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Help.... Newbie wanting to learn BG

#21
I don't think that this site has been mentioned here, sorry if I missed it: studybass.com. I like the presentation, and it's loaded with resources, and I've never paid for anything there.

What I did, which might go under the heading of "what not to do," but I'm happy: 8 years ago I went to a local used instrument guy and bought a bass and an amp. Details are unimportant except that the bass had 4 strings and the amp worked OK. A tuner is a good gadget to have, too.

I worked on learning by myself for about a year. I used what I could find online (there is a LOT), and I also got into a site called Wikiloop, where you could write and contribute bass lines to go with original stuff that people would upload. You could upload your stuff if you like, or just keep it to yourself. Also, I'm fortunate to have a really good public radio station here that has a Blues show on the weekends. Whenever I had a chance, I'd tune in to that and play along.

After a year, I put an ad on Craigslist, "Elderly incompetent bass player looking for co-conspirators." That resulted in a group of people, mostly beginners, a hell of a lot of fun, new friends; and really high-speed learning and progress for yours truly. Since then I've played with several other groups, and have actually managed to play in public a few times with pretty good results.

I hope this is helpful. Talkbass.com is a great resource, I have learned a great deal on here. There's nothing like music: you can always improve, there's always more to learn--and there's always more equipment to acquire!!! Best of luck.
 
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#22
I think the first thing is to establish what your goals are. If you want to learn to jam along with a few tunes I would say some of the bass things online are ok. Anything more I would suggest an established teacher who will start you out with learning the basics from square one and including some theory and reading. The sky is the limit with how far you can take things if you are motivated and started in the right direction. A real teacher will keep you from developing bad habits that will limit your development. I studied with my last teacher for three years and would still be doing so had he not developed health problems that stopped his career. Your lessons will require investing time to study and practice, but your teacher should make them enjoyable as well. The age thing is irrelevant- I am turning 70 this year but intend to keep playing until they put me in the ground. Good luck- the world you are looking into is bigger than you can imagine and you have a lot of remarkable things to learn.
 
#23
First, welcome to TalkBass!

Second, welcome to the crew of us older learners! I started a couple years ago at the tender age of 49, and while maybe not the ideal age to start, better now than even later! It's an absolute blast and I love every day of it. My favorite hour of most days is the hour I practice.

However, be warned that if you have any kind of collector/gear proclivities at all, any and all disposable income you have is about to be spoken for. I know I'm a sucker for bright, shiny objects and there are SO MANY dazzling things in this space. Basses, rigs, pedals... it's endless (but endlessly fun, too!).

As for getting things going, I started with StudyBass (really excellent for the "I know literally nothing" basics like how to pluck properly) and then a face-to-face teacher. As good as all the on-line resources are—and they really are good; SBL, BassBuzz, TalkingBass, etc. are also useful resources and I've learned something from all of them—the thing you get from face-to-face instruction that you can't replace is feedback on exactly what YOU are doing that needs to be corrected, and of course how to correct it.
 
#24
I think both SBL and the Ariane Cap course are more for advanced players expanding their knowledge to some theory and other concepts. SBL is an abundance of material that you can spend your life learning. If you can extract the relevant things, it will be hands down the best source, but you will probably be overwhelmed as a beginner.

I also have experience with a course from Mark from talkingbass.net, which I can really recommend. Josh from BassBuzz seems great too, I do not know his courses though.

But if you realy want to do it right, a good face-to-face-teacher is the way to go. Trouble usually is, as a beginner, how do you know if someone is a great teacher - not only motivating you, but also teaching you the best fundamentals.

Get a dedicated bass teacher, not a guitarist who also teaches bass.

And just a thing to know - nothing will boost your skills like playing with other people. Be it a band, or background to your church choir or whatever.
 
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#25
If you're new to bass and want to get up and playing along as quickly as possible, I can't recommend BassBuzz enough. Covers the basics very well, and touches on important things you'll want to learn after that. I've been through the course, and it basically walks you through the lessons hands on with more real playing practice time ingrained right into the lessons than most other courses. In that sense it's more like working with an in-person teacher than other courses I've taken. Great place to start and it has a 180-day money back guarantee.

The courses from Mark at TalkingBass are great after that and often go on sale, so keep an eye out. Study bass also has excellent information. SBL has lots of good info but there is too high of a talk/hype to real lesson ratio for me. I like what they do but eventually dropped my subscription.
 
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#26
Another newbie here.
I was also wondering where to start. Thanks for the thread, this will be helpful for me as well.
I have checked out both Josh's and Scott's YouTube channels. I think I will subscribe to Josh's online course for beginners.
After creating a bit of foundation, I might hire a teacher (hopefully when lockdown is over for good). Ariane Cap's book seems interesting. I should have that as well.
 
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#28
Not that you should follow my path, I just wanted to offer an alternate perspective.
I never took bass lessons, but I can read music and I think I have a reasonable ear.
40 years later I am solidly in the "mediocre bass player" camp. Nobody's going to watch me play and say "wow", but I hope like heck they might tap their toes or shake their booty a little.

a) Get a looper and try recording riffs into it. There's some learning associated with hitting the button at the right time. If you can get a riff going then you can play scales or harmonies try the same riff in different positions. If your rhythm is off you will notice it more this way.

b) Come up with your own riffs. I think there are still a few left. And even if it's a recycled riff, who cares?

The bass is a great instrument IMO because it is very physical. The relationship to your body and what it takes to make it work are a world away from guitar IME.
 
#30
Welcome I am a similar age and started to play 4 years ago, I have found lessons the best but with a BASS teacher player not a guitar player who is willing to teach bass, lots of good stuff on YouTube but play don’t scroll good luck
 
#32
I can also recommend Mark J. Smith of talkingbass.net He has tons of free stuff that I started with. But, the one thing that really helped me was his, "Basic Fundamentals" course. It's very comprehensive and covers a lot of beginner territory that is left out of other beginner courses I looked at. Such as how to set your strap, change a string, etc. All for the price of one or two private lessons. It's really a bargain.

At that time I did try Scott's Bass Lessons via the 14 day trial. There was so much content I found it a bit overwhelming. However now five years later I am a member and it's a fantastic resource that's incredibly deep. Mark's is more a-la-cart where Scott's gives you the whole enchilada for an anual fee.

FWIW, I started at 49 years old. I'd been a drummer for thirty plus years but never touched a bass. Two years later I was doing more gigs on bass than drums; which is still the case. There are some fantastic resources out there but I had to sift through a lot of crap to find them. You've done well by starting here and as you can see we are eager to point you towards the best resources.

One last note: do a search for the user
MalcolmAmos
. He's posted some very good content that's well thought out and presented.

Enjoy the journey.
 
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#33
Whatever you do, get the mechanical basics down first. I was self taught at first and taught myself the wrong way to pluck. Breaking that bad habit a year later was really tough :rollno:. 2-6 in person lessons at first would be money well spent as the teacher can spot things you’re doing wrong that could lead to physical problems like tendinitis. Something to consider given your age.
 
#34
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#35
I decided to take up the Bass at 60...
The advice string above is great.

What made it work for me was taking lessons - in my case from someone who played Bass in a touring band, was the Music Director for his band, and also taught guitar to kids with learning disabilities. (I make a play with that one at my own expense)
The foundation that my instructor gave me keeps paying off five years latter...

And if you ask me what one book/guide is the most dog eared and tabbed...
"Blues Bass" Hal Leonard (Ed Friedland) -
Lessons made it possible for me to get the most out of Ed's book, and that made it possible for me to jam with a guitar player friend (who also did the duty for: "play with people who are better than you")

Six months after my first lesson I was on stage at a Blues open mic - and when they called "12 Bar in G, quick change I IV V" I knew what that meant and could hang on.

And welcome to the Forum, it is a diverse and welcoming group - the knowledge base is deep, supportive and generous with their time.
Try to spend more time playing than you do on the forum...
 
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#36
Agree with King Louie's post.

Re SBL -- don't know what they're charging now, but got a lifetime membership some years ago for not much $$$ and revisit frequently. Their "add on" courses aren't cheap but you get a 30-day trial and I've never had any pushback on refunds if you don't like the material.

Re a face-to-face teacher, you may want to try a couple -- find someone with whom you can connect and is not intimidating. And same goes for playing with other people -- don't be afraid to get out there and do it!

Finally, www.how-to-play-bass.com has a lot of free lessons on specific songs.

Most importantly, have fun, and welcome to the club!
 
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