My First Lesson Is This Week - What Should I Specifically Ask/Focus On?

[El_Charro]

Hi Everybody,

I have been trying to play tabs the last 5-6 weeks on my own for 90 mins a day (or more on the weekends) and I finally have my first official lesson this Saturday.

Currently I'm signed up for 30 mins a week, but with this being the first lesson I'm not sure exactly what to expect or what I should ask for my first lesson.

I don't know if I'm starting at zero bc I can read tabs and have a limited understanding of the fretboard and the bass.

My eventual goal is to re-learn to read music (I remember the basic symbols from taking piano as a kid and choir as a teenager), but bc I've been playing tabs and it's been about 2 decades since I was in choir so I'm just wondering what I should ask during my first official lesson.

I thought this would be a good forum to ask since most people on this site have a lot more experience than myself.

Is there anything you wish you had learned from an instructor/teacher earlier that is something basic I should ask right out of the gate or should I just show up and let the teacher drive the discussion?

Not sure what to expect (I assume they will go over scales and the fretboard diagram for music notes on the strings) and hopefully give me a little bit of homework to work on before our next lesson, but I'm also just looking for general advice here.

Is there anything else I should inquire about? Fret hand technique/string striking/etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[StyleOverShow]

Let the teacher assess your technique like hand positions and they will make recommendations. Most teachers have a plan and the others often get right to it.

if you’re playing 90 minutes a day you’re doing good. Your teacher should help you along with guidance.

You may want to read bass clef, chord charts and learn how to create your own shorthand for mapping out tunes quickly. All that is beyond your first visit grasshopper

 

[BassChuck]

The teacher should be able to assess any technical problems you have, but if can play 90 minutes straight without pain, you're probably alright.
One of the biggest problems people run into when they start private lesson for the first time is the realization that the teacher works for you... it's not like school where you have to come up to the teacher's expectations.
So.... have a goal. Be ready to discuss things like, 'where are you going with bass playing/music? Where do you see yourself musically 5 years from now. In rehearsal or performance, what issues give you the greatest problems?
Have a goal, a plan, a need, and let the teacher help you plot a course to that goal.
If you are given assignments that don't connect to your goal... question that.
If you teacher spends time showing off.... question that.
If you are being asked to learn songs other than the ones you want, question the need.
You're the boss. The teacher works for you. If they aren't doing the job you need, find someone else.

 

[Malcolm35]

Tab is OK, but, a dead end that is not going to teach you what you need to know. It's ok for licks, runs, etc. but not for an entire song. Plus IMO no director is going to tab out the song list for you.

Discuss with your instructor what sheet music he will be teaching you, and why. For example my bass playing is with Country, Rock and Praise music.

Every director I play for will be handing out fake chord sheet music. So I need to be able to play from fake chord sheet music. If your band director hands out standard notation you need to learn standard notation.


What sheet music do you want to use. Get that settled first.

Good luck.

 

[12BitSlab]

No matter how good a teacher is, the teacher needs to know your goals. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should feel pressed to have your entire future mapped out. You already mentioned that you want to learn/relearn standard notation. That is a great start!

Other things you should be ready to discuss are things such as:

- Do you want to play in a band?
- Which type(s) of music are you most interested in? (classic rock, jazz, metal, hip hop, etc.)
- How soon would you like to reach your goals and how much effort can you devote? Keep in mind that many/most of us have 90% of our time already spoken for (e.g., spouse, kids, work, church, etc.)

Lastly, for a first lesson, there is no need to be nervous or intimidated. There is a 99.999% chance that your teacher has had students who didn’t know how to hold a bass, how to tune it, and a bunch of other things that you already know. You are already ahead of the curve!

 

[El_Charro]

No matter how good a teacher is, the teacher needs to know your goals. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should feel pressed to have your entire future mapped out. You already mentioned that you want to learn/relearn standard notation. That is a great start!

Other things you should be ready to discuss are things such as:

- Do you want to play in a band?
- Which type(s) of music are you most interested in? (classic rock, jazz, metal, hip hop, etc.)
- How soon would you like to reach your goals and how much effort can you devote? Keep in mind that many/most of us have 90% of our time already spoken for (e.g., spouse, kids, work, church, etc.)

Lastly, for a first lesson, there is no need to be nervous or intimidated. There is a 99.999% chance that your teacher has had students who didn’t know how to hold a bass, how to tune it, and a bunch of other things that you already know. You are already ahead of the curve!

——————————
Thanks...I definitely have the goals and the motivation/drive to get really good, just trying to figure out how to make that a reality...(One of the reasons I put off learning bass as long as I did was bc I was a marathon runner and never had time to practice since I would practice distance running)...Eventually I got old, hurt, and I’ve sort of lost interest in that bc while I still workout 6o-90 mins a day I’m trying to move on to something else more constructive for me (plus I’m sure some of it is being driven by having a mid life crisis bc I regret not getting into playing music sooner than I did,

As a side note-I have wanted to play bass for years but somehow was convinced that because I had tried guitar and never wanted to practice I would have the same experience with bass and thought it was too late to learn...BOY was I WRONG about that...

So far with bass I completely LOVE playing...The feeling I get from playing is what I WANTED from the guitar but could never get onboard with wanting to practice or learn guitar.

While I am trying to get myself to practice 90 mins a day right now since I don’t currently have a commute and I’m working from home, honestly most practices feel like they take about half of that time even if “practice” right now is just fumbling through trying to play tabs or playing along with songs after I try the tab.

From what I’ve read-I feel like some people are in a band and are sort of forced to pick up a bass...

I have taken such a liking to it that I want to be in the second category-People that love bass as their primary instrument and get so good at it that other people will want to listen to them play bc of how much time and effort they have poured into practicing...

Unfortunately I’m probably too old at this point in my life to join a band, but I feel like if I’m going to try to do this I want to be 100% all in on it (if that makes sense).

Also-Even though this now seems SUPER obvious in retrospect, I feel like the reason I love Metal so much is because of how bass driven a lot of my favorite bands are.

I also like that part of the bass players job in a band from what I’ve read is to sort of be the “glue “ that holds the band together bc every team I’ve ever been on at work I feel like that’s sort of my social role in a group more than wanting to lead or seek attention.

I think where I’m a bit confused/concerned is I worry I’m not learning the right way.

I once read where Slash said he never learned how to play scales when he learned guitar, he just listened to a bunch of songs and tried to learn the patterns of what was going on with them and over time he learned bc he practiced whenever he could, but I don’t know if I can learn like that and I don’t know if I’m practicing right because all I do is try to play as many tabs as I can as accurately as possible and try to keep it fun.

I also am really only exploring how to play Metal for now bc that’s what I want to learn but from what I’ve read I will probably need to learn funk/jazz type music to up my game even if I stick with that genre of music...

That admittedly sounds a little bit less fun than playing music I want/like to play, but I will go thru it if I really need it.

A bit disappointed with myself for not trying bass sooner than I did, but better late than never I suppose.

As an interesting side note, I’m finding the more I play the more it makes me love the music I already loved even more.

Thank you for the tips and advice...Will keep it in mind...

Thanks!

 

[Horseflesh]

So how are the lessons going?

 

[BrotherMister]

If they are worth their salt they’ll ask you about your playing history, why you feel you need lessons and get you to play for them so they can assess where you are it. Often I find where people think they are isn’t where they actually are and huge holes are missing in their playing that need to be addressed first of all. That isn’t a bad thing, that’s why people come to lessons.
It’s your first lesson so don’t worry too much about it. Go in, talk some things over, play for them and hear what they have to say. I feel like I’m intervieiwng new students since I'm sitting writing notes about them but it is so I can try to piece together a history quicker. As lessons go on I'm able to fill that in more but I want to get up and running sooner rather than later.

If reading music is a goal state that and get to work on it straight away. It opens up so much and will make the lessons a lot easier if you are able to read. From your posts it sounds like you have a pretty rough idea what you wanting and you seem pretty open minded towards learning things which is great! That's always what I want from my students as learning isn't always linear, it's often a few side steps to get stuff together before you can move forward, and often steps backward in order to move forward.

You're the boss. The teacher works for you. If they aren't doing the job you need, find someone else.

Unfortunately I don't fully agree with that. BassChuck is absolutely correct about things such as the teacher is showing off and wasting time then question stuff like that. In that sense absolutely, don't waste your time and unfortunately a large amount of people teaching bass shouldn't be teaching. But, at the end of the day you have to also consider that you aren't more qualified than a good teacher to make judgements about what is relevant or necessary.
I went for classical double bass lessons 12 years after I started playing upright, I'd been to music school, gotten a degree and had been playing professionally for a decade before that lesson. The teacher heard me play and too me right back to square 1 and I basically went through the process of relearning the instrument. That wasn't why I went for lessons at all but I trusted her expertise that I didn't have and that she saw lot more problems that I didn't see. Was it frustrating? Yes! I nearly had lessons where I walked out the door in frustration. There were lessons I was ready to curse her out (and no doubt vice versa!) and many hours in practise room I felt the same. Some lessons she had to deliver some tough love but when she did it was always from a place of her knowing I could do better and wanting me to. You know what? She was absolutely right though, the frustrations were only because I actually knew she was right and I had to face up to that. I'm now a far better musician than I was when I first went, I still wrestle with the work I'm given but it still works. I initially went to really learn how to properly use the bow, but I stayed because she taught me so much more than I ever realised.

Always be honest with yourself and trust the process. If you can honestly say you aren't improving as musician then you can move on. If you are improving as a musician then something is going better. But you have to do the work for it. Be honest with yourself about how much work you are putting in as well as this is often where you realise it's you and not the teacher. Teachers don't work for you. You work for your teacher and they help you to get where you are going.

 

[Les Fret]

I agree. The first few lessons should be about the teacher judging the students technique and correcting that. That goes especially for students who have already played long on their own without any lessons. Lots of times they have developed some ‘mistakes’ in their technique that is hard to unlearn at first.

 

[AxtoOx]

Your instructor. If guess, your paying for his time, why subvert him with a message board?

 

[JRA]

- some teachers are great (whether you like them or not).
- some teachers are just ok (but you can still learn from them...up to a point).
- some teachers are terrible (not necessarily for everyone, but for you, specifically).


- you can't ask a teacher for help until you know what you need help with --- doesn't sound like you're there yet.
- decent teachers take stock of what you can/can't do and develop a plan for you...the plan changes when you learn something.
- let the teacher control the lessons (you don't need to ask many questions). the teacher will have the questions.


most commonly asked questions by the student:
- would you repeat that please?
- can you slow that down for me?
- can you explain that differently? (i don't get it.)


good luck with your lessons!

 

[PillO]

I didn't read the other replies, so this may have been covered already.

Don't expect to spend a lot of time playing in the first lesson.
Do some work before you go. Think about what you want to accomplish with lessons. Think about the music you want to play, the payers you admire, techniques you want to master. Be prepared to discuss all this with the teacher. Make sure you are on the same page.
Ask what the approach to lessons is. Make sure it fits what you want.
Set a schedule for assessment. When will you check in to make sure lessons are teaching you what you want to learn. What is the plan for correcting course as your learning goals change.

And remember; you are paying for this, what you want to accomplish is what matters. But be open to a system. Whereas your goal may be to learn songs, learning the techniques is what will get you there.

 

[Spin Doctor]

You're the boss. The teacher works for you. If they aren't doing the job you need, find someone else.

I hear this a lot and don't agree with it. Any good teacher should have a curriculum that can eventually have you playing or allow you to teach yourself whatever you want. The problem usually lies with the student not having the discipline to see it through.

I have no idea how someone who has zero to limited knowledge of either music or the instrument is expected to dictate a curriculum. If some student shows up and says, I want to play like Flea, and the teacher does that, and only that, then the gaps in general knowledge will be huge.

 

[PillO]

I hear this a lot and don't agree with it. Any good teacher should have a curriculum that can eventually have you playing or allow you to teach yourself whatever you want. The problem usually lies with the student not having the discipline to see it through.

I have no idea how someone who has zero to limited knowledge of either music or the instrument is expected to dictate a curriculum. If some student shows up and says, I want to play like Flea, and the teacher does that, and only that, then the gaps in general knowledge will be huge.

I agree in part.

Starting from zero, the student knows little about what will make them successful. But a good teacher can explain why learning different techniques will lead to success. For success learning contract, the teacher must be able to impress upon the student what needs to be learned and why. Equally important, the student must be able to describe their goals.

If the student comes in asking to play like Flea, it is up to the teacher to impress upon the student that what makes him sound that way are techniques A, B, C, D backed by theory supporting e, f, g, h. Then explain that the way to get there is following course of study on i, ii, iii, iv.

 

[BassChuck]

I hear this a lot and don't agree with it. Any good teacher should have a curriculum that can eventually have you playing or allow you to teach yourself whatever you want. The problem usually lies with the student not having the discipline to see it through.

I have no idea how someone who has zero to limited knowledge of either music or the instrument is expected to dictate a curriculum. If some student shows up and says, I want to play like Flea, and the teacher does that, and only that, then the gaps in general knowledge will be huge.

I make this comment because, in my experience as a school teacher and private lesson teacher, I've seen too many young or first time private students expect the same from their private teacher that they see in the school classroom. That being the teacher is the motivator and source of energy for the goals to be reached. In private lessons that energy and motivation should move from the teacher to the student. They should be the one responsible. Clearly a young student who is just starting could not create a meaningful curriculum, however there must be some reason they have the instrument in hand and are willing to sit for lessons. Where do they see themselves musically in the short term, the long term, what music interests them? Obviously the teacher, if they are aware, will be asking those questions, but the student must know they are the ones to provide the answer, not expect the teacher to make them famous. It's a team, more so than the school classroom.

 

[BrotherMister]

Apologies BassChuck. I misinterpreted what you meant by the statement 'you are the boss not the teacher' but when you phrase it like that I agree with where you are coming from. I think a lot of what we've been discussing falls into the question of 'what makes a good teacher?' and the far far less asked question but probably more important is 'What makes a good student?'.