Did You Take Lessons Before You Joined A Band???

[MCalasans]

Back on 1986 I was at school in a monday morning, playing rock in accoutic guitar in the break time with friends when we decided to form a band to play in a multi band gig that would take place on the folowing sunday. None of us had ever played in a band before, so , insane as good teenagers should be, each of us chose one instrument. As I was having classical guitar lessons at that time and had a good practice on playing with the right hand fingers, I decided to play the bass (even having never touched one before). Well, I also really liked Geddy Lee and Steve Harris and after that I became a fan.
We asked a friend to borrow a bass (which I took only in the gig's morning) and let's go!
Oh, forgot to mention: We played just one song, Iron Maiden's Phanton of the Opera!
As crazy as it seems, it was great, we did a good job! )) That's when I became a bassist apprendice.

So, no lessons at all
BTW, I only had real bass lessons between 2017-2019, which were absolutely great!

 

[Fuzzbass]

Just wondering if I’m going to have to shell out for lessons at some point in the process…

Please note: The question really isn’t to debate the merits of lessons vs no lessons and which is “superior”-I’m more curious if you were able to competently play with others just from learning on your own…

I personally found lessons to suck a lot of the fun and curiosity out the whole process and made playing feel like more of a chore than something that I “wanted” to do…Of course, I might’ve just needed to find a better instructor (or maybe only go once a month to save money???)…

If you didn’t take lessons-About how long did you practice on your own before you played with others???

I decided to play bass as a teen when I sat down with a friend's bass and managed to figure out a couple of easy songs all by myself: "Train Kept A-Rolling" and "Sunshine of Your Love". Luckily, I fell in with a group of other n00b players, and we hacked out songs together. The more songs I learned, the better I got. So, I went a couple/few years playing in a couple/few bands, not having taken any lessons.

Now, the songs played by those bands were relatively easy. I was a rocker, and a 5-note box pattern covered most songs. Other songs required extra notes, but were often not in the do-re-mi scale. So, something else was going on... I didn't really know what.

Note: this was in the pre-internet days. Couldn't just look up tab for any song with a web browser. I was mostly learning by ear, though I also had a Mel Bay book of blues patterns that I got some ideas from.

Long story short: I realized I was stuck in a rut, so I took music lessons from a guitarist who showed me the modes (all of 'em, not just major and minor), and also fingering patterns that allowed me to play in any song in any key in any position of the fretboard. This was an epiphany, because I had been locked into certain scales in certain positions in a limited number of keys.

I'll add that I also learned that the 5-note pattern is called the pentatonic scale. It's a useful scale, but often too limited for the songs I tried to play with it.

All of a sudden, the world opened up. I could teach myself more complicated songs... fancier Led Zeppelin songs, easier Rush songs. The more difficult Rush songs were tricky because of frequent modulations and unusual scales, but it helped simply to know what notes "didn't make sense", so to speak.


TL;DR: find yourself a good teacher who explains why it's important for you to do "boring" stuff like learning scales and modes. Or just take my testimonial above, explaining why it IS important to learn those basics! If I hadn't taken lessons, I wouldn't be half as good as I am now: a weekend warrior as busy as I want to be playing a variety of musical styles with a variety of bands. I should also add that if I had stuck with lessons, I'd be better than I am now.

P.S. My brother teaches guitar, and regularly has to deal with students who say "I don't care about that theory stuff, I just wanna play that Foo Fighters song". My brother says "here's what we'll do: this week you learn a new scale (or whatever), next week we'll work on the song. And if you keep at the "theory stuff", then you'll be able to teach yourself that Foo Fighters song without relying on free internet tabs that are often wrong".

 

[Merlo79]

No, I was terrible.

It took a lot of time and effort to overcome being self-taught, but when I did I found I sound very unique compared to musicians who took lessons.

Later on in life I was taking lessons left and right and ended up sounding mostly like everyone else does

 

[MikeTranch]

I play bass (mostly) in our little jam band that’s been playing weekly for 5+ years. Our goal is to have fun. I played guitar for decades, mostly alone, but WAY back in the 70’s I took guitar lessons and even went to Berklee in Boston for a year and a half. I have watched a few videos, e.g. Scott’s Bass Lessons, and got a few books. For many of us in the band, playing together is often the only time we play. I’m retired so I got more time, try to play at least 15 minutes on guitar, and on bass every night. Long answer, but I think physically playing often, and learning to listen, aka ear training are the most important things. Just relax and play in the moment. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Eilif]

My answer would be sort-of, but not really.

When I started playing (upright) bass it was for orchestra in elementary school. While technically there was some instruction before performance, there was rehearsal as a group from the beginning and performance very shortly thereafter. We stunk, but that's not the point.

The point is that in most instrument traditions, ensemble playing and even performance is a part of musical instruction right from the beginning. It stretches your ability and improves you in a way that lone practicing can't. It can be challenging to play "in a band" when you don't really know your instrument -and performing in front of an audience might not be doable- but I think getting with other musicians and playing in an ensemble should be done ASAP.

My suggestion is always to find people at your level (or above if they'll tolerate you) and play with them as soon as you can.

 

[SteveCS]

...
...
The point is that in most instrument traditions, ensemble playing and even performance is a part of musical instruction right from the beginning. It stretches your ability and improves you in a way that lone practicing can't.
...

Which is an important point I missed from my earlier post. As an ensemble we were 'performing' in public at least twice a week, sometimes 3 or 4 times, right from the beginning. In the main choir the ages ranged from 8 to 80+ years, and most of them had been at it since they were 8. Direct exposure to that depth and breadth of experience and talent is priceless.

 

[Eilif]

Which is an important point I missed from my earlier post. As an ensemble we were 'performing' in public at least twice a week, sometimes 3 or 4 times, right from the beginning. In the main choir the ages ranged from 8 to 80+ years, and most of them had been at it since they were 8. Direct exposure to that depth and breadth of experience and talent is priceless.

I didn't read the rest of the thread, but the situation you describe sounds ideal. Most elementary orchestra kids start out playing with a bunch of other orchestra kids who -except for the Suzuki kids who have been playing since they were 3- are generally pretty terrible. If you have the opportunity to jump in with experienced players right away, that can be incredibly valuable.

I've had quite a few chances in various ensembles and bands to play with folks who were better -or at least far more experienced- players than I and they have been almost universally positive experiences relationally and musically.

 

[DWBass]

On bass....no. I took piano lessons as a kid. Played a few other instruments before settling on bass.

 

[stevieg]

Hi Everybody,

I feel like my poll question is pretty self explanatory, but I will add a bit of clarification just in case…

For those of you currently in a band (especially if it’s just a band for fun/non-professional band)- Prior to joining a band - Did you take any lessons or are you self taught???

I’m trying to figure out if I will need lessons prior to playing with others in a non-professional/laid back band…

I took two or three lessons last fall to learn the fretboard and some instrument orientation basics, <—- (Bassics??? ;-) ), but otherwise I’ve been using tabs and playing along to song for about 6 hours a week for the last year…I am also consistent with practice so it’s not like some weeks are 3 hours-I usually set a timer to make sure I really play and I have missed only a handful of practice days…

While I definitely don’t feel ready or competent enough to play with other people or start a band I’m wondering how I will feel about that in a year or two if I keep making progress on my own…

Just wondering if I’m going to have to shell out for lessons at some point in the process…

Please note: The question really isn’t to debate the merits of lessons vs no lessons and which is “superior”-I’m more curious if you were able to competently play with others just from learning on your own…

I personally found lessons to suck a lot of the fun and curiosity out the whole process and made playing feel like more of a chore than something that I “wanted” to do…Of course, I might’ve just needed to find a better instructor (or maybe only go once a month to save money???)…

If you didn’t take lessons-About how long did you practice on your own before you played with others???

No right or wrong answers here and I realize that everyone’s journey and musical background are different, but I’d be curious to know how far off I am before being good enough to play with other people for fun on the side as a hobby…

Thanks! \m/

Yes. I studied theory and played an upright. Later on I switched to electric, though I still use the upright, or my Rob Allen MB-2 for jazz dates. And I always bring a fake book.

 

[lokikallas]

Never took lessons, but was in band from 4th grade to senior year playing trumpet. That gave me more knowledge than most musicians I know who were never in concert band.

 

[Jazz Ad]

I paid lessons with gig money.
Maybe 2 weeks after I got my bass I approached a jam and ended recruited by a blues cover band. He taught me both scales and here I went playing triad and rock'n'roll walks for the nest 2 years, every weekend.
A part of this money went into lessons so I'd eventually become something other than a player by numbers.

 

[dasherf17]

Hi Everybody,

I feel like my poll question is pretty self explanatory, but I will add a bit of clarification just in case…

For those of you currently in a band (especially if it’s just a band for fun/non-professional band)- Prior to joining a band - Did you take any lessons or are you self taught???

I’m trying to figure out if I will need lessons prior to playing with others in a non-professional/laid back band…

I took two or three lessons last fall to learn the fretboard and some instrument orientation basics, <—- (Bassics??? ;-) ), but otherwise I’ve been using tabs and playing along to song for about 6 hours a week for the last year…I am also consistent with practice so it’s not like some weeks are 3 hours-I usually set a timer to make sure I really play and I have missed only a handful of practice days…

While I definitely don’t feel ready or competent enough to play with other people or start a band I’m wondering how I will feel about that in a year or two if I keep making progress on my own…

Just wondering if I’m going to have to shell out for lessons at some point in the process…

Please note: The question really isn’t to debate the merits of lessons vs no lessons and which is “superior”-I’m more curious if you were able to competently play with others just from learning on your own…

I personally found lessons to suck a lot of the fun and curiosity out the whole process and made playing feel like more of a chore than something that I “wanted” to do…Of course, I might’ve just needed to find a better instructor (or maybe only go once a month to save money???)…

If you didn’t take lessons-About how long did you practice on your own before you played with others???

No right or wrong answers here and I realize that everyone’s journey and musical background are different, but I’d be curious to know how far off I am before being good enough to play with other people for fun on the side as a hobby…

Thanks! \m/

Piano to learn music, guitar/bass came self taught, by ear...
Do you feel that you need or want lessons? Let your conscience be your guide.

 

[El_Charro]

Piano to learn music, guitar/bass came self taught, by ear...
Do you feel that you need or want lessons? Let your conscience be your guide.

——————————————————————
You honestly…Now that you ask that…I’m not even sure that I know the answer to that myself…

I think my thing is that I struggle with wanting to be “good/competent” enough to really play and play well enough that I can start a band (as a hobby for fun/non-professionally)…

I’m just playing songs in my basement (bassment) right now and I’m starting to get a heck of a lot better than I was especially compared to 13 months ago when I started, but a part of my brain worries I’m not doing it “right” bc I only took like two or three 30 minute lessons to learn the fretboard last Fall and I then played tabs on Songsterr to get going even though people say that tabs aren’t a good way to learn and eventually started trying to play along to songs without tabs…I

feel like I need to improve my intensive listening skills when I’m trying to play along to things bc I can’t always hear the base line in the song all the time…

Half of me feels a little bit of guilt for not finding a music teacher due to not wanting to spend money on it bc it’s only a hobby (it’s like I seem to think that lessons are a “requirement”, but I never really wanna practice scales and would rather play songs than scales and exercises)…

I took piano as a kid and choir as a teenager so I have an inkling of how music works even though I can’t really read traditional sheet music anymore (I still remember some of the terms and understand tempo, but I can’t notate music by just listening to songs…I failed MISERABLY at guitar and didn’t try to play an instrument for 20 years before I steadily practiced 6x a week for the last year or so…

So-I suppose I’m not really sure I “want” lessons, but I sorta worry I won’t be “legitimate” if I don’t take them (hopefully that explanation makes “sense”)…

I’m having an issue at work right now where I’m constantly told I don’t do things the “right” way (I’m about to quit or get fired so I’m sure I’m projecting some of that onto my playing)…

Anyway, sorry for the overshare, but I’m also in the market for a new MIM Pbass that I wanna slap some EMGs in and I still want an Ampeg head and cabinet…

Funds are there if I really wanna splurge but I’m trying to pace myself and be fiscally responsible with acquiring gear (plus I’m hoping to change jobs next month which will involve a somewhat significant pay cut) so I think I’d rather pace myself and drop money on equipment over the next 18-24 months than lessons bc I know that I’m addicted enough to playing at this point that I don’t need motivation to practice…Kinda weird to wanna practice by I could never get into guitar enough to wanna practice (and I tried taking lessons then too but it didn’t stick)…

Loving the low end…I feel like the bass feels more “natural” for me…Almost picked it up years starter trading away my guitar and I’m now KICKING myself for getting started so late in life (better late than never???)…

Thanks! \m/

 

[dasherf17]

——————————————————————
You honestly…Now that you ask that…I’m not even sure that I know the answer to that myself…

I think my thing is that I struggle with wanting to be “good/competent” enough to really play and play well enough that I can start a band (as a hobby for fun/non-professionally)…

I’m just playing songs in my basement (bassment) right now and I’m starting to get a heck of a lot better than I was especially compared to 13 months ago when I started, but a part of my brain worries I’m not doing it “right” bc I only took like two or three 30 minute lessons to learn the fretboard last Fall and I then played tabs on Songsterr to get going even though people say that tabs aren’t a good way to learn and eventually started trying to play along to songs without tabs…I

feel like I need to improve my intensive listening skills when I’m trying to play along to things bc I can’t always hear the base line in the song all the time…

Half of me feels a little bit of guilt for not finding a music teacher due to not wanting to spend money on it bc it’s only a hobby (it’s like I seem to think that lessons are a “requirement”, but I never really wanna practice scales and would rather play songs than scales and exercises)…

I took piano as a kid and choir as a teenager so I have an inkling of how music works even though I can’t really read traditional sheet music anymore (I still remember some of the terms and understand tempo, but I can’t notate music by just listening to songs…I failed MISERABLY at guitar and didn’t try to play an instrument for 20 years before I steadily practiced 6x a week for the last year or so…

So-I suppose I’m not really sure I “want” lessons, but I sorta worry I won’t be “legitimate” if I don’t take them (hopefully that explanation makes “sense”)…

I’m having an issue at work right now where I’m constantly told I don’t do things the “right” way (I’m about to quit or get fired so I’m sure I’m projecting some of that onto my playing)…

Anyway, sorry for the overshare, but I’m also in the market for a new MIM Pbass that I wanna slap some EMGs in and I still want an Ampeg head and cabinet…

Funds are there if I really wanna splurge but I’m trying to pace myself and be fiscally responsible with acquiring gear (plus I’m hoping to change jobs next month which will involve a somewhat significant pay cut) so I think I’d rather pace myself and drop money on equipment over the next 18-24 months than lessons bc I know that I’m addicted enough to playing at this point that I don’t need motivation to practice…Kinda weird to wanna practice by I could never get into guitar enough to wanna practice (and I tried taking lessons then too but it didn’t stick)…

Loving the low end…I feel like the bass feels more “natural” for me…Almost picked it up years starter trading away my guitar and I’m now KICKING myself for getting started so late in life (better late than never???)…

Thanks! \m/

Don't worry about oversharing...
Try to work with another musician...jam awhile, learn songs together...try to find those not critical and don't get too critical in the beginning...keep it simple. Something good can happen...

 

[pepj]

Even though views differ about where you get your education, you need to get it somewhere.
Experience is handling the situation so you need to bounce of someone else.
The trick is finding someone who is a help and not a hinderance.

Plan A, find a useful musical partner/situation; Jam nights etc.
Plan B, find a useful teacher.

 

[JimmyM]

Took drum lessons when I was a kid, then joined the middle school band on trumpet and learned how to read music and some theory, took a couple years of piano lessons, which I translated over to guitar and bass quickly, then in 8th grade I put together a band out of kids in my band class with me on guitar, but for some reason bass always called to me. Joined my first band on bass and took bass lessons concurrently.

I highly recommend music reading and theory because it's a major timesaver vs my friends who had to spend hours picking out stuff and still played it wrong.

 

[Bassi5t]

I am self taught (playing bass, and only bass) and have been playing for 22 years. After one month of my parents renting a bass for me (1999) I played my first show where my friend and I played twinkle twinkle little star and a couple of other silly tunes. The other, more serious band, that was there had no bass player and played a couple weezer and Blink 182 songs that I learned (via tab) so I stood in on those. They asked me to audition the next week. The guitarist made me tab of their stuff (originals) and gave me a tape of the recording. I nailed the audition (after only one month of playing) and have been in bands ever since without taking one lesson.

I am sure lessons would have helped me progress faster and I would probably be able to slap by now, lol. I play bass because I love it. I have developed my own style and if folks don’t like it (though most do) than that’s not the right band for me. I have played huge shows, opened for Hoobastank and Smash Mouth and even headlined large venues (2000+) where the whole crowd was chanting for our own songs.

All of this to say: music to me is a way to express myself and I chose to not have a teacher tell me how to play the thing that I use to express myself. If a teacher helps you, or others, to do that than that’s great. Use a pick or don’t, slap or don’t, tap every not or don’t, use a cello bow if you want. It’s your expression and you can do whatever you want and DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU OTHERWISE! If your teacher is bringing you down and stiflingly your creativity, fire them on the spot.

That’s just one bassists opinion… YMMV

 

[Toneguy66]

Hi Everybody,

I feel like my poll question is pretty self explanatory, but I will add a bit of clarification just in case…

For those of you currently in a band (especially if it’s just a band for fun/non-professional band)- Prior to joining a band - Did you take any lessons or are you self taught???

I’m trying to figure out if I will need lessons prior to playing with others in a non-professional/laid back band…

I took two or three lessons last fall to learn the fretboard and some instrument orientation basics, <—- (Bassics??? ;-) ), but otherwise I’ve been using tabs and playing along to song for about 6 hours a week for the last year…I am also consistent with practice so it’s not like some weeks are 3 hours-I usually set a timer to make sure I really play and I have missed only a handful of practice days…

While I definitely don’t feel ready or competent enough to play with other people or start a band I’m wondering how I will feel about that in a year or two if I keep making progress on my own…

Just wondering if I’m going to have to shell out for lessons at some point in the process…

Please note: The question really isn’t to debate the merits of lessons vs no lessons and which is “superior”-I’m more curious if you were able to competently play with others just from learning on your own…

I personally found lessons to suck a lot of the fun and curiosity out the whole process and made playing feel like more of a chore than something that I “wanted” to do…Of course, I might’ve just needed to find a better instructor (or maybe only go once a month to save money???)…

If you didn’t take lessons-About how long did you practice on your own before you played with others???

No right or wrong answers here and I realize that everyone’s journey and musical background are different, but I’d be curious to know how far off I am before being good enough to play with other people for fun on the side as a hobby…

Thanks! \m/

If people were capable of teaching themselves to be proficient at something we wouldn’t have schools.

 

[Aceman]

——————————————————————
You honestly…Now that you ask that…I’m not even sure that I know the answer to that myself…

I think my thing is that I struggle with wanting to be “good/competent” enough to really play and play well enough that I can start a band (as a hobby for fun/non-professionally)…

I’m just playing songs in my basement (bassment) right now and I’m starting to get a heck of a lot better than I was especially compared to 13 months ago when I started, but a part of my brain worries I’m not doing it “right” bc I only took like two or three 30 minute lessons to learn the fretboard last Fall and I then played tabs on Songsterr to get going even though people say that tabs aren’t a good way to learn and eventually started trying to play along to songs without tabs…I

feel like I need to improve my intensive listening skills when I’m trying to play along to things bc I can’t always hear the base line in the song all the time…

Half of me feels a little bit of guilt for not finding a music teacher due to not wanting to spend money on it bc it’s only a hobby (it’s like I seem to think that lessons are a “requirement”, but I never really wanna practice scales and would rather play songs than scales and exercises)…

I took piano as a kid and choir as a teenager so I have an inkling of how music works even though I can’t really read traditional sheet music anymore (I still remember some of the terms and understand tempo, but I can’t notate music by just listening to songs…I failed MISERABLY at guitar and didn’t try to play an instrument for 20 years before I steadily practiced 6x a week for the last year or so…

So-I suppose I’m not really sure I “want” lessons, but I sorta worry I won’t be “legitimate” if I don’t take them (hopefully that explanation makes “sense”)…

I’m having an issue at work right now where I’m constantly told I don’t do things the “right” way (I’m about to quit or get fired so I’m sure I’m projecting some of that onto my playing)…

Anyway, sorry for the overshare, but I’m also in the market for a new MIM Pbass that I wanna slap some EMGs in and I still want an Ampeg head and cabinet…

Funds are there if I really wanna splurge but I’m trying to pace myself and be fiscally responsible with acquiring gear (plus I’m hoping to change jobs next month which will involve a somewhat significant pay cut) so I think I’d rather pace myself and drop money on equipment over the next 18-24 months than lessons bc I know that I’m addicted enough to playing at this point that I don’t need motivation to practice…Kinda weird to wanna practice by I could never get into guitar enough to wanna practice (and I tried taking lessons then too but it didn’t stick)…

Loving the low end…I feel like the bass feels more “natural” for me…Almost picked it up years starter trading away my guitar and I’m now KICKING myself for getting started so late in life (better late than never???)…

Thanks! \m/

El Charro - I am guessing that your main issue is not skill, but self confidence. So...here are a few reality checks:

#1 If you don't feel condfident enough to start a band then you are not. Confidence and drive can often kick the @$$ of skill and knowledge. So if that's your issue go take lessons and forget the band.

#2 If you want to start a band for fun/hobby, then do it.
- Decide if covers or originals (lets make it easy and do covers)
- Pick the songs you like/know
- Advertise for (like minded) players and get together and do it
...If you can play the song you can play the song. Use the Tab even if it is wrong. Ask the guitar player what he is playing if it is different and play something similar to that. Whatever you play, right or wrong - play it in the same key, at the right tempo.

#3 Drop the gear search. Just stop it. I'm not primarily a Bass player. If you are that worried about skill, but buying EMG's that's a problem right there. I can walk into a music store, pick up a Squire P Bass, grab a 50 watt Fender Rumble and dial in a righteous tone. Gear is NOT you issue. Top issue confidence, next maybe skill.

#4 I have never made a judgement on anyone's legitimacy on their formal knowledge, only their actual ability to perform. Let go of the freaking "I need to see your resume/certification". If you can do0 the job you can do the job.

Also - take note. As forums go, this one is over saturated with a bunch of 60-80 year old codgers who learned Bass in the 50's when they were in their teens, and believe the only good musician is a formally educated one with the right pedigree who is wholly and completely dedicated their lives to professional music. Whatever.

Like I said - these are the guys that KILL the joy of making music for everyone. "Tabs aren't right!!!!!!" Whatever - NEVER ever forget this:

1. If it sounds good it IS good! The end.

2. A tight band playing it like they own it with swagger and swing will OWN anywhere, anytime. No matter what they play. Even if it isn't "Right." (See Van Halen "You really Got Me" to understand this)

3. Tell the guitar/bass player in the back with his arms folded saying "That isn't how it was played on the album" to go eff himself. He can go form his own band and play it any way he wants. See point 1.

You are seeing a bunch of people tell you what they did and and not even reading your original post. NO ONE has said lessons are a bad thing, or that they are not a good thing. But once you know some music fundamentals (Available via YouTube), and the basics of your instrument (BAsic chord progressions, blues pattern, a couple of common modes) the rest is learning songs. Is that gonna get you through a Yes song? Doubtful. Do I know people who can play some Chris Squire who have no idea what he is doing scale/harmony wise? Yes.

What exactly can you play anyway? A lot of speculation without details.

 

[1st Bass]

That’s a little harsh on all those “old codgers,” many of whom actually agree with you...