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Things you wish you'd known earlier?


Cestrian
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This follows on from a previous topic I posted regarding muting the E and A strings. I'm having to readjust my technique, with some difficulty. Of course I wish that I'd been shown the correct technique initially. What else do you know now that you really wish you'd been told when you first started out?

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I spent a lot of time obsessing over theoretical concepts that have little application in most music. There are a lot of people who sell instructional materials that offer a magic bullets that are nonsense... there is no substitute for getting out there and playing.

It's particularly bad with jazz where people obsess about scale choices to go over chord changes (because that's what a very popular series of books say you need to do) and they end up sounding like they're playing scales over chords.

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1) "Learn how to learn" - in other words, really applying yourself when it comes to learning how to play this instrument properly (also known as putting the work in and not getting frustrated with yourself that it takes time to get good....)

2) Learn to read notation.

Edited by louisthebass
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[quote name='casapete' timestamp='1507457962' post='3385509']
That I'd be far better playing bass than guitar - wasted too many years on 6 strings when I should
have realised bass was always going to be my thing.
[/quote]+1

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+1 to all of the above words of wisdom..

And like bassbiscuits, I wish I'd known when I started playing as a 15 year old kid how much music and bass-playing would become a cornerstone of my life. If I had done, I'd have treated the learning aspects of playing bass a lot more seriously when I was younger as it would have been so much easier to learn stuff then! :D

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[quote name='silverfoxnik' timestamp='1507465673' post='3385605']
+1 to all of the above words of wisdom..

And like bassbiscuits, I wish I'd known when I started playing as a 15 year old kid how much music and bass-playing would become a cornerstone of my life. If I had done, I'd have treated the learning aspects of playing bass a lot more seriously when I was younger as it would have been so much easier to learn stuff then! :D
[/quote]

+1 Especially pre internet....

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[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1507456219' post='3385490']
whatever you do don`t join Basschat as you will talk yourself out of all of the former and it will cost you a fortune.
[/quote]
:lol: as I have found out to my cost. I am doing well on the one main amp and cab but with 6 basses and severe GAS for a couple more I am failing badly.

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Price and quality do not always go hand in hand.

Enjoy it, you might not be Jaco (insert any other highly regarded bassist) but being able to make music is a gift.

You don't get better by looking at 'for sale' adverts for basses/amps/effects ?

Edited by interpol52
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Things I wish I'd known earlier: doing your own bass setup and maintenance is pretty straightforward, and the manufacturer's standard setup is not necessarily ideal for you. Get a beaten-up cheap bass from your local small ads, take it apart, clean it, put it back together, and experiment with different action heights, pickup heights, neck relief, etc. etc. to see what you prefer -- that'll give you the confidence to do the same with your main instrument.

Also, I wish I'd experimented with different types and gauges of strings earlier -- if I'd tried light-gauge flats/tapes ten years ago I would have played bass a lot more then!

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[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1507458361' post='3385518']
Even the most complicated music is simple, if you break it down into sections.
[/quote]
I find the reverse is true as well , songs that are supposed to be "simple " tend to have little quirks in them which often make them more difficult than they initially seem .

Other things I have learnt :

A more expensive bass does not make you a better player , if anything it can lead other musicians to think you are some kind of bass genius .

If you play for fun , make sure you do have fun , I have done far too many rehearsals with dread in my heart because of some obnoxious band member , it's taken me a long long time to gain the confidence to just say " thanks , but no thanks " and walk away .

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