How long did it take you to learn Bass

[Neveragain55]

So I got this random thought about how long it takes us humans to learn a skill, any skill, and I remembered how long it took me to learn how to play the bass.

I started out on a guitar at seven and put it down after that summer because it “frustrated” me.

I picked up the bass at 20. (I’m much older now)

It took me around six months to be able to play full “simple” non-complicated songs.

It took about a year before I could play most songs (complicated or not) with ease.

It took two more years before I genuinely felt really confident, and had the feeling that I was reasonably good.

Full disclosure here:

1. I cannot now, nor have I ever had the ability to read music, and if God himself tried to teach me I still wouldn’t get it.

2. Everything I’ve ever done is either been by ear or tab.

3. I’m an obsessive perfectionist and I over criticize everything that I do.

Question, how long did it take all of you to "initially" learn the basics enough to where you got to these same or similar stages in your playing?

I think it would be great to post this stuff because aspiring bassists that might be struggling or thinking that it’s taking them too long or that they’ll nerve get it may read this thread and feel inspired to keep going.

When you choose your learning curves, please explain where you were at that stage.

Please share your stories……

 

[bholder]

Depends on your definitions. I've been at it for 43 years or so now, still learning. Actually have made more progress in the last 5 months than in any given previous year - amazing what happens when you decide to practice more.

It's the journey, not the destination...

 

[Neveragain55]

Depends on your definitions. I've been at it for 43 years or so now, still learning. Actually have made more progress in the last 5 months than in any given previous year - amazing what happens when you decide to practice more.

It's the journey, not the destination...

I totally agree, and I apologize for not being more clear.

Absolutely I'm still learning & getting better as I play & practice.

My question was more geared for: how long was it "initially" after you "first" picked up the bass that felt fairly decent, or that you were good enough to learn songs or join a band.

 

[thabassmon]

I don't think I ever will get to a point where the learning is done, definitely an ongoing process.

But here's my timeline so to speak outlining when I could perform a given task with confidence.

It took six months of playing/learning/ practicing around 6-8 hours a day to get me gigging in a sax trio.

Another six months to learn the theory and rudiments of music (classical theory).

Another six to learn to sight read on Bass Clef.

Joined originals band learnt a little about songwriting and crafting bass parts. Spent a year with this group.

So all up about two and half years to be comfortable in the role.

And I still continue to work on music everyday if possible. Only about four hours a day these days.

 

[bholder]

I totally agree, and I apologize for not being more clear.

Absolutely I'm still learning & getting better as I play & practice.

My question was more geared for: how long was it "initially" after you "first" picked up the bass that felt fairly decent, or that you were good enough to learn songs or join a band.

My first band, none of us were good enough to be in a band, that was the entire point! I hear ya, just got no answers, other than I'm still hoping to reach "fairly decent" some day. The goal keeps moving the more great bass players I hear, which is part of the problem. I'll never feel completely adequate about performing (or about just about anything else), just my neurotic personality quirks. Always have had stage fright regardless of how well prepared I am.

 

[Neveragain55]

My first band, none of us were good enough to be in a band, that was the entire point! I hear ya, just got no answers, other than I'm still hoping to reach "fairly decent" some day. The goal keeps moving the more great bass players I hear, which is part of the problem. I'll never feel completely adequate about performing (or about just about anything else), just my neurotic personality quirks. Always have had stage fright regardless of how well prepared I am.

Amen to all of that bro, I'm with ya - I've got the same hang-ups......

Best of luck to you my friend, never stop playing.................enjoy...

 

[RustyAxe]

So far it's taken me a lifetime. I'll get it some day ... I am not a quitter. (I started playing bass in 1967, and had been playing piano for six or seven years, and a couple on guitar ... it took me a few weeks to get comfortable on bass. I already had a head full of theory, could read standard notation, and had a "developed" ear.)

 

[theduke1]

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm still learning after 51 years. I pick up things from here all the time some I master and use when needed some I struggle with, but keep working on them to keep the graymater warm! Lol

 

[Neveragain55]

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm still learning after 51 years. I pick up things from here all the time some I master and use when needed some I struggle with, but keep working on them to keep the graymater warm! Lol

Understood and appreciated, I'm starting to think I worded my question wrong.

I know, we're all still learning and will be for life.

I struggle with certain songs and I'm still spending weeks on some songs just trying to figure out which finger placement is best.

What I meant was when you literally first picked up a bass guitar from never having held one before and could play nothing..............how long was it before you could (for example) play a simple song, go from taking weeks or months to learn a song to a day or a few days, have enough songs in your repertoire to do a set with a band?

In other words, how long was it after you "first" started that you felt that "magic moment" the moment where you felt like, ok, I got this, I'm a bass player and I can do this?

This question is just not for you but for everybody, for me it was right around a year after I first picked up a bass having never played one before, and by the way, having that feeling & being good are two different things. By no means am I saying I was good - I just felt like I had finally arrived at a point where I had a grasp for it.

P.S. No extra points for whoever answers with an incredibly short amount time, and no shame for whoever answers with what they may conceive to be a long period of time, we're not in competition here with each other. I'm just curious to get results from a wide spectrum of people on how long it took.

 

[GoLeafsGo]

Only been playing for a couple of years now, so I still have a lot to learn. Would have to say it took a good six months before I was comfortable enough to play with/for anyone other than my wife. And it's her fault I started, she is quite a good guitar player, and I wanted to be able to play along with her.

 

[RustyAxe]

What I meant was when you literally first picked up a bass guitar from never having held one before and could play nothing..............how long was it before you could (for example) play a simple song, go from taking weeks or months to learn a song to a day or a few days, have enough songs in your repertoire to do a set with a band?

As I said in my previous post, I had quite a good head start before picking up the bass. I arranged for lessons from a local guy who was a great player (owned a guitar shop along with his brothers). Lessons consisted of me playing bass while he played guitar. At the third or fourth lesson he said, "I can't really teach you anything, Denny. Go get a gig and play." That's just what I did (I was 13 or 14 at the time). For those who are learning and DON'T have such a background the learning curve is MUCH steeper. For instance, by learning piano (a polyphonic instrument) I learned about scales, chord structures, arpeggios and the like. To tell you the truth, learning such things on a monophonic instrument (one note at a time) would seem to me to be much harder.

 

[Joedog]

49 years, and still learning...................guess I'm a slow learner?

I actually started on trumpet (3rd grade) and also studied guitar and played in a couple (terrible) bands before some older guys said if I got a bass, I could be in their "real" band, which was actually quite good. I guess you could say I was an "overnight" bass player, BUT I had about 8 or so years of music background to get there.

 

[theduke1]

Understood and appreciated, I'm starting to think I worded my question wrong.

I know, we're all still learning and will be for life.

I struggle with certain songs and I'm still spending weeks on some songs just trying to figure out which finger placement is best.

What I meant was when you literally first picked up a bass guitar from never having held one before and could play nothing..............how long was it before you could (for example) play a simple song, go from taking weeks or months to learn a song to a day or a few days, have enough songs in your repertoire to do a set with a band?

In other words, how long was it after you "first" started that you felt that "magic moment" the moment where you felt like, ok, I got this, I'm a bass player and I can do this?

This question is just not for you but for everybody, for me it was right around a year after I first picked up a bass having never played one before, and by the way, having that feeling & being good are two different things. By no means am I saying I was good - I just felt like I had finally arrived at a point where I had a grasp for it.

P.S. No extra points for whoever answers with an incredibly short amount time, and no shame for whoever answers with what they may conceive to be a long period of time, we're not in competition here with each other. I'm just curious to get results from a wide spectrum of people on how long it took.

O I C
in that case I'd say most likely 12 months until I felt I knew the tunes well enough to play out.

 

[Neveragain55]

O I C
in that case I'd say most likely 12 months until I felt I knew the tunes well enough to play out.

Cool, and I think that's going to be a very popular number (or amount of time)

 

[Neveragain55]

As I said in my previous post, I had quite a good head start before picking up the bass. I arranged for lessons from a local guy who was a great player (owned a guitar shop along with his brothers). Lessons consisted of me playing bass while he played guitar. At the third or fourth lesson he said, "I can't really teach you anything, Denny. Go get a gig and play." That's just what I did (I was 13 or 14 at the time). For those who are learning and DON'T have such a background the learning curve is MUCH steeper. For instance, by learning piano (a polyphonic instrument) I learned about scales, chord structures, arpeggios and the like. To tell you the truth, learning such things on a monophonic instrument (one note at a time) would seem to me to be much harder.

I agree, and it sounds like you had a cool beginning.

I bought a used, broken down old guitar off of one of our neighbors who was always having garage sales when I was a kid. I put some new strings on it, and sat in my room with literally no instruction other than listening to albums and trying to copy what I was hearing.

In the seventh grade I took lessons in school from a Guitar Class Course that was given, but I was a lot more interested in the female anatomy so I wound up flunking out.

I bought my first bass at 20, and I had the good fortune to have a professional musician as my next door neighbor that also went to school with my older uncles so we clicked right away & he gave me the basics.

I've struggled my whole life with trying to learn how to read music or even understand the theory of it, and it's so foreign to me that my brain literally shuts down every time I attempt it. (thank God for tab)

Between my good ears for music, my sense of timing, and tab, I've been able to do & learn a lot, and not sound bad enough to make alley cats run for cover when I play.

Currently I'm taking lessons (after all these years) with an amazing bassist who has really helped me come along even further. I've always loved the bass and the older I get the more I want to play it & the better I want to become.

Thanks for sharing your story, it's a cool one...........

 

[Neveragain55]

Only been playing for a couple of years now, so I still have a lot to learn. Would have to say it took a good six months before I was comfortable enough to play with/for anyone other than my wife. And it's her fault I started, she is quite a good guitar player, and I wanted to be able to play along with her.

Man that's all good, and it's great that you guys have that together........

 

[JSandbloom]

Do you ever stop learning how to play bass?

 

[Timmah]

Do you ever stop learning how to play bass?

THIS. I've been learning for six years now, and I won't be done anytime soon.

 

[SteveC]

Still learning. I made a lot of progress about 15 years ago when I was teaching more. I had a great student I had to stay ahead of. I also made a lot of progress about 10 years ago when I joined a bands that played Tower of Power and Yellowjackets stuff.

 

[Neveragain55]

Do you ever stop learning how to play bass?

No, and that's a good point but my intent wasn't to look for a pre-determined end of ones studies.

The point & the nucleus of the question was to simply find out how long it "initially" took for people "that never picked up a bass before" to learn simple songs to the point where they've felt" "hey, look at me, I'm playing a bass guitar"

Everyone seems to be focusing more on the fact that they're still learning (which is cool) but I was only interested in the "initial" learning curve when we first picked the instrument up that got all of us to the point where we felt:

1. comfortable to play in front of others

2. join a band

3. not take so long to learn a song, etc. etc.

It's my fault, I should have been more clear and I apologize, but given this explanation of the question, would you like to take another stab at it and tell me how it took you to "initially" learn to play?