New to learning bass and was taking some lessons through Long and Mcquade but wasn't getting my $'s worth. Any suggestions for someone still green for learning on their own
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New bass player
- Thread starter Killz74
- Start date
A good instructor will get you there faster and help you limit the bad habits that will hold you back later. Look for a real bass player, not just a guitar instructor that is "also" giving bass lessons.
I disagree with learning to read music first. Sure, there are few jobs for reading tab, but unless you want to have a JOB reading music, I think the skill is overrated. I can read a bit, but am very very rusty since I haven't bothered reading anything in 35 years. Music is a languiage. Reading and writing is one way to communicate that language, but the more immediate and fulfilling way is to speak and listen to the language. You gotta play. A lot. Listen to others. Act like a baby trying to sound out new words on your bass. Even Victor Wooten thinks learning to read first is not the path.
A little theory definitely helps. Being able to understand some scales and how chords are built goes a long way for a bassist.
Listen to the players you like from the genres you like. Try to play their parts. THat will keep you having fun. Branch out to other genres to influence your vocabulary. BUild it up. Keep what you like. It will help you sculpt YOUR style.
A little theory definitely helps. Being able to understand some scales and how chords are built goes a long way for a bassist.
Listen to the players you like from the genres you like. Try to play their parts. THat will keep you having fun. Branch out to other genres to influence your vocabulary. BUild it up. Keep what you like. It will help you sculpt YOUR style.
Learning to play by ear is more important than sight-reading unless you want to join an orchestra. It's far easier to add sight-reading to a trained ear than vice versa - I've had piano and sax teachers that couldn't function without the dots and had difficulty playing the most simple tunes by ear let alone performing in public dot-free!
However, I agree about tab. If it had note names instead of fret numbers it would be far more useful because it would help you learn the neck in a far more tolerable way than the utterly tedious and marginally effective circle of fifths method. Use tab for learning a piece but don't get hooked on it - it's far better to figure it out for yourself by hearing and watching others play it.
However, I agree about tab. If it had note names instead of fret numbers it would be far more useful because it would help you learn the neck in a far more tolerable way than the utterly tedious and marginally effective circle of fifths method. Use tab for learning a piece but don't get hooked on it - it's far better to figure it out for yourself by hearing and watching others play it.
Reading engages every part of the musical brain. You learn what the notes are and where they are on your instrument. You learn rhythms. You are forced to find efficient fingerings. Study of reading academically correct music is the fastest way from point A to B. I waited way to long to realize it or do it but the benefits once you do are exponential. Am not talking about sight reading. That’s its own animal. But really there is no good reason not to read well enough to use it for learning at the very least academic exercises. It opens up so much. You’ll figure it out now or later. A few folks here understand the benefit. This section is titled General Instruction. Not Wing it and see what happens.
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You can try looking up "the ultimate bass scales book" and "the ultimate bass chords & arpeggios book" by Karl Golden.
Also learning the fretboard is something I consider a must.
Also Hal Leonard has some nice books with tablature on music.
(ofcourse there's free alternatives seeing the internet does offer it for free legally in tons of places)
Download a metronome app on your phone and use it when practicing scales.
But starting off I would recommend looking up several youtube videos about do's and don't's on bass and for overlapping advice, like the usual "don't lift fingers on fretting hand to high" etc and ones you're in a position where you're not teaching yourself things you will have to unlearn just looks up some songs you like and learn those.
Practice is one thing but you will need to have fun!
And the number 1 rule when learning a instrument, keep it near and ready within sight. And if you feel like just picking it up do it.
My 2 cents to each their own ofc.
Also learning the fretboard is something I consider a must.
Also Hal Leonard has some nice books with tablature on music.
(ofcourse there's free alternatives seeing the internet does offer it for free legally in tons of places)
Download a metronome app on your phone and use it when practicing scales.
But starting off I would recommend looking up several youtube videos about do's and don't's on bass and for overlapping advice, like the usual "don't lift fingers on fretting hand to high" etc and ones you're in a position where you're not teaching yourself things you will have to unlearn just looks up some songs you like and learn those.
Practice is one thing but you will need to have fun!
And the number 1 rule when learning a instrument, keep it near and ready within sight. And if you feel like just picking it up do it.
My 2 cents to each their own ofc.
Check out the Beginner to Badass course, I think it’s great for newcomers to the instrument. It’s focused on learning what you need and can use, in a logical progression. And uses lots of real music and songs to play.
www.bassbuzz.com
Also, get at least a few lessons with a good teacher (or find some bass playing friends) to make sure your technique is OK and so you can learn what a properly set-up bass feels like.
Beginner Bass Lessons | BassBuzz.com
Step-By-Step Bass Lessons Beginner to Badass is a foolproof beginner’s bass guitar system — on ’roids. It’s the easiest way to learn bass. Period. With our system, you can’t fail, even if you think you suck. Our video lessons will take you step by s…
www.bassbuzz.com
Also, get at least a few lessons with a good teacher (or find some bass playing friends) to make sure your technique is OK and so you can learn what a properly set-up bass feels like.
Hey,
Are you able to clarify why you feel you weren’t getting your moneys worth from your teacher?
I'm not sure the methods begin here, at least not those aimed at absolute beginners. IME/IMHO, these are the typres of things that are better taught (by a qualified teacher) through a progressive theory course in parallel with learning the mechanics of actually wrangling notes out of the bass and basic musical stuff like where the notes - learned separately - are. Without any musical foundation in basic concepts of time, tempo & rhythm, time signatures, pitch, note names, key signatures, intervals and common scale types alongs with some experience of what these things should sound like, stuff like triads, 7th-chord arpeggios and modes have no context and therefore have no meaning.
YMMV
Fair, guess I’m speaking mostly from my experience. I initially took lessons from a music center, not in college, so not as comprehensive. I had a good teacher who seemed pretty qualified, but within the confines of weekly lessons I guess I was tossed into that stuff right away.
Did you have any prior learning/knowledge going in, which enabled the teacher to pick up at a different spot?
I had been playing for a couple years I guess. Mostly self guided. By some books. I was fortunate in that I started playing in a band almost immediately. But also realized I wanted some sort of formal training. That said around here most of my musician friends had similar experiences. Lessons started with scales and arpeggios almost immediately. But I do get that a true from scratch method probably lays a little more groundwork.
First decide on the path you want to take, then follow it. If you'd like to becomea session player then the path is going to be a lot different than if you simply want to be a competent gigging bassist.
No matter what you want to do though, you'll need vocabulary, and listening to the types of players you'd like to follow in the footsteps of will teach you a lot.
Since you are in Canada why not learn from a fellow Canadian? Rich Brown has a free channel on YouTube called "The Brown'sTone" which has a series of lessons arranged in logical fashion that will take you through the beginner level. The remainder of his material will get you into intermediate material, even some advanced. He is one of the best natural teachers and unlike many of the others he isn't looking to guide you into his paid material, because he doesn't have any!
I agree, and even mentioned Rich earlier.
He put some content behind a YouTube membership paywall, but it's mostly just friendly posts to his supporters. All the lesson content is free. Sweet guy!
Sorry, I missed it in your post, but as you know, Rich is often mentioned here on TB. When I returned to bass after putting it down for 25 years I had forgotten everything, though there was still some muscle memory left in fingers. I went through all Rich's material. I drank from all the other wells of bass knowledge on the internet, but only the free ones, and his water was the sweetest and most satisfying by far.
The question is why you want to learn on your own? Find yourself a good private teacher and save yourself some trouble or bad technique habits.
BTH, sounds good!
