Mornats Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 For those of you under the tutelage of bass tutors (i.e. you're taking lessons), how often do you have your lessons? I'm about to have my first every bass lesson (at the ripe age of late-30-something) and want to work out a schedule. I was thinking every 3-4 weeks to give me a chance to absorb, practice and work with what I've learned in that particular lesson. But I don't know if these will be too spread apart. I'll obviously discuss it with my tutor but I wonder how often you all "get some" (lessons of course!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 (edited) When I was taking lessons, my tutor and I aimed to meet up once a week, but it often ended up as once every two weeks. It will depend on your workload (as in day job), your own learning pace and also on the quantity of new stuff to learn in each lesson. Each of my lessons contained some theory and at least one (real) song which applied the theory, but more often there were two real songs. I was pretty crap on the practical side, i.e. actually playing the songs, but very good on theory, reading notation, and swotty things like that Edited September 5, 2012 by bluejay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seashell Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 I started off at once a week just to get me out of the starting blocks so to speak. (I am somewhat older thsn you). After about 5 weeks dropped back to once a fortnight and have been doing that ever since (18 months or so). Occasionally let it slip to 3 weeks if me or tutor have other commitments. For various reasons I can only make one lesson this month (next Sat) so I am going to have 1 and a half hours to tide me over. Then another 1.5 hours when I resume next month. Then it will be back to an hour every fortnight. Hope you enjoy your lessons. I bloody love mine. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Ideally,I'd say that you should be trying to go either weekly or fortnightly.Of course,it depends on how far you have to travel and work commitments and things,but try to keep it as regular as possible-it will be more beneficial to you. Having said that,I take 1 or 2 lessons a year,but I get a hell of a lot out of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shizznit Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 I teach 4 students at the moment, but I also visit my mentor for a lesson every 3 or 4 months. Sometimes its just a jam or he touches on something that might interest me theory wise or sharpen up my playing technique. Never too old or wise to have a lesson! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the boy Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 [quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1346888055' post='1794643'] I teach 4 students at the moment, but I also visit my mentor for a lesson every 3 or 4 months. Sometimes its just a jam or he touches on something that might interest me theory wise or sharpen up my playing technique. Never too old or wise to have a lesson! [/quote] Made me giggle. Your mentor touches something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdowner Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 about once every two weeks, recently once a week for a short while, but fortnightly seems to work well. I guess it's all about how much time you have to practice, how much you have to work on and how happy you are to work 'alone' in between. When I started I had them every week because I wanted to stop some of the bad habits forming and that takes a lot of hands on help - now it's a bit different and maybe more subtle issues - including theory - which takes longer to practice and get right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 What you want to avoid doing is showing up to a lesson without having even looked at the stuff you were given the week / fortnight before because of other commitments. Your teacher will have two choices in that situation, make you practice the previous lessons stuff (while charging you £25+) or move on to another aspect of playing knowing that you'll then have two lessons worth of practising to do. You'll either get fed up because you're paying top money but just struggling through the same stuff each lesson and not really progressing, or you'll soon end up with a daunting amount of stuff to work through and it'll get you down. I'd say aim for weekly or fortnightly. Leave it 3 weeks or a month and you might find you're not practising at all until a few days before the lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle psychosis Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 [indent=1]I used to have a one hour lesson every three weeks. Once a fortnight would have been better but wasn't really practical.[/indent] [indent=1]The important thing is to make sure you've done sufficient practice before your lesson. 15 minutes every day is better than a 4 hour session once a week![/indent] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 [quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1346919365' post='1794735'] What you want to avoid doing is showing up to a lesson without having even looked at the stuff you were given the week / fortnight before because of other commitments. Your teacher will have two choices in that situation, make you practice the previous lessons stuff (while charging you £25+) or move on to another aspect of playing knowing that you'll then have two lessons worth of practising to do. You'll either get fed up because you're paying top money but just struggling through the same stuff each lesson and not really progressing, or you'll soon end up with a daunting amount of stuff to work through and it'll get you down. I'd say aim for weekly or fortnightly. Leave it 3 weeks or a month and you might find you're not practising at all until a few days before the lesson. [/quote] [quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1346919790' post='1794746'] [indent=1]The important thing is to make sure you've done sufficient practice before your lesson. 15 minutes every day is better than a 4 hour session once a week![/indent] [/quote] As a tutor, these quotes ring true. As much as you don't want it to, life generally 'gets in the way' and you decide to practice tomorrow, but maybe the day after.. And so on. I'd rather teach 30mins a week instead of a 2 hour session once a month. It's actually waaay more work for me, but the results for younger students is easy to see! I want my students to enjoy coming to my lessons and that means helping them as best as possible to see results. Example, you wouldn't go to the gym every week and feel or look no different. Regular practice I feel works and once a week for an hour is a minimum for beginner to intermediate, but I teach 30 minute sessions for my very young ones or absolute beginners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prunesquallor Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 I'm getting 45 min lessons weekly - although sometimes life gets in the way and I have to cancel one occasionally. That works for me as it's a weekly motivational shot in the arm, and I'm absorbing information gradually rather than having an infodump every few weeks or so. I worked out that 45 mins was best for me. Any longer than that and my eyes start glazing over. I second what everyone's said about little but often when it comes to practice. I've found I've improved faster when I made an effort to find the time even to just pick up the bass and work on some scales for 5 minutes. Even unplugged in front of the telly is better than nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shizznit Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 [quote name='the boy' timestamp='1346910643' post='1794676'] Made me giggle. Your mentor touches something. [/quote] Hehehe!! Sounds wrong now that I have read it back to myself! I never pressure my students to book a lesson every week as if they were learning to drive. It's not down to learning aptitude for each individual, but more to help them build dexterity in their playing which they are not going to be able to do in an hour lesson...that comes with practice in their own time. I have a good bond with my students and sometimes they just want some advice and guidance over a coffee, which doesn't really require a formal lesson. As long as they pay for my Espresso I am happy just to have a chat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 Thanks for your comments everyone. Once a fortnight sounds good to me. That will give me time to really apply what I've learned and make me eager for more. I don't think there'll be a problem of not practicing in between as when I learn something new I usually write a couple of tracks that incorporate it. I got two tracks written after watching Scott Devine's video lesson on triads I'll let you all know how I get on after my first lesson tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceChick Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Once a fortnight I go... its works well, as gives me time to work on what I have been given. I LOVE my lessons and really look forward to going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanoet Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Once a week for me at the moment. Going to my 6th lesson I think tonight. As in think it is my 6th, I am definitely going. :-) Definitely glad that I started them, it is a fair distance to travel at an hour each way or there abouts, but whilst I am making progress I feel that it is money well spent. Plus on days like this it is an excuse to get the bike out. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 My take: Weekly, weekly, weekly, weekly! I stress: weekly. A beginner left on his own for too long will use all his practice time on programming the fingers (read: brain) to do wrong things. It then takes a lot of time again to make the wrong right. It's counterindicated in every discipline I know of. In paddling, for example, this has been quantified to be that it if it takes one week to learn a thing correctly, then it will take six weeks to correct a learnt-in incorrect technique - totalling to seven weeks of work where one week would have been enough. Fortnightly or even less often is for medium (maybe) or advanced students IME, no student of mine who demanded lessons once a fortnight actually became a good player. It has always been a case of "something else is more important, always", and they would never practise daily. So I just stopped offering that option at all. Oh, and I myself had a teacher once who would only teach every other week, and who also often couldn't make it. I stalled totally in the beginning, and then fired him after a few months, and found I learned more from myself by taking that responsibility than what he taught me. Other than that, in 20-25 years of getting taught, I always had teachers who didn't even discuss the matter, and taught once a week. I'm grateful for that. best, bert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 Weekly would be £100 a month which is a little too much at the moment, also I've been playing for a few years which may push me into "medium" maybe. Best discuss it with my tutor tomorrow but all comments have been taken on board :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seashell Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 I agree weekly would be better in an ideal world. But having gone fortnightly for the last 18 months (apart from the weekly sessions at first which I mentioned), I have to say I am really pleased and proud of the progress I have made. I'm sure I would have made even better progress if I could have gone weekly but time and money don't really allow. However I do pick up the bass literally every day, usually for about an hour. And I think I can confidently say I have never presented myself at a lesson having not made any improvement from the time before (even if only a small step in the right direction). What I am finding now though is the more you learn the more you have to practice. I just can't really get through all the stuff I'm working on in an hour's practice any more. But i don't know where I'm going to find any more time in the day! If only I didn't have to work... but then I wouldn't be able to afford the lessons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louisthebass Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 I have one every 3-4 weeks, which is just about the right amount of time for me to work on and take in my homework. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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