How did you learn to play bass?

[seashell]

Lessons with a fantastic tutor. He taught me from scratch. Five years in and I still have a lesson every 2 to 3 weeks. I'm currently playing in a Stones covers band, and I learn all the songs from sheet music (if available) or by listening to the CD. But my teacher shows me things I wouldn't play with the band - jazz and soul for example.

I love my lessons. I find them really inspiring. If ever I'm in a rut, or feeling a bit bad about my playing, a lesson with Mark always gives me a little boost and a return to practising with more enthusiasm

I don't think I'll ever stop going for lessons. There's always something new to learn. Even if Mark stopped teaching (or got out a restraining order, lol), I think I'd find another teacher. I love the personal interaction.

I do realise I am lucky to have the time and the money for them though.

Edited to read 'Covers band' rather than 'Tribute Band'. I don't dress up as Bill Wyman, lol :-)

Edited October 5, 2016 by seashell

[Coilte]

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1475266020' post='3144643']
I do realise I am lucky to have the time and the money for them though.
[/quote]

....and lucky to have found a good teacher...not always that easy.

[Steve Woodcock]

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1475266020' post='3144643']
Lessons with a fantastic tutor. He taught me from scratch. Five years in and I still have a lesson every 2 to 3 weeks. I'm currently playing in a Stones tribute band, and I learn all the songs from sheet music (if available) or by listening to the CD. But my teacher shows me things I wouldn't play with the band - jazz and soul for example.

I love my lessons. I find them really inspiring. If ever I'm in a rut, or feeling a bit bad about my playing, a lesson with Mark always gives me a little boost and a return to practising with more enthusiasm

I don't think I'll ever stop going for lessons. There's always something new to learn. Even if Mark stopped teaching (or got out a restraining order, lol), I think I'd find another teacher. I love the personal interaction.

[/quote]

That's really good to hear!

[ahpook]

You know that bit in the Matrix when he learns King Fu ?

It was like that, but imagine Rediffusion made the kit.

Edited September 30, 2016 by ahpook

[mikel]

By listening to records and learning the notes on the fretboard. Is there another way?

[pintspiller]

I played guitar previously. I plodded on the root notes until I picked d up some fills and learnt the odd riff

[dlloyd]

Started noodling then gradually stopped playing the notes that sounded wrong.

[progben]

Played guitar on and off for years, moved to 8 string because I loved the low end, switched to bass when my best friend/guitarist started a band and wanted me to be the bassist.

The first time I ever played a bass (my friend's dad's old Aria) was at our first band practice. We wrote 2 songs and jammed Crucified (Agnostic Front). I bought a TRBX304 about 2 weeks after that and played my first gig on bass within a month. Recorded our first EP shortly after that.

After that, I started isolating the bass lines in songs I loved and figuring out why they worked. I dont know many covers though, I much prefer writing lines and learning through trial and error (mostly error)

[Musashimonkey]

I started with lessons from my secondary school music teacher, who happened to be an awesome bass player. From there just jumped straight into playing in a band with my school mates, then continued to play in bands ever since, though I have now gone back to cover areas I skipped in my learning with books and more recently with Scott's online bass lessons.

[JTUK]

I picked people I could learn from and two of the best lessons I could have had were joining a popular and very busy function band at 17. This taught me discipline and an exposure to large audiences plus a repertiore I'd never have even thought of. And the second was a jazz gig with two very good and knowledgeable players who exposed me to a range of jazz standards and taught me how to cope very quicky.
The music was written or charted or just standard jazz changes that you got by ear so you had to cover all basses...and you had to solo a good few times over those changes which was a study in itself.
So, those were the best lessons I had and gave my a good grounding to go out and play.

The bedroom and classroom only do so much and you learn most, IMO, when you just have to get up there and do it.

[machinehead]

I learned 6 string guitar first from the age of 11/12 with proper lessons including sight-reading and theory.

I agree with JTUK above that playing with other musicians is essential to really learning to play and perform to an audience.

Around 1984 the singer in a band I was playing in at the time, asked me to do one gig on bass as the bass player suddenly left. I enjoyed it so much I stayed on bass guitar. I've never played 6 string guitar on stage since.

I still had to learn to play bass guitar because, as we all know well, it's not the same as guitar in so many ways. I've never had a bass lesson though. And of course, I'm still learning to play bass over 30 years later and will still be learning until I pop my clogs...

Frank.

Edited October 4, 2016 by machinehead

[uk_lefty]

Started with a cheap bass and a cheap "learn to play" book that included tab but no cd. That was hard. My uncle got me a heavy metal book to learn to play songs like iron man (not actually iron man, but something that sounded like it) and so on. I did ok jamming along to tapes in my room but the real breakthrough was playing in a band. Massive egotistical guitarist wanted a bass player who would just play the riffs so I got in the band straight away, but playing with him and a fantastic drummer I learned about timing and feel and grew in confidence to try things. Went from playing along with sixty mins worth of cassette songs to playing five string fretless in a power blues three piece within a year.
I was a teenager, I had the time

[obbm]

[size=1](Framus Starbass image copyright Andy Baxter)[/size]

[mikel]

Anyone who needs a book or a teacher to learn to play Rock and Roll is a whimp. Back in the day you formed a band first, then learned to play an instrument. Listen to record, lift off tone arm, practice lick, replace tone arm, listen to lick again, repeat till you have got it. Nurse, my medication please.

Edited October 5, 2016 by mikel

[Davo-London]

I had already been learning music on woodwind instruments so I knew the theory.

I picked up the bass and started to play tunes I knew/liked. I listened to songs and copied the bass lines. Joined a band - started playing gigs etc.

Then I heard Jaco! OMG breathe.

Then started a 40 year exploration of the bass.

Davo

[louisthebass]

A combination of learning lines from records, good tuition, some very good bass books and lots of gig experience playing in covers bands for me.

[b]Records[/b]: Too many to mention, but would say having an open mind about most types of music has helped.

[b]Tuition[/b]: A 10 week part time Intermediate course at the Bass Institute (went on to become Basstech) with Tony Muschamp, and private tuition on and off with BGM columnist Paul Geary. Being a member on SBL has also been a great inspiration too. Have to give a special mention to my first ever bass teacher Garth Thomas, who worked at the long defunct "Andre's Music Shop" in South Croydon - only ever had three lessons with him, but they were very useful indeed.

[b]Bass books[/b]: Chuck Rainey "Complete Electric Bass Player Vol.1", Ed Friedland's "Electric Bass Complete Vols 1-3", "Blues Bass" and "The Working Bassist's Toolkit", Stuart Clayton's books are great too.

[b]Gigs[/b]: Never really felt I started to be a bass player until I did some covers gigs - a real learning experience about doing a good job and learning some real life lessons when things went (occasionally) wrong.

Have been playing for over 30 years, and never lost my appetite for it. If it's something you love doing, you'll find your own particular route to where you want to be in music. It's all about enjoying the journey

[blue]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1475237677' post='3144279']


I'm the same with guitar, I can play very few songs by other people, I just don't have the interest in doing it.
[/quote]

Why do people think this is something to brag about?

Blue

[blue]

[quote name='louisthebass' timestamp='1475686413' post='3147984']
A combination of learning lines from records, good tuition, some very good bass books and lots of gig experience playing in covers bands for me.

[b]Records[/b]: Too many to mention, but would say having an open mind about most types of music has helped.

[b]Tuition[/b]: A 10 week part time Intermediate course at the Bass Institute (went on to become Basstech) with Tony Muschamp, and private tuition on and off with BGM columnist Paul Geary. Being a member on SBL has also been a great inspiration too. Have to give a special mention to my first ever bass teacher Garth Thomas, who worked at the long defunct "Andre's Music Shop" in South Croydon - only ever had three lessons with him, but they were very useful indeed.

[b]Bass books[/b]: Chuck Rainey "Complete Electric Bass Player Vol.1", Ed Friedland's "Electric Bass Complete Vols 1-3", "Blues Bass" and "The Working Bassist's Toolkit", Stuart Clayton's books are great too.

[b]Gigs[/b]: Never really felt I started to be a bass player until I did some covers gigs - a real learning experience about doing a good job and learning some real life lessons when things went (occasionally) wrong.

Have been playing for over 30 years, and never lost my appetite for it. If it's something you love doing, you'll find your own particular route to where you want to be in music. It's all about enjoying the journey
[/quote]

Now this is a great story.

Blue

Edited October 5, 2016 by blue

[blue]

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1475670609' post='3147777']
Anyone who needs a book or a teacher to learn to play Rock and Roll is a whimp. Back in the day you formed a band first, then learned to play an instrument. Listen to record, lift off tone arm, practice lick, replace tone arm, listen to lick again, repeat till you have got it. Nurse, my medication please.
[/quote]

Nonsense, you can learn a lot from records and even more from books and structured lessons.

I'm a rock guy, however I was able to win an audition to play bass in my university jazz band for 4 years because in addition to moving that needle back and fourth I had also studied and took lessons which taught me to read charts.

Blue

Edited October 5, 2016 by blue

[lowdown]

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1475226083' post='3144114']
Just realised nobody name checked Bert Weedons book.
[/quote]



Dear old Bert. I did many a gig/show for him. I don't think I ever heard him talk about that book once to musicians.
Although on stage, he didn't stop going on about it to the audience.
Bless him, he was a rather pleasant chap.

[blue]

[quote name='obbm' timestamp='1475668508' post='3147742']





[size=1](Framus Starbass image copyright Andy Baxter)[/size]
[/quote]

Love that semi hollow.

Blue

[RhysP]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1475687209' post='3147995']
Why do people think this is something to brag about?

Blue
[/quote]

Who's bragging?

[Garth]

I still consider myself a beginner bassist.

I first picked up a bass a few years ago, and played for a few months/years on and off never really got anywhere. Then I decided to buy my own bass, something that was all mine and not borrowed.

It took off from there, I'd sit in the attic with youtube and my bass (at the start all I had was a 15w Park Guitar amp). I'd pick songs and try and play them. If I couldn't then I'd move on for a few weeks and find something else to play. My musical influence is anything from Motown, Punk, Rock to Hip Hop. It helped having a broad influence, and knowing that to get the sound I was happy with then I'd need to learn to play with fingers, since a pic was my first way.

As time went on, I went back to those basslines I ''couldn't'' do. It was really nice to see my playing come together with experience. Now I get excited to hear something I can't wait to finish work to go home and have a go!

I saved up and bought a proper Ampeg amp, and was blown away by how good a good bass amp sounded. Along with this I developed GAS, and bought and sold a few I didn't get on with but my main bass is still here. With this, a few guys who used to play in Punk and Rockabilly bands back in the late 70s early 80s needed a bassist. So I though what the hell.

Now I'm in my first band, with my first gig booked in March. I was literally dripping with sweat on my first practice as I never played in front of anyone before, let alone people who can actually play. Turns out I'm ready for gigging, something that meant to me you had to be awesome and confident to do. Well I keep time and I can play everything they've thrown at me and I'm on top of the world at the moment. It has helped my playing big time playing with others, especially a drummer.

I now play to learn, I don't want lessons or anything (not that I think anything is wrong with that at all), as I find part of the fun for me is the learning and working stuff out for myself. If I get stuck, I'll ask, but part of the challenge lays in me using my own head and trying.

Also I've already noticed that this forum is a fantastic and very knowledgeable place to be. I've asked a few questions already, and all advice has worked, so cheers for that!

Garth

[oldbass]

Taught myself as a kid with a junk shop Columbus jazz bass and went on to do a whole ton of stuff over the yrs .. but and its hard to explain but it never felt comfortable....fast forward 30 odd yrs and in the past couple of years my technique has suddenly taken off...weird, maybe because its because I now have more time to practise etc....but I now find myself playing tunes that for yrs I simply could not play very well...feels good, very good.

[ambient]

It's interesting to see that people class being able to copy or learn to play a bass line, as being able to play. Whilst I totally understand that for many it's all about the playing with others, and doing gigs. To me it's kind of like buying a painting by numbers set, and saying you can paint.

Edited October 5, 2016 by ambient