Take my first bass lesson tomorrow.

[RABid]

I've owned bass on and off for years and years but never got serious. Same with guitar. I was always drummer/keyboardist. But bass is my number one "I really want to learn" instrument. Especially slap bass. Trying to decide if I want to take my 4 string to lessons or 5 string. If a friend was starting out on bass what would you recommend, 4 or 5 string bass?

 

I am a bit surprised that I am expected to bring my own amp. Lessons are in a music store and I would think they would keep a small bass and guitar amp around for lessons, but they don't. I have a Rumble 40 that I plan to take. I like that amp and just found out this week that the latest Rumble line is based on Genz Benz who Fender bought and then closed down.

[jcadmus]

Regarding which bass to take, I would ask the instructor what they recommend. If they have no preference, I would take the one I was most comfortable with.

[RABid]

Right now that would be the four string. I bought a 5 string just like my 4, same model, but have never played it.

[KuruPrionz]

4 string, a Rumble 40 won't get much tone out of a low B note.

You can add the fifth string to your sound pretty easily.

 

I've got 2 four string basses, one tuned EADG (standard) and one tuned BEAD, like the low 4 string of a 5 string.

 

Photo attached, the one on the top and the one on the bottom are mine. A friend found the one in the middle at a thrift store, I fixed the broken pick guard but only had black plastic so I used it.

[RABid]

Had my first bass lesson today. The guy did better teaching bass than guitar, but not by much. I take a half an hour lesson every Wednesday morning and each week I switch back and forth between guitar and bass. Thinking I may go back to online lessons. I like being face to face, and the price is not bad, but he is a real stickler for ending right on time. There is no one following me that he has to go to, and we get multiple interruptions as he has to answer the store phone and wait on customers during my lesson. In other words, he is not willing to go a minute over, but he is willing to take time out of my lesson to do other things. I'm going to give it another couple tries, then decide if I am going back online.

[RABid]

Well, back to Talkingbass.net for learning.

[PrairieGuy]

Had my first bass lesson today. The guy did better teaching bass than guitar, but not by much. I take a half an hour lesson every Wednesday morning and each week I switch back and forth between guitar and bass. Thinking I may go back to online lessons. I like being face to face, and the price is not bad, but he is a real stickler for ending right on time. There is no one following me that he has to go to, and we get multiple interruptions as he has to answer the store phone and wait on customers during my lesson. In other words, he is not willing to go a minute over, but he is willing to take time out of my lesson to do other things. I'm going to give it another couple tries, then decide if I am going back online.

I've taken bass (and guitar) lessons over the years and have never had the teacher serve a customer during my lesson. A couple of them have taken phone calls but rarely and when they have they kept them very short. At the very least the time lost doing other things should be added back at the end of the lesson. If it was me I'd find a different instructor because I wouldn't feel that I was getting what I paid for. If I pay for a 30 minute lesson, I expect to receive the full 30 minutes.

[wraub]

A teacher interrupting a lesson but billing for the time lost is a thing that would immediately send me elsewhere.