Learning bass guitar after 40's

[CamdenRob]

Chiming in on the playing left handed thing from a position of no knowledge whatsoever (in traditional BC fashion)... if you're coming to guitar (or bass) from an absolute standing start the tendency is to think that you will need your strongest hand for the whizzing around the neck bit and so you end up thinking it needs to be played the opposite way round.

... my sole basis for this theory is that mrs C plays left handed air bass 😐

With regards to taking up the bass, is the intention to play in a band? With an handful of notable exceptions, bass isn't really a solo instrument... might be better off with guitar if the intention is to noodle away at home

[Geek99]

[quote name='pnunes76' timestamp='1499635028' post='3332685']


So, your advice is to learn as a right-handed?
[/quote]
No he is saying try both and see what works

[leftybassman392]

[quote name='pnunes76' timestamp='1499643527' post='3332731']
You can explain, there is no problem....
[/quote]

Well if you insist...

Being left- or right handed is not like a switch where you are either one or the other. It is more like a continuous line: one end of the line is right handed and the other is left handed. There is almost nobody at either end, nearly everybody is somewhere along the line. Nearly all of us can do things with our 'wrong' hand (or foot) if we need to. How well we can do this is partly to do with how far along that line we are. Most people are nearer the right hand end. Scientists think this is because of a gene in the body that tells us to do things this way. Where each person is on the line depends on a number of things, some of which are genetic and some of which are what you could call 'social'.

You can look all of this up on Wikipedia if you wish to know more.

There are many myths about handedness, most of which are rooted in our culture. Left handedness has been heavily demonised in most cultures throughout history. Again, I won't bore you with too many details as there are plenty of places you can read about it. Perhaps just a couple of examples:-

In Latin, the word for 'left' is 'sinister' and the word for 'right' is 'dexter'. The Romans hated left handedness.

In Islam, the left hand is the 'unclean' hand (literally the hand used to clean oneself after defecation). The English phrase 'cack-handed' (meaning 'clumsy') is derived from this.

The French word 'gauche' (literal translation 'left') is sometimes used in English to refer to someone who is socially inept or awkward.


Finally, there are many reasons given for learning any instrument right handed. Some of them are sound, but others are somewhat fanciful. My personal favourite is one I first heard here a few years ago. It has been used in this thread as a joke, but it was once seriously suggested that left handed people should learn to play right handed because their left hand would be doing all the 'clever' stuff on the fretboard. In the first place, to say this is to completely misunderstand how your hands work on a bass (or any other stringed instrument for that matter); and in the second place, if it were actually true then by the same logic all right handed players should be playing left handed...

Quite a long post, but you did ask.

Edited July 10, 2017 by leftybassman392

[Happy Jack]

I picked up a bass for the first time on my 49th birthday.

Then I settled down with a copy of http://stuartclayton.com/books/crash-course-bass/

Stuart is also a Basschatter, and this book assumes that you are starting from no knowledge at all.

After a couple of months, I thought it made sense to start spending money on lessons to build on what I'd learned from the book.

Six months in, I started jamming with a guitarist. Nine months and I was attending local jam sessions.

I joined my first band 18 months after starting.

I now play 40/50 gigs a year with several different bands, on both electric bass and double bass.

I am not 'special', I didn't already play guitar, I have never studied music.

I wish I had started as young as 40!

[Coilte]

It's never too late to learn. Congratulations !! Hope you enjoy the learning journey.

All good advice so far. I don't think technique (as in [u]SAFE [/u]technique) has been mentioned. Whether you decide to play left or right handed, learning safe technique from the beginning will pay dividends. Not only will you play to the best of your ability, but you will avoid possible injury problems that may occur at a later time.

Safe technique can be summed up in three basic points.

1. Try to keep both wrists as straight as possible.
2. Keep both hands as relaxed as possible.
3. Dont grip the neck too hard when fretting. It does not take much pressure to have a note sound clearly.

Here are two clips that explain all about safe right and left hand technique :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRkSsapYYsA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIYuqTsUlyM

[clunkie66]

I started playing a year ago when I was 49. I would strongly recommend finding a decent tutor and get some lessons - it has worked well for me, especially the theory side of things. And practice, practice, practice

Good luck!

[Dood]

[quote name='pnunes76' timestamp='1499622049' post='3332551']
Hi,

I'm 40 years old and I'm thinking to start learning to play bass guitar. I just read a lot information about the instrument, learning experiences, difficulties... My question is, I'm too old to learn to play bass guitar and how far I can go?

Thanks
[/quote]

Never too old! My eldest student is 74 and came to me an absolute beginner. One of my favourite weekly lessons too! If you find a great teacher then you'll be set! Good luck

[pnunes76]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1499674566' post='3332810']
I picked up a bass for the first time on my 49th birthday.

Then I settled down with a copy of [url="http://stuartclayton.com/books/crash-course-bass/"]http://stuartclayton...sh-course-bass/[/url]

Stuart is also a Basschatter, and this book assumes that you are starting from no knowledge at all.

After a couple of months, I thought it made sense to start spending money on lessons to build on what I'd learned from the book.

Six months in, I started jamming with a guitarist. Nine months and I was attending local jam sessions.

I joined my first band 18 months after starting.

I now play 40/50 gigs a year with several different bands, on both electric bass and double bass.

I am not 'special', I didn't already play guitar, I have never studied music.

I wish I had started as young as 40!
[/quote]

Well done! I hope to follow your steps

[pnunes76]

[quote name='leftybassman392' timestamp='1499671564' post='3332788']
Well if you insist...

Being left- or right handed is not like a switch where you are either one or the other. It is more like a continuous line: one end of the line is right handed and the other is left handed. There is almost nobody at either end, nearly everybody is somewhere along the line. Nearly all of us can do things with our 'wrong' hand (or foot) if we need to. How well we can do this is partly to do with how far along that line we are. Most people are nearer the right hand end. Scientists think this is because of a gene in the body that tells us to do things this way. Where each person is on the line depends on a number of things, some of which are genetic and some of which are what you could call 'social'.

You can look all of this up on Wikipedia if you wish to know more.

There are many myths about handedness, most of which are rooted in our culture. Left handedness has been heavily demonised in most cultures throughout history. Again, I won't bore you with too many details as there are plenty of places you can read about it. Perhaps just a couple of examples:-

In Latin, the word for 'left' is 'sinister' and the word for 'right' is 'dexter'. The Romans hated left handedness.

In Islam, the left hand is the 'unclean' hand (literally the hand used to clean oneself after defecation). The English phrase 'cack-handed' (meaning 'clumsy') is derived from this.

The French word 'gauche' (literal translation 'left') is sometimes used in English to refer to someone who is socially inept or awkward.


Finally, there are many reasons given for learning any instrument right handed. Some of them are sound, but others are somewhat fanciful. My personal favourite is one I first heard here a few years ago. It has been used in this thread as a joke, but it was once seriously suggested that left handed people should learn to play right handed because their left hand would be doing all the 'clever' stuff on the fretboard. In the first place, to say this is to completely misunderstand how your hands work on a bass (or any other stringed instrument for that matter); and in the second place, if it were actually true then by the same logic all right handed players should be playing left handed...

Quite a long post, but you did ask.
[/quote]

Thank you for your explication. I know that the left-handed suffered a little bit because of that condition. Nowadays, I think this thought is meaningless and new generations son't see any problem to be left-handed at all. To show you an example on my family: my grandma was left-handed and when she was a little child, she's beat up because she us her left hand. The olders says taht the left hand is the hand of de devil...

[leftybassman392]

[quote name='pnunes76' timestamp='1499680341' post='3332858']
Thank you for your explication.
[/quote]

You are welcome. I hope you find what works for you. Have fun!

[Barking Spiders]

No age is too late to start learning an instrument. Although I've been playing various fretted instruments since my mid teens - i'm 45 now - I picked up the drums 5 years ago and have done more dep work on them than I have on bass or guitar. So, don't hold back. Also there are many psychological studies that counter the widely held assumption that it's more difficult for older learners to absorb information. The only problem is lack of time!

[Geek99]

not unusual - my friend went to a catholic convent school and she was heavily punished for using her left hand

[BrunoBass]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1499665165' post='3332754']

I started soon after I turned 50.
I would agree with all of the above. It takes a lot of time and progress is slower than for youngsters. If you stop for a week your progress goes back too because the muscle-memory isn't ingrained.

Also, we have work that gets in the way of practice too. But if you can get into a band do that as soon as you can.

I too am left handed. I play right handed though. If you can play right handed: it gives you a far bigger choice of instruments. But I agree with Leftybassmsn, you need to try a bass and see if you can play right handed. Your brain will soon tell you if this won't happen.

Studybass.com
Scottsbasslessons.com

Both are good sites. Good luck and enjoy the journey; that's good to remember. There's no "end result". It's a journey.
[/quote]

It's very subjective though, I returned to playing the bass at 46, two years ago, when the chance to join a band came up. I learnt a two hour, 38 song set of unfamiliar material to a gig-able standard in less than a month, without any problem.

Perhaps if I were younger I could've learnt it in a shorter time?

[ricksterphil]

+1 for Scottsbasslessons.com

[Grangur]

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1499686881' post='3332903']
It's very subjective though, I returned to playing the bass at 46, two years ago, when the chance to join a band came up. I learnt a two hour, 38 song set of unfamiliar material to a gig-able standard in less than a month, without any problem.

Perhaps if I were younger I could've learnt it in a shorter time?
[/quote]
I'm sure it is subjective, but you did say " ..returned to playing bass...". Maybe that makes a difference?
I've not ridden a bike in years, but I know I can still do it. If I started now, would I be as quick to get on there for the first time?

Plus, I'm 50+. It's probably different at 40+. (Much as it grieves me to say so.)

Edited July 10, 2017 by Grangur

[BrunoBass]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1499696521' post='3332980']

I'm sure it is subjective, but you did say " ..returned to playing bass...". Maybe that makes a difference?
I've not ridden a bike in years, but I know I can still do it. If I started now, would I be as quick to get on there for the first time?

Plus, I'm 50+. It's probably different at 40+. (Much as it grieves me to say so.)
[/quote]

Yes, but I hadn't picked up a bass guitar for twelve years. It probably helped having past experience, but i felt like I was starting again. I'm an infinitely better bass player than I was first time round though. Slow progress!

Edited July 10, 2017 by PaulGibsonBass

[blue]

I started gigging and playing rock bass guitar in 1965 I was 12 years old.

At times it can be a challenge for me playing with guys that didn't start playing until they were adults. When you start out that young your references and spirit are really different.

Blue

Edited July 11, 2017 by blue

[thepurpleblob]

Started at 38 here and still going at 53. I'm starting to get OK at it now too. I'm the youngest in the band I play in too.

I had some random musical background but I think... once you have got the basic motor skills and learned where a few notes are on the neck... that a few lessons can set you off in the right direction because there's a lot of good stuff on the interweb but a load of rubbish too.

At the very least, don't try to blindly learn of tab. Figure out what you are doing.

[pnunes76]

[quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1499721847' post='3333202']
Started at 38 here and still going at 53. I'm starting to get OK at it now too. I'm the youngest in the band I play in too.

I had some random musical background but I think... once you have got the basic motor skills and learned where a few notes are on the neck... that a few lessons can set you off in the right direction because there's a lot of good stuff on the interweb but a load of rubbish too.

At the very least, don't try to blindly learn of tab. Figure out what you are doing.
[/quote]

It's my intention, don't only read the tab. The main goal is to understand what I'm doing, in this case, playing...

[Geek99]

Can I congratulate you on your command of English ?
It's a /hard/ language

As a 40+ plus myself, it's the best thing I ever did to learn bass. When you see the crowd react to bass, your bass, you will know it was worthwhile

[pnunes76]

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1499722623' post='3333211']
Can I congratulate you on your command of English ?
It's a /hard/ language

As a 40+ plus myself, it's the best thing I ever did to learn bass. When you see the crowd react to bass, your bass, you will know it was worthwhile
[/quote]

Of course!

I hope when I start this adventure, I can feel the same experiences that you do. Will be a good prize for the decision to start learning bass

[Skybone]

All I can add is "go for it". Yes, it will take longer than you may think, but if you're new to an instrument, just take your time, practice regularly, and have fun.

As for the "lefty" / "righty" thing, try a few different instruments out, get what feels "right". You can only find out by trying some out. For your first instrument (and probably the first few after the first), buy from a shop, not online. They should help you choose the right bass for you. Don't spend too much either, you can get some really good basses for not much outlay.

[Phil Starr]

I started at 55. I was performing live within 4 months and gigging regularly a year later. Ten years later I'm still learning and still ambitious to improve.

I honestly don't think age is a problem unless you let it be, and from my angle you are a young man anyway The only problem is making time when you have the responsibilities of an adult and physical fitness.

I was lucky, some friends wanted a bass player and were patient enough to wait for me to come up to speed. If you aren't already friends with musicians then start to look for them. My experience is tht they are pretty much all as encouraging as people are here. The first time you play a song all the way through with someone else is a magic moment. The first time you look out at a gig and see a sea of people dancing in time with your fingers is just ecstatic. Play with other people whenever you can and join a band as soon as an opportunity arises.

Good luck and have fun!

[thepurpleblob]

The only issue for me has been some minor health issues that have sometimes made late nights / early mornings very tiring. It just means I can't gig like crazy but I'm now in a band with some even older codgers so that's ok.

I had a few abortive starts at learning to play bass. The first bit of learning any instrument requires a bit of 'getting through it'. This, again, is why I recommend a tutor or even a mate who plays. Someone to give you sensible goals. Otherwise you just have a fretboard full of notes you can't remember (and they all appear more than once... what the hell is that all about??) and daunting talk of learning scales (which?) and arpeggios (how many?)

I don't think you can go wrong getting some *basic* understanding of music theory. You can (and should) go and learn to play the bass parts to songs and try to figure out what is going on.

[Geek99]

i think you should find a guitarist or drummer to play along with (even a fellow learner might do) . From there its a short hop to open mic nights.

I honestly wish I'd done this sooner and I learned more, and got more confidence from staying in tune and in time with someone else on a few occasions than I did from the time spent doing solo practice.