but not 7!!!)

David
 
#54
Id T Bass said:
Hi everyone,
I'm a bass player of 17+ years, and I bought Bass Guitar Secrets a couple of years ago. I've since bought his Fretboard Formula and the Bass Chopz Accelerator.

I like these courses. They are a bit rambling, but they are basically the same as any other bass book - taking you through the important stuff step by step, with exercises, anecdotes, thoughts and enthusiasm.

Alex has said he used the name "Bass Guitar Secrets" cos it sounded cool, nothing else. And to say he forgot to mention practice - almost every page has what he calls "woodshed exercises" - ie "go away and practice this".

We all love playing bass - the sound, the feel, the groove, the weight(!) what does it matter how we learn? Why can't we use whatever resources we want? I have all of Dave Overthrow's books and they are also great - I would recommend them and Alex Sampson's stuff equally, but I know some people would prefer one over the other.

Let's just celebrate the fact that we all have a common love, and give the guitarist some groove back.

For god sake, people!!!! It's like a school yard in here sometimes!!!!

Peace and love on 4, 5, 6, or 8 strings (but not 7!!!)

David
Click to expand...

I also bought Bass Guitar Secrets. I have mixed feelings about Alex's stuff. He is very good at breaking down the fundamentals in simple terms. For instance, he does a great job of teaching modes and how they should be applied, as well as the basic theory of harmonizing the major scale. He really helped me "get it" when it came to keys and how to decipher chord numbers like I, iii, V, vi, etc.

But he can babble a bit, especially in his videos. And his sales pitch is definitely over the top. He constantly talks everything up as "super secret" and "best tip ever" and "instant mastery". That type of stuff. And the sales pitch doesn't stop after you buy his material. The material itself is full of it also, as are his follow-up emails. The truth is, nothing he's teaching is new. It's all theory and fundamentals. He just seems to have a knack for putting things into terms a regular guy (like me) can grasp.

Also, there is speculation he has done some "shady" marketing, even here on TB. Like posing as a student and posting rave reviews about his products, and other types of false advertising elsewhere on the net.
 
#55
The biggest thing that no-one seems to have mentioned is that if you're a beginner you need a real, dyed in the wool teacher. Doesn't matter how good the source material is, if you've not got someone who can check out your playing and make sure you're not making fundamental mistakes (either in interpretation or physically) then you're just storing up problems that will have to be corrected further down the line.

There are some great books out there that can help - but having a good teacher is an absolute necessity in my opinion.
 
#56
JimmyM said:
+1. It wasn't a virus per se, but it was spyware telling me I had spyware and I could install a spyware program to remove the spyware that they just put on my machine. Any good bass lesson program would never accept advertising from spyware companies as it would make enough money on its own. Time for Spybot :(
Click to expand...

I got one of those from the freakin' Weather Channel. I think they come in from the syndicated ads - the ones with all the scams on them. You know, like "Housewife loses 35 pounds in 20 days, learn her amazing secret!"

Come to think of it, that would fit in pretty well with those "[instrument] secrets" websites.
 
#57
For god sake, people!!!! It's like a school yard in here sometimes!!!!"

As a buyer, if you've got a guitar background, it's worth digging his approach, as well as the many gifted teachers and players on TalkBass.

Alex, you're OK in my opinion!
 
#58
Actually, though you might hate me for it, I found TB when running a search to see if the BGS shite was a scam.

I saw the opinions of the people here and decided I didn't want to risk the cash, but then my tax refund came in and was like five or six times what I expected it to be, so i went ahead and bought the hardcopy version (which was like high-quality self publishing stuff used in like inter-office presentations or something, but terrible for mass publication).

I did learn stuff from this book series. Because of him, I now understand the concept of chord spellings.

BUT

The guy's a windbag. His editting is garbage, his writing style is WAY too informal for a teaching series, and some of his explinations are really hard to figure out due to awkward wording.

I wouldn't mind if he put out some dvds or something though, to go along with his method. I am better at learning through watching than learning through reading.

And his advertising annoys me - plus I have no idea how to log in to his web site to get the extras he offered in the ads.
 
#59
There are some secrets... like the CAGED system for guitar (and bass too). That was a pretty good secret for many years. And when learning guitar chords, nothing beats Johnny Rector's method. James Jamerson and Ray Brown took some "secrets" with them 'cuz no one has done it since. My "secrets" for bass are all borrowed from others. Not getting complicated with scales is a big one. Just maj7, min7, dom7, dim7 - the vocalist or soloist only need these notes. They're already singing the 11ths and lowered ninths. The chord progression dictates all one needs to play. In fact, the bassist guides the entire ensemble along the progression (the drummer is the true bandleader, then the bassist - the rest can make any noises they want and it will sound good). The most important "secret" of bass is physical skill - getting your tone in the fingers, because a hundred notes will never beat good tone for audience appreciation. Learning to weave arpeggios and inversions into a musical line and exhausting the notes from one position before shifting into the adjacent position. And the best secret is the magic of open strings - as Tommy Tedesco said, the open strings and first four frets are the "money notes" - perhaps all you really need...the rest of the neck says "Look at me! I'm a star!"
 

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