I'm Struggling To Learn Bass With A Learning Disability

[MarkA]

So I'm a high school student who's in special education and takes bass lessons (outside of school). I feel like being learning disabled is really affecting me being able to learn bass.

I've been taking bass lessons for probably almost a year and all I've really been able to do is memorize the frets and play songs along with my teacher but fail to be able to do them without him.

He's been trying to push arpeggios for weeks now but I don't understand them at all. If you asked me ANYTHING related to arpeggios I'd have no idea what to say even though we've been going over them for over a month.

I don't know what to do. It makes the lessons so stressful because I'm simply not learning anything. I know it's not my teacher's fault, we get along well and he's works quite nicely with me despite not knowing I have a disability.

I've been thinking of telling him but I don't know what difference it would make and I'm honestly embarrassed cause I just don't have the mental capacity of most his other students.

If you're wondering what the disability is, I have ADD, am suspected of autism, and have a very low processing speed of 70 (one point away from the mentally handicapped mark). The low processing speed is basically what it sounds like, in short it means I am extremely slow.

I have all of that along with a couple other weaknesses. It's so exhausting. It shows in my lessons. Like for example I'm always messing up because I can't read the music and play at the same time. I usually mess up when it comes to repeating lines or moving onto a different one because I find step by step processes to be extremely confusing but that's really what music is all based on.

I don't want to give up on music because it's my biggest passion but my conditions are really holding me back. Any advice? I know this isn't something usually discussed here but I'm at such a loss.

I concur with the posts praising the clarity and quality of your writing. You strike me as intelligent, whatever suspect number some test has attached to your "processing speed." I am not saying that you don't have specific learning challenges, but I would be careful not to let yourself be defined by the numerical results of a test -- those tests, along with the theories upon which they are based, change more frequently than you might think.

Even looking at a fairly specific musical thing -- say a one octave, C Major arpeggio on the electric bass -- there are lots and lots of ways to connect with it and know it. There is the sound of it (and even then, you can hear it harmonically or interval-by-interval, with a few variations on each of those), the feel of it in your hands, the shape it makes on the fingerboard, what it looks like written on a page in standard notation, or diagrammed, or combinations of some or all of these -- few people have all of these mastered, and different ones will come more easily to different folks.

Just take a step back, little brother. Give yourself some relief, and maybe some time off between lessons. Spread them out so you have more time to digest them.

Or work on smaller chunks in your weekly lessons -- whatever feels better to you. I concur with those saying to let your teacher know what challenges you face. I am a teacher and I consider finding different approaches to use with different students to be one of my strengths, but there is still plenty that I have to learn -- plenty of times that I am stymied or have to learn something new in order to help my students -- and they help me to help them by providing feedback and giving me insight into their learning processes and what's working/not working for them and how. They teach me how to teach them (and I try to help them find ways of teaching themselves, in turn).

Think about what it is that draws you to playing bass. Play what you can, and try to feel what you’re playing. You already have the spark. Fan those flames at your own pace.

Keep asking questions here. Lots of free suggestions and talented people to share their journeys. Many of us have taken an untraditional path to get where we are.

Be patient and kind with yourself, but keep at it and keep working to find things that will help you.

I don't know if I can whole-heartedly recommend this yet, or not, but I've started reading The Bullet Journal Method -- the author faced some learning challenges of his own, and the method was his way of organizing things in a way that worked for him (and, I hope, that I'll find helpful, as well). Doesn't directly address what you're talking about, but it came to mind and might be something you'll find helpful in a more general way (feel free to disregard, if not).

Good luck! Thanks for sharing, and chin up!

 

[HolmeBass]

I agree with what everyone has said. The issues you are having with your lesson material is common and all of my students struggle the same way. Given just that I think your disability is not affecting your music.

The advice to destress the issues and seek the enjoyment is great advice. Putting the mental together with the feeling and emotions is the holy grail and we’re all working on that in our own way. It is not trivial to internalize many musical concepts to the point that they become useful tools rather than challenges, and you just have to relax with it and learn many examples and then eventually it will click.

Then arpeggios become your friends, something you can always fall back on and trust. But it takes a long time to really internalize it to the point that a feeling comes out as an arpeggio. Years and years of playing for most people.

I know it’s hard to have patience and discipline, but music will teach you both if you let it.

 

[Polk Salad]

These things have been repeatedly said by others in the thread so I'll be short.

1 - Don't give up.
2 - Have fun.
3 - Don't ever be afraid to ask for help here in the forums, everyone and every skill level is welcome.

 

[Ostie]

Are there any other teachers you could try out? Maybe a different teacher would have a different way of teaching that would work better for you. There are different ways of learning. Some learn by demonstration, others by memorization, some by hands on, others by reading or lecturing. Maybe you just haven’t found the right teacher to accommodate your learning style.

By all means talk to your teacher about your disability, and your learning style, if you know. He or she can’t accommodate if they don’t know.

 

[vegas532]

One possibility is perhaps your teacher can learn to incorporate theory and fretboard learning to songs that you already want to learn. Sort of studying the why while you're learning a song that's already driving you to learn in the first place. I have some background with teaching students with disabilities. I myself have congenital limb deformities and learning music saved my life and my sanity. This is the approach that I personally would attempt early on with you if you were my student.

 

[Turbo Sparky]

So I'm a high school student who's in special education and takes bass lessons (outside of school). I feel like being learning disabled is really affecting me being able to learn bass.

I've been taking bass lessons for probably almost a year and all I've really been able to do is memorize the frets and play songs along with my teacher but fail to be able to do them without him.

He's been trying to push arpeggios for weeks now but I don't understand them at all. If you asked me ANYTHING related to arpeggios I'd have no idea what to say even though we've been going over them for over a month.

I don't know what to do. It makes the lessons so stressful because I'm simply not learning anything. I know it's not my teacher's fault, we get along well and he's works quite nicely with me despite not knowing I have a disability.

I've been thinking of telling him but I don't know what difference it would make and I'm honestly embarrassed cause I just don't have the mental capacity of most his other students.

If you're wondering what the disability is, I have ADD, am suspected of autism, and have a very low processing speed of 70 (one point away from the mentally handicapped mark). The low processing speed is basically what it sounds like, in short it means I am extremely slow.

I have all of that along with a couple other weaknesses. It's so exhausting. It shows in my lessons. Like for example I'm always messing up because I can't read the music and play at the same time. I usually mess up when it comes to repeating lines or moving onto a different one because I find step by step processes to be extremely confusing but that's really what music is all based on.

I don't want to give up on music because it's my biggest passion but my conditions are really holding me back. Any advice? I know this isn't something usually discussed here but I'm at such a loss.

Never ever give up !

Tell your teacher/instructor.
EVERYONE gets information overload, everyone.
SLOW down, way down. If you can play a C Major scale, and can find a G C D, you can rock it out.
If you can find the octaves of G C D, you can funk it up.

Alot of great information from other commentors, and TB is a treasure for centralized bass information.
Never quit, never surrender!

Consider an on-line instruction course. YOUR pace, and a ton less expensive than once a week in-person lessons. IMO use a in the flesh instructor for fine tuning.
You can do this.
Good luck and keep your chin up!

 

[Ric5]

So I'm a high school student who's in special education and takes bass lessons (outside of school). I feel like being learning disabled is really affecting me being able to learn bass.

I've been taking bass lessons for probably almost a year and all I've really been able to do is memorize the frets and play songs along with my teacher but fail to be able to do them without him.

He's been trying to push arpeggios for weeks now but I don't understand them at all. If you asked me ANYTHING related to arpeggios I'd have no idea what to say even though we've been going over them for over a month.

I don't know what to do. It makes the lessons so stressful because I'm simply not learning anything. I know it's not my teacher's fault, we get along well and he's works quite nicely with me despite not knowing I have a disability.

I've been thinking of telling him but I don't know what difference it would make and I'm honestly embarrassed cause I just don't have the mental capacity of most his other students.

If you're wondering what the disability is, I have ADD, am suspected of autism, and have a very low processing speed of 70 (one point away from the mentally handicapped mark). The low processing speed is basically what it sounds like, in short it means I am extremely slow.

I have all of that along with a couple other weaknesses. It's so exhausting. It shows in my lessons. Like for example I'm always messing up because I can't read the music and play at the same time. I usually mess up when it comes to repeating lines or moving onto a different one because I find step by step processes to be extremely confusing but that's really what music is all based on.

I don't want to give up on music because it's my biggest passion but my conditions are really holding me back. Any advice? I know this isn't something usually discussed here but I'm at such a loss.

You have very good English skills and you write well

What helps me play music better is trying to play from the right side of the brain

 

[Huw Phillips]

I think the most important thing is to be honest with your teacher, that way he/she can adapt to your needs and tailor your lessons accordingly, I have a very similar problem I got Lyme disease 2 years ago and have enormous problems with short term memory, I could previously read and write music well but it all looks like Chinese to me now, I explained this to my teacher and he uses tab exclusively with me, we do lots of things with repetition and he sends me videos of lessons to remember things, I literally forget things instantly, I fully understand your passion for music it’s one of the few things that I gain huge pleasure from, along with building a bass, my Lyme Dr encourages me to keep at music it’s hard but so rewarding, if I can in any way help please do t hesitate to message me I totally get where you are I am there too it sucks but we will get there in the end

 

[Reedt2000]

So I'm a high school student who's in special education and takes bass lessons (outside of school). I feel like being learning disabled is really affecting me being able to learn bass.

I've been taking bass lessons for probably almost a year and all I've really been able to do is memorize the frets and play songs along with my teacher but fail to be able to do them without him.

He's been trying to push arpeggios for weeks now but I don't understand them at all. If you asked me ANYTHING related to arpeggios I'd have no idea what to say even though we've been going over them for over a month.

I don't know what to do. It makes the lessons so stressful because I'm simply not learning anything. I know it's not my teacher's fault, we get along well and he's works quite nicely with me despite not knowing I have a disability.

I've been thinking of telling him but I don't know what difference it would make and I'm honestly embarrassed cause I just don't have the mental capacity of most his other students.

If you're wondering what the disability is, I have ADD, am suspected of autism, and have a very low processing speed of 70 (one point away from the mentally handicapped mark). The low processing speed is basically what it sounds like, in short it means I am extremely slow.

I have all of that along with a couple other weaknesses. It's so exhausting. It shows in my lessons. Like for example I'm always messing up because I can't read the music and play at the same time. I usually mess up when it comes to repeating lines or moving onto a different one because I find step by step processes to be extremely confusing but that's really what music is all based on.

I don't want to give up on music because it's my biggest passion but my conditions are really holding me back. Any advice? I know this isn't something usually discussed here but I'm at such a loss.

There have been a lot if responses to this post and I haven't read them all so I'm sorry if I repeat advise that has already been given. For several years I ran a music program for adults with developmental disabilities. The program included giving private instrumental lessons. I have moved on to a different job (I now works as an advocate for people with all types of disabilities), but I still teach lessons to people I worked with in my previous position. I have taught people with multiple levels of challenges and ive seen them really grow as players, perform at public venues, and develop a sense of pride and accomplishment. With that experience I think I can add some valuable advise for your situation.

I have had the most success as a teacher by always working in context, and breaking things down to one focus at a time. That is to say always have a song to work on that uses the concept being taught. Music theory concepts can make more sense when you're using them in a song and can relate the idea to the song. It's not a major pentatonic scale, it's the notes from the lick in My Girl for example. Also work one element of a song at a time. Get your fingers to move through the right notes, then focus on doing it with the right timing.

Also remember a couple things. One, music is an art form, it's a self-expression. If you like the sounds you make on your instrument then it's good, it doesn't matter what other people think. Two music is not a measure of your worth. It doesn't matter what others can do on an instrument, you don't have to measure yourself against anyone. No matter what you can do, or how fast you can do it, there will always be somebody who can do something you can't, you'll always have room to grow and learn. Three, music is not a race. Just do what you do, move at the pace that works for you.

I hope this helps. It is easy to get discouraged at times, we all go through it. Keep working, it takes time for everyone to develop as a musician.

 

[Jimbowhit7]

I don't have much of anything to add to what people have already said, though I definitely agree that above all else you should make sure you're enjoying yourself. I am not a great player by any means - I'm not super fast, and I generally stick to unimaginative things like the root, third and fifth when I play with a band (though I use specific lines sometimes), but I enjoy it. It makes me happy, and I feel like I'm doing something that brings me joy as well as those who listen to the band. Just make sure you don't lose sight of that part in your journey - I know you said that music is your passion, so I doubt that will be a problem.

Also, it makes me so happy to see how supportive people have been on this thread. Stuff like this is why I love this site.

 

[LowActionHero]

If you do enjoy it then don't give up. Take a break from it or just relax playing something you know and can handle to keep the fun in it. DON'T let it stress you out or turn into "work". The problems you listed are common to EVERYONE starting out. And some of us who have been playing awhile.

Do you enjoy video games? My son has high functioning autism (PDD). and taught himself quite a bit on guitar playing Rocksmith.. It adjusts the difficulty automatically if the song is too hard or too easy.

I would definitely let your teacher know the situation, he can slow down the lessons or adjust his teaching style.

And Talkbass is an AWESOME place to ask questions and get things clarified. Very helpful people here happy to share their knowledge.

 

[2F/2F]

Gotta just be open about your learning differences. If your teacher has trouble working with that, you can find teachers who have experience in special education.

For what it's worth, I don't consider you to have "lower mental capacity" than others. People with learning differences and/or autism spectrum traits are often highly skilled and intelligent in certain ways – sometimes quite literally geniuses. You just learn differently than most. Sometimes it takes lots and lots of trial and error to find what does work for you.

Good luck. If you really want to play the bass, you can find a way. It might be harder for you, but that doesn't mean you can't muscle through it if it's what you really want to do. Just don't get hung up on the fact that there is a "right" way that you MUST do it. The thing about learning differences is that the way that works for you might be what most people would call "the wrong way."

 

[EatS1stBassist]

So I'm a high school student who's in special education and takes bass lessons (outside of school). I feel like being learning disabled is really affecting me being able to learn bass.

I've been taking bass lessons for probably almost a year and all I've really been able to do is memorize the frets and play songs along with my teacher but fail to be able to do them without him.

He's been trying to push arpeggios for weeks now but I don't understand them at all. If you asked me ANYTHING related to arpeggios I'd have no idea what to say even though we've been going over them for over a month.

I don't know what to do. It makes the lessons so stressful because I'm simply not learning anything. I know it's not my teacher's fault, we get along well and he's works quite nicely with me despite not knowing I have a disability.

I've been thinking of telling him but I don't know what difference it would make and I'm honestly embarrassed cause I just don't have the mental capacity of most his other students.

If you're wondering what the disability is, I have ADD, am suspected of autism, and have a very low processing speed of 70 (one point away from the mentally handicapped mark). The low processing speed is basically what it sounds like, in short it means I am extremely slow.

I have all of that along with a couple other weaknesses. It's so exhausting. It shows in my lessons. Like for example I'm always messing up because I can't read the music and play at the same time. I usually mess up when it comes to repeating lines or moving onto a different one because I find step by step processes to be extremely confusing but that's really what music is all based on.

I don't want to give up on music because it's my biggest passion but my conditions are really holding me back. Any advice? I know this isn't something usually discussed here but I'm at such a loss.

Do what other impaired (blind) musicians did to learn and that is to listen instead of looking. Not blind but it helped me big time!

 

[basslifter]

You write very well, so perhaps having something written to refer to would help. Have you tried recording your lessons? Video?
My son is similar. It can't be academic for him. He does best when he can see and feel it. Feel is a big part of music. There are tons of musicians that don't know the academic side. They hear it, feel it and know it intrinsically.
Good luck to you!

 

[Ian McLaughlin]

There's a lot of love on this board for MrNoob. My kind of people. I can't really say anything that's not been said in this thread, you got a lot of support here.
MrNoob - you are doing all the right things, it doesn't happen overnight. We are all still learning.
Be honest with your instructor. They won't balk.
Do your lessons.
But, also, rock out to your favorite records. That's kinda what we all did.
Have fun with it!!!

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Hey Mr. Noob... the whole idea behind learning to play an instrument is to have fun, enjoy, explore. I’ve only been playing the bass for 18 months and there are times of frustration and times of fulfillment. The fulfillments far outweighs the frustrations, and the frustrations push me to figure out things. Forget music theory, teachers and lessons. Play songs you really dig and sit down and learn them. YouTube can be a big help... the internet has some great resources (TalkBass). I am a high school Special Education teacher. Don’t think your “disability” is a road block to your musical journey. Music is art... it’s personal and you control your musical world... no rules or judgment. Get lost in it. It’s a wonderful place to be. I am confident you will start to really enjoy yourself. Throw the pressure aside; that’s not what it’s supposed to be about. Keep in touch and let us know how you are progressing. Lots of great people here at TB!

 

[whero]

My three cents:

1. Let your bass teacher know about your challenges. He may just be an old hack bass player trying to earn a few extra dollars, but if he actually knows something about teaching and learning, he might have some other strategies that could be more suited to your learning style.
   
   
2. Your learning challenges may not have anything to do with whether you can learn to play bass or not. My big brother is one of the smartest guys I know. Got amazing results all through school and slam dunked university, runs his own consulting business and makes close to $200K a year, but couldn't learn to play guitar. He tried for a few years, took heaps of lessons from different tutors, but never got it. Really p*ss*d him off. By contrast, my niece is autistic and, while there are a lot of things she finds really difficult, she is an amazing piano player.
   
   
3. Think about whether you need to keep taking the lessons right now. I learned by playing along with songs in my bedroom, by ear. I'd put on a song I liked, listen and pick out the bass line until I could hum it, and slap out the timing on my thigh, getting the feel for the rhythm of the song generally and the bass line in particular. Then I started working out songs and playing them on the bass. Start with something easy. The Monkees' "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" was the first song I learned. Four notes - two strings, two frets. As you play, look at the patterns your fingers are making on the strings and frets. Pretty soon those patterns will start to look familiar and make sense. A basic blues scale will have the same pattern in any key - just starting on a different string/fret. Once you can do those basic scales and patterns, try embellishing them. Add a few extra notes, see what you get.
   
   If you can pick some things up playing by ear, you can always go back to the theory later. It's useful to have the knowledge, and reading music is a great skill if you want to be a professional musician doing backing and session work, but I'll bet there are plenty of bass players in big name acts who haven't learned much theory.

 

[Aussie Guy]

So I'm a high school student who's in special education and takes bass lessons (outside of school). I feel like being learning disabled is really affecting me being able to learn bass.



I've been taking bass lessons for probably almost a year and all I've really been able to do is memorize the frets and play songs along with my teacher but fail to be able to do them without him.

He's been trying to push arpeggios for weeks now but I don't understand them at all. If you asked me ANYTHING related to arpeggios I'd have no idea what to say even though we've been going over them for over a month.

I don't know what to do. It makes the lessons so stressful because I'm simply not learning anything. I know it's not my teacher's fault, we get along well and he's works quite nicely with me despite not knowing I have a disability.

I've been thinking of telling him but I don't know what difference it would make and I'm honestly embarrassed cause I just don't have the mental capacity of most his other students.

If you're wondering what the disability is, I have ADD, am suspected of autism, and have a very low processing speed of 70 (one point away from the mentally handicapped mark). The low processing speed is basically what it sounds like, in short it means I am extremely slow.

I have all of that along with a couple other weaknesses. It's so exhausting. It shows in my lessons. Like for example I'm always messing up because I can't read the music and play at the same time. I usually mess up when it comes to repeating lines or moving onto a different one because I find step by step processes to be extremely confusing but that's really what music is all based on.

I don't want to give up on music because it's my biggest passion but my conditions are really holding me back. Any advice? I know this isn't something usually discussed here but I'm at such a loss.

For someone with a learning disability you come across as educated and very well spoken.

My advice as an ex bass teacher is to try to develop your own style at home regardless of what is being taught. Really there are no rules in music.
Do you jam to songs at home?
I would also work slowly on a cover song, learn from beginning to end, try to do what the teacher says and remember to develop your own style no matter what it is.
Think of arpeggios as the key notes in a chord. And the arpeggio is just a chord with the notes being played one at a time rather than strumming the entire chord.

Rick

 

[Outbush]

Arpeggios are sort-of like stairs. If you have 8 stairs to climb start on the first step, miss one, third step, miss one then really stretch out from the fifth step right up to the eighth step. That’s an apeggio.
Best place to see it is on a piano keyboard because you can really see it there.

I agree with many of the ideas here - another one. Get used to playing that root note; if the first chord is A for the song just play an A for the whole time A is the chord but make the rhythm groove, groove in with the drummer until it sounds cool. Play along to a song or two you know well and think rhythm not notes. Plenty of great bass players emphasise the rhythm on plenty of great songs.

That’ll get you started-keep working on that other stuff too (it’ll come for sure) but have some fun with it too. Being a great player is playing what sounds good to people, not what is most complicated or “correct”.

 

[retslock]

I turn 70 this year and I’m still happily learning. When I come to something difficult I slow it way down and I mean WAY down. I’m not a speedy player but I made my living from music for many, many years. Slowing hard stuff down gives your brain the time to process the information then it can give your hands the correct instructions. As you get better at it you can speed it up bit by bit.
Your brain has to know before your hands can obey so sing the part first so it’s in your head.
At this point in your learning I would suggest that arpeggios should be kept to just root, 3rd and 5th of major and minor chords which is what most blues tunes are based on. Don’t be daunted by that stuff. Take a break from time to time to do something that’s fun. As others have said, get into the feel of some of your favourite songs and let your ears help you to have fun.
I really think you should tell your teacher about your disability. He may have a way to modify his program to suit you better.
Above all, don’t be disheartened and don’t give up. Music is not so easy. If it was, everyone would be doing it.