Becoming a bassist....

[TheBlueFalcon]

I don't want this to be just another new aspiring bassist thread that just asks the same old questions, as everyones journey is different and (to a certain extent) there really is no set path for each person to follow.

Having said that, I would like to ask how people started out and why, what they wanted to achieve, where they are now and if they are happy with how things have turned out or not.

Which is really just a build up to my main question....

How long do you feel it took for you to become a "decent" bassist and roughly how much time/practice did you have to put in to get there?

Edited September 15, 2009 by TheBlueFalcon

[Doddy]

I don't know why I picked the bass,but I very quickly knew that it was what
I wanted to do with my life.
I used to practice seriously all the time-upto 8 hours a day,sometimes more.
It's paying off now-I'm a Professional player. Even though I'm a busy working
player doing some decent gigs,I still practise regularly and try to improve.

[TheBlueFalcon]

Great to hear you are doing well Doddy. How long have you been playing? Do you have any videos online? (If that isn't too personal to ask).

I think I have probably decided to get into bass playing a little to late to be a professional. Maybe if I had started years ago (like I wanted to) I might have had a chance, but now I think it will only go so far as being a hobby.

[Doddy]

I've been playing for just over 13 years-started when I was 15-and Pro for 10.

I haven't got any videos online...I don't think anyway. I haven't put any up.

[TheBlueFalcon]

So would you say around 3 years is the minimum (in your opinion) to be really good at it?

[Doddy]

I don't think you can put a time limit on it.
How much you practice? What you practice?
What you define as 'really good'?
What you want out of the instrument?

Like I said, I'm always aiming higher and practising to trying to get to
the next level.

[TheBlueFalcon]

Totally understood Doddy. Just as I imagined, everyone's journey is different and there is no set path. I haven't even got to the first level yet, so in all honesty, I'm not really sure where I am heading, but I intend to enjoy the ride.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

[ianrunci]

I started playing the bass in 1981 when my mum told me that a band who came in the shop where she worked were looking for one. She said "They've been to Norway, Dubai and Germany already. I phoned up a mate who owned a cheap fender precision copy with a fender transfer on it, A burman 4x12 and a HH bass amp and blagged it off him promising to pay him for it when I started gigging. I was 19 at the time and up until that point I had been playing lead guitar in original punk and indie bands.

I went for the audition and got the job straight away. They had a big PA rig and a band bus and everything and they told me we were doing 14 days in the north east and then going to Germany for 5 months. The only snag was I had 7 days to learn about 30 songs. Including a lot of disco/funk tunes (I didn't even know what slapping was at the time, apart from hearing a friend from Wythenshawe playing it on his fretless precision and the odd Level 42 record which had never really interested me as I was a rock guitarist).

however, I managed it and played pro all over the world for the next 5 years. I felt much more comfortable on the bass than on lead, it just felt right for me

Eventually I got married had kids and finished up playing lead again to make a living as I was working with my brother who was also a bass player.

I went back to the bass a few years ago and it was like meeting up with an old friend again, I love playing the bass, I love maple necks and I love funk and jazz funk. I have a penchant for bubbling bass lines from the likes of Bernard Edwards

I play weddings and corporate events now and really enjoy it.

I still go to a couple of jam nights every week with my guitar just to keep my hand in. I am quite an acomplihed guitar player and can shred with the best of them. However, Bass is where my true love lies

[AdamWoodBass]

Cool idea for a thread mate.

I started being interested in music when I was about 12, started having piano lessons but didnt get on with it. I was playing keys in a garage band and I was using a bass amp for my keyboard. When I told my dad (awesome blues guitarist) that I wanted to jack in the keys he said he'd really like me to stay the course with music and asked me if there was another instrument I'd be interested in learning. I wasn't sure so he suggested I try bass cos I already had a bass amp. Got my first bass when I was 13 and I've been playing for about 11 years. As far as aspirations goes I've wanted to be a pro musician since I was about 12, I suppose I'm getting to that point slowly but surely but its very very tough to get your foot in the door so to speak. I'm doing more and more decent gigs and I'm getting called a lot to get involved with a fair few projects with some very very good players. I'm also teaching a lot more now which is great and is nice additional income. I now have an endorsement with Farida Guitars and I'm just doing as much as I can to raise my profile at the moment.

As far as time scales goes I agree with Doddy, you can't put a limit on it. It depends what kind of person you are; whether you're dedicated or you get bored easily, whether you can deal with creativity block or you just dry up, whether you're naturally a creative person or you need a bit of guidance. I would certainly recomend getting some regular lessons from a decent bass tutor in your area. That will stop you from developing bad habbits early on and help you to progress in a much more logical way.

As far as practice goes I try to do at least 2 hours a day but aim for 3. If you're just starting out maybe try getting half an hour in a day to make sure that you're not putting loads of strain on your muscles. Also make sure your practice routine is structured i.e. don't just sit there and jam along and not really take much notice of what you're doing. This isn't really practicing although a lot of players will say it is. The reason it's not is because you're not really learning anything from it. My old bass teacher Geoff Chalmers (sometimes appears on this forum) said that you should structure your practice into scales, chords and harmony practice for one half of the session and for the second half you should look at your reading. Try and learn a tune you know you can't play and maybe look at your technique if you're just starting out, make sure you're getting things right. Better it takes you months to get it right than you rush it and end up developing a really bad habbit which can restrict your playing or even cause you physical harm.

Sorry to ramble on a bit but I think a lot of bass players that have been playing for a while forget what it was like to start out. Nothing wrong with getting a little grass roots knowledge back into your routine.

Cheers

Adam

[skankdelvar]

Started out on guitar - then heard a certain bass intro riff and that was me gone. I also did it to get laid (15 yrs old) which still hasn't worked (51 yrs old). Happy where I am, still picking up new tricks. I'm still not a 'decent' bassist after 36 years of picking the bass or a guitar up every day for at least an hour and usually longer.

Your main question - how long does it take to become a decent bassist - kind of poses another question; well, what are [i]your[/i] deepest, most heartfelt ambitions?

Do you want to be a virtuoso pro bass player (never too late), a semi-pro with a day job and an encyclopedic knowledge of covers, a gifted amateur artist or - like me - a happy plodder who gigs when he can? (clearly, these are not [i]all [/i]the possibilities - just some examples)

Y'see 'decent' is a subjective self-measurement against a set of criteria that doesn't just involve study and practice to a set level - it includes the relative abilities of those you'll be playing with, the demands the material makes on you, the expectations of your audience and the life / career goals that you set yourself.

There are plenty of people on here who quite legitimately consider themselves decent players. But by the standards of others, they might be considered hopelessly incompetent. There are others who might suffer from the 'Hendrix Complex'. They're stellar talents, but consider themselves to be at a level far below their desired competence.

So, for you, the act of posing the question is a bit akin to the paradox - 'If you ask yourself whether you're mad, then you're probably sane'. If you're self-aware enough to ask when you're going to be a decent player, you're self-aware enough to realise that you'll probably never be satisfied. And that's all that matters (in a good way, mind).

As you yourself put it, very wisely:

[quote]I'm not really sure where I am heading, but I intend to enjoy the ride.[/quote]

Edited September 16, 2009 by skankdelvar

[YouMa]

Its gotta be disco,it just makes people feel good,and i want to be the feel good man!

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='TheBlueFalcon' post='599712' date='Sep 15 2009, 10:52 PM']How long do you feel it took for you to become a "decent" bassist and roughly how much time/practice did you have to put in to get there?[/quote]

TBH I think it was a matter of how many gigs rather than how much time practising. I think at some point around the 50 gig mark I was comfortable in my own bass-playing skin and confident that I was useful to bands and could probably do anything I set my mind to.

I'd been playing about 3 or 4 years by that point, but I was never one for locking myself in my bedroom and practising speed exercises / slapping / tapping, etc. so I can imagine there are lots of bassists who at that kind of level of experience could do stuff that I still can't.

[Jam]

I started playing when I was 18, I mentioned I was looking at starting bass to my brother and he bought me one for my 18th birthday. I:ve been playing ever since (am 23 now) but I still don't feel like a decent player...

[Eight]

Why bass? I think I tried almost everything else and didn't feel really at home on any instrument until I started playing this. Some instruments you take to better than others so you get more out of your practice time. I remembering spending hours playing guitar without ever really feeling like I was getting anywhere.

BTW Wasn't there a post not too long ago that quoted a recent study in which they discovered that virtuosos had all put in at least 10,000 hours of practice?

Edited September 16, 2009 by Eight

[mike257]

I started bass at 14, mostly out of neccesity, as everybody played the guitar, so somebody had to do it. I spent my teens dabbling with drums, guitars, and a weekend job in a studio, but quickly realised bass was where I got my kicks.

I think I was probably 21/22 before the penny really dropped and I started feeling like a 'proper' bassist. I've never taken lessons on any instrument, and have never really had a proper practice routine. I still get an inferiority complex with this, I feel like I should have a higher playing standard and more solid theoretical grounding after 10+ years!

'Decent' is such a subjective word. On one hand, I would probably consider myself absolutely useless next to somebody like Doddy, who has really put the time in to master their instrument. On the other hand, I've played in rock bands, country bands, acoustic groups, metal bands, covers set-ups, and done plenty of last minute depping for originals bands, and have never found myself feeling out of my depth. I love the challenge of having to work with new genres, techniques, or sets of songs, and feel like I learn a whole load of new stuff every time I step out there and do something. If you're dropped in the deep-end, you'll learn to swim real quick

[OldGit]

40 years .. Started cos I liked it, never stopped.

I really wish I'd learned to read music when I started. It's been a pain on numerous occasions since and I've had several attempts to "get it". I can almost sight read now but it would have been so much easier if I'd just learned it in my teens.

[alexclaber]

I started out when I was 18 because I was really getting into music and had had friends who were in a band, and bass seemed easier than guitar plus you didn't need a pick and you were more in demand. 'Metallica - Load' was the key musical catalyst whilst Jack Bruce's playing on Crossroads make me realise how interesting bass could be. No idea what I wanted to achieve, just to play music.

After a year or so of attempting to put a covers band together that turned into an originals band, started doing a bit of co-writing. If you're really into it I don't think it takes long to become 'impressive' at playing bass - however it takes a while longer to become truly decent and not merely flashy. Less sometimes is more but in the process of striving to do more and be original and different you'll probably learn when to hold back - strive for brilliance and at the worst you'll get competent.

Where's my playing now? I'm a great groove player, a good arranger and decent lyricist. I've recently concluded that I'll never be a good lead singer so I'm going to focus on becoming a decent backing vocalist instead. I'd like to get better at improvising in a more jazz stylee - I'm not a walker or soloist - but I'm proud of my funk/rock/reggae/etc skills. I'd really like to get better at songwriting, though more on the melody front than the underlying arrangements, I think I have a knack for hooky riffs and sequences.

The most bizarre thing for me has been how my obsession with tone and sound and my engineering curiosity has led to designing and building speaker cabs. The artist in me was a bit disappointed that there's more demand for the fruits of my engineering labours than my musical whims but when I take a step back I can see why - hence retiring from lead vocal duties and focusing on bass playing/writing/arranging on the musical front. What I love more than anything musically is writing new songs - picking up the bass, messing around and ideas coalescing and then gradually finding complementary parts and building the structure before I start making vocal noises and coming out with lyrical ideas. Looking forward to more co-writing, been doing quite a bit in the band but not with a separate singer - hoping they can come in with some more melodic strength to bounce off my more rhythmic ideas. I love creating a finished product, be it a new song, a new recording, a new speaker cab. I love and hate gigs - mostly love but there's a lot more stress and hassle with them than with the more creative parts of the process.

When you start out you have little idea what you'll really enjoy so just get on with it and go with what moves you. Some love jamming, some love playing covers, some love writing songs, some love recording, etc. It's all good!

One thing I know for sure that no-one is better at playing bass my way than me - and I'm not standing still.

Alex

Edited September 16, 2009 by alexclaber

[Smokey]

First post! - I had to jump in when I read about you "early starters"! .... I really wish I had picked up the Bass when I was young... but I'm 51 and just started playing 6 months ago. I have played a bunch of chords on acoustic guitar for a number of years - but never really got excited about it - I'm LOVING playing Bass, just wish I had discovered this hidden Fun Monster ages ago!

Been taking lessons for a while, although I'm taking a break just now to 'consolidate' I've got my Circle of Fifths and Major/minor scales sorted - and play along with a couple of groups of not-too-critical friends!

Its taken a while to get over the frustration of not being a Chris Squire in this time frame... I'm resigned now to learning slow and taking a few years to be at all any good... but in the mean time - just enjoying the journey!

Great Forum guys... I lurk a LOT

[Dr.Dave]

I decided on bass after hearing Jim Lea make Slade sound so fantastic. I set out to be a bass player with attitude - ie. an entertainer too. After a couple of years I could get by in a band fairly well but stupidly rated myself on how good I was at copying others. As a result I wasted my younger years in a creative sense.

In my mid 20's , having had a break from playing , I started writing and recording songs , got back on the scene and eventually got asked to join bands as a bass player again. I spent a while in a blues band helping a friend out and my standard of playing took off dramatically.

I've never stopped since - and my current blues/rock band has been going 10 years. This band got me into singing too which makes me feel more of a 'musician/entertainer' than it does a bass player.

At 16 I just wanted to shag everything with a pulse and be a millionaire. By 21 I knew I wanted the conventional creature comforts of life too much to put in the effort to achieve that and have become very happy entertaining the people and earning the respect of my peers.

[The Funk]

[quote name='TheBlueFalcon' post='599712' date='Sep 15 2009, 10:52 PM']I would like to ask how people started out and why, what they wanted to achieve, where they are now and if they are happy with how things have turned out or not.[/quote]

Started out at school with my friends. A lot of them were guitarists and we were all into some classic music of the '60s and '70s. On a family holiday to America I was all set to pick up my first guitar. I passed on a Gibson Les Paul Black Beauty for $400 (seriously) and went for a Fender Jazz instead because I figured there were enough guitarists. At first I just wanted to play. It was only as I quickly started playing with better and better musicians that I started dreaming about world domination. It took a long time to get the right line-up together, so long that I don't have time to take it seriously anymore. I've had a lot of fun along the way. I'll still play the odd show every now and then when asked, but I've had to turn down a fair amount of sessions and my main band is on hold at the moment.

Happy? Yes. I've played with some fantastic musicians and made some music which I love - and picking up the bass for 20 minutes is a great way to unwind.


[quote name='TheBlueFalcon' post='599712' date='Sep 15 2009, 10:52 PM']How long do you feel it took for you to become a "decent" bassist and roughly how much time/practice did you have to put in to get there?[/quote]

It took a while to become a "decent" bassist. There are still a few massively underdeveloped parts of my game so I'm not sure I'd call myself a good bassist. I'm pretty good at the things I do well though.

I think it took about 3 years of a lot of band work, a few lessons, some theory and a lot of jamming to get decent. But it also only took a year to get good enough to play with some great musicians. Because you're a bassist, it's likely you'll get opportunities beyond your level of experience. Take them all.

[Monz]

Ok here is my summarised musical history by Monz (aged 43 1/2)

Started playing in brass bands when I was 9yrs old on the cornet... getting older and a rather nasty accident involving my mouth and a kerb edge saw me move down the registers through euphonium to tuba (Bb Bass) until about 3 years ago when I decided I had had enough of marching and contests and decided to pick up the electric bass. I really wish I had done it 20 years ago.

2007: Bought a warwick corvette 5, Line 6 lowdown bass combo and guitar pro software and started learning songs from the dots (sheet music). Six months later and practicing around 2 to 3 hours a night saw me on stage at a jam night with my knees clacking togeher playing "brown eyed girl" and "black magic woman"

2008: Ditched the Line 6 bought Markbass rig went for an audition with a Sheffield based covers band and got the gig learned 49 songs in 30 days (that was really hard) Did my first proper paying gig June 28th

2009: Ditched the warwick and the markbass got Musicman Stingray 5 and Matamp valve amps/cabs, still playing for the "The Call" and loving it. I don't get scared going on stage anymore, it's just really good fun, almost like going to paid rehearsals with the lads. Just joined a rock band that will be ready to gig in about 2 months (hopefully). Just in the process of forming a ska/reggae band but I reckon that will be 12 months before it's ready to do anything serious

2010: Bring it on...

Hope the timeline helps

[thepurpleblob]

[quote name='TheBlueFalcon' post='599712' date='Sep 15 2009, 10:52 PM']I don't want this to be just another new aspiring bassist thread that just asks the same old questions, as everyones journey is different and (to a certain extent) there really is no set path for each person to follow.

Having said that, I would like to ask how people started out and why, what they wanted to achieve, where they are now and if they are happy with how things have turned out or not.

Which is really just a build up to my main question....

How long do you feel it took for you to become a "decent" bassist and roughly how much time/practice did you have to put in to get there?[/quote]

I started playing the bass when I was 38 and I'm 45 now. I'll let you know when I get any good at it I'd played the drums on and off since I was ten and I'd got really pig sick of that a few years earlier but fancied getting back into music again. Bass and drums always seemed like an unholy alliance so it was a logical instrument to learn. I thought there'd be less stuff to carry as well - there isn't!!

They say it takes about 1,000 hours before you can call yourself competent at a complex skill. If you practice for an hour a day that's about three years. Getting really good takes forever though. Having said that you don't need that much skill to get by. I played in a very busy function band for a number of years and made reasonable money at it and I was only ever vaguely of any use.

Depends what your aspirations are.

[TheBlueFalcon]

Some excellent information here. I really appreciate everyone who has been kind enough to take the time to reply.

It was Mark King of Level 42 that originally made me want to play bass. I got interested in the band because of my older brother playing their albums from 1982 onwards, I was only 9 at the time. After seeing them live a number of times between 1984 and 1987 I was gradually more impressed by what Mark could do with a bass guitar. Also, I suppose the older I got the more I understood and appreciated just how amazing he was (and still is).

So anyway, in 1988 (I think it was) my Dad bought me a 2nd hand Hondo II bass and a combo. The combo wasn't working properly and had to be returned. Unfortunately they never had any others at an affordable price, so I was left with just the bass. I now regret never really getting anywhere with it, as I could be a bassist with 20 years experience by now, but no use in dwelling on the past. I still have that bass, but I recently looked at some new ones and had a quick go on one (not plugged in to anything) and the feel of it, the action and the sound it made was totally different. So much better. So, now my journey begins again.

I'm 36 in a few weeks and I thought I had probably left it too late to have any hopes of being in a band, but maybe it is still a possibility. Maybe it's all down to how much I want it to happen and the effort I put in to making it happen.

[Bass_In_Yer_Face]

I started playing about 3 years ago. I started with Lessons but had to give them up and peronal cirumcstances meant I couldn't practice as much as I wanted to and get to join a band.

It's turned into a hobby of mine. I wanted to learn an instrument but I didn't really get on with the six stringed guitar variety so gave bass playing one last shot.

I was aware of people such as Mark King, Mick Karn, Sting, JJ Burnell & John Taylor (how can a guy be that good looking an play bass like that?) but I really enjoy discovering new bass players all the time.

I took to instrument like a duck to water. I have too many other commitments to join a band which is a shame but when I hear a great bass line, I have a stab at trying to learn it.

Three years down the line, I'm still pretty rubbish to be honest but I am a lot better than when I started and can actually make a half decent attempt at Andy Rourke bass lines, so I must be doing something right!

I am never going to be Geddy Lee but being a rudimentary bass player gives me a decent insight into how good someone is, something I didn't know before I picked up a bass.

Edited September 16, 2009 by Bass_In_Yer_Face

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='TheBlueFalcon' post='600231' date='Sep 16 2009, 02:13 PM']I'm 36 in a few weeks and I thought I had probably left it too late to have any hopes of being in a band, but maybe it is still a possibility.[/quote]

If you want to be in a band, then it's a [i]probability[/i]. 36 is no age at all.