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NO MUSICAL EXPERIENCE WHATSOEVER - NEED ADVICE/HELP!!!

#21
aljbass91 said:
i just recently bought a bass and amp. i always have been attracted to the sound, and have been desperate to know how to play music for the past few years. i am 17, and kinda think i'm too late to be starting out, though i believe music is a lifetime practice that can be taken up at anytime. i'm very intimidated to start out though.
aric
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If you're starting too late at 17, what does that say about someone who started out at 55, i. e., ME?

As far as being intimidated, I've received NOTHING BUT ENCOURAGEMENT from any musician I've come across when I mention that I've taken up bass.

Don't be afraid of messing around with a keyboard to help with llearning chords and how things sound.

Have lots of fun, which, at your age, is of the utmost importance.
 
#22
Yea! I agree with smittyG, and he will have a metronome. Info from multipule sources has been a great asset to me. Like this forum, I have exausted myself looking at links. But ya have a question ask it here, the feed back will be abundent and the views will be numerous enough to choose the one that makes the most sense to you. And don't chince on the teacher(atleast to get you started) A good musician is one who is self taught with the guidance of a teacher. Just stick to it even in the burned out times, let it sit come back when you can't walk past it one more time. It's your life time fill it with your sound!
 
#23
One thing I will say is that I wish I had spent more time with a bass teacher at the beginning. I'm basically 100% self-taught as my friends all decided to start a band when we were 15 and I elected to pick up bass because I thought Adam Clayton made it look easy. I can hold my own in most circumstances and I have a lot of fun with it, but I've always felt like I was behind the curve compared to a lot of players and I think I have now resigned myself to the fact that I may always be a somewhat mediocre bassist (I'm in the club!)

If I had had more serious instruction and taken that part of it more seriously I could have avoided a lot of the bad habits I have taught myself as well as getting a more well-rounded view of my instrument / fret board / musical theory, etc. I'm a terrible improviser because I never took the time to learn the musical theory / scales, etc at the beginning.

I've often thought of going back and taking lessons but I feel like my bad habits are too ingrained after almost 15 years of playing..
 
#24
Teachers........
I know a couple of guys who call themselves teachers that that don't know crap and I would reccommend disregarding anything and everything they ever said.

I know a few others that can play pretty good, but only teach "their" way of playing, which leads to the question, what is worse: picking up your own habits (good or bad) or those of your teacher?
 
#27
nortonrider said:
Teachers........
I know a couple of guys who call themselves teachers that that don't know crap and I would reccommend disregarding anything and everything they ever said.

I know a few others that can play pretty good, but only teach "their" way of playing, which leads to the question, what is worse: picking up your own habits (good or bad) or those of your teacher?
Click to expand...

I can feel where you are coming from on this. In my area, there are a lot of guitar players who also teach bass. I don't think they are qualified to teach their own instrument, much less mine. And that does make it tough on someone starting out because they have very little background to know the good teachers from the bad.

My recommendation would be to visit all of the music stores in the area and find out who all teaches bass. Then put them through an interview process. Take the time to meet with them, get a background on their experience as a bassist and as an instructor, ask for some references, and, most importantly, ask what the course curriculum contains. If anyone balks at giving you some time to discuss this stuff, they are not worth spending time with anyway.

Remember, when it is all said and done, you are paying them to work for you--make sure you are getting your money's worth.
 
#28
good music originates from the soul as a form of expression, its visualized or imagined in the mind and then translated into a series of physical gestures that interact with an instrument into the air via acoustic or amplifier into your ear, back into the mind for processing, and then if its any good it resonates on some emotional level with the listener and player alike. the player is the first listener. playing bass is exactly that playing not working, no one i've ever enjoyed listening to ever called it "working the bass" its called "playing the bass" because its for enjoyment and expression. try as a practice to imagine a sound in your mind, then try finding those notes on the instrument and see how close you can get to replicating that sound.
 
#29
aljbass91 said:
yeah i want to invest in a metronome. i've never used them before and dont really know how they work. i have $80 to spend on one, what kind do you recommend?
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$80 for a METRONOME? Check this out (no association with me, just a quick google and I bet there are 100 others)

http://www.metronomeonline.com

If you feel the need for a standalone metronome I think Korg makes one for about $20.

As for 17 being too old....um...I'm 53 and never picked a bass up until about a month ago. I will learn to play and play well. 17 years old TOO OLD?!?!?!?!? PUH-LEASE!
 
#30
Another reason I love TB, your lucky I hadnt discovered TB when I stared and sadly I jumped into playing and just memorizing my fretboard as something material (instead of memorizing notes by their proper names, I just memorized what sound my frets would produce by ear) and using terms such as the "the second fret and the third fret" to communicate with other musicians, does this make me a bad bassist, probably not, but since I don't know an ounce of theory or any of these rather important sounding stuff mentioned here such as scales and such, it probably doesn't make me the most appealing of bassist nor the easiest to work with but I still get the job done , you my friend have a chance to start it off right, (and the too old to start thing is a bunch of BS in my opinion) it just takes times, also I wouldnt recommend jumping into playing anything yet, first make sure your able to fret with all four fingers on your fretting hand, believe me it will help you tons even when playing really simple lines, there's other musicians out there who have been playing for a long time and still cant master this (the guitarist in my current band cant use his pinky on his small itsy bitsy guitar neck while I can fret the 1 and the 4th fret on my bass using my index and and pinky, it freaks him out he says its not normal lol (I had to spend my first month of starting just fretting every fret with my pinky and ring finger to increase their strength enough to where I could fret, its was painful as you develop tougher skin and sore hands your first weeks are very likely) but my point is learning to fret properly and being able to fret with all of your fingers not just two (which many you tube bass players seem to be addicted to) will be good for you.
 
#31
Lots of good advice here...

+1 for teachers. Find a good one that will teach you solid technique. You wont develop bad habits. This is really important cause ****** technique for bassists leads to injuries really fast.

+1 for choirs. Granted its not directly related to bass playing. But you'll get a feel for how music is arranged and it will train your ears really fast.

I also really recommend spending some of your practice time just listening to good music that turns your crank bass wise. You'll learn a lot by doing this.

The last thing that I tell all beginners is to not sweat when they started. I started when I was 21, I have a student right now who started at 27. Its never to late to start.
 
#32
Check this out, it's for guitar but it's everything you'll need to know: http://www.essentialguitar.com/ especially the part about singing what you play. If you can play what you think, you pretty much don't need any scales, exercises, etc. If you have exceptional talent, you can get good in a couple of years, if not it don't matter how fast or slow you learn, you'll just be plonking along for fun like the rest of us. (P.S. Us plonkers have more fun than the big name pros, but you probably don't want to hear that at this point.)
 
#33
1) +1 on getting a metronome.

I'd suggest this one here: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I know there are free ones, but you will want one next to you, not just next to you on your PC. You want this to be a convenient tool at your side at any time.

Oh, btw, I find it funny that this metronome is a great size and weight to chuck against a wall as I have been tempted many times to do just that! Metronomes are a total pain in the neck but they are unbiased and are wonderful teaching tools.

2) Instead of learning theory, which sounds daunting, learn the root notes of songs and then learn what a fifth is, then a fourth etc. This is very basic theory but will take you a long way in the beginning. Do not worry about modes and stuff now, that is all noise in your learning world and will only make things more complicated than it needs to be.

3) Technique: Learn good left and right hand technique and how to anchor your thumbs correctly. How to play bass.com has some good lessons. Eventually you'll want a teacher to help assess your progress and work out bad habits.

4) Learn simple songs that YOU like. I liked the Pixies, so I learned Pixies songs. I don't know why someone tells a beginner to learn difficult songs by Primus, I see that way too often. This is the payoff, so while playing songs, have fun!

5) Create a practice spot in your room or basement etc. Consider buying a guitar tree to make your bass where you can see it and play on a good solid chair, not your bed. If your bass and your gear are in quick reach, you'll be more likely to practice.

6) Lastly, buy or get Bass Guitar for Dummies at the library. This book has tons of info and will dole out the lessons in a logical way. That's my feeling anyways.

You are starting very young, I hope any of our advice is helpful.
 
#35
i have my first lessons today at 7. i decided to spend the money on lessons instead of gear and books, but i could only afford two 1/2 hours. i may able to get more, but like i said money is really tight, and i dont think i can keep going. so what do i do after that?
 
#37
i have my first lessons today at 7. i decided to spend the money on lessons instead of gear and books, but i could only afford two 1/2 hours. i may able to get more, but like i said money is really tight, and i dont think i can keep going. so what do i do after that?
Click to expand...

Isn't that what this whole thread was about? I know I listed enough stuff to keep someone busy for like 2 years, and so did a lot of other people.
 
#38
aljbass91 said:
i just recently bought a bass and amp. i always have been attracted to the sound, and have been desperate to know how to play music for the past few years. i am 17, and kinda think i'm too late to be starting out, though i believe music is a lifetime practice that can be taken up at anytime. i'm very intimidated to start out though. i went out to the library and took out a few books about bass method, skills, theory etc, and found them very daunting. they're filled with with crowded notation that looks like japanese to me. the internet is useful i guess, though has much of the same stuff. on top of that, i have no friends who play bass, and i can't afford lessons, as i'm saving money for a car, and college next year. i have NEVER played an instrument, i'm basically at the level of an infant. but i do believe i have the dedication, and especially desire to learn how to play.

what steps can i take to gradually learn? i want to get good, fast - though i understand that it will take much time. but trust me, i have no problem taking 1-2 hours everyday out of my hectic, teenage life to practice. i just want to make sure that, since i'm pretty much self-teaching myself, that i'm doing it the RIGHT way. do i direct most of my time to scales, arpeggios, and theory? would i be better off learning to play by ear? tabs? EVERYTHING. i want to know it all. basically, i would like to know a good, solid, practice routine, that can help me learn gradually, but at a quick pace if possible. and most importantly, i dont want to be just another kid with dreams of being a rockstar - shattered by intense, hard practice that will discourage me and make me wanna quit. is it possible to work with this routine, but make it kinda fun instead of rigorous?

any advice, tips, insight or WHATEVER is appreciated. remember, I AM A TOTAL NOOB, so even the most simple or redundant "advice" would help.

thanks,
aric
Click to expand...

Hey,
I'm teaching myself as well, and it's actually going alright right now
Here's few tips:
Practice, this is one thing that i don't do enough, but when i do, i can feel that i am improving
Now compared to cello or double bass (i play both), i don't think that there is a "right" way
For example, how should one hold a pick?
There are thousands of answers (well, not thousands, but close enough)
Or how should the left hand look like?
How should the thumb be positioned?
What height should bass be?
So there are many different ways that are not incorrect
But IMO, i don't think that there is THE right way of playing an electric bass
And yeah do theories, scales, arpeggios, they help for sure
And YES learn to play by ear, this helps you
My friends who can't play by ear tend to guess, and they don't sound too good as they are not playing what they are hearing
And the metronome should always be your best friend
It's annoying, but it helps
And make sure to jam with otehr musicians, it really helps
I started off when i was 5
And IMO, i think that having instructor helps a lot
So if you can, get one
That's tips and advices that i can think of
Good luck :bassist:
 
#39
Too old. I oughta plant my 34-year old foot in your...

Ahem, anyhow I picked up the bass a couple weeks ago and one product that I can recommend as far as giving you some direction is eMedia Bass Method (http://www.emediamusic.com/bass.html). It walks through right hand techniques, then fretting, and then starts in with scales, triads, etc. Lots of exercises and explanations, and it focuses on using the things that it is teaching you to make music rather than just focusing on brute memorization.

It also includes a metronome and a tuner (although you'll need an adapter to plug your cable into the mic jack on your sound card to use the tuner). It has some godawful boring songs used for examples, but what do you expect for noobs? ;) So check it out if you want some direction in your studies but can't spring for the teacher as it's working well for me so far.
 
#40
If you can afford it, find a good teacher. Learn theory, technique, etc. I couldn't :(

If you can't, learn to play songs you like. Pick out songs with basslines you like and figure them out. There is tab all over the internet that will usually get you close but never seems to be 100 percent there. Use the tab to get close, use your ear to get spot on. In the process you will learn a ton of shapes and patterns you can apply to your own playing when improvising... that is how I think when I'm playing guitar or bass... shapes and patterns. I see patterns on the neck that blend together up and down the neck, and sound "right." Strange, I know.

The Amazing Slow Downer is the best money you could ever spend on computer software. You can slow down an MP3 on your PC yet keep the pitch the same. That allows you to pick out the notes and learn them at your pace, then speed up as you can. Don't try to play faster than you can play cleanly. Once you have it clean, speed it up a hair. Rinse and repeat. I use it to learn new songs, at about 60-80 percent speed first (depending on how hard the song is) then I move on to 100 percent.

The main thing is to play play play honestly, in my very uneducated musical opinion.
 

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