The bass is my first instrument. I don't know music theory. I have no tone recognition. I have had my Fender P for a year now, but unil now I've just been messing around and playing tab I print off of band sites. Now I want to get serious and learn music theory, tone recognition and generally everything I need to know to become a competent bassist. I have taken lessons, but they weren't very productive. I basically just went to the instructor when I needed a song transcribed in tab so I could play it.

If anyone here could give me tips, post excersizes, places where I could get good stuff to help me learn, or anything at all to help, I would appreciate that alot.

There are some basic thing on Gary Willis' site, (www.garywillis.com)...I'm also kind of beginning, but had the advantage of playing trumpet for a lng while before...my theory needs work though.
Anywho, welcome to the forums! You won't regret it and you'll learn a ton here, not to mention make some cool friends.

Get back into lessons. I need to because when I just started i was in them but i thought it was a waste of time back then and wasnt doing anything for me. Now some 3 years later I am told i'm a pretty good bassist but I know i could be so much better if i would have stuck with the lessons.

Also play all styles of music. that way you dont get stuck in a rut and can only play one style. that sucks when that happens. I'm just coming out of that rut and its helped alot. its like i'm just realizing all this stuff. the lessons, the music types, all that stuff that i should have done when i started instead of waiting 3 years.

This Forum is great and you'll learn alot. I think it helped me realize all the stuff i said above because i just started visiting here within approx 6 months ago. so stay here and learn.

We don't know where you live, but hopefully you can find a teacher who will help you learn music, not just songs.

Ask around and see if you can find a teacher with a degree in music. It's no guarantee, but it may mean that the teacher will be interested in more than just showing songs to students.

Spend as much time as you can trying to copy records. Any records. You will develop your ear and your playing in the process.

Lessons! With a GOOD teacher!

A good teacher will NOT work with tabs..a good teacher will make you read the bass cleff even if you hate it. A good teacher will tech you music theory as well as the how yo handle your bass.

Get out the yellow pages and call music teachers, ask questions. Ask around the music department of your school. Make them tell you how they conduct lessons and what their approach to teaching is. I would suggest finding a bass teacher who specializes in bass. I was lucky enough to find an amazing teacher on long island. If you are from my area, let me know and I will refer you to him.

You cant build a house till you have the tools, and with any instrument your tools start with basic music theory.

I tried teaching myself at first..and boy am I glad I fund a teacher soon, so all those bad habits I was ingraining in me didnt become rock hard. After 1 lesson I was prompted to switch to lefty. Thank god I didnt learn righty for months, only to have to start from scratch!

Hey -Fatman-! Welcome to the amazing, wonderful world of bass where everything is opposite of what it seems, where lower means better, where the heavier an amp is, the more you like to take it to the gig, where old strings are better than new strings, and where less really IS more. Once you get into this reverse way of thinking, bass will make total sense, and you'll really start making progress.

That said, consider your experience with your teacher. You said that it didn't work out even though he was teaching you what you WANTED him to teach you. That defies logic, too, doesn't it? The truth is that a good teacher is the one who teaches you things that you DON'T want to learn initially, not because he's mean but because he knows what you'll need down the road better than YOU do right now. That's why he's the TEACHER and you're not. He knows things that you can't possibly know. He knows that the bass world is really upside down and that you need to realize this in order to make progress.

The real kicker is that after a very SHORT while, your lessons will become FUN, even if they seem strange and confusing in the beginning. That's because they're like super power pills; they taste bitter at first, but they give you superhuman capabilities if you continue with them, and EVERYONE likes to be superhuman.

Please tell us more about yourself. What kind of music do you like to listen to, and what kinds really annoy you? Don't worry; we don't critize newbies here. - This is a class site, after all.

What kinds of things do you enjoy playing? What's easy to play, and what's more difficult for you? Do you play with fingers mostly or a pick, or are you primarily a slapper?

Do you have a metronome? A music stand? An amp? A device for recording yourself (very important)?

Did your previous teacher recommend any books? Do you still have them?

Are you in a band? Would you like to be? If so, what kind of music would they play? What bass players inspire you? What singers inspire you?

What is it about the bass that pleases you? Why didn't you select a different instrument? What else do you like to do with your time? Do any of your friends play instruments? How about people in your family?

Let us know a little more about you, and we'll be able to give you better suggestions. Until then, remember the bass player's motto:

If you're not having fun, you're not doing it properly!

As much as I hate to refer you to another site... There is a cat over at "Talkbass.com" that wrote a fantastic introduction to basic theory. It's online, it's free, it's jam-packed full of good stuff. Why not pop on over to:

http://www.talkbass.com/html/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=31

And have a look-see for yourself?

-Brian

Thanks a mint.

Some questions were asked, so I will courteosly answer them. I live in the North Texas Dallas Fort Worth region. I enjoy a wide variety of music. A little of almost everything. Industrial, hardcore, metal of every variety, punk(despite it's decline, I still enjoy many modern punk bands), jungle, the occasional rap song, some electronic, ska(original, two tone, and thirdwave), a little reggae, some classical(mostly just Mozart and Beethoven). Christian rock, pop singers, bling bling rap, hair metal, bands that are just about being as hardcore or as punk or as metal or whatever as you can and bands that do completely unoriginal shit like Creed or 3 Doors Down annoy the hell out of me. Above all, I just love innovative music. When a band does something interesting that I haven't heard before, I really get a kick out of that. I also really enjoy political lyrics. I am a political dissident, and bands that share my views get extra points. I don't really know why I picked bass, I like the deep growl sound that some bassists get, and to me the bass in ska is the most enjoyable part. If possible, I wanted to learn as many instruments as possible. I play fingers only. I can't play with a pick, it is too clumsy. I try slap, but I just haven't figured it out yet. I have a Crate BX-50. No metronome, no drum machine, nothing to learn to play to drums. I have no access to a drummer. Unless I download breakbeats and drum solos off the net. Almost everyone I know plays some instrument or another. Except for the school band geeks none really know how to play well.

I'll just pop up and recommend "The Bass Player Book" (http://www.wannalearn.com/Fine_Arts/Music/Instruments/Bass/0879305738.shtml)

It's a very unintimating but comprehensive compilation of articles from BP mag over the years and I think any bass player could learn a lot from it, especially a beginner.

Alex

Welcome to the board. I'm in the Arlington area, so I'm probably very close to you.

I can't say I exactly know the genres you mentioned, with levels of specificity. But I definitely identify with the love of the sound of the bass...and the selective listening as well.

The first step to an education is an interested learner...and you seem to have that down.

Good luck.
Dave

If you're in the north Texas area, you might not be too far from North Texas State University in Denton, which has possibly the best jazz program in the country....I know you didn't say you were interested in jazz, but there are students there into all kinds of music and maybe you could find a student to give you lessons..

Check out the band geeks in your school again....they may be more interesting than they appear....anyone who plays drums in a marching band probably has a drumset at home....find the other students that look like like (similar hair and clothes) and see if any of them play guitar....tell them you play bass and want to jam...

Good luck and have fun!

Bump,

That link is some pretty solid basics. Thanks for sharing it. Sure,you can find that info in books and other places, but it's nice to have it a "click" away.

Peace.

I am in Saginaw.

And it wouldn't kill you to learn some jazz, anyway. Jazz in an amazing teaching tool that will improve your theory, phrasing, improvization, and fretboard familiarity. Hey, you never know until you try something, right?

I never took theory lessons and I can barely read bass clef, but, I did learn how to play nearly every genre of music. Jazz taught me a lot, as alluded to by Dan South. I feel like I "know" theory, but I can't explain it. I do recommend learning as much as you can, even if it's a genre you're not particularly interested in. You can learn a lot more than you thought by disecting the music style you like least. The reason you don't like it may be because you don't understand it. That can be said about everything in life you dislike.

The two things that have helped me the most, not just as a bassist but as a musician in general, were:

1. I took lots of music theory - well, more than most, because I went to college for music, but I still recommend you take some theory.

2. I joined the jazz ensemble and learned how to read parts for my instrument, how to read lead sheets, and how to improvise, which necessarily meant I learned a lot more notes on the neck.

If you are in high school, you may be able to do both of these there. If not, you probably have a junior college nearby that can help. Or, as someone said, you are not too far from music student heaven up in Denton.

With all due respect -

As far as finding people to play with ... the school band geeks may be a good place to start. The longer you play, the more you'll realize that some of the best musicians are ones who are dedicated to their craft and not much else, and some of the biggest "geeks" are exactly that type of musician. Can't tell you how many kick-butt musicians I've played with who don't wear the right clothes, have lame-looking hair, are overweight, etc.

It's all about the music, my friend ...

i totally agree with bass lessons. haven't been here for awhile 'cause i was at home for winter break (i love my college's quarter system, we got a month and 1/2 off!!) managed to take a few lessons while i was at home. learned more in 5 weeks of lessons than i had managed to teach myself in a year. the main thing is to take the lessons seriously. practice, practice, practice. if you are like a lot of highschool/college group you might appreciate the lessons a lot more if you have to cough up the cash to pay for em. just a suggestion, i know my peers :rolleyes: good luck!!