Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
New Player- Are Lessons "Worth It"?
- Thread starter El_Charro
- Start date
Lessons are definitely worth it. I’d recommend starting lessons that focus on technique now before you really bake in too many bad habits. I did one of Scott Devine’s technique oriented programs after 25 years on the bass. I was not a bad player and always have done well at auditions, but after refining my technique instead of using the one that I’d just stumbled into over 25 years, I’m playing more like the guys I point out when my wife says to someone “Dan’s an amazing bass player” and in have to say “look I’m definitely competent and can hold it down and keep up with changes. I’d say I’m pretty good but if you want to see an amazing bass player look at [insert local bass player who i wish I could play like]”.
Focused guided practice will pay off. The younger you are the more rapid the gains should be but it is never too late for instruction? It may even feel like your playing takes a step back at first as you try to force yourself to integrate changes to your technique but the end result will be worth it.
Focused guided practice will pay off. The younger you are the more rapid the gains should be but it is never too late for instruction? It may even feel like your playing takes a step back at first as you try to force yourself to integrate changes to your technique but the end result will be worth it.
I think this can help but more so, I think new players need to learn chord theory, how chords are constructed, how they fit together, how keys work, and many other factors which all go into learning HOW bass lines are constructed and how to then build your own. Notation is fine but that won't help at all when someone hands you a lead sheet.
I started out before the internet was a thing and there were no teachers - in fact no other bassists - near where I grew up.
Instead, I just read a lot of Bass Player magazine articles and found some players I liked and studied their technique and listened to their advice in interviews. Spending hours practicing my right and left hand technique and playing along to albums seemed to work out.
There's probably a lot that I missed by not having a great teacher, but it's definitely doable and all depending on your level of natural ability and work ethic.
Nowadays, you can look up anything you want to learn on YouTube and there's a world-class expert showing you exactly what you need to do - for free.
My advice is find some free content on YouTube regarding technique and general music theory and try to apply that to your bass. Scott Devine is a great resource and he brings in guest instructors that will offer a lot of variety and can introduce you to new ways of playing or thinking about music.
With committed practice, that alone will take you a long ways. Start there and if you hit a wall along the way, maybe look for a great teacher to help you get past it.
Instead, I just read a lot of Bass Player magazine articles and found some players I liked and studied their technique and listened to their advice in interviews. Spending hours practicing my right and left hand technique and playing along to albums seemed to work out.
There's probably a lot that I missed by not having a great teacher, but it's definitely doable and all depending on your level of natural ability and work ethic.
Nowadays, you can look up anything you want to learn on YouTube and there's a world-class expert showing you exactly what you need to do - for free.
My advice is find some free content on YouTube regarding technique and general music theory and try to apply that to your bass. Scott Devine is a great resource and he brings in guest instructors that will offer a lot of variety and can introduce you to new ways of playing or thinking about music.
With committed practice, that alone will take you a long ways. Start there and if you hit a wall along the way, maybe look for a great teacher to help you get past it.
A good teacher who is a good fit is necessary for any player at any stage of development. Keep in mind, you can’t learn everything at once and expect to be suddenly brilliant. With everything a beginner faces, it can be overwhelming - which prompts some to give up.
Look for someone who helps you define clear, measurable goals and can assess what steps are needed to achieve them. Someone who has their own strong curriculum, but will also listen to you. There are certainly standards, skills and credentials an accomplished instructor should have, which others have mentioned. And, without abandoning any of this, a good teacher can modify his or her approach for any student who is seriously committed.
Those who can do, and those who can’t teach POORLY. The ability to perform a certain skill and the ability to teach it are very different things, requiring different talents. Make sure you choose someone who is capable of both.
Look for someone who helps you define clear, measurable goals and can assess what steps are needed to achieve them. Someone who has their own strong curriculum, but will also listen to you. There are certainly standards, skills and credentials an accomplished instructor should have, which others have mentioned. And, without abandoning any of this, a good teacher can modify his or her approach for any student who is seriously committed.
Those who can do, and those who can’t teach POORLY. The ability to perform a certain skill and the ability to teach it are very different things, requiring different talents. Make sure you choose someone who is capable of both.
Last edited:
Yes and No
If you can find a good teacher that is a good fit for you and will not rob you blind then a teacher is a great thing
Let them know up front what you want and hopefully it will work out for you
Best of luck to you
If you can find a good teacher that is a good fit for you and will not rob you blind then a teacher is a great thing
Let them know up front what you want and hopefully it will work out for you
Best of luck to you
as a general rule, being self taught in anything tends to have a self imposed ceiling. you’re going to hit a point where you just don’t know what you don’t know, and you can’t see what you could be improving.
you CAN be self taught, and if you’re happy with your habits and you’re having fun with it, then that won’t stop you from making it work. however, i think a more academic approach is really helpful to pinpoint things you’re actively working on. there’s a TON of helpful stuff on youtube these days, and i can’t say i would recommend a guitar center over youtube tutorials if you’re good about being independently structured. if you can find a really experienced instructor though, it’ll pay off tons. it probably won’t be cheap, but it’ll get you thinking about how you play in totally new ways a lot faster.
also, i’ve been playing 23 years and just recently started taking lessons for the first time since ‘99, a decade after i started playing in touring and recording bands. i really wish i had done this sooner, but even after all this time and experience, i’m still getting a lot out of it.
you CAN be self taught, and if you’re happy with your habits and you’re having fun with it, then that won’t stop you from making it work. however, i think a more academic approach is really helpful to pinpoint things you’re actively working on. there’s a TON of helpful stuff on youtube these days, and i can’t say i would recommend a guitar center over youtube tutorials if you’re good about being independently structured. if you can find a really experienced instructor though, it’ll pay off tons. it probably won’t be cheap, but it’ll get you thinking about how you play in totally new ways a lot faster.
also, i’ve been playing 23 years and just recently started taking lessons for the first time since ‘99, a decade after i started playing in touring and recording bands. i really wish i had done this sooner, but even after all this time and experience, i’m still getting a lot out of it.
I took piano lessons all through high school. Never took any drum lessons. My senior year I went to the largest university in the state to audition as a music major, both piano and percussion. Passed both auditions and was accepted to major and minor in my choice of instruments. Those years of piano lessons has helped me with all music instruments that I chose to learn. Now I am learning bass but I am not paying for individual lessons. I use Talkingbass.net and am very happy. If I had never taken piano lessons I would probably need to take bass lessons face to face, for a while. Nothing is better than a good individual instructor, but those can be hard to find. Good online bass lessons are better than bad in person lessons.
So really, the answer to your question depends on your current abilities and your budget. My suggestion, start with the beginner package at talkingbass.net and see how it goes. If you struggle, find a local person. I'm retired and paying someone $50 a week for lessons is not in my budget. Paying someone $100 for a series of online lessons is.
So really, the answer to your question depends on your current abilities and your budget. My suggestion, start with the beginner package at talkingbass.net and see how it goes. If you struggle, find a local person. I'm retired and paying someone $50 a week for lessons is not in my budget. Paying someone $100 for a series of online lessons is.
After teaching string orchesyra for 20 years now and private lessons for 30 year. Lesson are worth it if you have the right teacher. Depending on age, talent at this point and your goals will have a lot to do with finding the right teacher. Some just want you money and teach songs and if that's all you want, enjoy. If you want more you have to find the teacher that has the "nack" to communicate the information to you in a way you can learn (theory, technique, ear training, sight reading, etc.) Good Luck
My teachers were:
David Hyde, Roy Vogt, Victor Wooten, Earnest Szugyi, Roger Pomprian and a few others.
Was it worth it for me? YES IT WAS
My teachers were:
David Hyde, Roy Vogt, Victor Wooten, Earnest Szugyi, Roger Pomprian and a few others.
Was it worth it for me? YES IT WAS
Last edited:
BurningSkies
CRAZY BALDHEAD
- Feb 20, 2005
- 27,956
- 20,348
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Dingwall Guitars
I've been a member of Scott's for a few years now. I definitely find it to be a valuable resource, although I also think it's sort of 'lesson adjacent' It's more structured and informative than tabs and short You-Tube tutorials, but it's not like having good lessons which end up being collaborative with you and a mentoring human. I particularly leaned on SBL heavily to re-straighten out technique basics that I learned, then unlearned for bad or lazy habits, etc. And it helped me hone some of the stuff that I knew but wasn't really working properly.
It's amazing that you can go to a lot of shows or play with lots of other bands and know who took effective lessons and who is a self-taught player. Little stuff like flying finger syndrome, etc. are such basics but took me a long time to beat into submission and when I see people playing like that I can tell they've ignored some of the get-go starter stuff. And while it seems silly, really re-learning and re-focusing after having played for decades made me a better player...better fluidity, better precision, speed, more nuance, less fatigue, etc.
1. real training as an educator
2. professional musician experience
this may not always be easy to locate, but i've always found this to be the key signs of great teachers.
the very best players don't tend to be the very best teacher.
there are always exceptions, but i've found the best results come from someone who really understands teaching, and then on top of is can really play.
Lessons from good teachers are worth it. Look for some recommendations in your area and try to find an actual bass player rather than a guitar player that also gives bass and ukulele lessons. There are some guitarists that double on bass and are good, but they're generally the exception rather than the rule.
A good teacher can help you avoid mistakes in playing that might might plague you later on. Proper instruction will help you lay the foundation for improvement and growth, without having to "unlearn" sloppy technique, etc. That alone is Worth It.
However, if you don't actually DO what the instructor advises, then you have definitely wasted your money.
However, if you don't actually DO what the instructor advises, then you have definitely wasted your money.
It’s a mixed bag really. Some lessons can be great And others not so much. For example they can be bad if the teacher is passing on bad habits/technique and so on. Also different people learn different ways and also have different levels of motivation. For some highly motivated people they are excited to play and develop somewhat of an obsession to play and for those types of people taking lessons that don’t challenge where they are can be a waste of time. Sometimes it’s good for those types of people just to have someone evaluate their playing and correct bad technique. For example that’s where it benefited me personally. The material was boring by the time I took one on one lessons but my technique improved a lot. For some people regular lessons provide some needed structure and practicing for those specific lessons can be good for people who lack motivation and or drive. I’ve been playing 25 years. Even now I consider myself more of a student of the instrument than a teacher. I’ve been asked to do private lessons countless times over the years by fans of my bands who either wanted to learn themselves or wanted their kids to learn. For years I refused to teach because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t passing on bad habits. I’ve seen too many other people who have no business teaching lessons pass on their own bad habits. These days with the internet you can literally do lessons online via Skype and stuff with real pros. Those can be expensive but also can be the most rewarding. Because you’re actually learning from a pro not some local scene burnout who took up teaching because no one can stand them enough to be in a band with them.
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
Lessons will not hurt you with a qualified teacher. What I’ve found is that have lessons with an instructor is it is a joint process, and communication is key. Make sure you communicate what your goals are, what you are trying to achieve skill wise.
Please take time to work on your reading skills as that will greatly increase you marketability as a bassist.
Personally, I’m a pretty good musician ( several years of Music theory certainly helped) which helped me become a decent bassist, but it took a lot longer than it should have. Like 25 year longer since I didn’t study under an instructor.
Best wishes.
