How to approach bass lessons

[SteveLo42]

Alright TB.

I started face to face lessons yesterday and it was a bit weird. Probably because I'm a bit weird and I'm a weird place, musically.

I played drums for many years, stopped about 3 years ago due to a wrist injury, which is still ongoing. I started playing bass because it is less strain and pain for the wrist.

A mate asked me to join his band I thought why not. So for the past year and a half I've essentially just been playing that material. It's fairly technical but repetition legitimises, and all that.

So back to yesterday and my lesson, it has come clear to me that I've completely neglected some fundamental basics. The tutor was a little stumped as to where to start.

My plan is to go back next week and just start from square one. We did a bit of this yesterday but it was kind of hap hazard. So far I've started learning a couple of fairly simple songs and practicing scales while focusing on technique.

Any advice or guidance as to how to get the most out of these lessons? Or do you think I've got the right approach?

And apologies if I haven't explained this well. But thanks in advance.

 

[MotorCityMinion]

Be weird all you want and get your freak on here at your own pace. Plenty of videos covering fundamentals & theory.

https://truefire.com/search/?q=bass

 

[MuseChaser]

Kind of vague, so I'll respond with a vague overall suggestion....

Lessons are most valuable when you find a good teacher who is willing to help you truly learn how to play your instrument, and who teaches you about music in terms of theory, analysis, The best teachers won't be interested in helping you learn the bass line to (insert favorite tune here), except as maybe a very limited sidebar to in-depth instruction and exploration of the instrument itself.

 

[Lee Moses]

Overall, it sounds to me like the right approach. Spend a little time every day on the basics, and also on your material for the band while incorporating adjustments that you've learned.

 

[KenD]

IMO, from what you have described every lesson and every individual practice session should include time to focus on technique BUT not be the totality of the lesson or session. At first you spend more time to focus on building proper technique for arm, hand, finger position, shifts, etc. Later you spend less time on maintenance and reinforcing. You might think of it as part of your warm up exercises thereafter.

As has been said, "Good technique won't necessarily make you a better player but bad technique will hold you back from being the best player you can be."

 

[Killing Floor]

Yeah!

Be honest with your teacher. If you missed practice say you missed practice. If there’s something you want to learn and you think the lessons should go in a different direction you can ask.
Most of all, be open to the feedback. The thing a personal lesson gives you that’s irreplaceable is immediate feedback on habits IMO. Being a drummer you’re probably bringing good sense of rhythm so the teacher probably appreciates that.
Let them correct you. Ask questions.

 

[SteveCS]

Kind of vague, so I'll respond with a vague overall suggestion....

Lessons are most valuable when you find a good teacher who is willing to help you truly learn how to play your instrument, and who teaches you about music in terms of theory, analysis, The best teachers won't be interested in helping you learn the bass line to (insert favorite tune here), except as maybe a very limited sidebar to in-depth instruction and exploration of the instrument itself.

End of thread The only thing I would add is that at this level, doing the initial assessment to identify the starting point and direction is the job of the teacher, not the student. A good teacher should also be able, through targeted questions and a bit of general 'chit-chat', establish the entry point fairly quickly.

 

[SteveLo42]

All appreciated! The biggest thing I took away from the first lesson was the thumb placement of my left hand, and swivelling on the thumb, rather than stretching. I've already noticed a difference so I guess that's a good start.

 

[TroyK]

Here's my approach to taking lessons.

First find someone to study with who I think can help me. Don't skip this step. Can they do things that you struggle to do? Are they a skilled teacher?

When I go to a teacher I'm prepared to tell them what I would like to learn or improve at, but I say "I want to be better and I'll work on whatever you tell me to work on."

They usually ask and I'll say I'm struggling with this or I wish I was better at that, but what I've learned is the really good bassist who are also good instructors have seen and heard it all and if they work with me a bit and say "we need to work on your left hand technique" or "your position" or "with a metronome" or whatever, then they believe that's how they can help me and I went to them for help, so that's what we should do.

Just my personal approach, but it's worked out for me.

 

[JRA]

you get the most out of lessons if/when you know what you need to learn to up your game. if you don't know: ask for an assessment/opinion. go from there.
good luck with your lessons!

 

[DrBnz]

I'd focus on being the student. I probably wouldn't tell them my background or how well I could play. I'd just tell em to teach me the basic theory. As he's teaching, he can adjust his teaching based on my feedback. But I'd put the pressure on him..... Go ahead "teacher".... teach me something.

 

[edgewise]

What's your goal?
Why are you playing bass?
What are you looking to get out of it?

Answer those questions and you can use your lessons to move towards your goal.

 

[SharpCat]

When a lesson covers something you already know: a) Your teacher does that thing a different way--learn the new way, and now you know both; b) Same way you've done it, but with some improvements--a chance you mis-learned it before, treat the lesson as remedial to fix bad habit; c) Same way you've done it always--look at it as practice, and it'll be over soon. In any case, don't reject "stuff you already know". There's always improvement available.

 

[Enrique M]

I am coming from an eerily similar place. Played drums (untrained) with a rotating studio cast for years, all the bass players moved away, I told the crew I would become the new go to bassists and started taking lessons about a year and a half ago. Not long after I committed to bass, word got out, and a drummer out of that same crew asked me to join him in an additional project before I had any lessons.

Going in, I had some bass technique, but very little fretboard knowledge and zero theory. I knew that was limiting how much my band mates could communicate with me. So I asked my teacher to keep that in mind, but that I was flexible with how we approached our lessons based on what she saw/heard from me. She has taken a very practical theory type of approach, helping me develop tools for communicating with my bandmates, navigating the fretboard, and constructing interesting bass lines to some of the jams my bandmates have written. So for me, there is an immediate application, whether that be in the form of a more interesting basslines or knowing the theory behind how to move from one part of a jam to another.

Additionally, she has been a solid mentor for me in terms of how to be in a (casually) gigging band, particularly in terms of helping me understand how to prep for gigs that I thought were too high profile for my skill level.

Anyway, my approach to lessons is to go to each lesson with the intention of getting some concrete direction to focus my daily practice on for the rest of the week. And, if something comes up , get some insight from my musical guide. I don't know if this is the "right" way, but this is how I have been doing it and the lessons still feel as useful as ever.

 

[xposaune]

Lots of thoughts on this based on my experience not leveraging teachers as well as i could and also seeing dozens of students work with teachers.

1. a good teacher will provide continuity from week to week toward a goal. Don't be surprised if the goal adjusts based on the teachers assessment. Avoid teachers who are like Dory and forget everything you worked on last week.
2. Dont be surprised if the teacher takes you back to some fundamentals. You can learn songs but as said above it should be in the context of applying the fundamentals to make music.
3. Do the work between lessons. Keep a journal. The teacher should give you a recap "here's what we worked on. Here's the plan to work on and listen to for next lesson." etc.

 

[fdeck]

I started bass lessons after a few years of being self taught. My teacher told me that I had to go back to square one.

He gave me really basic exercises, and explained his reasoning behind the technique that he was teaching. Plus, he had good credentials. I just went home and practiced my assignments. I also tried to use the new technique exclusively when I was playing with other people. I was sure it would take me an eon to get back up to my previous level, but by the end of the summer, I was playing better than I had ever played. Also, after a few lessons, then we were ready to work on actual tunes.

I've read the advice to record your lessons. If you're not writing stuff down during the lesson, you can play it back and update your notes.

 

[SteveCS]

All appreciated! The biggest thing I took away from the first lesson was the thumb placement of my left hand, and swivelling on the thumb, rather than stretching. I've already noticed a difference so I guess that's a good start.

A 'good' left hand is so important and transcends pretty much anything else. By that I mean pretty much everything else you will want to play is predicated on a good left hand. Good basic technique (left and right hands) is the enabler that allows you to actually start producing sounds with the instrument. You can have all the theory you want - and I recommend 'getting' as much as you can - but if you can't control your fingers (and hence the instrument) what's the point?

 

[albertus]

as a teacher myself, that is something that happens quite often. the first two or three lessons can be a little awkward until the ground of work is found. talk to your teacher and you will get to an understanding between what you need and what you want.
something I do sometimes is to have a phone call to try to get an overview of the student, his background, his interests, to get to know him a little to start the first class with something in my mind already.
have a little patience with your teacher and let him reach you

 

[MrLenny1]

You have the right approach. Learning fundamentals is necessary to move on.

 

[klyph]

I played drums for many years, stopped about 3 years ago due to a wrist injury, which is still ongoing. I started playing bass because it is less strain and pain for the wrist.

It’s interesting to me that EVERYONE replying in this thread is completely ignoring this statement.
For many adult learners on bass, wrist problems BEGIN when first learning the instrument on their own. The first thing that any teacher should address when teaching a beginner is posture and hand position to reduce tension on the wrist.
Often, when teaching kids, these instructions can “loosen” over time as hand and shoulder strength builds. A musician who is starting as an adult has an advantage because they have already developed hand strength and coordination (especially a drummer!). However, tendons also thicken and become less flexible over time, raising the spectre of problems such as tennis elbow.
It occurs to me that you might have come up with some novel ways of navigating challenging music (while nursing an injury) without the benefit of basic instruction. These are usually known colloquially as “bad habits”.
If your injury is still bothering you after three years, you may have to do excercises away from the bass to try to conform with what your teacher expects of you in terms of posture and approach.
Obviously, your teacher is probably not an expert on these matters. It might be helpful to consult a physical therapist, chiropractor, Alexander technique instructor, etc.
Of course, this is all speculation. Without video, or hearing from your teacher, nobody can say what’s REALLY going on. But I’m guessing it probably has to do with the accommodations you have made for yourself on the instrument.