I got my bass last Christmas (2023) but haven't really played it (I was super busy). I'm starting to play a bit more and would love some advice on literally everything/anything. My sister plays guitar, and I've played violin for 11 years now, but I'm still not quite sure how to start. I live in the super suburbs, so there's really enough "culture" or angst to start a band with people from where I live, and I don't have access to much transportation. How should I get started?
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im a super newbie, any suggestions?
- Thread starter absolutenewbie
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Welcome to TalkBass! Wow, hard for me to think back on where I was when I first picked up a bass guitar almost 50 years ago, but there are SO many options that will allow you to begin the journey now, even with limited transportation- so long as you have an internet connection.
YouTube has an awful lot of great bass players in it that provide plenty of tutorials and ideas for new beginners, so I’d probably recommend you poke around there and see who’s a good fit for you so that you stay focused on continuing to learn.
Be patient with yourself as you do. It takes a LOT of practice, as you likely know from your violin playing, to get good a something. And don’t injure yourself! Bass can cause all kinds of problems, given its weight, fingering, plucking, etc. so make sure you also research good ergonomically advice when playing and don’t start playing with bad habits that will simply cause yourself pain and damage in the long run!
YouTube has an awful lot of great bass players in it that provide plenty of tutorials and ideas for new beginners, so I’d probably recommend you poke around there and see who’s a good fit for you so that you stay focused on continuing to learn.
Be patient with yourself as you do. It takes a LOT of practice, as you likely know from your violin playing, to get good a something. And don’t injure yourself! Bass can cause all kinds of problems, given its weight, fingering, plucking, etc. so make sure you also research good ergonomically advice when playing and don’t start playing with bad habits that will simply cause yourself pain and damage in the long run!
Welcome to Talkbass, where there’s no problem so big it can’t be solved with more gear. 
In this case though, I’m gonna suggest lessons. Find someone local who can give you some 1-on-1 exercises and guidance that you can use to better dial in your technique. Having some past experience with violin gives you a head start in the right direction.
Independent of lessons, I would also start playing along with songs that you want learn and/or enjoy listening to. You absolutely will make a ton of mistakes, but that’s the process. More importantly, you will also develop your ears, which helps you to play along with other people, jam, etc. Many playing situations you will encounter involve almost no notation. Good listening skills free you from being dependent sheet music and help you to internalize songs.
Last bit of advice: have fun. Don’t make it a grind.
In this case though, I’m gonna suggest lessons. Find someone local who can give you some 1-on-1 exercises and guidance that you can use to better dial in your technique. Having some past experience with violin gives you a head start in the right direction.
Independent of lessons, I would also start playing along with songs that you want learn and/or enjoy listening to. You absolutely will make a ton of mistakes, but that’s the process. More importantly, you will also develop your ears, which helps you to play along with other people, jam, etc. Many playing situations you will encounter involve almost no notation. Good listening skills free you from being dependent sheet music and help you to internalize songs.
Last bit of advice: have fun. Don’t make it a grind.
Welcome!
1. Take some lessons...DIY with videos are fine..do that too!..-but, in person lessons will go way further to get ya started with the basics.
2. Try playing out with others as soon as your comfortable. Unlike guitar and piano, the bass id designed to accompany. And it fast tracks your abilities.
3. Spend 5 times more playing/practicing than looking for new gear.
4. Have fun! ITS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!
1. Take some lessons...DIY with videos are fine..do that too!..-but, in person lessons will go way further to get ya started with the basics.
2. Try playing out with others as soon as your comfortable. Unlike guitar and piano, the bass id designed to accompany. And it fast tracks your abilities.
3. Spend 5 times more playing/practicing than looking for new gear.
4. Have fun! ITS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!
this... so trueWelcome!
1. Take some lessons...DIY with videos are fine..do that too!..-but, in person lessons will go way further to get ya started with the basics.
2. Try playing out with others as soon as your comfortable. Unlike guitar and piano, the bass id designed to accompany. And it fast tracks your abilities.
3. Spend 5 times more playing/practicing than looking for new gear.
4. Have fun! ITS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!
One further option, perhaps in conjunction with a teacher, is the Hal Leonard Bass book by Ed Friedland. That book was huge in helping me learn the fretboard and learning basics.
Learn to love the instrument and to love the process of learning bass!
Lessons will certainly help you develop faster and likely avoid poor techniques or bad habits that you have to un-learn down the road.
At the very beginning it's all about muscle memory and getting your hands and body used to holding the instrument. Get a guitar stand and keep the bass out wherever you spend your time, don't put it away in a case, bag, or closet! Hold it on your lap while you read emails, fiddle around with it, even unplugged, while you watch TV. The more hours you spend with your hands on the bass the faster you'll develop a feel for it and get comfortable with it, even if not all of those hours are spent doing focused practice.
There are tons of YouTube videos, lesson sites, and other resources. Or you can just put on a record and make noise until what you play doesn't clash with what you're hearing. You can learn how to read tablature and fumble your way through songs that way, too. At some point it's really helpful to learn the basics of the music alphabet and then learn the names of the notes on your fretboard, and that process will greatly increase what you get out of lessons and the speed at which you are able to begin absorbing info beyond the most basic "put this hand here and this finger there" and into actual music.
Accept that the process takes time, listen to your body, don't press, grip, pluck, or strike the bass harder than it takes to make a sound come out of it, and have fun!
At the very beginning it's all about muscle memory and getting your hands and body used to holding the instrument. Get a guitar stand and keep the bass out wherever you spend your time, don't put it away in a case, bag, or closet! Hold it on your lap while you read emails, fiddle around with it, even unplugged, while you watch TV. The more hours you spend with your hands on the bass the faster you'll develop a feel for it and get comfortable with it, even if not all of those hours are spent doing focused practice.
There are tons of YouTube videos, lesson sites, and other resources. Or you can just put on a record and make noise until what you play doesn't clash with what you're hearing. You can learn how to read tablature and fumble your way through songs that way, too. At some point it's really helpful to learn the basics of the music alphabet and then learn the names of the notes on your fretboard, and that process will greatly increase what you get out of lessons and the speed at which you are able to begin absorbing info beyond the most basic "put this hand here and this finger there" and into actual music.
Accept that the process takes time, listen to your body, don't press, grip, pluck, or strike the bass harder than it takes to make a sound come out of it, and have fun!
Bassists spend a lot of time listening to recordings they like, and figuring out how to play the bass lines by ear. That's not really a beginner-level skill, but that's a core skill that you are working toward as you learn. As you learn, it's really good to keep putting on the headphones regularly and seeing what you can figure out all on your own. It's a little like learning to do pull-ups - it'll take you a year to get strong enough to do one, but then you can get to twenty the next year.
Welcome! That’s awesome that you have a musical background already with your violin. Honestly, I would just look on YouTube for a few technique videos on how to pluck, check the posture and the angle of your wrist, then just play along with songs that you like! If you ever have a specific question, feel free to private message me. I’d be happy to respond. Best of luck.
Start with a method book that shows you the notes on each string in first position, and then moves up. Most any will do, although the most popular for decades has been the Hal Leonard Bass Method, by our very own @edfriedland.
Next, you'll need some proper instruction very early on, on proper left and right hand technique. Obviously, an accredited teacher is best for this, but there is no lack of online instruction for free.
Once you have the basics under your belt, you will need to find an expert private lesson instructor. You really do get what you pay for, and if you insist on being self taught in the beginning, you are learning from an amateur. Get a professional when you are ready to get better quicker than you are.
Next, you'll need some proper instruction very early on, on proper left and right hand technique. Obviously, an accredited teacher is best for this, but there is no lack of online instruction for free.
Once you have the basics under your belt, you will need to find an expert private lesson instructor. You really do get what you pay for, and if you insist on being self taught in the beginning, you are learning from an amateur. Get a professional when you are ready to get better quicker than you are.
First, wear the bass in front of you, hanging from a strap that goes around your back and over your shoulder. If you try an play it violin style, you're bound to cause injury to yourself and possibly others.
Be careful walking around with it in cramped places places with low ceilings (seriously, lol).
I liked "Scott's Bass Lessons", among other YouTube channels.
A few lessons with a private instructor could help ensure your bass technique won't cause hand/arm/shoulder/etc. issues down the line.
Playing with others, especially if including a drummer, will help you see and, more importantly, feel what is really supposed to be going on.
A drum machine or metronome can help with timing and certainly to an extent feel, but interacting with a real drummer is different. Interacting with the rest of the band is important too, for sure, but especially the drummer.
Maybe the biggest differences from violin will be that the bass isn't typically playing a melody and that the bass has rhythmic, kind of 'dance' (physical body movement) possibilities. There are times when it is appropriate to just to play the root note of whatever chord the guitarist is playing, maybe even just whole notes, but at other times you want to be pumping out a rhythm through varying volume of the notes played so as to match the beat, and sometimes even beyond that in a way so as to get yours and others' bodies moving. Actually, there's all different kinds of music and all different kinds of songs, so the role of the bass can vary a lot as appropriate. You could be pumping out quarter notes with a pick for chugging rock, or doing riffs, pentatonic runs, maybe on occasion a melody, I mean it goes on and on… a whole world to explore and chart your own path through. Enjoy
Be careful walking around with it in cramped places places with low ceilings (seriously, lol).
I liked "Scott's Bass Lessons", among other YouTube channels.
A few lessons with a private instructor could help ensure your bass technique won't cause hand/arm/shoulder/etc. issues down the line.
Playing with others, especially if including a drummer, will help you see and, more importantly, feel what is really supposed to be going on.
A drum machine or metronome can help with timing and certainly to an extent feel, but interacting with a real drummer is different. Interacting with the rest of the band is important too, for sure, but especially the drummer.
Maybe the biggest differences from violin will be that the bass isn't typically playing a melody and that the bass has rhythmic, kind of 'dance' (physical body movement) possibilities. There are times when it is appropriate to just to play the root note of whatever chord the guitarist is playing, maybe even just whole notes, but at other times you want to be pumping out a rhythm through varying volume of the notes played so as to match the beat, and sometimes even beyond that in a way so as to get yours and others' bodies moving. Actually, there's all different kinds of music and all different kinds of songs, so the role of the bass can vary a lot as appropriate. You could be pumping out quarter notes with a pick for chugging rock, or doing riffs, pentatonic runs, maybe on occasion a melody, I mean it goes on and on… a whole world to explore and chart your own path through. Enjoy
I suggest changing your handle--soon with all the great tips above, you won't be a newbie anymore! 
Borrow some beginner bass instruction books at your local library, find some beginer instruction PDF on the interweb, or watch beginner bass instruction videos on YouTube.
Also jam with your sister!
It will sound like crap to start with, but it'll get better, and the only way to learn how to play together with other people is actually doing it.
I started playing in a band before any of us literally has any idea about how to play our respective instruments.
Best way to learn.
Though even better way to learn is to play with someone who actually got a clue.
You got your sister, take advantage of it (not her).
Victor Wooden agrees.
In case you don't know Victor Wooten that is this guy:
Also jam with your sister!
It will sound like crap to start with, but it'll get better, and the only way to learn how to play together with other people is actually doing it.
I started playing in a band before any of us literally has any idea about how to play our respective instruments.
Best way to learn.
Though even better way to learn is to play with someone who actually got a clue.
You got your sister, take advantage of it (not her).
Victor Wooden agrees.
In case you don't know Victor Wooten that is this guy:
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This isn't meant to be snarky. But, you have to play (practice) to learn and get anywhere. You have good advice listed. You will get out of this what you put in. You have to spend time with the instrument. Get it setup! New with no proper setup is a dead end. If you don't I'm afraid you won't enjoy the journey and not play at all.
I started learning bass seriously three years ago, allthough i have played guitar on and off for 20 years before that. These are the things that have worked for me:
Learn proper posture, as well as right- and left hand technique from the beginning. There are tons of free resources online that explain this in detail. It makes everything a LOT easier.
Learn to play real songs from day 1. There are lots of easy songs you can learn and play along with. The first one i learned was "Bad moon rising" by CCR.
Learn the notes on the fretboard. Start with the two lowest strings and the five lowest frets.
Learn to listen to what the bass player is doing in recordings. This is super important, since it teaches the role of the bass and gives you an idea of what you are supposed to play.
A soon as you can reliably fret and pluck notes, try to always practice with a metronome, drum machine or backing track. This prepares you to play real songs along with other people.
Once you know most of the notes on the fretboard and some basic technique, start figuring songs out by ear. This was super difficult and frustrating for me in the beginning, but now i have transcribed and learned 100+ songs this way. It gets easier after a while.
Learn proper posture, as well as right- and left hand technique from the beginning. There are tons of free resources online that explain this in detail. It makes everything a LOT easier.
Learn to play real songs from day 1. There are lots of easy songs you can learn and play along with. The first one i learned was "Bad moon rising" by CCR.
Learn the notes on the fretboard. Start with the two lowest strings and the five lowest frets.
Learn to listen to what the bass player is doing in recordings. This is super important, since it teaches the role of the bass and gives you an idea of what you are supposed to play.
A soon as you can reliably fret and pluck notes, try to always practice with a metronome, drum machine or backing track. This prepares you to play real songs along with other people.
Once you know most of the notes on the fretboard and some basic technique, start figuring songs out by ear. This was super difficult and frustrating for me in the beginning, but now i have transcribed and learned 100+ songs this way. It gets easier after a while.
It's a skill that applies to everyone from beginners to experienced professionals. It's NEVER too early to start tryng to play along with records.
My single biggest point to the newbie: PLAY BASS. I see all the time people who come from melody-lead-line-lots-of-notes instruments, (like violin),and if they don't put a LOT of effort and attention on playing in time and making each note matter, they end up with the notes kind of oozing out, not at any particular time, and often not at the right time.
First principle of playing bass is that the right note at the wrong time is a wrong note. Playing time is your first, second, third, fourth....
...and ninety-seventh priority; then all the rest comes after that.
First principle of playing bass is that the right note at the wrong time is a wrong note. Playing time is your first, second, third, fourth....
...and ninety-seventh priority; then all the rest comes after that.
When I got started, I wanted to play bass but I didn't know anyone who played guitar or drums or anything, so I got an electric guitar and small amp. (A Lyon by Washburn -- strat copy -- and a Kustom 10 watt amp.) Shortly after I got those learned that a lot of people I knew played guitar, so I started hanging out and learning from them. My family then moved to the 'burbs in northern Virginia not long after that which was a real lucky break for me as a budding musician. Turns out the suburbs are much more affluent than a small mill town in NC. I feel like half the kids in that high school played guitar or drums, so I was finally made the jump over to bass. So the point I'm getting at is, there is probably a bigger crowd of people that are in to music than you know/realize. Just focus on learning how to play the bass, all great advice on this thread, and the rest will follow.
The late and great Michael Rhodes told me this one thing when I asked him for lesson when I couldn't play a major scale.
"Learn to play what you like to listen to"-Michael Rhodes
He was right. Do that, and it will always be fun. Best of luck.
"Learn to play what you like to listen to"-Michael Rhodes
He was right. Do that, and it will always be fun. Best of luck.
