Mark Smith and Learning Bass

[AwakeandAlive]

I am a complete beginner to this hopefully beautiful journey of bass. Currently I'm taking weekly 30min lessons, but I have found Mark Smith (Talking Bass) and have really enjoyed his micro lessons. After joining the other day I saw he has his lessons discounted 30% off until 12pm tonight. Does anyone here get multiple sources of training? Is there a certain order of learning that is necessary, like scales before chord tones, vice versa? Like I said I'm a beginner so it would be fundamentals for me, but after that, is the floor open to whatever? Sorry, lots of questions I know. Thanks.

 

[Nuage420]

I tried SBL but went with Mark. He is much easier to comprehend for beginners.

 

[Nuage420]

Also this book has been a huge eye opener for me. if you're brand new get the good ol Mel Bay beginner bass book. When you can get through that and be bored and thinking about other stuff while playing everything perfectly, move to this book and beyond.

 

[AwakeandAlive]

I tried SBL but went with Mark. He is much easier to comprehend for beginners.

Cool deal. I'll go ahead and give that 30% discount a go. I like his articulation, very engaging too. Thanks. And I'll check out that book too. Im over here trying to run before I walk. Always like that. Smh.

 

[ShawnG]

I use Mark and think he’s great. Snap up the 30% discount while you can, it’ll be mid-year until there is another sale.
The “Holy Trinity” at TalkingBass is Sight Reading, Chord Tones and Scale Essentials. If you are starting out The Beginner Starter pack is a great place to start. Bassic Fundamentals is a course you’ll come back to as quick reference as you move on. Beginner Bass is just that, but a good place to start if you really have no background with bass (that was me).
Mark pushes sight-reading pretty hard and his students believe in it. It is the course I’ve taken the most from re: accelerating my playing. Teaches fretboard navigation, notation, rhythms and forces you to learn to play without looking at the neck.
See here for a quick video we talked Mark into doing laying out his thoughts of what courses, in what order. He needs to put this on his home page!!
Learn to Play Bass Guitar: With Online Bass Lessons, Bass Tab and More!

 

[AwakeandAlive]

Mark pushes sight-reading pretty hard and his students believe in it. It is the course I’ve taken the most from re: accelerating my playing. Teaches fretboard navigation, notation, rhythms and forces you to learn to play without looking at the neck.
See here for a quick video we talked Mark into doing laying out his thoughts of what courses, in what order. He needs to put this on his home page!!
Learn to Play Bass Guitar: With Online Bass Lessons, Bass Tab and More!

Oh man, that was awesome. Much needed info. Thanks. Glad yall talked him into that. I may just splurge a little tonight!

It seems like chord tones essentials and sight reading could be in either order, but you'd suggest sight reading first, yeah?

 

[ShawnG]

Oh man, that was awesome. Much needed info. Thanks. Glad yall talked him into that. I may just splurge a little tonight!

It seems like chord tones essentials and sight reading could be in either order, but you'd suggest sight reading first, yeah?

Sight reading is a stand-alone course. You can take it in combination with any other course(s). It starts out very basic and builds step by step. Getting through Vols 1&2 (Vol 3 on the way soon) is a serious time commitment. It’ll take me over a year, just to get through Vol 1, I expect (but from true beginner status), but each lesson seems to get a little easier as I learn more.
Chord Tones and Scale Essentials could be taken side by side (if desired) as they build on each other in the beginning, then start to branch off after the first 10 lessons or so in each.
I completed Starter Pack, then began Sight Reading, Chord Tones and Scales all at once. I practice some 15 mins to an hour (more 15 mins, unfortunately) most days, but haven’t been disciplined about knocking out lessons every day (this is supposed to be fun, not a grind. I am doing the Players Path in SBL as well as a way of learning songs and think it is great, but it takes time away from TalkingBass. All good, as far as I am concerned.) and am at the end of the first module in each course after 6 months of work. If I was more disciplined I’d probably be twice as far (end of module 2 in each). I’ve got the Walking Bass course waiting in the wings as it will be an application of the Chord Tones and Scales courses, so I am forcing myself to get through those before moving on. Sight Reading is a long-term project!
Good luck and welcome to TalkingBass. We have a great group on the TalkingBass Study Group page on FB and Mark does a live-stream there almost every Saturday at 10:00 Eastern time (USA) where he will answer questions from the group. Worth joining FB for, if just for the Study Group. Best of luck!!

 

[AwakeandAlive]

Sight reading is a stand-alone course. You can take it in combination with any other course(s). It starts out very basic and builds step by step. Getting through Vols 1&2 (Vol 3 on the way soon) is a serious time commitment. It’ll take me over a year, just to get through Vol 1, I expect (but from true beginner status), but each lesson seems to get a little easier as I learn more.
Chord Tones and Scale Essentials could be taken side by side (if desired) as they build on each other in the beginning, then start to branch off after the first 10 lessons or so in each.
I completed Starter Pack, then began Sight Reading, Chord Tones and Scales all at once. I practice some 15 mins to an hour (more 15 mins, unfortunately) most days, but haven’t been disciplined about knocking out lessons every day (this is supposed to be fun, not a grind. I am doing the Players Path in SBL as well as a way of learning songs and think it is great, but it takes time away from TalkingBass. All good, as far as I am concerned.) and am at the end of the first module in each course after 6 months of work. If I was more disciplined I’d probably be twice as far (end of module 2 in each). I’ve got the Walking Bass course waiting in the wings as it will be an application of the Chord Tones and Scales courses, so I am forcing myself to get through those before moving on. Sight Reading is a long-term project!
Good luck and welcome to TalkingBass. We have a great group on the TalkingBass Study Group page on FB and Mark does a live-stream there almost every Saturday at 10:00 Eastern time (USA) where he will answer questions from the group. Worth joining FB for, if just for the Study Group. Best of luck!!

Cool deal. I'll definitely look up that group. I'm glad to be here. Thanks for everyone's input. I'm going in for the long haul!

 

[Nuage420]

I just ordered the talkingbass starter pack. I think I'm gonna grab one other course while the discount us up.

 

[AwakeandAlive]

I just ordered the talkingbass starter pack. I think I'm gonna grab one other course while the discount us up.

Rock on. Did the same, like ShawnG said above, I went ahead and got just the first sight reading to study through over time, but figured chord tones may be good to add as well. Can't wait to get started. Enjoy.

 

[lark_z]

This is quite good and well reviewed by other TBers. Hal Leonard Bass Method – Complete Edition - Books 1, 2 and 3 Bound Together in One Easy-to-Use Volume!

 

[Nuage420]

This is quite good and well reviewed by other TBers. Hal Leonard Bass Method – Complete Edition - Books 1, 2 and 3 Bound Together in One Easy-to-Use Volume!

Yep I have that one

 

[kbob]

I took up bass last July. I already play some other instruments.

I bought Mark's Beginner Bass Guitar Course and worked through those lessons in a month. It was a good introduction to the instrument, let me get a little familiarity and learn the terminology. Easily worth $30.

Then I started lessons with a local teacher (via Zoom). Live instruction is much better - the teacher catches my technique errors before they become bad habits. He is doing a good job of tailoring the curriculum to my strengths and weaknesses, and he indulges my musical tastes. (e.g., I'm working on Rush and Beatles songs which aren't in his plan.)

So I think one-on-one instruction, if you get the right teacher, is much better than pre-programmed lessons. I doubt I'll go back to TalkingBass, though I do subscribe to his channel and occasionally watch it.

 

[Nuage420]

I took up bass last July. I already play some other instruments.

I bought Mark's Beginner Bass Guitar Course and worked through those lessons in a month. It was a good introduction to the instrument, let me get a little familiarity and learn the terminology. Easily worth $30.

Then I started lessons with a local teacher (via Zoom). Live instruction is much better - the teacher catches my technique errors before they become bad habits. He is doing a good job of tailoring the curriculum to my strengths and weaknesses, and he indulges my musical tastes. (e.g., I'm working on Rush and Beatles songs which aren't in his plan.)

So I think one-on-one instruction, if you get the right teacher, is much better than pre-programmed lessons. I doubt I'll go back to TalkingBass, though I do subscribe to his channel and occasionally watch it.

Of course an instructor is going to be the best option. If your budget and schedule allow for it.

 

[kbob]

Of course an instructor is going to be the best option. If your budget and schedule allow for it.

You're right; I almost added a disclaimer about cost.

But OTOH, how much are people here spending on basses, rigs, and pedals? A year's lessons are likely to help more than a new bass.

 

[AwakeandAlive]

You're right; I almost added a disclaimer about cost.

But OTOH, how much are people here spending on basses, rigs, and pedals? A year's lessons are likely to help more than a new bass.

I had two reservations about the online lessons: real time correction like you stated, and real time Q & A. But at the rate I'm going I'll spend $960 a year for 1 on 1 lessons, 30 min weekly. I don't mind it, and I'll continue, but I tend to want to branch out during the week to see what else I can find/do, after practicing what the instructor has asked me to. Right now its very basic stuff which is why I gravitated to Mark for, I guess, additional content.

 

[Nuage420]

I had two reservations about the online lessons: real time correction like you stated, and real time Q & A. But at the rate I'm going I'll spend $960 a year for 1 on 1 lessons, 30 min weekly. I don't mind it, and I'll continue, but I tend to want to branch out during the week to see what else I can find/do, after practicing what the instructor has asked me to. Right now its very basic stuff which is why I gravitated to Mark for, I guess, additional content.

I think a ton of progress can be made with the pre-planned lessons on top of jamming out to learn how you incorporate the lessons into song. For me a 30 minute face to face once a week isn't going to be worth the money or extra time needed to travel to and from the lesson. Once in retired in 10 years and I have all the time in the world I'll shell out for a top shelf instructor.

 

[Staccato]

Please post any specifics of what you enjoy about his instruction.

Is bass your first instrument, or did you have a foundation from other music studies in the past?

 

[AwakeandAlive]

Please post any specifics of what you enjoy about his instruction.

Is bass your first instrument, or did you have a foundation from other music studies in the past?

I have about 20 years experience playing drums-self taught, so no music reading background. Mostly rock/hip hop feel. Not phenomenal, but I can hold a good groove. I feel confident behind a kit, but bass is brand new to me. In all honesty, watching Ryan Martinie play got me into wanting to learn, and also wanting a Warwick..lol.

As far as Mark is concerned, everything I've watched he's really articulated well, even if I didn't quite understand everything he was saying from a music side (i.e. Cmaj7, diminished notes, etc). I did learn the major, natural minor, and pentatonic minor scales from his videos very quickly. I think he just breaks things down in a well organized and concise way. I haven't started his courses, but they are purchased. Excited though.

 

[MarkM13]

You can't miss with Mark's content. Like many I started with his free lessons when I was completely new to the instrument. I've been a band director in the public schools for almost thirty years and I know good teaching and content when I see it (I also found some well meaning sites that 1. couldn't teach in an easily understandable manner or 2. didn't have full grasp on the content they were trying to teach). Mark's the real deal. The "Basic Fundamentals" is fantastic and a heck of a deal. I think it's like $99 and has endless hours of really good content aimed at the beginner. It covers not only playing but practical points right down to how to change a string. Look at it this way, most teachers you would go to for beginner lessons charge between $30-$50 for a 45min lesson. Compare that to the cost of the course and ~30+ hrs you get in the Fundamentals course and you can see even at $299 it would be a bargin.

I like his a'la cart approach to his courses. I've also purchased his slap courses 1 and 2. While I'm not close to finishing volume two, I no longer get nervous when a slap tune is added to the set list; in fact I welcome it.

And no I'm not affiliated with Talkingbass.net but just know good teaching and what to give credit where due and share my experience with the courses.