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Double Bass I bought a bass, now what?

B

bootlegger

May 19, 2013
5
0
#1
Howdy all, I just bought my first bass. I want to try learning on my own so I picked up a copy of the mark schatz beginner bluegrass bass DVD. Are there any other books/DVDs I should look for. I just found the forum and it looks like I'll be busy reading for a few days. Assume I know nothing about playing music (not true) and I wanted to learn to play bluegrass bass what are some basic skills I will need to work on?

Thanks in advance for the advice. I'm sure I'll come up with another few hundred questions.
 
#8
Strike the string with the side of you finger not the tip.
Use the weight of your arm for volume, not your finger joint.
Learn your 1s & 5s in all the keys.
Stay in the lower fingerboard positions as much as possible.
Go to festivals and jams, find some good musicians with good timing and play, play, play, until you get blisters upon blisters, lol.
Above all, Groove!
 
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#10
KUNGfuSHERIFF said:
Find a teacher. DB will hurt you if you develop bad habits.
Click to expand...

Yes. There is to be no ****ing around at all on this one. You need a teacher to get started.

Double bass and electric bass technique can interchange but for the vast majority of us who do that it's a one way street with DB fingerings and mechanical considerations working well on the electric but not so much the other way round.
 
#11
Thanks everyone for the replies. I already play fiddle and have been wanting to start learning bass for awhile. I will probably find a teacher eventually but hay season is getting started and I never know if I'll be able to keep a lesson appointment or not.
 
#12
I'll tell you the BEST/MOST FUN AND ENJOYABLE way to learn bass, or any instrument, for that matter. For starters, a book/DVD is way too much like work for 99.9% of us out there. I suggest you try a different approach:

Start just by noodling around, just to get a feel for the instrument. Don't worry about making music right away. As I said, just get a feel for it & twist some knobs 'n play around with it to familiarize yourself with it (I know ALL my instruments BETTER than I know the back of my hand). Then, go through your music collection, and pick out a few favorite songs that you think would be easiest to learn. My suggestion? Don't bite off more than you can chew. IMO, maybe a slow ballad would be a good start (especially with your intonation), as it's typically easier to learn. That way, you're learning AND doing what you set out to do in the first damn place, which is to learn how to play actual songs on your instrument. Nobody wants to have their nose buried in a DVD, or book. Remember, the key to learning quickly, is to make learning fun, not like work!! Good luck & keep us posted.
 
#14
millsbass5 said:
I'll tell you the BEST/MOST FUN AND ENJOYABLE way to learn bass, or any instrument, for that matter. For starters, a book/DVD is way too much like work for 99.9% of us out there. I suggest you try a different approach:

Start just by noodling around, just to get a feel for the instrument. Don't worry about making music right away. As I said, just get a feel for it & twist some knobs 'n play around with it to familiarize yourself with it (I know ALL my instruments BETTER than I know the back of my hand). Then, go through your music collection, and pick out a few favorite songs that you think would be easiest to learn. My suggestion? Don't bite off more than you can chew. IMO, maybe a slow ballad would be a good start (especially with your intonation), as it's typically easier to learn. That way, you're learning AND doing what you set out to do in the first damn place, which is to learn how to play actual songs on your instrument. Nobody wants to have their nose buried in a DVD, or book. Remember, the key to learning quickly, is to make learning fun, not like work!! Good luck & keep us posted.
Click to expand...

I find it odd that you'd suggest getting under way by eschewing any real work in favor of a "noodling" approach to learning the double bass. This is not an instrument to take on in a casual way. It requires a minimum amount of technique and daily maintenance to play in tune and to play without damaging yourself physically. Starting to work on technique from day one only makes sense.

And I've never known a beginner who you actually had to tell to noodle around and experiment with his instrument; that part comes pretty naturally.

bootlegger,
If you can't get a teacher right now get a full length mirror. If it looks awkward and wrong it probably is.
 
#15
The finger tip is great. Going from cello to DB... lets just say i quickly changed to the side of my finger lol!

Piece of advice learn how a metronome works and a tuner. Being able to tune your instrument properly is VERY important when learning a non-fretted instrument. You can learn where the notes are, but if the strings are out of tune they are not actually correct.

It becomes easier after practice when your ear gets very good at pitching, but at the start it will be slow to play anything properly in tune, and your fingers will hurt. Dont overdo it either.

Its like running start with 20 minutes and work your way up gradually to X-minutes a day or whatever you want. you can and WILL damage yourself if you overplay.

Good luck and have fun!
 
#17
I was a hack guitarist. My buddies had a bluegrass band and the bassist moved off. They said "you wanna be in the band? Then play this!" Shoved an upright in my hands. I found G,C,D and A,D, and E and just jammed with the guys for an eternity. One finger gets a bilster, switch to another one and play on. Get a cramp? Sop dooing that and try something else.

Thats how I learned to play bass.
 
#18
When I started, I was unable to find a teacher. I tried books, videos etc. What worked for me was the ArtistWorks site with Missy Raines. I agree that a face to face teacher is best, but boy oh boy is the Missy Raines siite great for a beginner. I did almost the whole thing and feel like I had face to face lessons with Missy. You can even do the video feedback where you send her video of yourself playing. I never did that part, although I watched others students videos which was quite useful.

Just my $ .02 worth.
 
#19
Also, another critical thing for DB is to make sure your instrument is properly set up . It makes a huge difference on this instrument. Especially so for a beginner.

Even with a good set up, and using proper technique, playing DB can be a painful experience at first. It is a beast of an instrument that will fight you trying to stuff it into a small car, drag it up staircases, give your blisters - and yet will worm its way into your heart. Make sure you get it set up so professionally so that at least that barrier is lowered.
 
#20
Get a teacher! A REAL DB teacher. Not the internet.

Bass Doc said:
Even with a good set up, and using proper technique, playing DB can be a painful experience at first. It is a beast of an instrument that will fight you trying to stuff it into a small car, drag it up staircases, give your blisters - and yet will worm its way into your heart. Make sure you get it set up so professionally so that at least that barrier is lowered.
Click to expand...

Plus no will want to get in an elevator with you and your big ol' bass.
 

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