[quote name='Doddy' post='790851' date='Mar 30 2010, 05:44 PM']If you are going to have lessons to just learn riffs,then I think you are probably wasting
money. If you pay your £20 or whatever and are shown riffs,then all you can play is that riff.
If you learn to read,and play scales and arpeggios and concepts and things,you will have the
knowledge to play a million riffs.[/quote]
I understand, I didn't express myself very well.
I obviously don't just want to learn a particular riff, as you say I need to learn scales etc'
I can't retain what I've learnt as regards reading music, it's just a lot easier at my age to be shown how to work it out for myself. There are a lot of good players who can't read a note. For some people it's instinctive, I played rhythm12 string guitar for 45 years without problems.
In my playing situation I have to play catchup every week because church services differ musically from week to week. Therefore since taking on the bass players job I'm trying to learn 10-12 songs every week that I used to play on guitar and sometimes there is very little time to practice. I feel that if my technique was better I wouldn't miss notes from time to time.
I'm sure I'm not alone in this?
What you say is correct. I just can't find anyone locally is the problem.