I’m a basement player who’s been at it for about two years. Does anyone have any experience with this course? The description sounds like something I will like and that will be helpful but at $197 it seems a little much for what will be a bunch of exercises. Wondering if anybody has any thoughts?
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Scotts bass lessons 26 week technique accelerator course
- Thread starter Kevin Doyle
- Start date
I am also curious about this. I have been playing bass for a little over a year, but have +15 years of musical background.
Honestly, people harp a lot on SBL's stuff. Yes his marketing is annoying as all get out. But, the stuff there is generally high quality.
Specifically talking about the accelerator: the information is all available for free online. But are you doing it? If you're looking at this accelerator, the answer's probably no. So what you're really paying for is the structure and format of the course, and the presentation of each thing. It never tackles anything that's incredibly complex - it tackles the bedrock of technique and I guarantee you you'll find stuff in there you'll need to work on.
IMO, it's worth every penny. Also think of it this way: if you're doing a lesson a week that's anywhere from $50 to $150 for a lesson depending on who you're taking lessons from. Even at the cheapest, 50 x 26 = $1300. For $200 (or $300 depending where you are and your conversion from USD), this focused course is a no brainer, value wise. I did it a while ago and saw significant benefits. Would highly recommend.
Specifically talking about the accelerator: the information is all available for free online. But are you doing it? If you're looking at this accelerator, the answer's probably no. So what you're really paying for is the structure and format of the course, and the presentation of each thing. It never tackles anything that's incredibly complex - it tackles the bedrock of technique and I guarantee you you'll find stuff in there you'll need to work on.
IMO, it's worth every penny. Also think of it this way: if you're doing a lesson a week that's anywhere from $50 to $150 for a lesson depending on who you're taking lessons from. Even at the cheapest, 50 x 26 = $1300. For $200 (or $300 depending where you are and your conversion from USD), this focused course is a no brainer, value wise. I did it a while ago and saw significant benefits. Would highly recommend.
For what it’s worth, I’m doing his Fretboard Accelerator course, which is a shorter more focused course. The material is good and well structured. But Scott always talks way too much for my taste. 10 minutes when 2 sentences would suffice. You may feel differently.
I think you hit the nail on the head. Structure is the key.
For most people, a schedule/structure equals accountability. Accountability means that, even if you don't feel like it some days, you'll practice last week's lesson so that you're ready for this week's lesson.
As beginners, many of us, left to our own devices, might play a few scales, and then get about the business of learning our favorite song by tab. We simply don't know what we don't know. We don't know what to practice next. Any structured plan is better than that.
So, even if you don't to that plan, find one and stick to it.
Yeah, I do see the argument as paying for the structure as a good one. I definitely am a victim of practice some skills and then teach myself a song from tab…
I agree with this except one caveat: Feedback. Feedback is essential to learning. That's something that online "lessons" seldom (if ever) provide.
I've seen the book to GROOVE THEORY: MUSIC THEORY & TECHNIQUE BASICS with Ariane Cap. 20 pages of nice, simple and not so simple riffs, not much explanation, and things said right and thing said wrong (like needlessly fast tempos or needlessly rigid fingerings). My take is: if you can't figure out how to learn, this course will not give you the answer. It's the same old 'hooray and let the God choose his chosen' approach.
Good point. But if one can't afford, or doesn't have the schedule for, private lessons, it's a good "next best thing".
I had a great experience with them, don't remember exactly what package I took, but it was worth the price. Great teaching method, useful resources, plus you can ask your own personal question in a forum where the teacher answer efficiently. I didn't regret my investment.
I did both SBLs Technique Accelerator and the Fretboard Accelerator. I recommend them both.
Most of what has been mentioned is true. They both work if YOU do the work. You watch the lesson, then you actually have to do (practice) the lesson. Some criticisms are true. He does talk to much and there is not INSTANT feedback. He explains things it seems ad nauseam sometimes specifically bc there is no instant feedback. But there is live feedback every few weeks and there are running Q&A sessions weekly, so each week other students will have similar questions to whatever. Also, you can watch the videos at 2X speed which I often do to keep things moving. If you were a raw rookie I could see where things could get confusing maybe but at 2 years experience I could see it being easily approachable. If you finish the program you will absolutely see improvement. Same w/ the fretboard accelerator. That thing uncorked the fretboard, at least for me.
Most of what has been mentioned is true. They both work if YOU do the work. You watch the lesson, then you actually have to do (practice) the lesson. Some criticisms are true. He does talk to much and there is not INSTANT feedback. He explains things it seems ad nauseam sometimes specifically bc there is no instant feedback. But there is live feedback every few weeks and there are running Q&A sessions weekly, so each week other students will have similar questions to whatever. Also, you can watch the videos at 2X speed which I often do to keep things moving. If you were a raw rookie I could see where things could get confusing maybe but at 2 years experience I could see it being easily approachable. If you finish the program you will absolutely see improvement. Same w/ the fretboard accelerator. That thing uncorked the fretboard, at least for me.
I started the SBL Practice Accelerator the second time it was offered years ago. Along with covering a lot of topics, structure is its strong point. They offered a new module a week. No way I could effectively do the lessons at that pace. So I picked a point and started working on what I needed and let the new stuff go by.
After doing it for a bit, I needed to take a break. A three year break! Do to some elective surgery (knee replacement), I'm finding I have some extra time now so I logged back into the Practice Accelerator. Everything was right where I left it! Last week I stated working on things right I left off three years ago.
I'd think of these Accelerators as long term investments. Work at your own pace and move forward only after you really know what you're working on. They say as long as SBL is in business, the material will be available.
Regarding feedback, if you're a member of SBL's site, there are plenty of opportunities to submit videos of your playing for actual feedback (from a human). Between submitting videos and doing the Player's Path, there are opportunities to get feedback on your playing.
After doing it for a bit, I needed to take a break. A three year break! Do to some elective surgery (knee replacement), I'm finding I have some extra time now so I logged back into the Practice Accelerator. Everything was right where I left it! Last week I stated working on things right I left off three years ago.
I'd think of these Accelerators as long term investments. Work at your own pace and move forward only after you really know what you're working on. They say as long as SBL is in business, the material will be available.
Regarding feedback, if you're a member of SBL's site, there are plenty of opportunities to submit videos of your playing for actual feedback (from a human). Between submitting videos and doing the Player's Path, there are opportunities to get feedback on your playing.
I like the SBL content in general but I signed up for the fretboard accelerator when it was live and after paying a fair amount for it I was immediately hit with a mandatory video ad . The gist of which was basically 'if you want to actually succeed in this course you need to pay for an unadvertised higher end course' at more than double the original cost.
The whole thing felt like a bait and switch and soured them for me, there was no mention of this extra level until you'd already paid. I cancelled my membership and won't pay them for anything again.
To be doubly clear, I appreciate what they do and I think the content is probably worth the money but the marketing methods they used after I had already paid out just ruined it. I will say they made good on their money back guarantee, but scammy feeling practices lost them a customer.
The whole thing felt like a bait and switch and soured them for me, there was no mention of this extra level until you'd already paid. I cancelled my membership and won't pay them for anything again.
To be doubly clear, I appreciate what they do and I think the content is probably worth the money but the marketing methods they used after I had already paid out just ruined it. I will say they made good on their money back guarantee, but scammy feeling practices lost them a customer.
Strange criticism. This was not my experience at all. Upsells and add-ons are a normal part of almost every single business model. Do you want to super-size? Do you want V6 or the inline4? Do you want builder grade appliances or the high end pro kitchen? Just say no, bro, if you don't want it.
The 26 week fretboard accelerator is an enormous amount of knowledge. I can't imagine there is an extension to that very expansive course, particularly if you didn't actually do the course.
I assumed I would get this response form someone, a simple 'do you want to upgrade' would not have got that reaction from me. A full 10 minutes of ads telling me I'll most likely fail if I don't buy it was annoying.
If you're all good with that then more power to you, for me as I say it felt like a bait and switch.
Part of the reason I was looking for feedback about this is that I don’t love all the selling coupled with Scott talking way way more than necessary. I was actually a member of Scott’s bass lessons for a year and while there is absolutely some good contact and it definitely helped me improve, I let the membership expire in order to try other things. I didn’t actually plan on doing anything with scott this soon but I am just intrigued by this particular course as particularly fast passages have been really throwing me lately and it is an issue with technique.
Did you listen to the available online videos now? I say this cause there are many instructors out there. Some are annoying (to me), while others are quite good at it. I'd be sure I like their teaching style before dropping money down. Some of them talk too much.... some of them play too much. Its all up to what you like. I like the videos where they either have graphics or show the fretboard as they talk/play. Less talk - more letting me play along.
I have a life membership with SBL. One of the advantages of SBL is that THEY DO give you one to one feedback on your playing. There is a mentorship program and a one to one feedback session where you record yourself playing and send to Scott or your mentor for feedback. Quite cool.
Immediate feedback while your practicing a piece for the first time?
Or after you've made the mistakes and repeated them over and over again and ingrained them into your playing?
Nothing beats knee to knee lessons. Nothing comes close.
