New Player- Are Lessons "Worth It"?

[lfmn16]

duh!!!

in the beginning: take regular lessons at whatever frequency suits your schedule. later on, when you're a pro ( ): a few well-targeted lessons now and then will keep you on your toes with newer or more refined concepts.

if you just want to play the bass instrument better = lots of available options.
if you want to be a real musician = learning never stops. having different teachers for different issues (along the way) is common among the dedicated.

You bring up a really good point about your path depending on your goals. If you just want to bang out Mustang Sally a couple of times a year in your friend's basement while getting hammered, lessons and theory are probably a waste of time. If you want to be a pro-level player, lessons are the fastest and easiest way to get there. Then there's everything in between.

 

[baileyboy]

...Just wondering if you think bass lessons are "worth it" for a new player.

If I had to do one thing over, it would be to take lessons early on. I suppose one could avoid lessons and just do their homework by watching tutorials, which you already seem to be doing. I took lessons from a bass pro mainly to ensure proper technique. Because I was self-taught, and learned long before internet was available, I developed some bad habits, which took some time to undo. But if you can learn proper technique without a good instructor, kudos to you.

 

[Scarey Larry]

Yes. Lessons will present a lot of information in an understandable order. 1 hour/week worked for me. I could have done the same thing without the teacher but would have spent considerably more time and you can't ask questions easily. The second thing along with lessons is practice.

 

[Ruknrole]

I agree with all the folks recommendations here that a good teacher will be best, but if you can’t find one or can’t afford one, IMO, the instructional series below is a good alternative.

@edfriedland is well respected here and a great bass player. You can compliment the series with YouTube videos to look up technique, and you will learn to sight read in the process.

You mentioned you have a musical background from high school, so if you are self motivated and dedicated enough to push trough without someone holding your hand, it might work for you.

I played guitar for 3 years, 20 years ago, and quit due to always having to travel for work (jumped on a plane Monday morning and came back Friday night). Those days are over now so I decided to get back into music and picked up the Bass last December. I’m half way trough book 2 now, and it’s working great for me. I plan on finishing the series and then seeking a good instructor to take me to the next level, or perhaps learn Double Bass.

Good luck with your musical journey.

Hal Leonard Electric Bass Method Complete Edition

 

[JRA]

depending on your goals: If you just want to bang out Mustang Sally a couple of times a year in your friend's basement while getting hammered, lessons and theory are probably a waste of time. If you want to be a pro-level player, lessons are the fastest and easiest way to get there. Then there's everything in between.

 

[Splash7]

I have a feeling, however, that the “right teacher” is not going to be found at Guitar Center.

You don't know that.

 

[bass12]

You don't know that.

I don’t know that - but I have a feeling. If someone is looking for his or her first teacher GC is not the first place I’d suggest looking.

 

[mattj1stc]

I'm self taught, but I think that lessons would have benefited from having a teacher. The trouble was that I really couldn't find a good teacher. All of the teachers I tried out were kind of like that Simpsons episode where Homer plays bass - they wanted me to do something really basic while they practiced their solos.

 

[Splash7]

I don’t know that - but I have a feeling. If someone is looking for his or her first teacher GC is not the first place I’d suggest looking.

How many Guitar Centers do you have in Montreal? Guitar Center's web site says none.

 

[bass12]

How many Guitar Centers do you have in Montreal? Guitar Center's web site says none.

My experiences are not limited to Montreal. Are yours limited to the city you live in?

 

[JimmyM]

I hope the OP won't mind me asking, but I think the answer could be helpful to him too.
I'm seriously considering taking lessons and studying musical theory after many years of "playing" by ear.
Could you further elaborate on why jazz would be preferable for the learning process?

Jazz typically uses more advanced harmony concepts that most other genres. Thus studying music theory and harmony in the context of jazz (and classical music, for that matter) will give you a deeper level of understanding of harmony. This in turn will be beneficial to your practice of music no matter which genre of music you are playing.

This.

 

[Terry Farmer]

IMHO lessons are well worth it. Ask around. Attend some jam sessions and identify a Working Bassist doing lessons in addition to regular gigs. He or she will teach you how to play bass in the real world, will be able to zoom in on your weaknesses and shave years off your learning path.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Lessons with the right teacher can be invaluable. I have a feeling, however, that the “right teacher” is not going to be found at Guitar Center.

+1

I chose a terrible teacher when I started playing guitar. I just didn't know better and didn't shop around. Of course I was also about 20 years old so I already knew everything about everything.

 

[Splash7]

My experiences are not limited to Montreal. Are yours limited to the city you live in?

No, but I don't make assumptions, either.

 

[Killing Floor]

A lot of the structural components could be learned with resources, sure. But a teacher can provide you direct feedback and can inspire corrections. If you are self taught there's nobody to catch your bad habits before you go to an audition or a performance, etc. Not saying it is impossible but you will be a better, more complete musician if you have some structured teaching.

 

[StatesideRambler]

Hi All,

Just wondering if you think bass lessons are "worth it" for a new player.

I know how to read tabs and have watched some things on YouTube and knew how to read music as a teenager (it's been years so I'm pretty rusty). I only reference this because while I'm completely new to bass and haven't tried to play music in years I do have at least a foundation to start with even if it's very small.

Just wondering for the more experienced people here if you felt like lessons helped or hurt your playing? Should I be looking for anything in particular from a teacher? The Guitar Center near me is having a sale on lessons so I'm tempted to give it a shot.

Convincing myself to practice doesn't seem to be an issue- Just wondering if I'm f-ing up by learning on my own as it isn't really formal training and I have wondered what bad habits I may be inadvertently forming. Also wondering if having a lesson once every few weeks would accelerate the learning process...

Thanks!

Simply stated, YES.

There is a caveat, however. If you aren’t going to be receptive to learning what a teacher gives you then don’t waste his time or yours. When you teach yourself something you don’t know you’ll embed habits that will eventually take a lot of woodshedding to correct, if you continue playing. There’s a saying in legal circles that a man who acts as his own lawyer has a fool for a client. Self teaching is the same. Tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome stories by musicians are most often the result of habits that a good teacher would’ve seen and corrected. Youtube lessons are useful but there’s no logical order to most of them and having a logical sequence accelerates your progress. “A sale on lessons” is a poor reason to choose a teacher, assuming you even have a choice of teachers there. Take the time needed to find a GOOD teacher and pay him his due. A good teacher is worth every bit of what he charges; no mediocre teacher is worth his price, however discounted it is.

 

[40Hz]

All depends on how much you enjoy reinventing the wheel and prefer to actually know what you’re doing. Lessons will allow you avoid the first and help you more quickly attain the latter.

P.S. If you are a beginner I’d also strongly suggest you ditch tabs for the time being. Focus on learning where every note is found on the fingerboard, your scales and chord triads, the more common chord progressions, your standard notation reading skills, and perfecting your timing. There’s a lot of bad tab charts out there. If you’re a beginner they can do you far more harm than good. FWIW most halfway decent musicians can spot someone who “taught themselves” and did it by “using tabs” within a few minutes once they start playing. Don’t let yourself be “that guy” who attracts attention for all the wrong reasons.

 

[jdh3000]

All depends on the teacher and the student. Some people need more instruction than others.

How do you know if a teacher is good and qualified? Ask a great playing musician who he recommends? He might just point you to his buddy who may be a great player, but a poor teacher.
Teaching is music well is an art in itself.
Sometimes it's trial and error.

Hi All,

Just wondering if you think bass lessons are "worth it" for a new player.

I know how to read tabs and have watched some things on YouTube and knew how to read music as a teenager (it's been years so I'm pretty rusty). I only reference this because while I'm completely new to bass and haven't tried to play music in years I do have at least a foundation to start with even if it's very small.

Just wondering for the more experienced people here if you felt like lessons helped or hurt your playing? Should I be looking for anything in particular from a teacher? The Guitar Center near me is having a sale on lessons so I'm tempted to give it a shot.

Convincing myself to practice doesn't seem to be an issue- Just wondering if I'm f-ing up by learning on my own as it isn't really formal training and I have wondered what bad habits I may be inadvertently forming. Also wondering if having a lesson once every few weeks would accelerate the learning process...

Thanks!

 

[DeltaDelta]

Jazz typically uses more advanced harmony concepts that most other genres. Thus studying music theory and harmony in the context of jazz (and classical music, for that matter) will give you a deeper level of understanding of harmony. This in turn will be beneficial to your practice of music no matter which genre of music you are playing.

This.

Thanks, much appreciated *tips hat*

 

[Yellow Bang66]

Hi All,

Just wondering if you think bass lessons are "worth it" for a new player.

I know how to read tabs and have watched some things on YouTube and knew how to read music as a teenager (it's been years so I'm pretty rusty). I only reference this because while I'm completely new to bass and haven't tried to play music in years I do have at least a foundation to start with even if it's very small.

Just wondering for the more experienced people here if you felt like lessons helped or hurt your playing? Should I be looking for anything in particular from a teacher? The Guitar Center near me is having a sale on lessons so I'm tempted to give it a shot.

Convincing myself to practice doesn't seem to be an issue- Just wondering if I'm f-ing up by learning on my own as it isn't really formal training and I have wondered what bad habits I may be inadvertently forming. Also wondering if having a lesson once every few weeks would accelerate the learning process...

Thanks!

absolutely! Having a good teacher is so valuable, even poor or weak ones can direct you, point out flaws in technique or just give you a point of view you wouldnt get by yourself, I took lessons when i first started at the advise of a friend, who was self taught. although my teacher was fairly laxed,not a task master,he didnt require me to buckle down too much, to my friends dismay, He did teach me quite a bit about Theory & technique, which later was very valuable in college. He was also a great friend who gave me great advise on playing live & helped me figure out a bass solo for a church dinner party. He really helped me out nailing down my right hand technique, alternate picking & plucking, he even turned me on to several artists I never would have encountered until much much later in life. I wish, I (a punky high schooler) would have taken those lessons more seriously then! but his lacksidaisical leesons still ring true today! So as my dad used to say you only get out what you put in. at that age I just wasnt motivated to do more than what i wanted to. I even think of signing up again, it wouldn't hurt.