A little help please?!

[jonnyenglish358]

Hi Guys,

Ive never really been on this forum before although i have been a member for a while! so let me introduce myself my names Jon and i live in Essex i have been playing bass self taught for 6 years or so and I'm really not very good! this weekend i bought a brand new bass from PMT and its inspired me! i really want to be good! firstly i would like to have lessons and also i would love to know what i can do at home to improve like as in what to practice etc. the way i have learnt is through tabulation i.e. i hear a song and think hmm like that bass and learn it but i don't know any notes or scales or well anything really just the songs that I've learnt and practiced! i play in a band and to say the least i am the weakest link so what do you advise and what should i do!?

Thanks for your help!

Jon English

[discreet]

Loads of online lessons if you Google 'online bass guitar lessons'. For example:

[url="http://www.studybass.com/"]http://www.studybass.com/[/url]
[url="http://www.dmanlamius.com/"]http://www.dmanlamius.com/[/url]

Good luck.

[xilddx]

Hello Jon.

I would recommend getting a good tutor, it will save you so much time and effort. Learning off the web is ok, but it's haphazard.

Have a look here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/forum/26-tutors-available/"]http://basschat.co.uk/forum/26-tutors-available/[/url]

Best of luck mate.

[Coilte]

Here is my 2 cents worth.

1. Learn where all the notes are on the fretboard.

2. Learn (for a start) the major, minor and pentatonic scales.

3. Learn about chord tones and how chords are derived from scales.

4. Become less dependent on tabs and develop your ear by playing along
to songs and figuring out the bass lines for yourself.

A great site that will be a lot of help to you is ; [url="http://www.studybass.com"]www.studybass.com[/url]

[discreet]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1376484032' post='2174572']
Learning off the web is ok, but it's haphazard.
[/quote]

It's also 'more affordable'.

[Coilte]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1376484032' post='2174572']
Learning off the web is ok, but it's haphazard.


[/quote]

I agree entirely. That "Studybass" site I linked is great in that the lessons are structured, i.e. each lesson builds on what went before.

[Geek99]

Try also www.playbassnow.com and google Scott Levine who has lots of free stuff

A little theory goes a long way

Asking for help is also brave so well done

Edited August 14, 2013 by Geek99

[xilddx]

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1376484798' post='2174601']
Try also www.playbassnow.com and google Scott Levine who has lots of free stuff

A little theory goes a long way

Asking for help is also brave so well done
[/quote]

Scott Devine

[lowdown]

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1376484798' post='2174601']
Scott Levine who has lots of free stuff [/quote]

I bet he has - He used to help himself to databases.... [size=4] [/size]

[size=4]A good tutor would be the way to go, it would be a good kick start (along with some of the links above of course)[/size]

[jonnyenglish358]

cheers for your help guys its much appreciated i will most definately look at the links you have provided do you by anychance no of any good teachers in the essex area? i deally im looking for someone who plays just bass not bass guitar piano kazoo or whatever?

[Wylie]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1376484032' post='2174572'] Hello Jon. I would recommend getting a good tutor, it will save you so much time and effort. Learning off the web is ok, but it's haphazard. Have a look here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/forum/26-tutors-available/"]http://basschat.co.uk/forum/26-tutors-available/[/url] Best of luck mate. [/quote]

Yes, get a teacher. You will bore yourself silly and waste lots of time trying to learn online.

W.

[Roger2611]

Practice, practice and more practice....the more you play the better you will get, the odd lesson here and there will help you get the correct technique and hopefully keep you enthused

[Coilte]

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1376502071' post='2175078']
Practice, practice and more practice....the more you play the better you will get, the odd lesson here and there will help you get the correct technique and hopefully keep you enthused
[/quote]

I think it's a given, that we need to practice. I think the OP is asking[i] what[/i] to practice as there is so much information available out there, that it can be a bit overwhelming to know where to start.

[Oopsdabassist]

If you are in a band already that is a huge leap already taken, especially if, as you say you are the weakest link, it makes you try all the harder. you will learn more playing with real people than you could ever learn off the internet. I know cos thats' exactly what happened to me when I started 11 years ago!

Good luck, and welcome to Basschat!

[Geek99]

Yep I've not got as far yet

[Grangur]

[quote name='jonnyenglish358' timestamp='1376486614' post='2174675']
cheers for your help guys its much appreciated i will most definately look at the links you have provided do you by anychance no of any good teachers in the essex area? i deally im looking for someone who plays just bass not bass guitar piano kazoo or whatever?
[/quote]

A good guy I go to Is Mike McGibney in Chelmsford. [email="[email protected]"][email protected][/email]
Mike is a jazz bass player on both electric and DB.

[jonnyenglish358]

Hi guys thanks for your help! i have spoken to mike and have a lesson booked with him next friday! i want to try and have one lesson a week. i think that should be able to get me goin!

thanks guys

jon