I totally agree - and HAPPY to hear that the time-frame is longer than they claim - cuz im already spinning my wheels on one of the first lessons! lol... Its one of Ari's first ones that want you to memorize the fretboard ascending and descending - i cant even bloody well say the alphabet backwards with or without a bass on my lap. hahaha
Agree again Whippet...I have the Beat Buddy - absolutely awesome machine!! I've had it for a year now - i had one glitch with the SD card and their customer service was incredible - they had solutions and if they hadn't worked they wanted the unit shipped back (on their tab) and they would fix or replace it!...and i bought it USED!!! They didn't care. It was a faulty SD card...i just went locally got another one and went to their website to download the firmware and it was perfect again WITH the upgraded software. Great tool - highly recommended as well.
I have been dabbling with both Ebassguitar and Ari's courses - its a perfect mix for me. When i feel ambitious i do a couple of Ari's lessons, when i get frustrated, i go back to EBASSGUITAR and then i feel like his lessons are working my confidence back up to attempt another round of Ari's. Its a perfect balance.
Thanks again
Although people don't talk much about the BeatBuddy on talkbass, this thing is revolutionary. As you know you can set up the metronome in different ways, and this alone is worth a million dollars. There is no reason not to play with a metronome. And if you can't stand that beep, then turn on the Techno beat 1, fancy musical metronome.
I swear some people are so into the bass guitar and having a brand name on the headstock (SX, Sire, Fodera, etc) they forget how to study or what makes studying easier. I was listening to some double bass players talk about practicing and hell...... it puts most of us to shame.
Take a look at this
Lauren Pierce has it right. She does not cut corners. She's about making it simple. No gadgets, no doodads, nothing to fudge around. Just play. Total dedication. This is what it takes to get good.
On another thread the OP was asking for excellent advice from pros. Metronome, fretboard, reading music, listening to others in the band play was what I mentioned. Elementary. Any idiot could have said this. There is one advice a friend of mine who taught me how to rides a motorcycle told me. Although not about music, it applies to everything in life.
Keep in mind, this was guy was fast. Yeah yeah yeah, they all say they are fast. Well there are those that are fast going up hill, like 99% of the guys on youboob, you know the average guy. Then there are guys like me who enjoy going up and down the hill fast. Then there are guys who are faster than me, like the guy on the Duck that blew by me the other week at Hakone (famous hill in Kanagawa Japan, don't know about this place? look up Initial D on youtube). Then there are guys like him, who are in a different category all together. He was the king of Hakone. No one could touch him, no one came close and he did it like I eat toast in the morning. In fact the guy was just fast anywhere and everywhere. Didn't matter where he rode. Heck the guy was fast on a tractor in the rice field!!
He was just fast. So I asked him, how do you become this fast.
He just said '' I have a good day, I go ride the mountain. I have a bad day, I go ride the mountain. It rains I go ride the mountain. My dad died, I rode the mountain. I broke up with my girlfriend, I rode the mountain. I had a horrible day, the next day I rode the mountain. You want to get good, ride like you breathe. If have to try hard doing it, then maybe it's not for you to ride like me, which is okay because you are you and I am me. And this isn't a competition. It's a lifestyle. It will come to you if and when you're ready. ''
Eating and breathing bass, motorcycle, business, etc etc etc. This is the only way anyone is going to get good at anything. Most of us aren't geniuses. We just got to try and live the passion, whatever it may be. If you do this with your heart and soul, (as Auguste Rodin would say), BeatBuddy, Ariane Cap, Jon Liebman, and other systematic studying methods will all find a way to you. You won't have to look for it. It'll come to you, when you're ready.
I swear, this is one of the most important piece of advice I got in my entire life. Things come when you're ready. Then the frustration just goes away. When frustration comes back, you accept it and your heart starts burning fuel and kicks your passion into overdrive and something will magically fall in front of you. Most people are too thick or caught up in their little world to be able to see this. Once someone points this out and you see it for yourself, you'll understand that nothing is coincidence. It happens because it has to happen. But like I said, 99% of the world is caught up in their iphones and social media. They were dull from the day they were born and don't know any better. They will live and die dull. And quite frankly, as my friend said, there's nothing wrong with that. That is, if you choose to live like that. But sadly it wasn't a choice. It was a given for most of them.
Anyway when you get serious, Beatbuddy appears. Then Ariane comes around. Then Lauren Pierce appears and you end up becoming a double bass player and jump ship. Good bye electric, hello Contrabass LOL.
Just don't get a fretless. My Fbass AC6 is the reason how I ended up with a NS design EU6 and that led me to Lauren and that's why I am writing to Charlie Chawick tonight. It was just a natural transition. LOL
