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Newbie here

#21
Welcome! Nothing wrong with that Squier and DJ equipment. If you can get sound out of it that's all you need for practice.

Some words of advice I picked up from those wiser than myself:

  1. Even 15-30 minutes a day is better than nothing. You don't have to be Jaco overnight.
  2. When it's not fun, stop for awhile, take a break or switch it up. If you're not having fun, you're not motivated.
  3. Set goals, but "Bite sized goals". For example:
    1. Start with one song that's easy, but that you like and have fun with. "Another one Bites the Dust" or "Pumped Up Kicks" are fun to play and instantly recognizable, but pick something you like that isn't hard.
    2. For your bite-sized goals, break it into parts- goal one learn the intro first. Once you have it down, Goal 1 achieved! Celebrate!
    3. Then learn the chorus, and bridge - goals 2 & 3! Celebrate two more times! Then put it all together until you can play along with the song all the way through.
    4. Then play it for your friends/significant other/spouse. Seriously. Playing with other people around is a discipline all to itself and a motivator. If need be, give them some earplugs and a beverage of their choice as a reward.
  4. Use YouTube to play along with your song(s) of choice. YouTube is easy to pull up on a whim, and allows you to slow down the playback while maintaining pitch. Perfect for learning bass.

MOST IMPORTANT- do a warm up before practicing! (I should have started with this.)

Bass is more physically demanding than we usually realize until too late. My erstwhile but phenomenal bass teacher (Dave LaRue- yep that's a name drop...) recommends a warming up with a "Spider" exercise (see link). Play along with a canned drum beat from your phone or the web, or a metronome.

Start with the slowest BPM you can play clean, then once that's easy, bump it up a few. It will be painfully slow at first, but it's great for your rhythm, and your body. Your hands will thank you!

Keep us posted- TB can be a great resource- stay with it and have a blast.

Good luck, newbie!
 
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#22
One more thing...

Make sure your bass is clean and set up properly. Playing a bass with a bad setup can be uncomfortable and very discouraging. When we're new to the instrument we don't realize what the bass is 'supposed' to feel like, and wind up fighting a bass that should be more comfortable to use.

Here's the first video in a series on how to do it yourself:


If you're not comfortable doing it or don't have access to the tools, talk to your musician friends and see if anyone you know has done this before (successfully) and can help you out (i.e. free).

The other option is take it into a tech and pay for a setup. First ask it they think your bass would benefit from a set up. If so, it'll be anywhere from $20-$50 typically but once finished it will play like a new instrument and you probably won't need to set it up again for years (unless you change string gauges significantly). Many like their bass setup to be "Low action, no buzz" which tends to be easiest to play initially. Ask the tech what they advise for you and your skill level, though. There will be LOTS of varying opinions (particularly here on TB) regarding the best beginner set ups, but you know enough to get started.
 
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#23
welcome "Newbie"..some good info already here, but if you can just simply "hum" the bass parts in your head, to songs you like, and translate that to a properly setup and tuned bass is a real good start on ear training imo. Lessons can be a lil daunting at first...Just practice and enjoy for now and good luck to you......You know where to find us if ya need help :thumbsup:
 
#24
dirtfan49 said:
I know it takes time and money for lessons. Unfortunately I have neither of those.
Click to expand...
You can learn to play the bass without spending money on lessons, it just takes more time. But no matter what, it does require time. If you can't find a way to spend time on it, you might as well be doing something else. I'm not trying to be snarky or negative, but that is an inescapable truism. The willingness to dedicate time comes from motivation. Motivation cannot be purchased at any price, it must come from you.

That said, the best way to learn how to play without taking lessons is to play along with recordings. Find some music you enjoy and start playing along with it. You will make a lot of mistakes, but that's part of the process. Everyone goes thru it, even those taking lessons. Making mistakes is how we learn to not make mistakes. It's your motivation that keeps you going in the face of mistakes. Eventually you will make fewer and fewer mistakes, your hands will become conditioned to the movement, and your brain will connect the dots between your ears and your hands. It is inevitable.

The best part about learning by ear is that you become trained in recognizing the intervals between notes and patterns begin to emerge that you can see on the fretboard. These two things are probably the most important aspects of learning to become an effective player.

But it all takes time and persistence. Talkbass is a great resource, and there's lots of great advice in this thread. You just need to believe that you can get there.
 
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#25
I knew I wanted to play bass long before I could afford to even rent one, never mind buy one. I played "air bass" for years, "playing along" to Geddy Lee. It took me years to save for my first bass, and had to plug it into my portable stereo to make any sound. We're talking back in the early 80's. No internet. Nothing but a "learn to play bass" book from the library, and my ears. As many posters have said, if you have the desire and the time, you can learn to play bass if you put in the effort. Having a teacher will certainly accelerate the process, but there are so many free online resources available now, try a few and work at them. Be patient with yourself. Play along to songs you like, and practice some scales to improve your strength and dexterity. Incremental steps will get you a long way over time.
 
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#26
Get the book called "Bass Guitar for Dummies". Don't laugh or let anybody else laugh at you, there is a tremendous amount of helpful information there, about many aspects of bass playing, explained so you understand it. I've bought the book for two different aspiring bassist and yes, years ago I bought one for myself. Never reject or ignore good information regardless off the title. There are many other good books out there, but unfortunately there's no substitute for a good teacher once you can afford one. And it's never too late for that. Listen, listen, listen to songs and learn to isolate the bass lines until you know them even if you can't play them yet. Soon enough you'll understand what the books mean, and you can apply them to the bass lines you know. Once that light bulb comes on, you're on your way!! Oh, and get a metronome.
 
#28
IMO if I was trying to learn on my own, first make sure you know how to tune the instrument. There are a lot of "decent" free tuner apps. If it's not tuned (in some standard tuning) you'll never be able to sight your way through a YouTube video.
Next, count up the frets on the neck so you learn where the first string note is the same as the Open of the next one (5th fret). Then I'd find the open octave (12th fret, usually double dots on the neck). Then learn that 2 frets up and 2 strings up makes an octave. From there you ought to be able to learn to navigate the neck enough to get started.
Play a note and count to 4, play a couple frets up or down, keep going. Online lessons, especially free ones, won't help you until you have the confidence to find your way up around the neck a little. Don't panic if you can't read music yet. Good luck and welcome.
 
#29
Buy the Hal Leonard book(s). They come with CDs. They will take you from knowing zero to actually playing. They start with: this is a bass. these are the parts of a bass. this is how you hold a bass. etc. And as some here have said: It takes some time. If you find that you love to play, you'll find the time
 
#30
The Blues is what teaches Newbies how to play by ear.
There is so much repetition in the blues that you'll be able to play it in your sleep.

One, four, five changes over, and over, and over.
Same changes, just different keys, until those intervals are stuck in your head.

Move from blues to classic rock, motown, and early R&B.
These patterns are basic and generally simple.

Even if you don't like blues, it's a good teacher.
Play along with the song and follow the changes in time.
Note correction will come as you go.

My first song I learned on bass guitar was "My Girl" by the temptations.
My first experience with a band ever was a blues band.

Here's my story (post #30): Blues Bass Club

Also, learn the difference between major and minor keys,
and play the blues in both.

057912
 
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#32
Welcome to TB! My advice: Pick a simple song you like, and take your time to learn it from beginning till the end. There's no shortcut for practice, and it's true for everyone. Trust me, everything will be easier after you play that first song right. Good luck!
 
#33
OK guys, don't laugh me off into the cornfield here.. :p

When I began teaching myself on my first electric bass, there were lots of what are referred to as "bubble gum music" songs on the air. These have simple, recognizable bass lines that were fairly easy to pick out with regular practice. Easy to remember too.

Here's a few of the easier ones :

"I Think We're Alone Now" by Tommy James & the Shondells

"Mirage" by Tommy James & The Shondells

"CHEWY CHEWY" by THE OHIO EXPRESS

Definitely a beginner's course.
 
#34
spantini said:
OK guys, don't laugh me off into the cornfield here.. :p

When I began teaching myself on my first electric bass, there were lots of what are referred to as "bubble gum music" songs on the air. These have simple, recognizable bass lines that were fairly easy to pick out with regular practice. Easy to remember too.

Here's a few of the easier ones :

"I Think We're Alone Now" by Tommy James & the Shondells

"Mirage" by Tommy James & The Shondells

"CHEWY CHEWY" by THE OHIO EXPRESS

Definitely a beginner's course.
Click to expand...
But those are still good songs.
 

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