Teaching - How long to work through Friedland book?

[coolmoniker]

About how long should it take to work through the first Hal Leonard bass method book by Ed Friedland?

Background:

I want to teach my girlfriend bass and read good things about the Friedland book. The first book is 48 pages and the first ~10 pages are about positioning, musical concepts, etc.

I thought of doing a lesson once per each week, covering a page each lesson. week, but that means taking 6+ months to finish the first book which seems way too slow. Even two pages would mean ~4 months.

Maybe my real problem is that I never taught anyone before.


When I learned, I was about 12 years old. I had taken piano lessons for 2 or 3 years and was pretty good at piano (for a 12 year old). I remember that my sister (who played guitar) explained to me where the notes were on the strings and within a couple days we were playing classic rock songs together. I had a bass lesson later that week and learned proper technique (I had been plucking with my thumb and only using one finger on my left hand). So, I remember bass being very easy to get started with. I had an advantage of being a kid with tons of time on my hands to practice all day, and also had a big head start with music by playing piano before. I didn't work through a book and actually

 

[fearceol]

The opinion of a non teacher. Depending on the musical ambitions of your girl friend, IMO the goal should not be to "work through" the book in the fastest time. Instead, my criteria would be to make sure she is having fun and not feeling under pressure to work through the book quickly. If it takes longer than six months to finish the book...what's the problem ? Better for her to take her time and learn at her own pace than finish...but half learn...the book, because the teacher deems x,y or z time to be appropriate. When she has nailed lesson one..move on to lesson two. Otherwise, yes she will have gotten through the book in record time, but will she have learned the contents to the best of her ability ?

 

[Malcolm35]

If you have never taught before -- I'd suggest you give her the book and the two of you work through the first two chapters then step back and let her go at her own pace. Be there to answer questions, but, she, the book and Google, with your help, can probably get the job done. The book is that good.

Time frame? If she will practice one hour a day I can see her playing simple three chord songs in a couple of months - with the help of some sheet music - standard notation, fake chord, or Nashville numbers. Notice I did not mention tab. IMO tab is for licks, fills, etc. not to be used as a how to play music teaching tool.

She could be playing with others in six months -- if she will practice.

To go through the whole book. There is enough stuff there to keep her busy for several years, if not longer. Again the book is that good.

Have fun.

 

[Fergie Fulton]

Like any book it depends on your understanding of the material....not the understanding of the author.

Ed's books are great because he writes in an easy taken style that allows you to breakdown the ideas within his own chapters to suit your own level....not his. So read the book a few times through first, no bass needed, and see if it raises any questions for you. If so make a note of them and address them when you come to those parts when you start to work through the book.

Now when you finish the book, read it again, make notes on any new ideas you may have developed, and work through the book again, as a rule on the second time approaching it you come at it from a higher level of understanding than you did first time, because you have more experience and more knowledge than the first time you read it through. Even if you read other new books, still go back and read older books you had/have...you will see things differently.

I have books here that i have had for over 50 years, and i still read them, and i still get new ides from them....maybe the "new ides" were always there?...but i just could not see them until i learned/experienced more?

 

[BassChuck]

I'm thinking of a skill you might want to have. I know it very well. (it has nothing to do with music or bass)
How long do you think it will take you to learn this skill I'm thinking of?

Putting a time table on learning is a mistake. A good book like Ed's lays out the information and the skills needed. Work on them in that order, get them pretty much in order and move on to the next idea. Don't obsess with perfection, just get the ideas under your fingers. After you've finished the book, go through it again. Some of it will seem new (you will have ignored that information the first time, because you weren't ready for it) some if will make more sense now that you have a higher skill set and more experience.