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Wanna teach myself the bass

#41
jabsys said:
I taught myself to play with Online Bass Lessons at StudyBass.com , I've probably got some bad habits but at least I'm playing and enjoying myself.
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Yes you can do it. And with online videos it's easier than ever to teach yourself an instrument. BUT Jabsys is exactly to the point. If you want to learn how to do something the easiest and fastest way is to have someone who already knows how show you! I'm mostly self-taught on bass and I'm here to tell you that you can't help picking up bad habits and it's a BEAR to "unlearn" them later. And of course I DID have study on other instruments (piano, drums) so I wasn't a babe in the wilderness. You didn't say if you already play another instrument or if you are just a rank newbie.

Point is with a good teacher even for few lessons to get all the BASIC stuff down, they can tell your bad habits BEFORE they are habits. They can tell you are doing something wrong AND WHAT IT IS even if their back is to you! That kind of thing will save you untold hours of grief later, believe me. AFTER you get going, then you can drop the lessons. From that point on it's all about practice and that is about your own self-discipline. If you have it, you'll be able to woodshed anything you need without spending anything but your time. When practicing always remember to start SLOWLY. Always play it at a speed you can play PERFECTLY. Speed will come with time. Forcing speed only makes you practice PLAYING IT WRONG. Not a very helpful thing to do!

My next noob suggestion is to find an experienced bass player and talk them into going along as your "expert" when you go to buy your bass. LISTEN to them! Even if you think they are dead wrong, DO WHAT THEY TELL YOU. I assure you, you will not be sorry you did!

And lastly, I'd urge you NOT to be swayed by the small "practice amp" story. Yes they are cheap, but that is because they are worthless! I've got a stack of them here. Good only for driving headphones. Look for a nice used combo bass amp in the 75-150 watt range. Brand does not matter. That is big enough that your bass will actually sound like a bass and you can even use it in small venues and basement jams. I would not worry about the "perfect" bass or "perfect" amp at this point. Wait until you have enough experience that you have a better idea what you want before dropping a lot of cash.

OK, one more than "last". I don't know if you just want to learn bass to make recordings or what, but generally speaking a bass isn't much fun to play alone. Find some friends who play other instruments at about your level of noobness and try to get together to have some fun. Work up simple things you can all play together. It will be inspiring for all of you!
 
#42
Sounds like you just need to get the instrument in your hands and go from there. Experiment. You'll get the feel. Just make sure you start easy. No arpeggios yet. I had to re-teach my left hand. I was using my pinky too much (I have short fingers).
 
#43
bassbenj said:
My next noob suggestion is to find an experienced bass player and talk them into going along as your "expert" when you go to buy your bass. LISTEN to them! Even if you think they are dead wrong, DO WHAT THEY TELL YOU. I assure you, you will not be sorry you did!

OK, one more than "last". I don't know if you just want to learn bass to make recording or what, but generally speaking a bass isn't much fun to play alone. Find some friends who play other instruments at about your level of noobness and try to get together to have some fun. Work up simple things you can all play together. It will be inspiring for all of you!
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Those are 2 very good points... having some one experienced as your "expert" will help you determine fluff from a good find... but you need to make sure they know what they are doing first lol.... your friend that has been playing for 2 months may not be your best option... lol

And yes playing alone can be tedious and "unfun"... jamming and playing with other will teach you and keep you interested as well... as you get better and want to be the next Victor Wooten you'll seclude yourself behind a rock and just practice by yourself though....
 
#44
I am by no means an expert, as I'm just taking up the bass myself, but from what I have been reading there are two options... take lessons from a pro to start, or learn on your own now and take lessons from a pro later to correct your flawed technique. hahaha

I am lucky in that there is a gentleman teaching about 5 miles from me that has a Bachelors degree in Double Bass performances from the Peabody Institute of The John Hopkins University. I mean, the dude LIVES bass. Plays in several bands and has recorded extensively, ranging genres. Extremely talented man, and a good, patient teacher. Find somebody like that.

A good place to start may be to visit local music stores and ask them about lessons and who they have on staff teaching bass... what their credentials are, etc. I found my teacher by just asking around.
 
#45
jabsys said:
I taught myself to play with Online Bass Lessons at StudyBass.com , I've probably got some bad habits but at least I'm playing and enjoying myself.
Click to expand...

+1....I'm not knocking getting lessons, but the timing of lessons and the expense can keep one from starting.

Do Studybass and learn the basics while you are scouting for lessons. You can start the process and be learning the basics.....excellent site. Follow Andrew's lessons in sequence.
 
#46
bassbenj said:
I'd urge you NOT to be swayed by the small "practice amp" story. Yes they are cheap, but that is because they are worthless! I've got a stack of them here. Good only for driving headphones
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Whilst I agree with you to a point, they're not all worthless. Most are, but ashdown and a couple of other companies make good small practice amps.

I value mine... I live in an apartment block and the neighbours don't like my amp haha! The practice amp with or without headphones is great for playing at home with low volumes.
 
#49
Evil Undead said:
Whilst I agree with you to a point, they're not all worthless. Most are, but ashdown and a couple of other companies make good small practice amps.

I value mine... I live in an apartment block and the neighbours don't like my amp haha! The practice amp with or without headphones is great for playing at home with low volumes.
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+1

There *are* some crappy practice amps out there, there are also some pretty solid ones. I've been using my line 6 110 combo for a while, and its pretty damn good. Sounds great for a practice amp, handles the low b, and can get loud enough for some small jams with other players.
 
#50
A-Step-Towards said:
Whats up with some of these replies of not even bothering to play if you dont get lessons? I never have taken one and alot of people think I am prety damn good, not to toot my own horn, I also never have played with someone who took lessons, there not needed for everyone.
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Unless you are gifted musically which pretty much means u wouldnt have to ask for tips on this forum u need to take lessons or not bother. Its a committment. (If u want to be good)
 
#51
i disagree with getting a tuner right away. there are already a ton of bassists and guitarists who can't tune their instrument without a tuner, and make no mistake...there will be a time when you can't use a tuner. you'll forget it, or you'll be rushed, or you'll be using a borrowed instrument, or some similar situation will crop up. or worse, you'll misread the tuner and be out of tune and have to fix it on the fly. those who don't learn how to tune by ear will be completely lost in those situations.

if you do get a tuner, though, make sure you still learn how to tune by ear using a reference pitch. last time i said that on here, i got a lot of guff from people, but they're wrong and they usually aren't very good players.
 
#53
I'm teaching myself right now... I wish people would say specifically what bad habits do occur when people teach themselves and give advice on how to stop this? Lessons are not practical for everyone and I have bassists both IRL and online that I can watch or talk to if I need specific pointers.

So... I'm teaching myself. What are bad habits that need to be avoided due to being counter-productive or injury-prone? This will do people like me much more good than saying we must have lessons. In many of our situations, dedication is not the true limiting factor, money is.
 
#54
basslust said:
I'm teaching myself right now... I wish people would say specifically what bad habits do occur when people teach themselves and give advice on how to stop this? Lessons are not practical for everyone and I have bassists both IRL and online that I can watch or talk to if I need specific pointers.

So... I'm teaching myself. What are bad habits that need to be avoided due to being counter-productive or injury-prone? This will do people like me much more good than saying we must have lessons. In many of our situations, dedication is not the true limiting factor, money is.
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What you ask is not so simple. I hate to say it, but the creativity of noobs in coming up with "wrong" ways of doing things is absolutely astounding! That's why one can't simply say "do this" or "don't do that". And being largely self-taught on bass myself, I am very much aware of the the price you eventually end up paying for doing it "your way".

Like you money was an issue with me. But looking back, you can see that money is "relative". Which will do you more good early on? A few lessons or a new amp? See what I mean. Today there is a GREAT deal of wonderful information available to the beginner. So much more than there was back when I started. You guys really don't know how lucky you have it! But it's still no substitute for real live advice.

And let me add that if you know "IRL" bass players you have lessons! Lessons doesn't necessarily mean paying someone for weekly lessons. As I said above, if you want to learn to play bass find someone who already knows how and get them to show you. I didn't say you had to pay them. Being a pest around bass playing friends will do wonders for you! And another way to maximize lessons is to get some instruction and then don't go back until you've got it all down, then go get another dose etc. But the important thing is an experienced bass player can just look at your playing and tell exactly what you are doing wrong. YouTube can't give you that instant feedback in spite of the wonderful information you can pick up there.
 
#55
^Alright, thanks.

I plan to feed off of the bassists I know as much as possible... What I am most concerned with at the moment is avoiding injuries from playing as I see a few different fingerpicking techniques that sound good, I may be putting too much stress on my lower finger area from some of these though. If there are any good rules to go by regarding what to do or not do to avoid injury, I would still like to hear these!
 
#56
basslust said:
^Alright, thanks.

I plan to feed off of the bassists I know as much as possible... What I am most concerned with at the moment is avoiding injuries from playing as I see a few different fingerpicking techniques that sound good, I may be putting too much stress on my lower finger area from some of these though. If there are any good rules to go by regarding what to do or not do to avoid injury, I would still like to hear these!
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keep relaxed as much as possible.

avoid odd wrist angles.

don't play too hard.

if you ever use a pick, learn carol kaye's pick method and stick rigidly to it.

the only acceptable pains are from the blisters you form at first. once these turn to calluses you'll be fine. but you should never have pain when playing for any other reason.
 
#59
basslust said:
What are bad habits that need to be avoided due to being counter-productive or injury-prone?
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There aren't really that many "bad habits" to avoid. And those few things to avoid are adequately addressed on every beginner's video I've seen.

I can't imagine what an "real person" teacher can impart that a person on a video can't. The big difference seems to be that a real person teacher will cost you 100 times more than a instructional dvd.
 
#60
You will advance more quickly with a teacher, but lessons are not essential. There are plenty of lessons on YouTube to get you started. Stay away from the effects for awhile and practice, practice, practice. Play along with your favorite songs. Learn to read music and TAB. Put more money into your amp than your bass. Get involved with a jam band as soon as you feel remotely comfortable.

Most importantly, have fun.
 

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