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Scotts Bass lessons lifer? pros vs. cons?

#41
I've checked out his site and read the price information both here and there. Seems to be a lot of good feedback and something I highly considered. I wanted to take some lessons to brush up on things and get better.

All that said, I do have a question for the folks that have been involved with the site (and this is in no way to be offensive to Scott). I have watched quite a few of the free lessons on youtube just to see if I can connect mentally... that's because I've only ever had lessons in person. Everything seems to be just fine but the only hang up I'm having is on the visual end because of his dark grey glove on a rosewood fretboard.
Has that been a problem for anyone else? I think I will proceed with the lessons regardless because I feel it will just be a visual thing that can be overcome fairly quickly but was interested in others experienced thoughts on this.
thanks
 
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#42
I signed up for life, and it's nice to know that the resource is there to dip into whenever I need it. I would say though that one of the downsides, for me, is that I work pretty hard as a carer for my wife, I'm project managing a major house extension and refurb to suit my wife's disability as well as doing a LOT of hands on construction work...and in my spare time I'm keeping busy with gigs, rehearsals and learning new stuff the band wants to work into the set.

Sometimes, the sheer volume of stuff that Scott puts out overwhelms me...I just don't get enough time in the shed because I'm still building it, and I can't practise enough to get one lesson down before the next one...or there's an academy show or...

There's more than enough to keep anyone busy
 
#43
baceface said:
I've checked out his site and read the price information both here and there. Seems to be a lot of good feedback and something I highly considered. I wanted to take some lessons to brush up on things and get better.

All that said, I do have a question for the folks that have been involved with the site (and this is in no way to be offensive to Scott). I have watched quite a few of the free lessons on youtube just to see if I can connect mentally... that's because I've only ever had lessons in person. Everything seems to be just fine but the only hang up I'm having is on the visual end because of his dark grey glove on a rosewood fretboard.
Has that been a problem for anyone else? I think I will proceed with the lessons regardless because I feel it will just be a visual thing that can be overcome fairly quickly but was interested in others experienced thoughts on this.
thanks
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Most of the time, or maybe most of the lessons I've watched, he is playing the Overwater Jazz with a maple board. Never a problem seeing his hands in the glove.
 
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#46
iwearpumas said:
How to get the lifetime membership? I only see the $168 yearly membership.
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Donno.
I bet there's a 'contact us' link you can use to ask.
When you find the answer, come back and post here...

In my case, I signed up for a year last year.
When that was set to expire, I got a great renewal offer on a lifetime deal. I took it.
Trying to be much more serious about improvement this year - hoping that knowing I paid the money will act as added incentive.
 
#48
His latest free lesson on note length and articulation was amazing! Just a simple root octave fifth sixth root starting groove and I could not get it to sound anywhere near as good as him. Got me thinking I need to really bare down and get serious about all the subtle aspects of grooving. I will be taking a long break from slapping, tapping, soloing, and get ready for this trying to play the bass like a classical guitar. Scott's video really blew me away about how much the subtle parts make a big difference (again articulation and note duration). Bottom line is I will most likely be signing up myelf very soon. Makes me realize the tone and sound I seek is much more inside the skill of the bass player rather than outside factors such as bass, amps, strings, pickups etc etc..
 
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#49
Wow... thanks so much for all the awesome words guys - seriously - it's so cool to know that what we're working on at Scott's Bass Lessons is making a real difference to peoples playing! I say "we're working on" as it's not just me anymore - I've built a small but awesome team of really great guys and girls over the last few years that help me run this whole thing - it's gone way past just little ol' me, lol! ;)

Anyway, just to clarify if anyone is wondering about the lifetime membership for The Academy within Scott's Bass Lessons - to qualify for lifetime membership you have to have been a full Academy member for 12 months, then you'll automatically be offered the lifetime membership upon your annual renewal.

If you have any questions at all just shoot them over to [email protected] and Laura (she keeps us all in line over here!) will get you fixed up with whatever you need.

As always... groove is... ON!

S x
 
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#51
For my two penneth, I have been a pro musician since '82 playing various instruments on major tours, tv etc. then changing to bass a few years ago. I currently gig and record on bass and dep in various bands weekly. I stumbled across Scotts site last year while looking for help with some technique stuff. I have to say I did the trial, (been bitten by other rubbish sites in the past) there was no commitment to sign up, but I did in the end. I have been a member for a year now and to be honest my playing has come on in leaps and bounds. I would say I have improved by a level of 4/5 years in one year. This time I have been offered the lifetime membership. Am I going for it, yes I am. Each week there is an hour long seminar held by guesting instructors which you can interact with live, yes you might only find 5 or 10 minutes out of the hour useful, but that golden nugget could save you months of work. these are usually 30 mins lesson then 30 mins q&A. There are extra courses added all the time. All the lessons are to the point, no fluff or guff, no look how great I am with him playing some pointless solo for 50% of the video lessons. Its tight and to the point. For all the lessons on youtube as a member you get music sheets and audio downloads which is great, it makes loads of sense for someone like me who reads dots.

there is a great section where you can record a task that scott has set for the week or something you are stuck on and send it to scott on the forums and each week he looks at your post and gives feedback.

Today I was looking for a specific technique lesson as I have a tour coming up in Feb, I could do what I wanted dead easy on drums or trumpet and have for many years but this needs bass, I have never played this style on bass other than by cheating, I found what I wanted in seconds, 15 minutes later I had the basics. An hour later I was confident enough to accept the tour.

My advice, don't mess about, do the trial, then subscribe.
 
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#52
animal said:
For my two penneth, I have been a pro musician since '82 playing various instruments on major tours, tv etc. then changing to bass a few years ago. I currently gig and record on bass and dep in various bands weekly. I stumbled across Scotts site last year while looking for help with some technique stuff. I have to say I did the trial, (been bitten by other rubbish sites in the past) there was no commitment to sign up, but I did in the end. I have been a member for a year now and to be honest my playing has come on in leaps and bounds. I would say I have improved by a level of 4/5 years in one year. This time I have been offered the lifetime membership. Am I going for it, yes I am. Each week there is an hour long seminar held by guesting instructors which you can interact with live, yes you might only find 5 or 10 minutes out of the hour useful, but that golden nugget could save you months of work. these are usually 30 mins lesson then 30 mins q&A. There are extra courses added all the time. All the lessons are to the point, no fluff or guff, no look how great I am with him playing some pointless solo for 50% of the video lessons. Its tight and to the point. For all the lessons on youtube as a member you get music sheets and audio downloads which is great, it makes loads of sense for someone like me who reads dots.

there is a great section where you can record a task that scott has set for the week or something you are stuck on and send it to scott on the forums and each week he looks at your post and gives feedback.

Today I was looking for a specific technique lesson as I have a tour coming up in Feb, I could do what I wanted dead easy on drums or trumpet and have for many years but this needs bass, I have never played this style on bass other than by cheating, I found what I wanted in seconds, 15 minutes later I had the basics. An hour later I was confident enough to accept the tour.

My advice, don't mess about, do the trial, then subscribe.
Click to expand...

Yep, I just signed up for the lifetime myself. Been very happy with the content this last year AND the weekly and constant updates are great. Can't say enough about how much I like Scott's approach and presentation. (That said, I subscribe to talkingbass.net as well AND love Mark's approach just as much but it's from a different angle.)
 
#53
From what I have seen from the free lessons Scott is awesome! My only concern is that as a beginner the course might go too fast for me. For what ever reason I have a really tough time following videos. Some instructors seem to want to show off rather than teach at the level of their students. They fly through the fret board and instead of impress it just makes you feel like you suck!!!!
 
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#54
George1962 said:
From what I have seen from the free lessons Scott is awesome! My only concern is that as a beginner the course might go too fast for me. For what ever reason I have a really tough time following videos. Some instructors seem to want to show off rather than teach at the level of their students. They fly through the fret board and instead of impress it just makes you feel like you suck!!!!
Click to expand...

We do "suck" we're beginners! We're suppose to make ALL the mistakes. That said, Scott's SBL academy is progressive and there's some REALLY bone head low level sh!t that I even knew! :-) So there is hope. ALSO, Mark @ Talkingbass.net has a very cool "absolute beginner" course that you can purchase separate from a membership if you want to minimize upfront cost. Mark has a very "facts" oriented, "by the numbers" way to give you just the distilled nugget (I'm ex-army and I like that spoon feed way!) I think Scott expands more verbally, but to be honest a lot of it is personality and viewpoint. But for me, they BOTH have their merit. (that's why I'm a member of both.) On a last note, SBL is a "group" of bassists with Scott at the helm, with guests and seminars galore with trips around the world and fantastic landscapes. Talkingbass IS Mark... and that's it. This means you get him from all angles and in all light. The grass is not greener, but different.....
 
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#55
Scott, if you're still reading this thread I just wanted to make a comment, as hopefully you'll get it personally rather than one of your staff...... going straight to the source so to speak..... unless this is one of the staff on Scott's log-in..... anyway.....

I've tried some of your youtube lessons and have got a bit out of them, but pretty much all of them involve a LOT of talking that isn't directly relevant to the topic at hand. I understand that for many people watching a full 15 minute or longer video is needed to get all the information and the thinking behind your playing is sometimes as important as the actual lesson content. However, like many people with kids and jobs etc, time is precious and it would be great if you were to do a shortened version of each video with a link to the full version if more explanation was needed.

If I was able to watch a 5 minute vid and then practice the concept i'd have probably pulled the pin and bought a membership by now.
 
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#56
BAG said:
Scott, if you're still reading this thread I just wanted to make a comment, as hopefully you'll get it personally rather than one of your staff...... going straight to the source so to speak..... unless this is one of the staff on Scott's log-in..... anyway.....

I've tried some of your youtube lessons and have got a bit out of them, but pretty much all of them involve a LOT of talking that isn't directly relevant to the topic at hand. I understand that for many people watching a full 15 minute or longer video is needed to get all the information and the thinking behind your playing is sometimes as important as the actual lesson content. However, like many people with kids and jobs etc, time is precious and it would be great if you were to do a shortened version of each video with a link to the full version if more explanation was needed.

If I was able to watch a 5 minute vid and then practice the concept i'd have probably pulled the pin and bought a membership by now.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with this. Many videos by others suffer the same problem, but I remember having lessons with Jeff Berlin...I knew what I needed to practice after 5 mins of him saying what it was/writing it out. The rest of the lesson was working on soloing/playing standards etc, but in terms of what musical content I needed to do next, it was pretty simple. I think most videos could be considerably edited and still have the core content perfectly intact.
 
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#57
BAG said:
Scott, if you're still reading this thread I just wanted to make a comment, as hopefully you'll get it personally rather than one of your staff...... going straight to the source so to speak..... unless this is one of the staff on Scott's log-in..... anyway.....

I've tried some of your youtube lessons and have got a bit out of them, but pretty much all of them involve a LOT of talking that isn't directly relevant to the topic at hand. I understand that for many people watching a full 15 minute or longer video is needed to get all the information and the thinking behind your playing is sometimes as important as the actual lesson content. However, like many people with kids and jobs etc, time is precious and it would be great if you were to do a shortened version of each video with a link to the full version if more explanation was needed.

If I was able to watch a 5 minute vid and then practice the concept i'd have probably pulled the pin and bought a membership by now.
Click to expand...

I think it's a style thing.... and LIKE ME! Scott is an expounder. He can go ON and ON... and will. Because that's him. He's not gunna change that in my opinion. So for me, you should JUMP, RUN or FLY over to Talkingbass.net and subscribe to Mark's content. He cuts through and certainly doesn't B.S. in his vids. Again for me, I like both presentations and their varied approach.... and for my ADHD that works best!
 
#58
JimHouchin said:
I think it's a style thing.... and LIKE ME! Scott is an expounder. He can go ON and ON... and will. Because that's him. He's not gunna change that in my opinion. So for me, you should JUMP, RUN or FLY over to Talkingbass.net and subscribe to Mark's content. He cuts through and certainly doesn't B.S. in his vids. Again for me, I like both presentations and their varied approach.... and for my ADHD that works best!
Click to expand...

I ended up with Joe Hubbard. His 2 year video course is focused, clearly laid out, and covers the range of musical topics necessary to become a better bass player. All solid musical content.

Scott is a great player who I'm happy to support, but the plethora of courses, guest speakers, and miscellany means I end up picking too many things to work on. I still go to it for some things, but with Joe, I just work through everything he gives me in order. Simples.
 
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#59
SuperFunkyPete said:
I ended up with Joe Hubbard. His 2 year video course is focused, clearly laid out, and covers the range of musical topics necessary to become a better bass player. All solid musical content.

Scott is a great player who I'm happy to support, but the plethora of courses, guest speakers, and miscellany means I end up picking too many things to work on. I still go to it for some things, but with Joe, I just work through everything he gives me in order. Simples.
Click to expand...

There's something to that for sure. And Joe is a world class educator and musician. Sounds like a great option for self based study.
 

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