If you were starting again as a beginner . . .

[timmyo]

. . . what aspects of technique would you make sure you'd drilled well early on ?

[Alun]

Time and beat placement. Consistent right hand technique.

[chris_b]

Timing, melodic construction and I'd make a better job of networking.

[timmyo]

I was thinking more of the mechanics of your playing (in [i]my [/i]head timing and melodic appreciation are more musical rather than technical skills, but it may just be me making that distinction) - I'm trying to make sure that as an adult learner I don't cut any unhelpful corners

Edited September 13, 2007 by timmyo

[paul, the]

I would have never looked at TAB. Ever.

[steve]

[quote name='paul, the' post='59682' date='Sep 13 2007, 08:21 AM']I would have never looked at TAB. Ever.[/quote]

+1

for me it would be sight-reading, right hand technique, theory (all the stuff i'm trying to do now )

[low note lee]

i would have learnt left handed bass at the same time as I was learning right handed bass

[Mikey D]

I would get a good teacher from day one and not have wasted one minute practicing things like slap and tap.

[Alun]

[quote name='timmyo' post='59672' date='Sep 13 2007, 08:03 AM']I was thinking more of the mechanics of your playing (in [i]my [/i]head timing and melodic appreciation are more musical rather than technical skills,[/quote]

In some ways that it true, but all the technique in the world is worthless without the music to back it up so I would still say those are important to investigate ASAP

I spent a lot of time learning scales, technical exercises, etc as I thought that was the way to go and missed out on groove playing, etc which I then went back and learned.

[Kiwi]

[quote name='timmyo' post='59461' date='Sep 12 2007, 07:20 PM']. . . what aspects of technique would you make sure you'd drilled well early on ?[/quote]
Consistency by getting out there and playing with other musicians. It wasn't easy liking soul/funk in the early 90's. Everyone else was into The Stone Roses, Pixies, Charlatans etc. *shudder* Best thing to come out of the 90's indie bands were the Presidents of the USA and King Missile. Level 42 looked to be getting a decent second wind too, until Al Murphy passed away (could someone please explain to me the relationship between the southern US states, jive dancing and the music in their Heaven In My Hands vid?)

[Rumble]

Like many others, I'd have to say the right hand technique as it's still the main thing I'm yet to feel completely comfortable with. Groove playing would be another thing I should probably have spent more time over instead of the incessant desire to play fast, complex riffs that in the main prove themselves fairly useless.

[Happy Jack]

What do you mean by "Again"?

[stingrayfan]

Chatting up fans. These days they're either old or I'm married to them.

Edited September 16, 2007 by stingrayfan

[ARGH]

Learnt Upright. How to read properly....and drunk less.

BUT I still have time.

Edited September 16, 2007 by ARGH

[gilmour]

[quote name='paul, the' post='59682' date='Sep 13 2007, 08:21 AM']I would have never looked at TAB. Ever.[/quote]
+1

[quote name='Mikey D' post='59740' date='Sep 13 2007, 10:24 AM']I would get a good teacher from day one and not have wasted one minute practicing things like slap and tap.[/quote]
+2

I spent to much time learning pointless guitar shops licks, when I should have been concentrating more on right hand technique and fretboard knowledge. Although I feel like I'm begining to get there now - with that said I still slap way too much.

[Steve_K]

Theory.

[Peaty]

Getting a consistant good tone from my fingertips rather than worrying about amp/eq/effects/strings/neck wood combination etc etc etc.

Still trying to shake off the lure of the technical fix.

[Delberthot]

Timing.

If I don't have a beat to follow I still get lost.

I've been playing for 20 years and still struggle with this.

I can play a million notes an hour but can't keep a steady tempo unless someone is marking it for me.

I'm about to begin drumming lessons so hopefully this will remedy this.

[Thunder Fingers]

Well:

- Should have given me self more time with my metronome (seems like this is a standard thing for almost everybody) im gonna start that now.
- Even though i started with learning alot by ear, i used tabs alot too, the tabs i would have replaced with notes.
- i would have whipped myself to actually do the things i decide (i have a ton of books and videoes i have gotten halfway through/Not even have started)
- I should have started listening to Rush and The Who much earlier!
- It is important for an real musician to be able to atleast sing in key, i would have taken singing lessons, now, i cant sing, but im hoping that this is also something i can do something with.

well, im "only" 20, so this is all things i can do something about (yes, i know all the effin pro's turned pro in a age of 12!)

[urb]

[quote name='Mikey D' post='59740' date='Sep 13 2007, 09:24 AM']I would get a good teacher from day one and not have wasted one minute practicing things like slap and tap.[/quote]

Yeah I kind of regret getting so heavily into slap at one point - er, not so long ago - but it's a tool in the bag that I can use anytime now. I have to say that having worked hard, and by still working on my two finger picking, general right hand technique - my playing is very relaxed now - grooving with a couple of bands for the last few years has really helped too - so those that mention this above, keep at it - it worth the pain. For me I guess I wish I had studied harder with my reading when I first started but I had a couple of good teachers who pointed me in the right direction. Having played for 23 years I still have a mountain of stuff to learn - but all I'll say to echo what others have said is - get into your rhythm in a big way - well placed notes can do a lot more than a squillion noodly doodles any day of the week - learning how to modulate (i.e. switch) between 3/4, 5/4, 6/4, 7/4 and KNOW where the ONE is - that's the shizzle - if you know that really deeply - you'll be the most popular bass player you know! Drummers will look at you like some time keeping deity... - only kidding - but I guarantee - beyond chops ect etc that so, so important. I work on it myself...all the time.

[bassbloke]

I woud have concentrated more on owning and playing the one bass to the best of my ability instead of wasting my time in music shops trying out new toys. I'd be a better bass player and have a smaller mortgage.

No matter how great your current instrument is, it's always possible to find fault with it when there's something new and shiny in the local music shop.

[stewblack]

It's funny you should ask this, as it often comes up with a guy I'm teaching. I say to him I wish I'd learned four different scales instead of 1 as I've limited my note choice and only now am expanding the options. If you only know one place on the neck to play a particular scale your bass lines will be restricted and could become repetitive. Having said that I've not heard many people write better than me so I've not done too bad.
Also I wish I'd not been so proud and occasionally learned someone else's bass lines when I was starting out. It stretches your technique and saves you reinventing the wheel. I was so damn certain I had to be original I didn't learn another bassline verbatim till I was in my 40's.

[dexter3d]

Correct left hand positioning (fingers), initially - horizontal playing ala Ray Brown upright bass method (1-2-4), with change of positions. Vertical
playing without moving the hand - later. Watch those things and you will realize that after a while they get 'cemented', you don't need to think
about them anymore. Practice slowly and watch your hand, prevent the tension.
Hold your fingers as close as possible to the strings, do not 'wave' with them while playing. Minimal finger detachment from the strings - will give you more
speed later.

Right hand - play 'spider'. Good for warm-ups, and helps to polish the string skipping.

Move your diaphragm according to the beat while you play. It will get automatic soon. Helps to keep time consistency
even in very sophisticated beats. And some people say, the feeling lies exactly there. Lastly, it looks good,
and the audience sees that you are definitely in the music

[SJA]

I'd have learned to play scales with 1-finger-per-fret - especially articulating between the ring finger and little finger.

also learning conventional fingerstyle from the start would have helped, rather than spend a year with an odd thumb-plus-fingers style as i did.

but I'm very glad I learned songs all by ear, off the radio, CD, tapes etc. and stayed away from tab.

not bass-related specifically, but I wish i'd had piano lessons as a kid- this would have made learning to read music a lot easier- it's only now that I'm starting to overcome a mental block regarding standard notation.

Edited December 6, 2007 by SJA

[Guest subaudio]

I would have learnt to read bass cleff, and started on double bass much sooner.