Becoming a good bassist?

[WrapRough]

So I'm guessing you don't have an active bass then!

It's my favourite thing about my P bass lol

 

[mambo4]

How about you put the time and effort to be the best bassist you can be and don’t worry that other stuff?

One thing that has helped me is constant (weekly, sometimes 2 in a week) gigs - when there is a time, a date, and an audience that can’t be postponed, the motivation to learn the tunes and play well makes practice have a much more obvious purpose.

Another thing I did was I threw myself in situations where I started playing live gigs (as soon as I able to). I learned how to memorize songs without looking at sheet music.

+1 to the above

The path to good enough for the gig is more efficient, direct, and measurable
than the elusive path to a vaguely conceived good bassist

so my response to the Op is: join a gigging band.
A few other posts have mentioned this (not enough imho)
preferably a cover band so you are forced to learn established material

Other suggestions are certainly worthy (teacher, theory, reading, attitude, practice)
But nothing accelerates learning like on the job pressure.
I have found this to be true both musically and professionally.

As a side benefit , after a few years of gigs,
you will worry less about if you are good

 

[BlueTalon]

So I'm guessing you don't have an active bass then!

Very few people had active basses in 1979.

 

[Jay-Double-You]

I do not hope 30 is too late. I started last year, at age 54
Yes, I go to a teacher, study every day with a good study plan and love it.
If I will be good, I do not care. I don't want to face the jury.

 

[dalkowski]

Set specific goals. "Become a good bassist and musician" isn't a specific goal. Define what "good" means to you — "I want to be able to [fill in the blank] well."

A good teacher can build a learning plan that will, assuming you put in the work, get you to your goals step by step.

Good luck!

 

[Jay-Double-You]

Yes a learning plan is essential. Just read this book:
Deliberate Practice For Bass Guitar 2.0: How To Practice For Constant And Consistent Improvement
by Paul Wolfe

One of the topics is a 12 weeks plan. In that period you have besides your daily routine one focus point.
It is a good book that can help you to set up a practice plan.

 

[MaidenVT]

hello guys!I am 30 years old and intermediate low self thought bassist. I proposed myself to become a good bassist and musician. Is it a kid's dream or is it really possible ?
I know anything in this life is impossible but Realistically speaking, can that happen?

Regards to everyone, long life to music

You can do anything you want to do if you put your mind to it and give it a 100%. If there's a certain style of music you like, look to your favorite bass guitarists and start learning their songs.

 

[Gramski]

Set specific goals. "Become a good bassist and musician" isn't a specific goal. Define what "good" means to you — "I want to be able to [fill in the blank] well."

A good teacher can build a learning plan that will, assuming you put in the work, get you to your goals step by step.

Good luck!

That 100% - The standard caveat - everyone's mileage will differ depending on where they are on their bass journey, "natural ability", age, time available for practice etc. but I think the good teacher \ mentor is absolutely crucial if you want to develop more quickly in the way that you want. One of the challenges I find for defining [SMART] goals is making them challenging but realistically attainable within a speficied timeframe and putting together a plan that will help me achieve them. I don't have the experience to do that.

The internet has great resources (free and paid) but they are all generic. A great tutor will focus on you. I am a 55 year old beginner who has never played an instrument before in their lives and six months ago I started lessons every 3 to 4 weeks with a tutor who has improved my playing and confidence immensely. There is a mix of why \ what \ how based usually around 5 specific exercises plus a song. The lesson is recorded so that I can play it back later and pick up nuggets of information that I would otherwise have potentially missed. I then need to submit a video of me playing the exercises and the song before I can book the next lesson.

This has helped me build a range of skills while learning \ putting together a set list of songs that I like which I am now starting to use with a couple of guitarists.

 

[pepj]

I would also add working to strict time and dont put yourself in a position where you have to cover the drummer who is not solid.

Too many bands have no chance of sounding any good because the fundamentals arent there and that starts with the drummer.
The problem is...too many musicians are oblivious to this.

 

[dalkowski]

One of the challenges I find for defining [SMART] goals is making them challenging but realistically attainable within a speficied timeframe and putting together a plan that will help me achieve them. I don't have the experience to do that.

As you know, that's the great benefit of a good teacher: You have the goal, s/he knows the path — and by extension the balance of challenging/achievable.

May I humbly suggest you remove the timeframe from your SMART process? That is, unless you're the type (I'm similar) who do better with a deadline to prod them.

Good luck, enjoy the journey!

 

[beatmachine pro]

I think if your 30 and seriously getting into music your doing it for the right reasons
getting good is really a matter of taking the proper steps in the proper order

1-play what you can not what you cant
2-play with a drum pattern
3-learning modes is all about muscle memory
4-learn to visualize scales on the fretboard
5 learn to play by ear by recognizing root notes and simple progressions

fundimentally youll be good at some things and bad at others,
focus on what your good at to develop your own style.
,,,bettr to play 20min 4 0r 5 times a day.

 

[10emmanuel]

Talent will float to it’s own level. How about you put the time and effort to be the best bassist you can be and don’t worry that other stuff?

In that regard, what criteria are you using to judge yourself? Do you record so you can hear how you actually sound? Are you playing by yourself, in a band, or to prerecorded music? Thought about taking some basic music theory classes classroom or online? How much time do you have to pursue this goal?

Finally, will you enjoy the process and be satisfied when becoming the best bassist you can be (which is a moving target as you grow BTW) when you find out you aren’t the next Jaco, Prista, or Entwistle?

I can’t say it’s impossible as there are too many unanswered questions. I just listed a few basic ones. It’s up to you to answer them, and in that pursuit you will find your answer. Best wishes.

"How about you put the time and effort to be the best bassist you can be and don’t worry that other stuff?"

I liked that!