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Why is it important to have a teacher (period)?

Mr wiggl3s

Mr wiggl3s

Feb 27, 2009
715
79
Minnesota
#1
I mean i'm just starting out, and it would be nice to have someone to play with, other n that, i dont really see why it would be.

Sure i can get some technique wrong, but in doing so, i'm just doing what i think sounds/feels best, right?

All this talk about getting a teacher n **** is really puttin it off for me lol
 
#2
I think having the will to learn is essential... you can get away without having a teacher if you're devouring musical information and ideas from all sources... but having an experienced hand to guide you can save so much time going down wrong paths and correcting you on strange and incorrect ideas you might have had.. you're not often the best judge of what you need to learn

I've always said that you don't need a bass teacher in order to learn basic music theory... if a person doesn't have the common sense to find out (for example) what a major arpeggio is and then work out where to play them all over their bass, by themselves, then they're a lobotomised chimp who has no business wanting to be a musician in the first place... your bass teacher should predominantly be teaching you practical application of music theory, NOT music theory itself

if you're an intelligent, knowledge-hungry information sponge with the critical faculties to determine what's good info & what's BS, then you may not need a bass teacher... if not, then a teacher would maybe help...
 
#3
I don't think it's a necessity, but if you can spare some money for a few lessons it certainly wouldn't hurt.

I've been playing about 10 years and didn't have more than a few lessons, and those were many years after I started. I did learn how to read sheet music (although very slowly) and some handy fretboard tricks. However, my technique was already pretty good at that point.

In short, If you've got self-discipline you can get good technique without a teacher. However, you'll have to know what is good technique from somewhere.
 
#5
Think about it from the "five years from now" perspective. Since you have enough drive and enough taste to work things out to your own satisfaction, then presumably you won't have quit in 5 years.

So go there and look back - would five years with ten lessons sprinkled in mostly in the first 2 years be better than no lessons? Probably, because you'll spend less time working things out only to work out 3 or 4 better ways during the years. Would two hundred lessons in that same five years be better than 10 lessons? Probably not, because you'd have a few thousand more dollars so spend on gear.

Look for a teacher not to do all your thinking for you, but to provide some mentoring and point out a shortcut or two, and in five years time you probably won't regret it.
 
#8
If you can swing it I'd get a teacher. but if it's play without a teacher or don't play... then, Play, Damn It!!!

Just make sure you find someone who knows that you're in it for the fun (if that's what you're in it for) and can help you with what's important to you
 
#10
JimmyM said:
Talkbass.com can't sit with you and watch you and correct what you're doing wrong, so that's why you take lessons. But in order for lessons to work, you have to be willing to listen and learn.
Click to expand...

That's exactly why. I played with improper fretting hand technique for six years and now I have some pretty serious tendon issues in that wrist. Take lessons. Take lessons from a bass instructor. When I started, I took some lessons, but my teacher was a drummer who played a little bit of everything. Never once talked about technique.
 
#11
You won't know why you need a teacher until you've had one, and then it will be obvious to you.

You get a teacher because you believe in yourself, and want to be the best player you can be. You will STILL be teaching yourself even with the teacher, but you will get where you are going a lot faster. There are a lot of not-very-good electric bass teachers out there. Spend some time doing a little research and find the best possible one in your town. Get the best teacher you can, and do it soon.
 
#12
If you don't take lessons, at least get a beginner video. A VISUAL aid will be invaluable when trying to work out bass fingerings for the first time. The problem with just jumping in and trying to learn songs is that your are having to "think music" while trying to get your hands to do something they have never done AT THE SAME TIME. If you can do that right out of the gate, then put down the bass and start working on the cure for cancer. You have an amazing mind my friend. If you are like the rest of us mortals, get a video and do some really boring finger stuff BEFORE you jump into music. Every musician you play with for the rest of your life will thank you for it. Best of luck!
 
#13
So that if you do something wrong
You know that you are wrong
And you would know how to fix it
Also,
People use certain techniques
Because it works
There isn't a good chance that you or anyone is that special that they do not need to use the proper techniques that everyone else uses
That's bout it i think :D
 
#17
All depends on what you want. Think about playing baseball. If all you want to do is go down to the park every once in awhile and swat the ball around, you got one set of choices. If you want to play for the Redskins, you got another set of choices. For one set, you don't really have to do anything except show up when you feel like it. For the other, you need to spend a LOT of time with a variety of people who will all be helping you develop whatever potential you have, honing your strengths and working on improving your weaknesses until THEY become strengths.

I'm pretty sure you can figure out which pathway goes which way. It doesn't matter which path you choose, you're only gonna run into problems if you choose the pathway where you just show up when you feel like it and expect the results of the pathway where you put all the work in....
 
#18
I took lessons for a while when I was first getting started. My current evening schedule with my kids is so busy right now that I had to stop taking lessons for the time being. I tried learning by reading books and websites before taking lessons, but as others are saying, technique is hard to learn by reading. Even if you only take a few lessons, it can make a big difference. I'm looking forward to getting back into taking lessons in the future, but for now, I've got a ton of things to work on as I develop my chops. Learning the fretboard and scale patterns is a big one when getting started. They might seem mundane, but you build everything off of that.
 
#19
Ive been playing a year and ive still got the thirst for knowledge, im going to start doing lessons as ive found that there are some stuff i havent quite understood so ive just not bothered practiceing. I imagine it can make things easier even if its somone you can just say can i pop round for 10 minutes and you go through this with me
 
#20
Ed Fuqua said:
All depends on what you want. Think about playing baseball. If all you want to do is go down to the park every once in awhile and swat the ball around, you got one set of choices. If you want to play for the Redskins, you got another set of choices.
Click to expand...

Um....not to be picky but....If you want to play for the Redskins you may want to learn FOOTBALL not baseball. Other than that, you make a great point.
 

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