Best Way for a newbie to learn bass..

[sammybee]

I'd go an see a teacher for a couple of face to face lessons at the start, for no other reason than it's good to get the basics of your physical technique on the instrument. Once you have that down, you're much less likely to hurt yourself & can take the path of online/youtube/books/whatever floats your boat... There's bound to be someone in your neck of the woods that can set you on your journey

[Franticsmurf]

1 hour ago, Boodang said:

This is a good example of learning good technique from the start. It’s probably the one thing you need a teacher for rather than YouTube or a book. Basically higher strings not being played are muted by the left hand, bottom strings not being played are muted by the right hand thumb as you move it onto the E string, then the A so both are muted. Rest strokes on from the G land on the D which can mute, or you can place the thumb on the D and still mute the A and E. 

This is all assuming finger playing as opposed to pick. By resting your thumb on the pickup and never moving it, will make lower string muted hard for yourself. 

Having tried resting my thumb on the strings and not really got on with it, I found that my technique works better for me, (I play with a pick, my finger tips in a kind of plucking action and the traditional finger style depending on the song). 😃 I rest my thumb on pick ups and occasionally the neck where it joins the body. I wouldn't advocate my technique over any other way, but be aware that there are several methods and choose the one that works for you and the music you're performing.

[fretmeister]

You'll make more progress with a proper teacher than you will without.

 

It can be frustrating learning stuff that you think you might never use, but split it into 2 sections: academics and art. You'll be frustrated within a month about slow going with proper lessons... and absolutely amazed how far you've come in 1 year. All knowledge is a stepping stone to playing the things you want to play.

 

Do it properly with sight reading and theory too. That does not have to mean orchestral composition or anything so complex! It opens up so many doors. Not limited to TAB, able to work out a good bass part from a piano score. More paid gigs available. Not wading through 50 websites worth of awful tabs to find one that might be accurate. Being able to play every tune in every key without retuning your bass - transposing on the fly is such a useful skill to have for bands if a singer doesn't have a range the same as the original artist.

 

Never overdo it. Many people try to do a couple of hours in one sitting and that's pretty useless. Doing 5-10 mins per day proper practice is the key. Little and often.

It's no different to learning any other language, and if you can speak English being one of the hardest and most confused languages on earth, you can certainly cope with music.

 

I don't know what it's like in Ipswich, but where I am we have an educational trust that supplies music teachers to schools and also has the details of private teachers who take both adult and child students. If there's something like that near to you, then give them a call.

[Dan Dare]

Are you new to the bass or new to playing a musical instrument? If the latter, then definitely go to a teacher to start with. If you play guitar or another stringed instrument (I originally played the fiddle), you have a better chance of teaching yourself via instruction videos, books, etc.

[msb]

A good teacher can speed up the process and nip bad habits before they become ingrained. And save you a lot of time and grief. The catch is finding a good teacher.

[Suburban Man]

Since you have a very desireable Jack Casady Bass, why not take a look at this: 

 

What you will learn is that with that sort of body, pickup and flatwounds you have a tone close to an acoustic bass.  This may not be entirely what you want...  

[SteveXFR]

Get yourself some basic skills. Learn some scales and arpeggios then get along to a local jam session. 

Don't worry about not being as good as the others, everyone will be encouraging and helpful. Be prepared to play outside your usual musical tastes. Have fun, join in and you'll learn a lot and meet people. 

I went to a jam session while learning, met a drummer and arranged to meet for a jam and a year later, we've just been booked to support a pretty important band within our favourite genre

[Guest NOODS]

2 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

Are you new to the bass or new to playing a musical instrument? If the latter, then definitely go to a teacher to start with. If you play guitar or another stringed instrument (I originally played the fiddle), you have a better chance of teaching yourself via instruction videos, books, etc.

Yep i play drums and acoustic guitar … Drums way better than guitar .. 

[Guest NOODS]

I’m close to peach guitars at Colchester might they be good for setting my bass up .. 

[SteveXFR]

If you're moving from guitar to bass, remember that space is good. Don't play bass like a guitar, just because you can fit in a note doesn't mean you should. Sometimes, a long sustained note on bass sounds so much better than a busy bass part.

[OliverBlackman]

9 minutes ago, NOODS said:

I’m close to peach guitars at Colchester might they be good for setting my bass up .. 

they have a good reputation as a store. I’m sure if they can’t do it, they’ll know someone to recommend 

[Paul S]

It doesn't have to be complicated if you don't want it to be.  Take lessons and learn music theory if you fancy it but don't put yourself under any pressure or feel any obligation if you don't.  Doing so might just put you off.  And a lot depends upon what your musical aspirations are - if you are looking at earning a living as a pro touring bass player sight reading and technique will almost be a necessity.  But playing Dad rock with mates down the Eel and Gherkin not so much.

 

I played guitar as a yoof, stopped playing anything for 20-odd years then in my 40s took up bass.  I'm now 66.  I applied the same principles to bass as I did guitar - after all, it is a stringed instrument with the same notes etc - and just listened and copied.  I play both guitar and bass with a pick, with a little finger style for good measure, and that made the transition easy once you get your head around the bigger strings spaced apart.  I don't know much theory, I've never had a lesson.  I am sure my playing would be better if I had made the effort with both but I somehow never got around to it.  After a while you pick a lot of stuff up - I can't tell you why certain runs work but can hear when they are right or wrong.  Once you've copied and pasted your way through a lot of music you can recycle those bits and put them together for yourself. 

 

My own mantra is to play for the song, not for the hard-on.  My night is complete if people walk away thinking 'what a great band' and not 'what a great bassist'.  This has worked for me, anyway, and the sort of music scene I am involved in - in spite of my lack of formal input I am fortunate enough to have been in bands with some extremely good musicians during the last 20 years. 

[pete.young]

11 hours ago, NOODS said:

I’m close to peach guitars at Colchester might they be good for setting my bass up .. 

Not sure if they have a workshop.

 

Guitar Lodge in Felixstowe are great and reasonably priced. So is Paul Glazebrook but I am not sure if he still taking on work.

 

I'm in Ipswich - happy to get together for a chat over coffee, after this week. PM me.

[diskwave]

Having a go and learning ur fav tunes by ear in ur bedroom is fun and amazing.... BUT as already mentioned it will only get you so far.... 

 

If you have any aspirations to becoming a professional musician then you need to get a book and learn to read notation. 'Resist' trying to play everything by ear and learn ur scales and appegios from the get go. I say all this from bitter experience.....ie, I took the long and painful way to get to a place where I could play anything and where the phone would ring on a regular basis.

 

By all means at the end of a gruelling study session click on a fav tune and have fun but not at the expense of learning properly.  

Edited October 24, 2023 by greavesbass

[zbd1960]

As someone who sings bass in choirs, and plays various instruments as well as bass (sax, cello, piano, viol...) it is very important to avoid bad habits setting in and at the very outset a decent teacher will save you a lot of grief later on (including issues like tendinitis and RSI). Bass/guitar teachers are a lot less expensive than orchestral instrument teacher in my experience - you might only want one or two, or you may wish to have them regularly.

 

Perhaps I'm weird, but I strongly advocate getting to grips with reading notation. The basics are not difficult. Yes, fluency takes time, but once there it makes playing unknown stuff much easier to get to grips with. 

[Guest NOODS]

1 hour ago, pete.young said:

Not sure if they have a workshop.

 

Guitar Lodge in Felixstowe are great and reasonably priced. So is Paul Glazebrook but I am not sure if he still taking on work.

 

I'm in Ipswich - happy to get together for a chat over coffee, after this week. PM me.

Thanks Pete .. I’ve holiday soon ( home hol) so will be in touch in next couple of weeks if that’s ok… 

NOODS.. 

[Dan Dare]

12 hours ago, NOODS said:

Yep i play drums and acoustic guitar … Drums way better than guitar .. 

 

That's a useful combination and should give you a solid start. You will have the feel for timing and know which are the important/strong beats in the bar from playing drums (you often look to lock the bass in with the kick drum, for example). Your guitar playing will give you knowledge of where the notes are. In your shoes, I'd take a few lessons to equip you with some fundamental techniques on the bass and take it from there. There's plenty of useful instructional free stuff on YouTube. I wouldn't bother signing up to any of the subscription teachers who offer to "propel your playing into the stratosphere", etc.

[Guest NOODS]

2 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

 

That's a useful combination and should give you a solid start. You will have the feel for timing and know which are the important/strong beats in the bar from playing drums (you often look to lock the bass in with the kick drum, for example). Your guitar playing will give you knowledge of where the notes are. In your shoes, I'd take a few lessons to equip you with some fundamental techniques on the bass and take it from there. There's plenty of useful instructional free stuff on YouTube. I wouldn't bother signing up to any of the subscription teachers who offer to "propel your playing into the stratosphere", etc.

Thanks mte great advice.. 

[nilorius]

Just try to watch some Pastorius videos.