Yo Ted,
First of all I want to thanks you for your kind words. It never gets old to hear that people appreciate what you do. I know that many people think of me as an inspiration but the irony of it is that it is very cyclical in the sense that I get my inspiration from the people who are inspired by me.
Now to your question/issue,...
First of all there are many things that you touched upon.
We do live in a time when information is readily available. But if you really think about it, there isn't any more information than there always was. The notes on the bass are what they've always been for the 60 years of it's existence. The 20th fret of the A string has always been F. A DbM7 chord has always been made up of the notes Db/F/Ab/C. True,...if you Google 'notes on the bass' at least a thousand pages will show up. But they will be the same notes as they've always been. So don't confuse the issue. The issue isn't really information. The issue is 'presentation'. Presentation is what teaching is all about. Every math teacher on the planet pretty much teaches the same thing. But some teacher's methods resonate with some people more. It isn't the info,...it's the presentation.
The internet doesn't offer a good presentation because,...the internet isn't a teacher. Too many people are looking at the internet as a teacher. But it's not. But it is a good place to go for information. But information, knowledge and wisdom are 3 very different things. You have to find a way/method/teacher to help you turn that readily available information into knowledge. The internet will never give you that! You're still better off with a good teacher. But just so you know,...a bad teacher can't help you with that either. And know this too,...someone can be a great player but a lousy teacher. But that's a topic for another day. But it doesn't stop with knowledge! It's not enough. That knowledge has to become wisdom. The internet can't give you that either. A good teacher can't give you that either. He/she can't point you in the right direction though. Wisdom is that 'intellectual habit' that is formed when you apply your knowledge. There are many people who understand the concept of modes who don't know how to use them. They haven't turned that knowledge into wisdom.
Like you said, there is good info on the internet and there is bad info on the internet. The are really no 'internet police' to stop people who think they're knowledgeable about music from posting their 'misunderstandings' about music. That's not a system I would trust. I'd find a reputable teacher. NOW THAT'S WHAT THE INTERNET IS GOOD FOR! There's a process to learning pretty much anything,...driving a car, flying a plane, boxing or playing an instrument. When you circumvent that process you end up with an incomplete system. That's the reason why I get so many guys in the 30's, 40's and 50's wanting to start over again on the bass. They tried to circumvent the process. Or didn't truly understand that there is a process.
You used the words 'sensory overload'. But it's not really that. It's finding a method that works for you. If you try to use the internet to learn how to play bass or to learn the inner workings of music you're going about it wrong. I wouldn't fly in a plane with you if you told me that you learned how to fly by googling 'how to fly a plane' of if you told me that you watched 1,000 videos of someone showing how to fly a plane. Would you? Would you let someone do surgery on you who learned from Youtube? Would you let a 'youtube' mechanic work on your car. The information on the internet should be a supplement. And of course, when I say internet I mean the text and video part of it. I've seen some of the best playing and worst teaching on Youtube,...from the same player. But the internet can be used to take a Skype lesson from a great teacher who lives in another state or country. But instead of taking advantage of that technology people would rather watch someone do something 'flashy' on Youtube and try to learn that. I'd bet that more people are doing that than trying to learn the notes on the bass or to learn the 210 diatonic chords by relation to a key.
I'm gonna' stop talking about that. I could go on forever!!!
But you asked another question. It was about staying inspired.
Man,...my motivation has never been external. I'm driven from the 'inside'. And as a teacher I can always tell when someone's motivation is 'internal' or 'external'. If it's internal you'll wanna' know all you can about music and your instrument. And you won't have excuses for not knowing something. You'll make time to practice and study even if it means doing it BEFORE work. You'll continue to improve your knowledge without someone having to tell you to do so. You'll wanna' be the best that you can be. Not better than anyone else,...just always the best that you can be.
When your motivation is external you'll want to be better than other people. And you'll get frustrated because,...there will always be someone better(however YOU define that). If your motivation is external you'll stop practicing when your teacher is out of town. If your motivation is external you'll disappoint yourself. If your motivation is external YOU WILL QUIT at some point.
Here's my advice,...find a great teacher. Find a reputable teacher with a name. Take a lesson with that person, either 'in person' or on Skype. You may spend some money but when you find the right teacher you'll start to benefit right away. And you'll start to grow sooner. You won't have to wade through a bunch of 'bull' on the internet. Even if you spend $100 every couple of weeks or months you'll end up saving more money and, more importantly, TIME in the long run. You can always make up the money. BUT YOU CAN NEVER GET THE TIME BACK. Time wasted is time that can never be recovered. I'd rather take the chance with money and spend my time wisely than the other way around.
Whew!!!
Now you see why I needed a decent amount of time to answer your question!!!!
Oh yea,...please excuse any typos and bad grammar. I've been working a lot lately and I'm tired. I'm in Pennsylvania teaching at Gerald Veasley's bass camp. It's 1:40am and I have to teach a class of 15 bass players at 9am. Then I have some private lessons. Then another class of 15 players. Then I have to perform a couple of songs at a concert. Then more private lessons. Then I have to end my night by 'hosting' a jam session that starts at midnight! Then I have to do half of that the following day and drive 3 hours to get home to do laundry, pack and fly to Nashville the following day to teach at Victor Wooten's camp for a week. Oh yea,...then I have to do a clinic the day after the camp ends then fly back to the DC area. But at least I get to be home for 3 days after that!
peace,
anthony
"Smells Like Funk"
