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Son Wants To Learn Bass


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So, my 15 year old lad revealed last night that he has a strong desire to learn bass, much to my delight. He's tried 6 string guitar before and couldn't really gel with it, but he's been playing violin / fiddle since the age of two. He's also highly proficient when it comes to reading music.

 

He's so familiar with the sound of bass, as the house / shed has been filled with my own rumblings on the instrument since I started playing 5 years ago. Maybe it's a comforting sound to him, although I hasten to dive too deep into his thought process as to the reasons for this new desire.

 

I don't feel that I would be a very good teacher, as much as I'm keen to share thoughts on what has / hasn't worked for me over the years, so the question is this: Which online course would perhaps be best suited to him? 

 

I've had a few tries with SBL, but I couldn't get on with the content and teaching style at all. To that end, I'm mainly self taught. I see Bassbuzz could be a good starting point for him. I've quite warmed to Josh's goofy way of teaching from the online videos I've seen. Gear isn't a problem, as we've a house full of exactly what he needs to get going.

 

Any thoughts are much appreciated.

 

Cheers,

G

 

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Couldn’t you just show him and get him going, it sounds like your son already has a good knowledge of music, the rest will come, if not I would suggest maybe have a look at Mark on talkingbass, I like his no nonsense approach, good luck 

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+1 for talking bass.

 

I've never done a whole course with them but I found Mark's free videos the absolute pick of the YouTube crop when I finaly got round to learning how to slap a few years back.

 

His teaching style really clicked with me.

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wow, I came to the bass after the violin too. I was 13. (1981)

No lessons, I just worked it out really.

I wished I'd kept up the violin now.

 

As Reggaebass suggested, show him some stuff and see how he goes. If he's good on the violin and has good theory it's very transferable

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I learned basics through apps. Some of them are genuinely great for learning the pragmatics (well, the putting your fingers in places), none of them are any good at e.g. learning the fretboard or what notes you're playing AND WHY. They can be immensely rewarding; they gamify playing in a way that e.g. buying 'The Jaco Pastorius Method' (Jaco's method turns out to be playing lots and lots of arpeggios and scales without any real explanation) just did not. 

 

Am I stating the obvious here? Ultimate Guitar has a pretty good range of tabs, and can now (in principle) listen to and grade your playing. The backing tracks for pro tabs are autogenerated, no singing, but aren't bad for getting you going. It encourages a degree of independent exploration. 

 

I ran through fender's 'play' app very quickly, though it does at least do bass, and does at least have some enjoyable tracks and a passable learning curve. It's gamified reasonably well; it kept me coming back. A fair bit.

 

Yousician is incredibly gamified, has a few more tracks and a bit more free roaming, idk I was probably through everything Fender had to offer in 4 weeks (?) and Yousician lasted another month or three. Or four.

All of these may be absolutely toxic to anyone who already plays bass 😂 I have been breaking out and doing much more independent learning / exploration in the last year or two, but regularly said to my partner that I need to find a proper tutor. 

I can't do videos. That said. May be an autism thing. Someone talking at me, god no. Which is one reason I've resorted to apps. Would gladly recommend alongside other things, if not as an exclusive path to whatever.

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Back in my day.... I started at 15 with a book (accompanying CD was missing) and not even a tuner. The book was full of tunes I'd never heard of and it was really slow going. What got me really learning was getting tabs for my favourite songs, finding the easier ones and playing them constantly. Then reading shed loads of bass player interviews and absorbing information from there. Having you in the house as someone who already plays will help start with some pace unlike my months of de-tuned plodding.

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Book:

Standing in the shadows of Motown.

Teacher:

Some local young lad. If no chemistry, find another. Repeat ad lib.

Basics:

You can tell about players (records) and instruments. Check he gets a good bass with new strings. Use mirror to show him posture etc.

Band:

If there's a possibility to join to a school or similar band, please encourage him. Support: an amp, and a car (you are the taxi driver...).

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Just because you didn’t get on with SBL doesn’t mean he wouldn’t?

 

Pros and cons to everything. Find a really good local teacher and it could be inspiring. Or waste money on one not worthwhile, and he loses interest. Some online content could be inspiring and others dull. 

 

I like to use books, but I’ve already been through years of lessons over scales, techniques ect. 

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I teach my daughter guitar. I get to play bass whilst helping her keep time and she’s genuinely happy to play along with someone, it’s what I lacked when learning 
 

If you can avoid puking, why not play chords for him to play along with. ?

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Can you get him lessons through school? It's also a good way to hook up with others who might want to get into a band. And having a contact with a local teacher can be a good way to open doors to other things outside school.

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I am a huge fan of talkingbass, but I must say I find the lessons extremely dense and, possibly because of it, a bit dry despite some humor. There is a lot to take in from each 10min lesson so ome may feel a bit stuck. For me, it is not a problem. Mark from Talkingbass is the best teacher I have ever encountered, online or in person. But, if I think of myself at 15, maybe it would have not worked. Maybe Bassbuzz would have been better, for what I can see from the youtube videos

There are however two caveats to that

-I never tried Talkingbass courses for beginners. Maybe they are less intense

-I started playing at 14 and I could read very little. Your son may find Bassbuzz too simple

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3 hours ago, Jason Karloff said:

Let him find his own way. 


I’m with you on this.

 

Before picking up bass I played keyboard and guitar (and failed). My dad said “you pick something you want to do and you pay for it” - so I did. Played for hours and hours every day to get it right, and since then he’s been a hugely supportive fan. 

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13 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

Couldn’t you just show him and get him going, it sounds like your son already has a good knowledge of music, the rest will come, if not I would suggest maybe have a look at Mark on talkingbass, I like his no nonsense approach, good luck 

This was more or less my experience. I decided I wanted to play bass, and spent a week plunking out simple pop punk basslines on my Dad's old EB-3. At the weekend my dad – who was in hindsight probably a little surprised that his morose teenage son had suddenly shown a burst of enthusiasm for something – went up to the guitar store and got some fresh strings.

 

He gave the truss rod a tweak (it hadn't been played in about a decade), showed me how to restring and tune the bass, and then mostly left me to my own devices. I had access to tab and forums, but online video wasn't really a thing. I figured stuff out. Occasionally he'd check in to provide some tips, show how to play a particular line, or just listen to me rambling about what I was learning.

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With whatever approach he uses to start with: videos, lessons etc...I would advise to focus on technique at the beginning and resist the urge to learn favourite songs.  Technique practice/exercises can be a bit boring but it will prevent bad habits being ingrained, which can be more difficult to unlearn later on.

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2 hours ago, BillyBass said:

With whatever approach he uses to start with: videos, lessons etc...I would advise to focus on technique at the beginning and resist the urge to learn favourite songs.  Technique practice/exercises can be a bit boring but it will prevent bad habits being ingrained, which can be more difficult to unlearn later on.

Luckily you can do both simultaneously. Having said that I had bad technique in my plucking hand for about 6 years, but was able to change it fairly quickly.

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2 hours ago, BillyBass said:

With whatever approach he uses to start with: videos, lessons etc...I would advise to focus on technique at the beginning and resist the urge to learn favourite songs.  Technique practice/exercises can be a bit boring but it will prevent bad habits being ingrained, which can be more difficult to unlearn later on.

We've had a discussion already on floating vs anchored thumb ( floating favoured by myself ), to let him know there are technique options out there. 

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There is a lady on youtube called Ryan Madora.

She teaches some excellent basic beginner blues bass lines. I've been watching her for a while, even though I  play that stuff fairly well, I still like to watch her videos. 

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As a teacher myself (and I say this with a huge respect to those I regard as my friends who do online lessons and courses only) I'd strongly suggest getting 1-2-1 lessons in the first instance with a really good, vibrant and well respected tutor ( if you can find one locally, that is!) Nothing beats being in front of an experienced teacher with proven knowledge, who loves what they do and is enthusiastic about making sure their students have the skills that they need and the bad habits they don't. And, that includes teaching a student skills in self-motivaton and how to learn learn for themselves. (I am sure I could have made more money if I left that out of my syllabus, but that's not who I am). 

 

I have had a student who came to me in the same position, wanting to get the solid foundations down with a view to moving to an online course later to suit their future budget and work hours. I have no issue with that and, it worked very well. He's pretty busy gigging these days! 

Edited by Dood
Typo'
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22 hours ago, OliverBlackman said:

Just because you didn’t get on with SBL doesn’t mean he wouldn’t?

 

Pros and cons to everything. Find a really good local teacher and it could be inspiring. Or waste money on one not worthwhile, and he loses interest. Some online content could be inspiring and others dull. 

 

I like to use books, but I’ve already been through years of lessons over scales, techniques ect. 

Very true, but I'd find it strange to recommend and pay for a course that I didn't vibe with. Twice I tried it over the years. Kinda like getting him the same type of car I once had, but didn't like driving it.

 

Lots of options out there thankfully..

 

Cheers

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3 minutes ago, Bassman1974 said:

Very true, but I'd find it strange to recommend and pay for a course that I didn't vibe with. Twice I tried it over the years. Kinda like getting him the same type of car I once had, but didn't like driving it.

 

Lots of options out there thankfully..

 

Cheers

 

I suppose it rather depends on whether tutoring is to please you, or to get your son off to a Good Start with the instrument. I would certainly suggest that, if he, (not you...) takes to it, it would be the best way forward. It wouldn't hurt to give him the option, at least, no..? :friends:

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1 hour ago, Bassman1974 said:

Very true, but I'd find it strange to recommend and pay for a course that I didn't vibe with. Twice I tried it over the years. Kinda like getting him the same type of car I once had, but didn't like driving it.

 

Lots of options out there thankfully..

 

Cheers

I do get that, but my dad loves playing along to the Beatles whereas I don’t like their music. If he had tried to encourage me to learn their songs instead of Nirvana/ RHCP I don’t think would have enjoyed the instrument at all.

 

I find Scott and Ian very engaging in their YT vids but I can see why others would be put off.

 

luckily they have a free trial, so you have zero commitment unless your son wants to continue.

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