Practice questions

[tb4sbp]

Welcome to the wonderful world of bass!
You are starting at a very great time in bassdom!
The internet is full of great information on how to play
The people here on TB are full of knowledge
The cost of good quality gear is low

I think the first reply by Mushroo is great advise
I would only add the following as it worked well for me
1. Learn all the notes of the fret board
This will help you greatly to move around with confidence
2. Learn songs (as others have said too)
We play music
Play what you enjoy
Have fun

Scales, chord shapes, runs will come in time
Once you have a good few songs down learn what keys and scales they are in and the technical stuff will start making sense
And remember to keep your fretted hand's thumb pointed towards the tuners, not straight up, it will help with fretted hand fatigue and good technique

Best of luck

 

[DrummerwStrings]

Welcome to TB!

Watch this thread, too - it's a list of resources for new players.

 

[Mushroo]

Thanks for the replies

Can you expound on this? I already know the 12 major scales. Just move the major box around the fretboard, but I'm guessing that's not what you mean.

Do you know the names of all the notes in each major scale? Do you know how many sharps and flats for each? Do you know the structure of half steps (1 fret) and whole steps (2 frets) that is shared in common by all major scales? Can you read and write all the major scales? Can you sing the major scales? Can you recognize them when you hear them? Can you play them starting from notes other than the root (i.e. not relying on muscle memory of the "box" pattern)? Can you play popular major scale melodies like "Happy Birthday" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb"? Can you compose or improvise some original music of your own using the major scale?

Of course you are just starting out, so the answer to some of those questions is probably "no," and that's fine. It will take months if not years of practice to answer yes to all of those questions. I'm not trying to discourage you, but rather to inspire you what it means to really "know" your scales. Music is a deep art form!

 

[Mushroo]

I almost always agree with @Mushroo, but not on this point. I think the most common problem for beginners is that they are in so much of a hurry to start playing songs that they don't spend sufficient time first getting their left- and right-hand technique in order. Once they start thinking about songs they neglect basic technique, and wind up developing bad habits that are difficult to correct later on. I think it's great that you're focusing on simple technique exercises, and the longer you can do that -- which you can continue to do while working on learning the fretboard, different fingers for scales, etc. -- the better off you'll be in the long run.

Great advice as always my aquatic crustacean friend! With the disclaimer, we talkbassers tend to get lost in some long and confusing conversations about what is "good" and what is "bad" technique. Should I use 3 fingers or 4 fingers? Should I wear my bass high or low? Where does my thumb go? It can be overwhelming to a beginner.

Whereas playing an easy song, like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," even if you are just playing with rudimentary technique, such as fretting with one finger like a "hunt and peck" typist, it is an achievable goal to play the notes of that song correctly. Unlike learning correct technique, which can take weeks (if not a lifetime journey) learning a simple song is something that can be realistically accomplished in one practice session, so you can put down the bass at the end of the hour with a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.

But yeah, learn good technique, too. Great advice.

 

[Lobster11]

Great advice as always my aquatic crustacean friend! With the disclaimer, we talkbassers tend to get lost in some long and confusing conversations about what is "good" and what is "bad" technique. Should I use 3 fingers or 4 fingers? Should I wear my bass high or low? Where does my thumb go? It can be overwhelming to a beginner.

Whereas playing an easy song, like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," even if you are just playing with rudimentary technique, such as fretting with one finger like a "hunt and peck" typist, it is an achievable goal to play the notes of that song correctly. Unlike learning correct technique, which can take weeks (if not a lifetime journey) learning a simple song is something that can be realistically accomplished in one practice session, so you can put down the bass at the end of the hour with a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.

But yeah, learn good technique, too. Great advice.

As usual, I agree here with my terrestrial fungal friend. As we both have said frequently, a great ear-training exercise is working out -- by ear -- how to play highly familiar melodies on bass: children's songs, Christmas, carols, TV-show themes, etc. I wish I had spent more time at this when I was first learning, but it's something I still do now. So, definitely try this, but just be sure not to abandon what you've learned from your technique exercises when doing so.

BTW, the reason I generally don't agree with the advice of starting to learn songs right away comes (perhaps unfairly) from seeing posts from newbies who say, for example, that they started to learn to play yesterday and want advice about how to play <insert song title> by Tool. Really, you have to learn to walk before you can run....

 

[catcauphonic]

At two weeks in you're doing the right thing learning how to make notes clearly. It's the foundation of everything else you'll ever do.

Learn that fretboard in the proces.

Now is the time, as other people have said, to make sure you're not getting into unhealthy habits with your technique. Try to keep both wrists straight when you play. Not doing that can cause problems in the future.

Learning all the notes on the board is a good next step as well. Knowing that is a vital piece of foundational information.

Word up to all this... in the beginning it's way more important to fret fewer notes cleanly & properly, than it is to immediately go for the faster things with a lot of changes.

And if you're still looking for a good book like you specified, I'd highly recommend TB's own Ed Friedland's 3 volume spiral bound set > https://www.amazon.com/Leonard-Bass-Method-Easy-Use/dp/0793563836. There's even a thread here you can join in on while using it.

Good luck, and enjoy your new journey

 

[M159]

Do you know the names of all the notes in each major scale? Do you know how many sharps and flats for each? Do you know the structure of half steps (1 fret) and whole steps (2 frets) that is shared in common by all major scales? Can you read and write all the major scales? Can you sing the major scales? Can you recognize them when you hear them? Can you play them starting from notes other than the root (i.e. not relying on muscle memory of the "box" pattern)? Can you play popular major scale melodies like "Happy Birthday" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb"? Can you compose or improvise some original music of your own using the major scale?

I hope I didn't come across as pretentious. I know I don't really know anything about scales. Thanks this helps though.

Welcome to TB!

Watch this thread, too - it's a list of resources for new players.

Wow thanks. I can't believe I haven't come across that yet.

 

[NMTB]

All good stuff.

I'll drop this in, though. Even for the most rudimentary exercises, practice with a beat to help make timing second nature. Metronomes, clicks, playing along with songs, etc.

Currently, I am using some selected beats I grabbed from Drumdrops (who have excellent quaity recordings, utilising real drummers and good kits, recorded professionally) and run them either through my Amplug2 & headphones or just through PC speakers/smartphone.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

Hitch hiking on the above. Any "how to play drums" videos, books, etc. will be time well spent.



Ole Google again...