aceuggy Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 I've been playing bass now for a few months and go weekly to a tutor. My tutor is a great guy and I get on really well with him, but I can't help feeling that I'm not really learning how to play. He is a guitarist, who also plays bass and my sessions with him are getting a bit repetitive. What I mean is that he shows me or asks me what I would like to play i.e. a tab. We go over it a bit and then I take it home and practice it. The following week, provided I've kind of got it down we have a little jam session and then the same thing happens again. Now whilst I enjoy learning new songs and jamming with him is fun, he's not really showing me any technique, so I don't feel like I'm really learning how to play the instrument. It could be that he thinks this is all I want, and to be honest I'm not exactly sure myself except I can't help feeling I want more than this. Maybe a bit more technical know-how. Not sure this is making sense, but where do I go from here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alun Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 [quote name='aceuggy' post='327068' date='Nov 11 2008, 08:17 PM']I've been playing bass now for a few months and go weekly to a tutor. My tutor is a great guy and I get on really well with him, but I can't help feeling that I'm not really learning how to play. He is a guitarist, who also plays bass and my sessions with him are getting a bit repetitive. What I mean is that he shows me or asks me what I would like to play i.e. a tab. We go over it a bit and then I take it home and practice it. The following week, provided I've kind of got it down we have a little jam session and then the same thing happens again. Now whilst I enjoy learning new songs and jamming with him is fun, he's not really showing me any technique, so I don't feel like I'm really learning how to play the instrument. It could be that he thinks this is all I want, and to be honest I'm not exactly sure myself except I can't help feeling I want more than this. Maybe a bit more technical know-how. Not sure this is making sense, but where do I go from here?[/quote] Hi. My honest answer would be to look for a teacher is a bassist and explain that you're starting out and need guidance on technique, etc. There is definite benefit in jamming and learning songs but it must be balanced, in my opinion, with guidance on HOW you play not just WHAT you play. Cheers Alun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 I do beleive that with most things in life, you really need to want it to achieve it. Motivation is a wonderful thing. The way I taught myself was I locked myself away in my room when I was 17 and learnt to play every single record I owned. Plus, I watched every bass player I saw on TV. Read every thing I could find on bass guitar. Other bass players stories, other techniques and styles. Then I started to learn other styles of songs to keep learning. What I am trying to say (probably very badly) is you need to absorb as much info as you can. Live and breath it. Don't just rely on someone to teach you, you need to find things out for yourself. A teacher is great but don't expect them to hold the key to all your questions. You need to find your own style and technique. Plus its fun finding things out for yourself. Put a couple of CD's together of your favourite songs and just sit down over amonth or two and try and learn how to play them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 (edited) Do you already have a good knowledge of music, or is bass guitar the first instrument you've picked up? If you don't know much about music theory, you could explode your horizons by learning some. I saw a really good introductory tute-style thread on this very forum a month or two back[s] and I can't find the sodding thing now... Typical![/s] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=16422"]found it[/url] - give that a go, the information is really well presented. You could ask your teacher to teach you some theory instead of showing you tabs. He might not be up to the job, but it's worth asking. If he's not up to snuff, let us know where you're based and maybe you can get some recommendations from players in your local area. Edited November 11, 2008 by thisnameistaken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Its probably pretty pointless to learn bass from a guitar teacher. They may have a basic idea of the mechanics, but they often approach it wrong. My daughter had a few lessons from a guitar teacher who claimed to also be a bass player, but the technique she was shown was complete crap. I don't think he even owned a bass. You'll be better off jamming with a mate on guitar or getting a real bass teacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Has your teacher talked about the role of bass in relation to other instruments, particularly the drums? Probably stating the obvious to you, but the link between you and the drums is one of the most crucial things to understand. I came to bass in my early teens, after dabbling with guitar. I found my way around it from guitar perspective, and didn't conciously consider the implications of being part of the rhythm section until much later on. Shockingly, when I attended bass lessons as part of my short-lived stint at uni, I found myself in your situation of being taught by a guitar teacher, and in 3 months of supposed degree level bass tuition, he didn't even utter the words 'kick drum' once, let alone discuss the concept. If you're picking songs out to learn with your teacher, try taking a closer look at how the bass complements or emphasises different elements of the drum rhythm, and the effect that has on the dynamics and 'feel' of the song. Do the same with guitar parts too. In my opinion, the more you can understand about interacting with other musicians, the better you will become as a player. Oh, and enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 In my experience not many musicians have the kind of understanding of other instruments to qualify them to teach it at anything other than a rudimentary level, there are exceptions, but it sounds to me like your teacher is not one. Get a bass teacher, someone who has experience, preferably at a professional standard (that does not mean necessarily a pro player) I would not take flying lessons from a motorbike instructor!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cytania Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 (edited) It may be you just need a different instructor. Find the play-along-with-guitar thing a bit odd though. If I had a wish it would be for a drum-playing (or at least drum machine programming) bass tutor. As projecting my notes into the spaces in the drum pattern is something that was hard to figure out as a beginner and something I still work at. It's sort of zen... Watch out for being deaf to what you are learning though. I kept asking for help on timing and getting instruction on left-hand technique. It was only months later when a bass-playing friend said 'left hand technique is timing'. I realised I had been shown what I needed to know. I don't see my bass tutor all the time but book sessions when I feel something eluding or frustrating me. I don't always get the answers I expect but... Edited November 14, 2008 by cytania Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamthewalrus Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 I would go with what a few other guys on this thread have already said - get yourself a teacher who is exclusively a bass player. Not sure whereabouts you're based, but have a hunt around your local music shops in the ads there & there's a fairly good chance at least one of them will be a teacher who is a bassist first & foremost. If not, you may have to go further afield (My bass teacher lives about 20 odd miles from where I live, so it's a fair trek for a lesson or two a month but it is definitely worth it). Without trying to state the obvious, bass guitar is a different animal to it's six string compadre - I've had lessons in the past from guitar players who "also played bass" & it didn't work for me either. Cheers, iamthewalrus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peted Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 I was initially taught bass by a guitar teacher and he was great. Most of the lessons were based around scale theory and navigating the fretboard. He also gave me plenty of exercises to practice fingerstyle plucking and made sure that I was really holding my right hand properly. I had historically played keyboard and piano a bit, so the theory wasn't completely alien. Therefore I believe that you [i]can[/i] be taught bass by a guitarist, but I don't like the sound of your lesson structures personally. My teacher did tab a song for me probably every few lessons to keep me interested. The majority of my 'homework' though was to play scales across strings, up one string, in different positions, using modes, etc. This practice I feel was invaluable. I did get to a point where my teacher had to turn around and tell me that I'd exhausted his knowledge of bass. I think in the long run you will benefit from being taught bass by a bassist. On my TODO list is return to lessons with a proper bass teacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass_In_Yer_Face Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 I took lessons when I first began (thanks Stu) but due to personal circumstances I had to stop. He was a dedicated bass player and we would spend some of the time talking about people we should check out etc as we both had a passion for bass guitars. I think it definately helps to go with a deicated bass player only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bay Splayer Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 your tutor is a guitar player first things first, as guitarists use plectrums, i hope you or your tutor dont everybody knows real bassists dont use a pick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 [quote name='uptonmark' post='327871' date='Nov 12 2008, 07:21 PM'] your tutor is a guitar player first things first, as guitarists use plectrums, i hope you or your tutor dont everybody knows real bassists dont use a pick [/quote] Bad monkey, some of the best players in the world use picks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve A Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 An experienced teacher should be able tell you what you need to learn by listening to and watching you play. Every music student needs to study the same fundamental topics in order to develop effectively and it's important to study with someone who understands those areas, who can relate them to your instrument and can encourage you to practise them effectively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aceuggy Posted November 13, 2008 Author Share Posted November 13, 2008 Hi everyone. Thank you for all your comments, there are some very good points made. I think I'm going to have a word with my tutor and ask him about maybe a more structured lesson, meanwhile I'm going to study the more technical aspects myself from books (I have a few) and try that. If my tutor is unable or unwilling to help then I will search for a dedicated bass tutor in my area. I'm in Devizes, Wiltshire, so if anyone knows of a bass tutor in this area please let me know. Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamthewalrus Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 Technique wise, these two are pretty good: www.adamnitti.com www.studybass.com Cheers, iamthewalrus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 One thing I'd recommend is to read as many interviews as possible with great bass players - bass isn't a technically difficult instrument to play, nor is it hugely demanding in terms of your understanding of harmony. But it does require a real appreciation of the role of the bass and how better to understand that than to hear it from the mouths of the giants! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 To be fair, I've met some "guitar players" who have a real feel for the bass and are good at teaching it, so that isn't a problem per se. It only might be. I started out with a teacher who was a guitarist to trade (as it where), but was really one of those multi-instrumentalist types and his guitar experience helped not hindered. Learning songs and talking about how the bass line works with the chords (do you do that) is great practice. I dunno about the tab thing though - I would run a mile from anybody who taught tab!! To get to the point, do you know what you want to achieve? If, say, you *really* want to be a demon at slap bass then you need someone to teach you that. I bet your man isn't the person for that. Work out what *you* want and talk to your teacher. You may simply agree to part - he may know someone better for you even. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 Get a bass teacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mewsie Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 [quote name='thepurpleblob' post='329277' date='Nov 14 2008, 05:24 PM']To get to the point, do you know what you want to achieve? If, say, you *really* want to be a demon at slap bass then you need someone to teach you that. I bet your man isn't the person for that. Work out what *you* want and talk to your teacher. You may simply agree to part - he may know someone better for you even.[/quote] i'd definitely agree with that. i was getting pretty frustrated with my bass tutor until i started playing him songs and burning him cds and telling him 'i'm going to play bass like THIS: help me'. certainly has changed the direction of my lessons, and i'm more content. x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.