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

[IbanezATK]

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.

He hit it on the head... MAKE MUSIC! My ex-wife knows theory, can tell you every time signature change in any math rock band song you can name, but if she doesn't have sheet music in front of her she can't play a NOTE On the other hand, she can sight read anything

 

[IbanezATK]

Oh, and if you plan to gig, spend at LEAST 1/2 your practice time playing standing up with a strap. When I started gigging guitar that was my biggest issue, I had NEVER played standing up before, and the transition was rough.

 

[aljbass91]

thanks for the info. i think i'm progressing alright. i was wondering if anybody had a list of easy beginner songs to try and learn? so far i've seen nirvana and the police alot. i already mastered "smells like teen spirit," "in bloom," "message in a bottle," "roxanne," and "so lonely."

thanks

 

[Stumbo]

Here's a link to a previous thread on easy songs to play:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=515637

If you haven't already, please check out the link below in my sig.

 

[jcullen24]

Hey bud,
I'm 43 and decided that I would learn BASS, So it's not to late for you at 17!

I've taken a few lessons, I'm lucky since I live in a college town, which means there's always alot of talented instructors. There's also a "Music Acadamy" less than 3 miles from my house.

That said, I've gotten the most for my money from picking up BASS Book/DVD combo from guitarcenter I think it was Rock Bass 1 and 2.

The DVD is excellent! It's like having your own instructor all the time, and you can rewind as many times as you like!. I also liked that the TAB was onscreen as you played along. GET THIS BOOK!
I also browse the internet looking for TAB to my favorite songs.
I read that your budget was limited. I would concentrate on all that is FREE before going for another lesson. Build up some confidence. Have some fun, then schedule another lesson as a checkup later in the future when you have spare coin!
(I'm going to bookmark this thread and work through what has been posted, Stumbo's Sig)

OH there's a magazine out there "Bass Player" I like reading it because it includes some nice quick riffs to practice.

BTW
Am C D F AM C D E


Jim

 

[gonzilla]

Also, give Guitar Pro a try.