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Hi from another new guy

steve_ss

steve_ss

Shiny, let's be bad guys.
Supporting Member
Dec 6, 2016
677
4,987
Southern NJ, USA
#1
Hello all, My name is Steve and I'm a new bass player. I'm 57 years old and thought I would try something new in life. I don't expect to ever be a great bass player or join a band or see my name in lights. I just wanted to try something new. I have very little experience playing music, but I did spend a lot of time during my misspent youth as a band roadie, lighting and sound guy, toured with a few bands in late 1970's early 1980's, and probably a few other things that I don't remember. I'm from New Jersey, USA. After spending 25 plus years in the computer industry, I left it behind and started doing woodworking in my own shop. And now playing bass. I can't read music but I've figured out how to read tabs. I bought my first bass a few months ago. A Fender PJ Special long scale from Guitar Center. I quickly learned I have short fingers, so I bought a new Fender Mustang short scale when they came out in the beginning of October. I really like my Mustang a lot. Then a few weeks ago I bought a used DeArmond by Guild Starfire 2 short scale bass (vintage July 1999 when they were built by Fender). Then I learned that basses are like potato chips, you can't have just one. As for music style, I'm quickly learning that what I like to listen to and what I can play are two different things. I like to listen to Prog Rock (Yes, Genesis, '70's stuff) and Jazz. What I can play is punk rock because it's only two or three notes over and over again.

So here I am, ready to learn something new and maybe make a few new online friends. Thanks for reading.
 
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#2
Howdy Steve! Welcome to TB.

When i picked up bass as my first instrument at 43yo, i didn't expect to be doing much other than eventually playing along to songs i liked. Less than two years later i found myself in an awesome band situation that's still going on 5 years later.

If knee to knee lessons aren't your thing, I'd recommend picking up a basic instruction book like Ed Freidland's 'Hal Leonard Bass Method' books (V1-3 come in a single spiralbound book, & is awesome to learn a little bit of reading to) to supplement your tabs, play along, and noodling time.

Congrats, & have fun!
 
#3
Follow up... I should have also said I've picked up a few books and DVDs to start my learning process. I have a Hal Leonard Intro book with DVD, plus a Hal Bass Builder Dictionary to Bass Grooves. I've learned three songs from that book that I play along with the included CD. I've also watched a few RockSmith videos on youtube and learned the Monkees Daydream Believer from it. Knee to knee... that's a new term to me. I like it. It describes the lesson type very well. Thank you.
 
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#4
steve_ss said:
Follow up... I should have also said I've picked up a few books and DVDs to start my learning process. I have a Hal Leonard Intro book with DVD, plus a Hal Bass Builder Dictionary to Bass Grooves. I've learned three songs from that book that I play along with the included CD. I've also watched a few RockSmith videos on youtube and learned the Monkees Daydream Believer from it. Knee to knee... that's a new term to me. I like it. It describes the lesson type very well. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Killer. I'm also a big fan of the Bass Guitar for Dummies books, too (other than the print being so small in the 'exercises' one.)

What part of beautiful New Jersey are you from? I grew up in Wilkes-Barre Pennsyltucky, and have relatives in the Livingston vicinity. I do miss some of the weekend beach trips :cool:
 
#6
Welcome, I two started late - 2000 when I retired still going strong. Tabs are good for specific licks, but, I would recommend you not use tab for the whole song. Why. Tab will tell you to fret the 3rd string at the 5th fret. OK no problem not a step for a stepper. But, can you relate that fret location to a note or a chord or a key? BTW it's a D note.

Standard notation is the language of music, however, I've never been handed any standard notation sheet music by any director I have ever played for. It's all fake chord sheet music. This takes you down another road, which I've used ever since 2000. Fake chord looks like this: Click on Happy Birthday

Songs in A. How did I know that? If a verse starts and stops with the same chord, in this case A, you can bet the farm A is the key for this song. OK how do I use that? Take the Major Scale Box, which I listed below:

Major Scale Box.

G~~|---2---|-------|---3---|---4---| 1st string
D~~|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---|
A~~|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E~~|-------|---R---|-------|---2---|4th string
Place the box's "R" over the A note at the 4th string 5th fret and the notes/chords of the A major scale await you within the box.
​
The next chord in Happy Birthday is the E. Where is the E inside the box? Well E is the fifth note in the A major scale (count them up A, B, C#, D, E) -- so the E you are looking for is at the 5 within the box. Keep pounding E's to the beat of the song until you get to the next chord change and that will happen over the chord change word "birthday" and here you will sound the D note (forget about that sus2 for now). Where is there a D in the box? Well D is the forth note in the A scale so sound the 4 in the box. That takes care of all the other notes/chords in the song. Keep going to the next chord change word, which will be "you" and here sound another A, yes same place in the box as the other A note. Keep going...

Helps to sing the lyrics under your breath so you know when the next chord change word is coming up in the song.

To get fake chord sheet music, do a Google using these key words; Chords, name of the song. So you have some Gm7b5 chords coming up in your song. Right now just play the roots, i.e. the name of the chord and in this case just the G note to the beat. Yes just roots right now we'll get into more later.

Give it a chance I bet you'll be laying down a root groove line in no time.

Good luck.
 
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#7
MalcolmAmos said:
Welcome, I two started late - 2000 when I ...
Good luck.
Click to expand...

Hey there and thanks for the lesson. Wow, have I got a lot to learn. I'm starting lessons with a new teacher this afternoon and I'm sure we will get into music theory and note reading very soon. I agree it's an important part of making music. The few lessons I've had with another teacher were just some "getting started" things to make pleasant sounds for now. I'm gonna need a lot of help.
 
#8
Good that you are getting with a teacher. Being with a teacher involves a lot of trust. Trust that he/she will take you down the road you need to be going down, i.e. do what your teacher lays out for you. If he/she is not going to take you down the major scale box road, no problem, trust that what is being laid out is the way for you.

Good luck.
 
#9
In case anyone is following along, I had my first lesson with my new teacher Tuesday afternoon. It was great. Where my last teacher just showed me how to play a song, this one showed me more of the basic "how to make the notes sound right" and some great finger exercises. Fundamentals I need to learn. I'm on my way to stardom (big laughs).
 
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#11
Welcome Steve!
You're on the right track with getting basses that fit, learning what you want, and yes, they are like potato chips.
Firewall settings here at work won't let me get to some "learning material" sites to link here so I'll try to get back here tonight and do that from home.

Me? Just some guy who was lucky enough to have his Dad buy him a bass when he was 10 years old in 1965 and they've been following me around since.
 
#12
@steve_ss dinner finally...and some links below you may find useful and/or entertaining. There are tons more with internet, Netflix/Hulu/etc. documentaries and software that teaches(i.e. scrolling sight reading lessons, my youngest son took them). It is a LOT easier to find material to study now than when I started. Back then it was listen to the radio, learn to read, drop a needle on a spinning piece of vinyl, and later play tapes. Here ya' go.

Good advice and nice isolated bass lines from Rick Suchow.
Web page: Invalid Link Removed
Youtube vids: rick suchow

Josh Fossgreen has learning and entertainment/fun:
Josh Fossgreen

Scott Devine lessons and more
Scott's Bass Lessons
Online Bass Lessons - Scott's Bass Lessons

Fun stuff from a Talkbass member Mike P
Mike P

Covers from the guy with many masks:
TJH3113

And, of course, the guy who appears to have invented or brought "funk style" to the forefront of bass, Larry Graham(started with Sly and the Family Stone). This video is one of the introductory ones.


And it is not complete without this quote taken from Rick Suchow's website. One should try to remember this every time you pick up an instrument:

"When you go on a gig, you have to remember that it's a privilege to play any kind of music -- even sitting in your house by yourself. Music is this wonderful, universal language. It's meditative and spiritual. A lot of people get caught up in the frustrations, and they lose it, the way a preacher loses the calling. When you pick up an instrument, realize how blessed you are. It doesn't matter whether you're playing for 50,000 people or by yourself. I'm not saying I'm a guru of this stuff. It's just that when I pick up a bass, I'm conscious of how much it has given me, and I try to take that onstage with me wherever I go."

- bassist Darryl Jones, who's played with Miles Davis, Sting, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, and many others.
Rick Suchow - NYC Bassist / Writer - Bass

Just do your best Steve and have fun.
 
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