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Did You Take Lessons Before You Joined A Band???
- Thread starter El_Charro
- Start date
Self-taught. However, I grew up in a musical family, had general music instruction throughout my life related to singing, and grew up with a good ear and perfect pitch. I learned guitar before bass and so many of the hand techniques transferred; i had a "head start" in many ways.
Had violin lessons from the age of 9. Then trumpet at 11, then guitar at 12, but I took electric bass lessons at 16 because I'd joined a band. After that, I was, musically speaking, raised by wolves. Much later in life I took some bass lessons, mostly because I felt my home-made right hand technique was not really doing it for me.
I self taught. I was a crap lead vocalist in my first band and we needed a bass player after ours departed or whatever. I have always been turned on by the bass so it felt natural to me when I first began playing. Growing up I got a lot of chili peppers and early Metallica in my ear as well as having musicians of various backgrounds and styles in my life, which turned me in to KISS and Overkill. Four completely different bands that are the roots to the tree of my style and musical preferences.
You can do it without instruction but you better train your ear and practice scales.
Voted for lessons..
I started out a complete newb (60) and lucked out on the teacher department...
At the time he was the Music Director & Bass player for a 100+ gig a year cover band that was on the road every weekend.
And his speciality was teaching kids with learning disabilities how to play guitar.
I had no aspirations to be in a band but he encouraged me to find a Jam parter (did) and try an open mic.
When the jam partner’s band got back together they asked me to be their bass player- the old one had moved away.
Lessons (or self study - YMMV) then jam partner- open mic (jump in the fire) then band...
The “play with people who are better than you” is good advice...
I started out a complete newb (60) and lucked out on the teacher department...
At the time he was the Music Director & Bass player for a 100+ gig a year cover band that was on the road every weekend.
And his speciality was teaching kids with learning disabilities how to play guitar.
I had no aspirations to be in a band but he encouraged me to find a Jam parter (did) and try an open mic.
When the jam partner’s band got back together they asked me to be their bass player- the old one had moved away.
Lessons (or self study - YMMV) then jam partner- open mic (jump in the fire) then band...
The “play with people who are better than you” is good advice...
took lessons from the 4th grade up to two years into college...but i wanted to learn music, not necessarily just how to play...i think anyone can learn to play especially with the internet and youtube. some of the greats are self taught..so I don't think that you have to study music itself to be great..however understanding music and how it works is something that you need lessons or classes to learn properly..
You don't need lessons but they do help..
You don't need lessons but they do help..
I'm self-taught on bass, but I did take acoustic/rhythm guitar lessons. It went like this:
I got my first bass, and sat in my room for hours and hours noodling about and picking out the bass lines on all the albums I had and copying them note for note.
Then I started taking acoustic guitar lessons (which lasted for about two years). The tutor would give us a piece of music to take home and practise for the following week's lesson, and once I'd got the chords right for class, I'd go back to the bass and work out the notes that made up the chords, and learn the "shape" of chords on the fretboard, and how that shape changed when then an A became an Am or an A7, etc. and what notes sounded good together, and play around with runs and fills and riffs.
And about six months after I started taking guitar lessons, I joined my first band as a bass player. I then realised another great thing about learning acoustic guitar - I could look at the rhythm guitarist's left hand and know what he was playing, so he didn't have to keep shouting out root notes.
I got my first bass, and sat in my room for hours and hours noodling about and picking out the bass lines on all the albums I had and copying them note for note.
Then I started taking acoustic guitar lessons (which lasted for about two years). The tutor would give us a piece of music to take home and practise for the following week's lesson, and once I'd got the chords right for class, I'd go back to the bass and work out the notes that made up the chords, and learn the "shape" of chords on the fretboard, and how that shape changed when then an A became an Am or an A7, etc. and what notes sounded good together, and play around with runs and fills and riffs.
And about six months after I started taking guitar lessons, I joined my first band as a bass player. I then realised another great thing about learning acoustic guitar - I could look at the rhythm guitarist's left hand and know what he was playing, so he didn't have to keep shouting out root notes.
No, but I did get some lessons along the way.
And I sang in a choir for over 5 years prior to being asked to join a band.
And I sang in a choir for over 5 years prior to being asked to join a band.
It's possible. I've been playing with a covers/party band for the last few years, and haven't taken one lesson. Do I WOW the audience with my precision and skill? No... But I can definitely keep up with the rest of the group, and they're all musicians (music teachers, session players, etc). There are moments, in my own ignorance, where I totally screw up. But I've learned a TON from making mistakes (both minor and major), which slowly teach me the things even a music teacher probably wouldn't even think to mention.
One day, I'd like to be able to take lessons with a good instructor. I think formal training is invaluable, especially if you're pretty serious about your music. But it doesn't seem to be a requirement. Timing, tone, and accuracy will get you further than you may think. Just my experience.
One day, I'd like to be able to take lessons with a good instructor. I think formal training is invaluable, especially if you're pretty serious about your music. But it doesn't seem to be a requirement. Timing, tone, and accuracy will get you further than you may think. Just my experience.
I took some classical guitar lessons at age 10 and electric guitar at around 16 years old. Since I was lazy and my teacher sucked, I forgot most of the stuff pretty soon.
When I was around 25 I picked up a bass and spent two years with YouTube Instructions, Guitar Pro and a little bit of Rocksmith. Then I felt kinda ready and joined a band. Should have done it sooner, since you are forced to learn and become better.
When I was around 25 I picked up a bass and spent two years with YouTube Instructions, Guitar Pro and a little bit of Rocksmith. Then I felt kinda ready and joined a band. Should have done it sooner, since you are forced to learn and become better.
It's a tricky one. I had a lot of formal music education in my younger years, mainly as a chorister in the regional chior. Sight-reading, sight-singing, harmony, counterpoint, solfege, that sort of thing. With material ranging from Plainsong and Psalms through Hymns (Ancient and Modern) to Cantata and full-on productions of things like the St. John Passion and Mozart Requiem. But I never had a bass lesson in my life. I did it the old-fashioned way - listen and repeat. But that early stuff gave me a really good ear, so getting up to speed on the instrument was more of a technical rather than musical challenge. IIRC, I was out playing within a year of picking up the bass. I then had a teacher for music theory to an advanced level, but still no instrument lessons.
This was the '80s, and really I think most electric bass players around at the time were self-taught. There was no internet, so no YouTube for instant access to visual clues, no Ultimate Guitar for instant access to chord sheets or the like, no cheap/free DAW or SmartPhones with 'slower-downer' apps and no community resources such as TalkBass.
There were a few method books, and some came with casettes or flexi-discs, but that was it, and most were pretty poor. I think I was lucky in that I managed to filter out the worst and work through some pretty good ones with materials from the best - Herb Mickman, Chuck Rainey, Rick Laird, Jeff Berlin, Carole Kaye, Joe Hubbard and the like.
Getting to see/watch someone play was a case of going to gigs or catching something on TV. If you were lucky, one of your mates had a VHS and plenty of blank tapes to record live shows like The Old Grey Whistle Test, Oxford Road Show, Rock Goes To College, BBC Sight and Sound or The Tube. Having a good ear was essential. Thankfully that early work gave me that in spades.
But I think that after a year or so you should be thinking about getting out and playing with other people. Not necessarily doing gigs yet, but 3 hours playing with others, especially those more advanced than you, is worth 30 hours cramming more and more TV slime.
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-I took guitar lessons for a couple of years in my teens (in my 50’s now), then self taught piano/keyboard before picking up bass. So…kind of had training, but have never had a formal bass lesson. But I did used to teach guitar and bass part time. Most of my students when on to playing in bands and/or at church, so I can give you an idea to know if you are ready.
1) Can you keep time and adjust your playing to fit the music?
2) Can you tell if you are out of key or out of tune?
3) Can you play some songs in the genre of the band that you want to join?
4) Can you read a chord chart/lead sheet? This one is important for some bands/styles, but is totally unnecessary for others.
5) Do you know where the notes on you fretboard are? If not, do you have a good enough ear to quickly find the right notes.
6) Can you learn a new song in a reasonable amount of time?
7) Can you play the technique required to play the material? For example, if you can only play with a pick…but the band is a Marcus Miller tribute band….you probably should practice more. On the other hand, if it’s a classic rock band, go for it!
If you answered yes to these questions, then you are probably ready. And if it’s a no pressure for fun band, you might not need to be very proficient to get started. Because, playing in a band will exponentially improve your playing far faster than practicing on your own.
As you get better, you get to play with better people and some of those people will have a talent you just learn from if you are not closed off.
The best 'lessons' from those experiences i have had have been unintentional but i was lucky enough to grasp them.
They now set a bar for what i do today.
You need to be able to swim in the player pool you are in, then keep up and then move on.
The best 'lessons' from those experiences i have had have been unintentional but i was lucky enough to grasp them.
They now set a bar for what i do today.
You need to be able to swim in the player pool you are in, then keep up and then move on.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
I had several years of guitar lessons, and in college had two semesters of theory.
No, you don't need them, but they will help you progress faster and further. Sounds like you had a lousy instructor.
No, you don't need them, but they will help you progress faster and further. Sounds like you had a lousy instructor.
6 months of lessons when I was 16. Teacher started playing along on guitar after the 3rd lesson. At the end of 6 months teacher asked what style of music I was interested in. "Rock and roll" I said. He said, "we're done here". That was 47 years ago.
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