Dazed Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Another email form Scott’s bass has prompted this question. It is currently on offer and I’m just wondering if it’s worth shelling out for. i haven’t been playing much for the last couple of years due to life etc. I keep promising myself I’ll get back into it with a vengeance but that’s not really happened. Thoughts, opinions and experiences welcomed 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 This comes up quite a bit but the general consensus seem to be yes - if you are committed to putting the time and effort into making the best use of it. @devinebass is on here so maybe he can answer any specific questions but I’d say go for it, it sounds like it might be the boost you need to get back in the horse. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 +1 Does your playing need to improve? This is no magic wand. It requires that you put in the hours to make it work. If you do, you will improve as a bass player. I'm currently taking lessons, for the first time in my life. I can play most of what I've been asked to play, but I needed help to dig me out of the comfortable rut I've been inhabiting for decades, ie change the way I think. I play in bands and gig most weeks and I saw a benefit from week one. IMO improving your technique should be an objective, even if you are only playing as a hobby . 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 I would also say that yes, it very much is worth it. Behind the paywall is not only a LOT of content/lessons plus constant guest lectures etc, but a well populated forum of people also taking the lessons, which is very helpful to get thoughts and ideas from people undertaking the same lessons as you. However, just be aware that there are a lot of sites putting out very good bass content, so it's very much worth doing your homework that the platform that you're going to invest in is the one for you. Janek Gwizdala, Jeff Berlin, Adam Nitti, Tony Grey....they all have 'Academies', and they'll all be offering fantastic content, but will almost certainly work in very different ways. I'm not sure about the others, but Scott offers the 14 day free trial, definitely do that and see what you think . Si 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-bbb Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 42 minutes ago, ped said: it might be the boost you need to get back in the horse 😮 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 1 minute ago, steve-bbb said: 😮 I was getting some funny looks at the time... the horse didn’t seem to mind 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lownote Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Depends on what you're looking for. Scott is one of the best teachers out there, and the Academy faculty also includes a bunch of other top bassists. I can't imagine needing any skill set that isn't covered by SBL. Trouble is the student forum can be a little earnest and twee IMHO, YMMV, and much of the subject matter is way over my head anyway. Having said that what bassist I am is almost entirely due to Scott. As someone said, take the 14 day free trial and see for yourself. Won't cost you a penny. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneknob Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 I just renewed for another year with the $98 offer. and the promise to myself that this year I will do the Rufus Philpot course, the Rich Brown course, the Adam Neely course, etc etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneknob Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Just now, lownote12 said: Depends on what you're looking for. Scott is one of the best teachers out there, and the Academy faculty also includes a bunch of other top bassists. I can't imagine needing any skill set that isn't covered by SBL. Trouble is the student forum can be a little earnest and twee IMHO, YMMV, and much of the subject matter is way over my head anyway. Having said that what bassist I am is almost entirely due to Scott. As someone said, take the 14 day free trial and see for yourself. Won't cost you a penny. Good point - there's a lot there on SBL, but that means you can pick and choose what you consume and still get your VFM. I find some videos to be a bit fluffy before getting to the actual meat of the subject matter; and I've not really bothered with the forum seeing as I have you lot to play with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatrickJ Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Scott's website has recently been re-designed and is much better now. The material has been categorised into ability levels and the lessons into themes. It's much easier to find relevant content which always used to a bug bear of mine. IMO the course material is excellent if you invest the time to work through it. I've not found the campus forum to be that useful and the individual lessons that are usually on YouTube can be a bit hit or miss, but overall I'd say it's worth it. I just wish I had more time to invest. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfoundfreedom Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 1 hour ago, toneknob said: Good point - there's a lot there on SBL, but that means you can pick and choose what you consume and still get your VFM. I find some videos to be a bit fluffy before getting to the actual meat of the subject matter; and I've not really bothered with the forum seeing as I have you lot to play with. That's what puts me off to be honest. I started watching a lot of the free content on YouTube and Scott comes across as a nice enough guy, and I have no doubt that he knows his stuff just about as well as anyone out there. But after watching a couple of dozen of the videos I kind of lost the will to live. No offense intended but if I'm looking for bass lessons I don't really want to watch 4 minutes of his kids playing on a swing. I watched a video the other day, I can't remember what it was for but the subject line sounded interesting. Six minutes into a ten minute video and he still hadn't got to the point. It seems to me a lot of it is just putting stuff out there for the sake of it so he can say he releases X amount of videos a week and drive people to his site. Again, nothing wrong with that if it works. Business is business at the end of the day, but personally I'd prefer less quantity and a bit more quality. Maybe the paid site is different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lownote Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 (edited) A lot of his success is down to creating a kind of club... you're part of his gang. And just as we all hung out with the alpha kid on the block without actually doing anything, so watching his more wafffly videos is part of hanging with Scott. Whether that's right for an adult audience I don't know, but you only need to check his corporate bank balance to see it works in $$$$$ terms BIG time. TBH, while it can be frustrating, I don't mind it too much. His SBL material and that of his colleagues can be very high brow and very focused, which often turns me off after a while. Edited August 20, 2018 by lownote12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No. 8 Wire Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 (edited) There are 3 sides to SBL - 1. The Social Media (youtube), 2. The Campus (bass forum). 3. The Courses (academy). 1. Scott's social media has become really atrocious, really horrible clickbait stuff and as has been said, often doesn't even reveal what the answer to the click bait title is. Avoid unless you can win something. I don't know if there is some formula out there that makes it compulsory to treat the entire public like tools, but the majority do it so it must work. To my mind youtube really undersells the academy, the academy really is the opposite of the latter day youtube material. 2. The campus (bass forum). Yes, there are fan boys in there but in the main it works for what it is for - helping each other learn - not so much chat about the minutia of bass gear etc - that's what basschat is great for. There are women, men, teenagers, children, all nationalities, all religions, many different first languages (but English is mostly used) so yes politeness and staying on topic are the order of the day. 3. The Courses! This is what you actually pay for! I'm constantly amazed at how many people pay good money and then only ever do numbers 1 and 2 above, its odd! Then again an equal number join and then just get into the courses not wasting time on the clickbait or the forum - probably the best way to go if you can be that disciplined, I can't and I find the forum does help to keep me moving. The courses I've done so far have been extremely high quality and useful and not at all like the youtube stuff. In my first year there I had a bit of time (30 min a day approx) to do some practice and I found I made a lot of technique and theory gains in that first year. Since then I just haven't had the time to apply myself properly but I'm happy to know I can get straight back onto the courses when time and inclination allow. If you are doing a free trial, make sure you start it when you have enough time to really dig into the courses and get a good feel for all the different instructors and the courses in the pipeline. Avoid getting lost in the free content and forum in the first days - I didn't post anything in the forum there until 2 months after I joined. Edited August 20, 2018 by No. 8 Wire 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneknob Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Are the straps any good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No. 8 Wire Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 11 minutes ago, toneknob said: Are the straps any good? You have to join to find the answer😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBerriff Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 I think you really have to be able to work with the presentation style, which is (or was) unedited and I agree with Newfoundfreedom because it just did not work for me. Scott is a great player and really likeable so I feel a bit mean admitting to my disappointment, but I just found my attention wandering during the lessons I tried. We all have different learning styles though so it might work for you. If you play upright, take a look at Geoff Chalmers’ offerings on Discover Double Bass. I find them excellent; focused and to the point. That suits my learning style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneknob Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Agree about Geoff Chalmers - in fact I think he and Scott have done combined tutorials at some point. There's a lot of crossover in Geoff's videos for electric players - walking bass, soloing, intonation, etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Is there plenty of theory and reading on the course? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No. 8 Wire Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 5 minutes ago, fretmeister said: Is there plenty of theory and reading on the course? On Scott's there is a lot of theory. A reading course has just started, 2 modules added so far, taught by Phil Mann. Starts at zero, my level! And moves onwards. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 I've just subscribed, even if I went into the 14 days trial last year and stopped after a few days because of the mess on the web site. Looks way far better now. Anyway, I have 30 days to decide... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHM Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Have you thought about taking on a private tutor for one-to-one lessons instead? Might cost more in the long run, but having been a teacher (not of the bass!) all my life I know how much 'value' you can give. You are an individual, with specific needs, and a good teacher will get to the heart of this right away and give you a programme tailored to you. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lownote Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 (edited) As a trainer myself by work I should support this idea, were it not for one thing: music teachers are of very variable quality. Teaching is a skill and an art and too many tutors do it purely to augment their income as musos. My first bass tutor was a fine player and still is. But he's a rubbish tutor. He started by teaching me ( a total noob) a double stop, and then spent the rest of the hour noodling. Cost: £25. My second bass teacher charged me £30 and I can't remember anything he taught me. My third teacher was an ex London DB pro. He put the bass in my hands, stroked his chin and said : "I won't charge you, you don't need training". By way of contrast, with Scott I have received seven years (on and off) of genius training which I could have augmented with personal feedback from the man himself for no extra charge, plus access to more top globally important bassists and training than you can shake a stick at, for not much more than the price of six hours of private tutoring per year. Edited August 21, 2018 by lownote12 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No. 8 Wire Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 (edited) Further to that, for me and many others, meeting up with a teacher regularly is just impossible. SBL and the others like it are bass training on flexitime. The next best thing to a (good!) teacher. And yes, on SBL you can get almost one on one with Scott by submitting videos for review. Although I've only managed it once so far! Others have touched on it, but SBL isnt just Scott, i think he's been very forward thinking in getting other players and teachers in to deliver complimentary courses, spreading his success around if you like. Edited August 20, 2018 by No. 8 Wire 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 You only ever benefit from any lessons if you’re willing and able to go away from the lesson and practice what you’ve been shown or study what you’ve been told. If you can’t do that then any lesson is a waste of time and money. There’s nothing annoys me more personally than someone arriving and the second thing they say after saying hello is sorry, but I haven’t picked my bass up since last time I saw you. Just having lessons in themselves will serve no purpose at all. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevham Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 I understand some of the comments about Scott’s YouTube stuff and social media clickbait - it has become a bit tedious. However, the SBL Academy contains a massive amount of really useful material and information for all levels of bass players and crucially, its not just delivered by Scott. It’s definitely worth investing some time in the 14 day free trial. Then you can decide for yourself whether to spend money on it. 2 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.