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tips for beginners?
- Thread starter lee08
- Start date
Along with all the other good advice posted before me, here's a good guy on YouTube for beginners to watch
. . I've learned quite a bit from him, and he's entertaining
Watch that video and then sort through his other videos. He has them in playlists as well.
And the link below this is a website for a more structured and formal approach. . . and it's Free!
StudyBass - Free interactive online bass lessons
Learn bass guitar with free online lessons covering technique, theory, rhythm, chord tones, scales, the fretboard, and more. Online for bassists since 2003.www.studybass.com
You beat me to it! Lol.
Welcome to TB and welcome to the world of bass.
You may already know this so forgive me if it's redundant. Your bass has an active pre-amp with 2 band EQ (a bass knob & a treble knob) This requires a 9v battery to work. The battery is activated when you plug the guitar cable into the bass. Remember to disconnect the cable when the bass is not in use or you will drain the battery very quickly. Also, invest in a decent tuner so you can develop your ear correctly. Have fun
You may already know this so forgive me if it's redundant. Your bass has an active pre-amp with 2 band EQ (a bass knob & a treble knob) This requires a 9v battery to work. The battery is activated when you plug the guitar cable into the bass. Remember to disconnect the cable when the bass is not in use or you will drain the battery very quickly. Also, invest in a decent tuner so you can develop your ear correctly. Have fun
I started with this in spiral bound with audio access (for me actually originally CD) with lessons from Mike Bitts of The Innocence Mission and Solar Federation.
TAB and Notation
Previous teachers were guitarists with no music education. Waste of my time.
Welcome!
Mega-ditto on this book by Ed Friedland. He'll take you thru drills to accomplish so many of the great ideas here... fretboard knowledge, scales, method. I used it to great advantage when I started.
And...play daily. 10 minutes, minimum. 30 minutes better. Learn to love your instrument!
Welcome!
Ye
There's a lot of good advice here, but I'm going to add some less than conventional wisdom into the mix. While you're learning your way around the fretboard, notes, scales, playing with a metronome, etc, don't forget to just sit with some music and play along with it. So much of what you'll be taught in formal instruction can be dry and discouraging. It's important to just sit and play and have fun with it. It'll keep you more interested, and it'll make it so that the theories and concepts have some physical grounding to stick to.
Take a few lessons, learn the basic techniques so you don’t pick up bad habits. If you don’t walk out after your second lesson being able to play a song or 2 in your chosen genre, find a new teacher.
1. Get a real Teacher.
2. Block Talkbass.com (Anything.Bass) in your Browser.
3. Learn to read Notes (I know it's Hard)
4. Learn Singing and Druming.
5. Learn the Piano.
6. Ear Training.
7. With great power comes great responsibility.
8. What do you want to be? Great Bass Player or great Musician?
9. Gear doesn't matter.
10. Be humble, but prepared.
2. Block Talkbass.com (Anything.Bass) in your Browser.
3. Learn to read Notes (I know it's Hard)
4. Learn Singing and Druming.
5. Learn the Piano.
6. Ear Training.
7. With great power comes great responsibility.
8. What do you want to be? Great Bass Player or great Musician?
9. Gear doesn't matter.
10. Be humble, but prepared.
Great wisdom there
That's what I found with Joshs course Beginner to Bad*#@. While he teaches you notes, scales etc he always includes playing riffs from well known songs and like you said, it really helps you have fun and enjoy your lessons. He also has a great sense of humour to keep you looking forward to your next lesson. Best of all, you can work at your own pace and go back to previous lessons to pickup on parts you might have found hard at the time.
Others have given you good insights on learning to play, but I would also advise learning the mechanicals of your instrument. Learn how to adjust and intonate the saddles on your bridge (because if it feels like you're "fighting" the bass rather than playing it, you'll be less motivated). Learn how to change your strings. Stuff like that.
If you have a good mom 'n pop music shop near you, maybe have them do a setup on your bass (just like cars need regular maintenance, so do basses. Especially those with active electronics- change the battery every few months so it doesn't plop out on you mid-gig) so you can get an idea of what "good" playability feels like.
There is a TON of information online that many of us never had access to and wish we did when we were starting out. That being said, there is so much that it's like, "Where do I start?!?!?!"
Above all else, enjoy your journey learning bass. Playing bass and being a bass player are awesome!
If you have a good mom 'n pop music shop near you, maybe have them do a setup on your bass (just like cars need regular maintenance, so do basses. Especially those with active electronics- change the battery every few months so it doesn't plop out on you mid-gig) so you can get an idea of what "good" playability feels like.
There is a TON of information online that many of us never had access to and wish we did when we were starting out. That being said, there is so much that it's like, "Where do I start?!?!?!"
Above all else, enjoy your journey learning bass. Playing bass and being a bass player are awesome!
This is so important. Your bass may be beginner quality, but it doesn't have to play like it's beginner quality. With the advent of CNC production, even inexpensive musical instruments are much more consistent than they used to be. A lot of the difference is in the amount of hands that physically touch the bass at the factory and qc it. Invest in a good setup. It'll make it physically easier to play and therefore learn.
Tons of simple tunes to start with on YouTube. The blues is a good place to start. Go have fun.
Good info above. Make sure your bass is setup by someone that knows what they are doing, if you haven't already. Something out of the box / shelf "needs" proper setup! Playing an evil bass for very long and you will give it up. Be like ice fishing in a "T" shirt, shorts and crocks. You have to work at this to get something in return.
Start with a playable bass, with live strings and a proper setup. You don’t want an out-of-trim instrument harshing your mellow.
Practice for next year not next week. Every good or bad habit you kick off with will multiply in impact in subsequent years. Same as any instrument.
Pretty sure nobody on TB ever followed that advice of course. Have fun, and be an open minded and eager learner
Pretty sure nobody on TB ever followed that advice of course. Have fun, and be an open minded and eager learner
Welcome! Tighten up your seatbelt! You are about to go on an amazing ride!!
