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Shall I give (it) up?

ghandee

ghandee

Oct 10, 2010
27
4
#1
Greetings.

I am kinda confused, to say the least.
I picked up bass guitar some years ago, after getting hooked on reggae/dub.
From thereon, there was no return for me.
I just loved the sound of it, I started noticed it in other genres as well
and I decided to give it a try.

So far so good.

I got the instrument, and a small amp and forgot about.
Family issues (among others) didn't leave me any room for practice/play.

After moving on my own I decided to give it another try.
I am thinking often about baselines, trying to create new ones, etc etc
All in my head.

I decided to start lessons, but failed miserably.

I tried twice. Two lessons each time and never went back.

I came to the conclusions that I will never become a musician.
I don't know theory, I can't read notes, scales, scores, etc etc.
All I know is that I am willing to pick it up, listen to a bassline
and try to play/imitate it. Often with positive results.

Lately, I started using drum loops, and I got hooked.
I am talking about 2-3 hours (with brakes - due to untrained muscles)
and I am really enjoying it. I improvise and trying new stuff

And there where my question arises.
What shall I do with it? I really enjoy playing
but I will never become a musician (not at the age of 38).

I would really like to start jamming with other
but I feel my lack of musical knowledge is too much.
I tried couple of time with a friend, but when he used to tell me thing like
"give me an E+" or "play on Gmaj scale"
I was completely lost...

I hope you understand my point.
Any advice would be much appreciated

Cheers

PS: Sorry for the long post
 
#2
You can figure it all out "just by ear" if you must, but it's really not necessary, and having a decent set of names to refer to music by is really all theory is. Maybe you haven't found the right teacher, or the right set of folks to jam with. Maybe just understanding what key a song is in, and what that means relative to the sounds you hear (or imagine), is enough, but you have to have some language between musicians, and that's all the notation and theory is, a common way of talking about sounds. But some basics are important to be able to play with others.
 
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#3
ghandee said:
''''' I decided to start lessons, but failed miserably. I tried twice. Two lessons each time and never went back.
Click to expand...
So you decided to teach yourself. If you do that your teacher does not know how to play the bass, and I bet that teacher does not have a clue how to teach you how to play the bass. Good luck. Got your attention?

With that said - Don't let age stop you. Having the time is the issue. I always wanted to play an instrument, but, work got in the way. When I retired at 65 I had the time so I took some lessons and bought a stack of "how to" books and 15 years later I now play in two bands and gig 8 to 9 times a month. No it's not going to take you 15 years, but, you do need to get some basic stuff under your fingers.

You say you would really like to start jamming. Yes it's fun. You want to swim in the deep end - but, to do that you need to spend some time in the shallow end - and learn how to swim. Jamming is composing your bass lines and solos on the fly, gotta spend a lot of time in the shallow end of the pool to know how to jam. Yep, when they say the next one is in G, ready 1 & 2 &... kinda helps to know where the G major scale notes are on your fretboard.

OK let's do something about this. Lets start with playing the G major scale... Go here:
How to get started? | TalkBass.com
.... and when you can run the G major scale in at least two locations on your neck do the same with the C, D, E, F and A scale. Then learn how to play your chord tones. Why chord tones? 90% of what we do is playing chord tones. See a Cmaj7 chord and your fingers already know what to do with that Cmaj7 chord.

Have fun, you are only 38.
 
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#5
Age doesn't matter in regards to learning an instrument.

I don't think 4 lessons is enough to "get it". Also, you may have had the wrong teacher(s).
There are also many excellent, free online classes you can try.

Nothing wrong with learning by ear, but since you sound frustrated with your lack of knowledge I'd recommend learning some theory. It's not just for 'real' musicians.
 
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#6
Why give up what you enjoy?

I am teaching myself bass (with occasional teacher input) in my mid 50's. I don't presently jam with anyone, though I hope to at some point. However every night I just enjoy my time with my bass.

You seem to enjoy your time with your bass. So you have some holes in your knowledge. Do you want to fill those holes? you can if you want, or you can't if you don't.

Some guys will never learn what you don; know, and just play the same songs with others or at home. Others fill all the gaps plus, and go on to "careers" in music.

Really, the decision is up to you.


Remember, whether you believe you can.. or you can't... you probably are correct.
 
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#7
GKon said:
Age doesn't matter in regards to learning an instrument.

I don't think 4 lessons is enough to "get it". Also, you may have had the wrong teacher(s).
There are also many excellent, free online classes you can try.

Nothing wrong with learning by ear, but since you sound frustrated with your lack of knowledge I'd recommend learning some theory. It's not just for 'real' musicians.
Click to expand...

I started with a great teacher -- who for me was the wrong teacher. Today he could be a great teacher for me again but only after I have learned a lot about my own learning style and what I expect to learn.

You are right, 4 lessons was not enough for him, and perhaps the teacher is the wrong one as well.
 
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#8
drumsnbass said:
I started with a great teacher -- who for me was the wrong teacher. Today he could be a great teacher for me again but only after I have learned a lot about my own learning style and what I expect to learn.

You are right, 4 lessons was not enough for him, and perhaps the teacher is the wrong one as well.
Click to expand...
Good to hear you feel that way! DON'T give up!

Just because someone is a good teacher doesn't mean they are the right teacher for us. You need a teacher who understands what you want, how you best learn, and who's teaching style matches your learning style.

You should also try an online, free class that starts from step 1, namely learning the names of the notes on the fretboard, and moves on from there. When I get home I'll send you the link of one that helped me a lot (I think it's called Study Bass, or something like that).
Another I REALLY like is talking bass.net
 
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#9
GKon said:
Good to hear you feel that way! DON'T give up!

Just because someone is a good teacher doesn't mean they are the right teacher for us. You need a teacher who understands what you want, how you best learn, and who's teaching style matches your learning style.

You should also try an online, free class that starts from step 1, namely learning the names of the notes on the fretboard, and moves on from there. When I get home I'll send you the link of one that helped me a lot (I think it's called Study Bass, or something like that).
Another I REALLY like is talking bass.net
Click to expand...

Best thing I ever did was start over with the HL Bass Method set by Ed Friedland.

I think this is the book every student should start with...
 
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#12
Ok, here's the first site:
Study Guide | StudyBass

Start at "Fundamentals 1", and then 2, then 3, etc.
This site is about reading the info and trying it out.

Here is the second site I love:
Free Online Bass Lessons - Talkingbass.net - Lesson Map

I see the site format has changed a bit since the last time I used it. I'd recommend clicking on "Beginner", then "Absolute Basics".

Then go to "Music Theory for Bass", start at Lesson 1 and work your way down.

All of these lessons have video that explains and shows what to do and why.

Hope these help.
 
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#14
Ghandee......:-


No...don't give it up.....

If you can get that far by yourself...congrats....

Two trips to a bass teacher doth not a failure make......

Don't feel bad.....I wasted 50 bucks the other day going to a bass teacher that taught me absolutely nothing.....and wasn't the least bit interested in "where I was at " bass-playing-wise.
His objective was simply to keep me coming back to part with 50 bucks each session...indefinitely.

I think you all you need to know basically at this point is how to identify keys and keynotes. As you go you will learn more over time anyway because one thing always leads to another.

Learning root notes of major scales and keys isn't at all hard.....really it isn't ...on bass.

Don't worry about theory and all the complexities that can come with that.......that's not what you need right now.

Just find someone or somebody that can school you on the basic major scale notes and where they are on the bass neck.

Playing a major scale in A is exactly the same fingering as playing it in C, for example, starting on A or C on the low E string. (4 string bass).

It will also be the same starting on B, G, etc etc etc etc, starting on those notes on the E.

The fingering scale grids are surprisingly repetitive all over the place on the neck.

It's vastly easier than you think to learn these simple things I mentioned......really it is , believe me....

Don't give up.........it is soooooo within your grasp it isn't funny.......
 
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#16
Thanks a lot for the replies!!!
I never thought I would get so many answer overnight.

First of all I didn't get the impression that with 2 lesson I will learn something.
I work a lot. So the lessons were private in order to have the flexibility of time.

I cannot say much about the teacher, since I didn't spent time with him.

I will use the links provided here (thanks a lot!) and try to figure it all out.

I think I will just chill out and enjoy what I do
and hopefully -little by little- will earn some theory.

I intend to use backing tracks (how? sampler to trigger loops? drum machine?)
and then practice some scales etc.

Same think happened back in high school with the guitar lessons I took.
I ended up playing only accords and songs... before I give up.
 
#19
drumsnbass said:
Best thing I ever did was start over with the HL Bass Method set by Ed Friedland.

I think this is the book every student should start with...
Click to expand...

I agree wholeheartedly, it's the book that I started with. The two things that I think are most important are time and consistency in learning bass, or music in general. In learning something new you are trying to overcome your body's natural inclination to resist change. You need to push yourself out of that natural comfort zone that your body likes to be in to learn to be proficient in something. Motivation is important in keeping you on track with a study program that uses the time and consistency elements that you've invested in it. Set small, easily attainable goals as part of your practice sessions. Then congratulate yourself when you attain them and then imagine yourself as now being one step closer to that goal of becoming a proficient bassist. Put blinders on and don't worry about the end result; focus on the present and very near future and take pride and pleasure in what you're accomplishing now, the future will take care of itself. One of the things that was helpful to me in the beginning, and even now, was the presence in my community of aspiring and accomplished musicians. They've been there and done that and can be very helpful to you. The nice people on this forum will do the same for you, just keep a positive and humble spirit and things will work out. If playing bass were that easy we'd all be Jack Bruces, it's not and so welcome to the club.
 
#20
ghandee said:
will never become a musician
Click to expand...

NO - you should not give it up. From what you've said about yourself, you're already a musician and you've got some talent. You just need to get better. Being a musician doesn't mean you have to do it full time and make a living at it - it can be a serious hobby. (But if you want to be any good you do have to be serious about it.)

I was in a similar situation many moons ago (too many to count...). There are lots of good books and CD's out there now, but back in the day, not so much... For a long time I just played along with records and copied what the bass players were doing, and I would jam with my buddies - I always kept it fun and never pushed it, which is how you get discouraged. Eventually, after a year or two of doing that and paying attention to what I was doing, I got to a point where I felt comfortable enough playing to appreciate the technical aspects and learn about them without getting bored or discouraged, because I saw how they helped me play.
ghandee said:
I tried twice. Two lessons each time and never went back.
Click to expand...
There have been many great musicians who never took a lesson and couldn't read a note (At least not until after they became famous and had the time to sit down and learn.) I'm not knocking books and lessons by any means, but it's not the only way to get started, and maybe it's not the right way for you, especially since you're "older".

ghandee said:
"give me an E+" or "play on Gmaj scale" I was completely lost...
Click to expand...
Next time, tell the guy you don't know any theory and maybe ask him to give you a little help. Or if you can't do that, just say "You just play and I'll try to fit in." If he's a good guy, it will work. If he's an a-hole, find someone else to play with.

So: Go in baby steps and always KEEP IT FUN by playing along with records (start with simple stuff - old blues and rock n' roll is a good jumping off point) and trying to jam with other people. Grooving with the drum machine and building your chops is also great -and don't be afraid to experiment and write things down that you figured out. (In your own language for now, since you don't know music.) If you just stick to books and lessons, it will feel dry and frustrating and you'll be asking "Shall I give (it) up?"
 
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