So how did you learn to play?

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='dlloyd' post='182964' date='Apr 22 2008, 04:49 PM']If its a playing style that's likely to result in injury, I'll happily call it bad technique, whether or not it sounds good.[/quote]

Meh... I'm not buying it. For URB, maybe. Electric bass? Naaaah. Not unless you're doing something colossally stoopid.

[Maine]

Replying to the original post, I don't want to seem lazy but I happened to tell my "how did I learn" story in my introduction first post a week or 2 ago.

So to save space in this thread, [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=17068"][color="#000080"]just have a look here [/color][/url]:-)

Maine

[The Funk]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='182968' date='Apr 22 2008, 04:53 PM']Meh... I'm not buying it. For URB, maybe. Electric bass? Naaaah. Not unless you're doing something colossally stoopid.[/quote]

I had to change my technique almost overnight back in '06 after playing three 1-hour high tempo sets two nights running (Friday/Saturday) - so 6 hours in all. On the Monday I still couldn't move my wrists.

You can do yourself serious injury with a bass guitar.

Edited April 22, 2008 by The Funk

[jakenewmanbass]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='182968' date='Apr 22 2008, 04:53 PM']Meh... I'm not buying it. For URB, maybe. Electric bass? Naaaah. Not unless you're doing something colossally stoopid.[/quote]

I don't really think performing the same action thousands of times, that gradually over-stretches a tendon over a joint, inflaming it into immovable agony can really be described as colossally stupid, and because you never heard of it happening, doesn't mean it doesn't happen, if you know what I mean.
I [i]have[/i] heard of those things happening, having come across literally hundreds of students in the years of university and college teaching. It's a real danger to people that play a lot, and if it's your living, it's a serious threat.
No disrespect to your view or experience but "not buying it" as you put it, could be a bit misleading to young players.

Edited April 22, 2008 by jakesbass

[Russ]

I started on guitar at 16, with a good friend who happened to be an awesome guitarist showing me the ropes. Every time I went over to his place though, he had a gorgeous Candy Apple Red Fender Jazz that I couldn't resist picking up and vaguely hitting with my thumb in an attempt to be like Mark King. So I got my first bass at 17 - it was an "Axe", hideous P-bass-like thing with a neck like a banana, but it was something to start on. Jumped into the deep end, trying to learn Level 42, old Metallica and RHCP tunes... I could slap 16th-notes before I could play a blues scale properly!

Carried on like this for a couple of years, jammed with a few bands (this, IMO, is the single thing that will make your playing better over anything else - playing with other musicians who are better than you), then decided to get a bit of formal instruction. So I signed up for a 3-month course at BIT (upstairs from where the Bass Centre used to be in Wapping)... picked up quite a lot in that short space of time, learned different grooves, got the basics of reading and theory down and sharpened up my technique. Glad I did it, as it did point me a lot more in the right direction to learn, and gave me a bit more hunger to learn more about music and theory. After that, it was just back to learning tunes off CDs and playing in bands again, but with a bit more of an open ear.

[Tait]

dunno if anyone else has already said this but there should be one for both, because for a year or so i taught myself, but since then ive had a bass teacher (bearing in mind ive only played three years so not had a bass teacher long). i learnt all the basics by myself, my bass teacher's just helping me improve. so i've not voted, because i don't know which one to vote for.

[barneythedog]

Started on guitar, but there were too many guitarists and no bass players so to get in a band I swapped.

Learned a twelve bar in A, and been playing it (the twelve bar in A!) ever since

Edited April 22, 2008 by barneythedog

[Carl]

[quote name='lwtait' post='183134' date='Apr 22 2008, 07:59 PM']dunno if anyone else has already said this but there should be one for both, because for a year or so i taught myself, but since then ive had a bass teacher (bearing in mind ive only played three years so not had a bass teacher long). i learnt all the basics by myself, my bass teacher's just helping me improve. so i've not voted, because i don't know which one to vote for.[/quote]
Would be classed as taught your self.Cause you already know the basics.

[Carl]

I thought i`d get my bass out earlier and try some online lessons am pretty good lessons actually.Am learning how to read music and is pretty easy if you concentrate on it.

[Rainbass]

Started playing in 1981 (I think) - I'd been playing guitar badly for about 6 years, and then someone wanted to start a band (you know the story).Taught myself by listening to records (as they were then) and playing along. I'm sure I could have found a teacher if I'd really tried, but it wasn't so easy to find stuff out back then (no internet!).

But it's never to late to learn, so I have my first lesson booked for a couple of weeks time . . .

[iamthewalrus]

Started playing in 1985 - tried teaching myself with a Laurence Canty book, but after 6 months decided to get a few lessons.

My first bass teacher was a guy called Garth Thomas who used to work in Andre's Music Shop in Croydon. Good bass player, thoroughly good chap who had a cracking 1972 Cream coloured Fender Jazz. Only had a few lessons as the shop closed down not long after.

Next big step was a 10 week part time intermediate course at The Bass Institute in Acton (1987)(anyone on the boards here ever go there when it first started?). Tony Muschamp was the teacher & I definitely learned a lot while doing that.

I'm now being taught by Paul Geary (ACM) - top teacher & all round good bloke.

Cheers,
iamthewalrus

[Kiwi]

I switched to bass from drums after getting injured wrists playing high school volleyball. Got the local multi instrumentalist teacher to show me the basics of bass and then I left him after a few months and went to a specialist bass teacher. Ironically, my first lesson with him was the week that Jaco died and he opened my eyes up to Jaco, Mark King, Stanley Clarke, Flea etc. The rest of the time I was just jamming with other musicians, I've never really had specialist lessons since then - it probably shows! lol

[Telebass]

Wot WoT said on page 1...

[NickThomas]

My older brothers band used to rehearse in the bedroom next to mine . I had an old "5 stringed " acoustic guitar and taught myself . Was good ear training

[alexmoore10]

I originally taught myself at 13 learning from songs (Should I Stay Or Should I Go and Alright Now) and straight away joined my first band.

About 8 years later I decided to take lessons and it was the best thing I ever did! I had a great teacher who inspired both about the music but also about the instrument.

Let's face it though it's not that hard an instrument to play!!! (and before the abuse comes yes I am joking!!)

Edited May 5, 2008 by drgrew

[Exile252]

Taught myself for the most part, but I've had some fine tuning off my tutors in college for some added ability. But other than that, it was all reading tabs and such.

[ashgeezer]

teaching myself.
I first picked up a bass about 6 years ago but due to work commitments and ever rising bills i sold it, took it back up again at the end of last summer and never put it down since, decided to teach myself coz i cant afford lessons ( hell, i can barely afford gas and electric )bought a few books but keep going back to the same book as its a brilliant book for learners, still cant get my head around the notation side of it but its coming and i will suss it eventually.
Just started going jamming with a couple of guitarists which is helping a great deal.
FORGOT DRUMS, FORGET GUITAR, PLAY THE BASS ITS THE ONLY WAY

[KennysFord]

and the book is ????.

[Jobiebass]

taught myself like most people out there,
pretty much went thru itunes of all my albums listening to songs I thought I could play, download the tab and play it badly. First song I learnt was I wanna be your dog by the stooges. kept doing that untill I hit a wall with what I could play cause I found tabs hard to figure out timings. so downloaded Guitar Pro 5 and never looked back, pretty much learnt and still learn things from that, but the draw back from that is, ok I might be attempting to be spot onto that but it doesnt give me any insperation or knowledge to either make things up or add a few notes in here and there which ultimatly I want to do, so 2.5 years later.. im looking for my first lesson.

[Linus27]

After seeing Adam Clayton at Live Aid, I thought he looked really cool and wanted to be like him. The Police/Sting was also a big influence due to my sisters really being into them. So a friend had a bass guitar and I was given a guitar. He wanted to play guitar and I wanted to play bass so we swapped. I then spent two years locked in my bedroom learning to play U2, INXS, The Police songs and anything else I had. I lost all my friends as I never went out and just spent two years playing bass. After that, I went out and found a band which is where I cut my teeth in playing live, learning to write my own bass line and write songs.

A few bands and years later and I had absorbed every thing bass but still, it was not enough and I am still searching for more. I am currently teaching myself fretless bass and having double bass lessons with jakesbass. Not really sure what direction I want to go now. On one hand I want to play punk pop which is my natural style, I also fancy doing something more acoustic with the fretless, acoustic guitar and female vocals and also I would like to do something with the EUB. Either way, I love playing.

[Bilbo]

[quote name='mcgraham' post='182781' date='Apr 22 2008, 02:04 PM']Hang on a second, are you saying that learning a piece from written music falls under the category of 'transcribing'?

I'm not disagreeing by the way, I'm just wondering if the generally accepted definition of transcription is a lot broader than I imagined it to be.

Mark[/quote]

THat is what I said but it isn't what I meant

Transcribing would literally mean writing the notes down. I guess what I meant was 'learning pieces of music off recordings' is easier/quicker if you can write stuff down (transcribe) and read it than it would be trying to learn it by rote.

Not like me to talk b******s!

[ashgeezer]

The book i was on about earlier is called PROGRESSIVE BASS GUITAR BY Gary Turner and Brenton White, it goes through from beginner to advanced students and comes wth CD.
Thanks to Kennyrodge for pointing out i had not mentioned it.
cheers mate.

[johnnylager]

Entirely self-taught (for better or worse!). I did religiously watch / play along with those "Learn to play... Bass" things (the one with that funnny gadgey & his mate with the natural Jazz & the Ampeg half stack) that were on the Musicians Channel (RIP) last year, only to realise it was so basic that I could do already it all (not being big-headed, just saying like). It gave me the names for it all though. Which I've now forgotten.

Just enrolled in the Kerrang! ultimate metal summer school in Brighton though, for the first tuition in 23-odd years! Rock on Tommy!

[Jono Bolton]

When I was about 8/9 we used to get music lessons at primary school from the two teachers of the local high school. We'd get the lessons once a week and they'd take it in turns to teach us (one one week, then the other one the next week). Anyway, one week the better teacher brought in a Jim Deacon P bass copy and a Park combo. The bass was about as tall as me and it took two of us to lift the amp. Everyone had a go on the bass but I was the only one that carried it on, spurred on by the fact that I'd be the only one playing it and have first dibs on it. I was given a stack of tabs and shown how to play the first one, which was 'Rock Around the Clock' and just worked my way through the rest. Considering I've been playing for about 12 years now, I really should be much better.

[Sarah5string]

Self taught here.. playing along to tab and CDs, picking up stuff by ear.