blue Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 (edited) [quote name='ambient' timestamp='1475700767' post='3148158'] 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. [/quote] I doubt you'll get much support from those of us that work hard on covers. In many cases if you don't have sone advanced training or knowledge of theory learning some covers would be very difficult. Anyway, IMO the comparison to paint buy numbers is nonsense.But I do understand for some it's all about sitting in the bedroom alone. Blue Edited October 5, 2016 by blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 [quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1475691608' post='3148054'] Who's bragging? [/quote] Sounded like bragging to me Rhys. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 (edited) [quote name='blue' timestamp='1475705668' post='3148191'] I doubt you'll get much support from those of us that work hard on covers. In many cases if you don't have sone advanced training or knowledge of theory learning some covers would be very difficult. Anyway, IMO the comparison to paint buy numbers is nonsense.But I do understand for some it's all about sitting in the bedroom alone. Blue [/quote] By painting by numbers, I mean someone learning a song/cover without really having any understanding of what they're actually playing. Getting a piece of TAB off a website, sitting down and watching someone play it on Youtube, or listening to it on Spotify and just copying it, isn't playing a musical instrument, at least to me. It's like painting all the number 2s red, all the 5s brown and ending up with the Mona Lisa or something. Edited October 5, 2016 by ambient Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 [quote name='blue' timestamp='1475705886' post='3148193'] Sounded like bragging to me Rhys. Blue [/quote] Well you're completely & totally wrong. Wind your f***ing neck in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 [quote name='ambient' timestamp='1475706324' post='3148196'] By painting by numbers, I mean someone learning a song/cover without really having any understanding of what they're actually playing. Getting a piece of TAB off a website, sitting down and watching someone play it on Youtube, or listening to it on Spotify and just copying it, isn't playing a musical instrument, and least to me. It's like painting all the number 2s red, all the 5s brown and ending top with the Mona Lisa or something. [/quote] Surely the number 2s would be brown... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteb Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 [quote name='ambient' timestamp='1475700767' post='3148158'] 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. [/quote] [quote name='ambient' timestamp='1475706324' post='3148196'] By painting by numbers, I mean someone learning a song/cover without really having any understanding of what they're actually playing. Getting a piece of TAB off a website, sitting down and watching someone play it on Youtube, or listening to it on Spotify and just copying it, isn't playing a musical instrument, and least to me. It's like painting all the number 2s red, all the 5s brown and ending top with the Mona Lisa or something. [/quote] Whilst I completely disagree with your first statement, I can see where coming from with the second. To be a decent musician you do need to have a reasonable understanding of how music works beyond merely knowing where to put your fingers on the fretboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josie Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 [quote name='ambient' timestamp='1475706324' post='3148196'] someone learning a song/cover without really having any understanding of what they're actually playing [/quote] I saw a really nice example of moving on from this a couple of weeks ago at Aynsley Lister's guitar tuition weekend. There was a beginner bass player there who had been taught how to play a simple bass pattern in a standard I-IV-V progression - so he played something acceptable in the first jam session - but had no idea what he was doing or how to do anything else. Aynsley's bass player, Steve Amadeo, did a brilliant job of explaining that and developing it, and by the end of the weekend he was moving around the fretboard and throwing in little variations and well on the road to learning more. There is a big step up though from playing a song you've practiced, to getting up at an open jam session and being thrown in with musicians you've never met before who insist on playing a song you don't know and maybe don't even know what key they're playing in and being able to wing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 [quote name='josie' timestamp='1475710163' post='3148216'] I saw a really nice example of moving on from this a couple of weeks ago at Aynsley Lister's guitar tuition weekend. There was a beginner bass player there who had been taught how to play a simple bass pattern in a standard I-IV-V progression - so he played something acceptable in the first jam session - but had no idea what he was doing or how to do anything else. Aynsley's bass player, Steve Amadeo, did a brilliant job of explaining that and developing it, and by the end of the weekend he was moving around the fretboard and throwing in little variations and well on the road to learning more. There is a big step up though from playing a song you've practiced, to getting up at an open jam session and being thrown in with musicians you've never met before who insist on playing a song you don't know and maybe don't even know what key they're playing in and being able to wing it. [/quote] There's a guy that I'm teaching at the moment. He'd been having erm....'lessons', off a guy for about 6 months. In that time, all he'd been shown was how to play bass lines for songs using TAB that the guy used to take along. He knew absolutely nothing else. I set off teaching him the notes on the fretboard, I got him playing root notes to blues songs right from the first lesson. Just blues in A, C and E, along to recordings that I did for him in Logic Pro. Pretty boring maybe, but he loved it, he was playing music, creating his own bass lines, and was learning the notes on the fretboard, if only 3 at a time. I've been teaching him now for about 8 weeks, he's learned more in those 8 weeks, than in the previous 6 months. He's now this week started having 2 lessons per week, he's enjoying his learning and playing so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbass Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 [quote name='ambient' timestamp='1475706324' post='3148196'] By painting by numbers, I mean someone learning a song/cover without really having any understanding of what they're actually playing. Getting a piece of TAB off a website, sitting down and watching someone play it on Youtube, or listening to it on Spotify and just copying it, isn't playing a musical instrument, at least to me. It's like painting all the number 2s red, all the 5s brown and ending up with the Mona Lisa or something. [/quote] Hello. Its funny I rarely ever get rattled by much but your post has hit the button. What a load of nonsense. So when I and thousands of other competent musicians sit down and have a go at a bit of Chopin at the keyboard or whatever were just.... "COPYING"..... something that has no worth????. Thanks. I'd forgotten what its like to let of a bit of steam...feels good, but no hard feelings yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 [quote name='ians' timestamp='1475749671' post='3148394'] Hello. Its funny I rarely ever get rattled by much but your post has hit the button. What a load of nonsense. So when I and thousands of other competent musicians sit down and have a go at a bit of Chopin at the keyboard or whatever were just.... "COPYING"..... something that has no worth????. Thanks. I'd forgotten what its like to let of a bit of steam...feels good, but no hard feelings yes. [/quote] You have totally misunderstood what I said. Sorry, I maybe didn't explain it, though the first part of what you've quoted says 'without understanding what they're actually playing'. A competent musician would know what they're playing. I was referring to my previous posting, where I said that there are many people who don't actually learn to play their instrument, they use youtube videos, and TAB, and just learn where to put their fingers, they just copy what they're seeing and hearing, without having any knowledge of what they're actually playing, and how it works with what the rest of the band is playing. You've also misquoted me, where do I say that it had no worth ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbass Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 [quote name='ambient' timestamp='1475750624' post='3148407'] You have totally misunderstood what I said. Sorry, I maybe didn't explain it, though the first part of what you've quoted says 'without understanding what they're actually playing'. A competent musician would know what they're playing. I was referring to my previous posting, where I said that there are many people who don't actually learn to play their instrument, they use youtube videos, and TAB, and just learn where to put their fingers, they just copy what they're seeing and hearing, without having any knowledge of what they're actually playing, and how it works with what the rest of the band is playing. You've also misquoted me, where do I say that it had no worth ? [/quote] Ok lets say you decide to have a go at bass and you learn to play simple two time from say C to G country style which simple as it is one would more than likely 'understand'....is that not playing an instrument irrespective of how you went about learning the piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 [quote name='ians' timestamp='1475751628' post='3148420'] Ok lets say you decide to have a go at bass and you learn to play simple two time from say C to G country style which simple as it is one would more than likely 'understand'....is that not playing an instrument irrespective of how you went about learning the piece. [/quote] I would say you were playing whatever you were playing on the instrument. I wouldn't class it as being able to play an instrument. You'd be a bit stuck if they decided to play D to A instead I guess. There was a guy posted earlier about him being somewhere and the bassist had learned a blues in E, but the band played in A, so he was stuck. I recently started playing for a jazz band. I got asked my a keyboard player friend. The guy they originally had for the first 2 rehearsals had said he was better than he actually was. He'd just learned the first four songs off the set list. He couldn't play from a lead sheet, he had to go away learn the song. The 2 rehearsals were spent with my friend showing him what notes to play. My friend is a retired music teacher, so luckily he's quite a patient guy, though his patience was wearing a little thin toward the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 I wouldn't advise anyone to learn the way I did i.e. the relentless pursuit of "understanding" so that one day I would know a formula to tell me what note to play in any given situation. But before anyone misinterprets what I'm saying, I am not saying studying theory etc is bad, but rather that any one dimensional approach to learning will result in potential not being realised. Formal study, copying stuff, playing with others - don't neglect any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 [quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1475706357' post='3148197'] Well you're completely & totally wrong. Wind your f***ing neck in. [/quote] Will do. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baxter Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 My Dad is a bass player so I had some good gear in the house. I announced I wanted to learn to play one day. So my Dad got out the old Hofner (I wasn't getting the Jazz!), sat me down and taught me how to tune it and play walking bass. "That's It" he said "that's all you need to know". He was close enough, it gave me a good start for properly learning playing along with my records. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 [quote name='blue' timestamp='1475687683' post='3148005'] [b]Nonsense[/b], 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 [/quote] Lighten up, it was tonge in cheek, but still true. Thats how all the musicians I knew back in the day did it. You formed a band with your mates and learned together as you went along. Not clever just a condition of the time. I was not aware there was such a thing as lessons to play Rock and Roll. Instruction books taught things like "Little Brown Jug" etc. Try to get a gig playing that. I am simply telling you how I learned to play, you dont have to like or agree with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 Strange thread this. The OP asks "How did YOU learn to play bass" and half the posts are from people telling the rest they did it wrong. Here was me thinking it would be an interesting and informative overview of lots of different experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highfox Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 (edited) [quote name='spike' timestamp='1475231537' post='3144186'] Another +1 for this book and playing along to records, plus endless jams with my mates [/quote] Like a lot of us here, I had that book as well. Think it took me a good few years to be able to tune up to that wonky disc. Went with a tuning key in the end and a sort of whistle thingy as well. Edited October 10, 2016 by Highfox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GirlOnADragon Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 Seeing as how I am still very much at the [i]'learning'[/i] to play bass I've done it two ways as I've learnt twice. First time bought a bass, found tracks I liked and downloaded rudimentary tab and took some lessons off a guitarist who also taught bass. The style of lesson being to work out some riffs, drink a lot of tea and mostly talk about the guitarists gigs. I played a few sessions with other musicians with an idea of forming a band. Various reasons I put bass away for a decade. Second time around I found a teacher who is a bassist, and who doesn't just teach how to play a track but the theory behind it. I put in a decent amount of practice, find my own tracks to learn and work on the tracks I'm given and the theory practice. I'm making slow but steady progress - and bad habits are stopped but nuances encouraged. Can't learn from books, just beginning to be able to learn from YouTube videos, that and always staring at the bass player at gigs (earnt me a few dirty looks that has) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 [quote name='ians' timestamp='1475751628' post='3148420'] Ok lets say you decide to have a go at bass and you learn to play simple two time from say C to G country style which simple as it is one would more than likely 'understand'....is that not playing an instrument irrespective of how you went about learning the piece. [/quote] I remember one of my teachers saying to me once, he could play Frere Jacques on pretty much any instrument, but that could only actually play piano. I guess what he was alluding to, was just because you can play a tune on an instrument, that doesn't necessarily make you a player of that instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 (edited) Everyone learns in different ways, and wants and only really needs to learn what they need given their circumstances. As long as you yourself is happy, that's all that matters. Like on the have you ever gigged thread. Why should you gig if you're quite happy not doing so. Edited October 10, 2016 by ambient Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 [quote name='ambient' timestamp='1476115257' post='3151456'] [b]Everyone learns in different ways, and wants and only really needs to learn what they need given their circumstances.[/b] As long as you yourself is happy, that's all that matters. Like on the have you ever gigged thread. Why should you gig if you're quite happy not doing so. [/quote] Give the man a cigar. Spot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassace Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 How? Plays itself, doesn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 (edited) Gigging, put under the gun, being challenged in a live situation forces some of us to learn. Gigging really helped develop my ear. I can hear all the notes being played and not played, what notes are being played, how and where they're being played. I also know what is out of my league and beyond my abilities. You won't see me sitting around trying to learn Joco solos. Blue Edited October 10, 2016 by blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 [quote name='ambient' timestamp='1476115257' post='3151456'] Everyone learns in different ways, and wants and only really needs to learn what they need given their circumstances. As long as you yourself is happy, that's all that matters. Like on the have you ever gigged thread. Why should you gig if you're quite happy not doing so. [/quote] You shouldn't have to gig. Some guys just don't connect with the stage or live performance in front of an audience. Those guys are perfectly happy playing for themselves in the bedroom and should be allowed to do so. Me, I love turning people on, I can only get what I want from gigs. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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