i have absolutely no rythm

[Rolie]

Hi I'm 32 and want to learn something new, and I thought an instrument might be the way to go but I have absolutely no rythm can I learn bass??
I wanna set my self in good stead so if I can which way would suit me best opinions please.

[Grangur]

Rhythm =

Rhythm Has Your Two Hands Moving.

Other than that, to answer your question, can your listen to a piece of music and tap the beat?

If you can, then you at least can hear the rhythm, so you have something to work on.

[ras52]

Saying you have no rhythm suggests that you can tell the difference between being in time and being out of time, which is a great starting point as you know what you need to work on - a lot of people have no idea that they're out of time!

[Horizontalste]

Humans are rhythmic creatures, our hearts beat to a rhythm & we breath rhythmically so you do have a sense of rhythm/time inbuilt.
To put it into a musical context all you have to do is work on it, as already said can you tap to the beat of a song? Why do you think you have no rhythm? Is it because you can't dance?
Your sense of time is definitely something that can be improved, even after years of playing music.

[timhiggins]

Alternatively if you really have no rhythm have you thought of guitar instead

[RhysP]

You're not the drummer from my old band by any chance?

[Rolie]

I ain't giving up on the idea I just wondered if it was possible to still learn and if so how could I get the rhythm aspect , excersises ect guitar! Mmm I hadn't thought about guitar I was hoping bass.

[AndyTravis]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1481373860' post='3191826']
You're not the drummer from my old band by any chance?
[/quote]

Oh snap 😂

[paul_c2]

You can learn how to be better at rhythm, so its not an issue (but at the same time you'd need to actually learn rhythm-related stuff, not just pass it by if you're self taught etc).

I believe there's certain things which are much harder to learn than others. Playing in time is kinda middle-of-the-road. Perfect pitch, I believe is impossible to learn, if you don't have it naturally then you will never get completely there, although you can learn good relative pitch. Also (unrelated to bass guitar, but relevant in a wider sense) if you can't do the embrochure to certain wind instruments after a reasonable time trying, its possible that you're simply not physically able to play them properly, eg due to mouth shape, teeth, anatomy etc.

All told, bass is pretty easy to get started on, although of course you can learn and improve to be a very good musician over time.

[scalpy]

Where does this idea you have no rhythm come from? Don't equate it with finding dancing difficult for example! Download a metronome or drum machine onto your phone, just tap along to start. Once you can find the pulse easily you're off. Do the same with nice loud tracks you enjoy, (because they're likely to have a strong pulse) and it will get easier and easier. After that, then start experimenting with how the beats divide to become more complex. Some of my students really benefitted from learning some basic drum patterns to play on the desk for example, which helps with context. But the important thing is to be involved physically with what you're hearing, and like most people on here I absolutely promise you you'll get the knack. Enjoy it!

[The Jaywalker]

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Edited November 28, 2017 by The Jaywalker