Self-Teaching Vs. Structured Lessons

[AM1]

Just taking a break from the bass before my hand falls off (I know, it's Saturday night and I'm a freak) - anyway just wondered, who is self teaching and who has lessons and who has tried both?? Any preferences?

Do you think that if you have regular lessons, the tutor's musical personality will become apparent in your playing? Or is it better to just develop your own style?

[ARGH]

(Holds hands up...guilty look)

Im trying to learn..Ive got a few books..Im starting....having a little success,acorns and Oaks and all that.

[Protium]

I'm self taught because I put the effort in and got good fast

[Eight]

sh*t - I didn't even realise what time it is. I suck.

Anyway - I'm on lessons. I've found in the past that if I try and do it alone then I don't make much progress. Which is weird, cause in all non-music areas of my life, I learn better on my own and can build my own structure where needed. Just doesn't seem to work for me with music.

[Johngh]

Self taught, but now I'm getting into playing more complex stuff I'm thinking of taking some lessons.

[maxrossell]

I can see where this is going. Wahey.

[dlloyd]

[quote name='AM1' post='483910' date='May 9 2009, 06:36 PM']Just taking a break from the bass before my hand falls off (I know, it's Saturday night and I'm a freak) - anyway just wondered, who is self teaching and who has lessons and who has tried both?? Any preferences?

Do you think that if you have regular lessons, the tutor's musical personality will become apparent in your playing? Or is it better to just develop your own style?[/quote]

You would be better off with a teacher. No, you won't end up sounding like them.

[Johngh]

[quote name='maxrossell' post='483933' date='May 9 2009, 07:02 PM']I can see where this is going. Wahey.[/quote]


Me too, don't worry I've got my xray specs on !

[Bilbo]

I am self taught but that's not the point. I think its down to your learning style. I do books etc but did have a couple of lessons early on (Dan Quinton and Dudley Phillips). You need to find your own way but I would say that, teacher or not, you do most of the work yourself as there are no quick fixes. Teachers don't give you new skills by osmosis but by giving you the information you need to learn when you need to learn it and by stopping you from going up blind alleys and wasting time.

[6stringbassist]

I'm both, I've had lessons for years but was originally self taught. The 1st lesson was a mile stone in my playing, and a real eye opener to just how poor my technique was. It took me ages to 'un-learn' my technique and re-learn the 'proper' way.

Basically I'd learned from a book which said that you only used three fingers on your left hand (fretting hand), and held the bass neck like a bassball bat. This was obviously a very limiting playing style, my teacher was amazed how I could play stuff that was very complicated the way I could.

I didn't bother with lessons when I changed to 6 string bass, again I learned the hard way and it took a few lessons from Steve Lawson and a lot of hours practice to get my 6 string playing sorted out, floating thumb and damping/muting etc.

[AM1]

[quote name='maxrossell' post='483933' date='May 9 2009, 07:02 PM']I can see where this is going. Wahey.[/quote]

Where's that then?

It's a perfectly reasonable question.

[AM1]

[quote name='6stringbassist' post='483951' date='May 9 2009, 07:25 PM']I'm both, I've had lessons for years but was originally self taught. The 1st lesson was a mile stone in my playing, and a real eye opener to just how poor my technique was. It took me ages to 'un-learn' my technique and re-learn the 'proper' way.

Basically I'd learned from a book which said that you only used three fingers on your left hand (fretting hand), and held the bass neck like a bassball bat. This was obviously a very limiting playing style, my teacher was amazed how I could play stuff that was very complicated the way I could.

I didn't bother with lessons when I changed to 6 string bass, again I learned the hard way and it took a few lessons from Steve Lawson and a lot of hours practice to get my 6 string playing sorted out, floating thumb and damping/muting etc.[/quote]

Hiya, thanks, really useful info. Floating thumb was actually one of the things I was going to mention, although there are variants of it (which is another discussion in itself!) I'd be interested in how you played before the lessons (right hand) - did you use thumb on the pickup or float?

[maxrossell]

[quote name='AM1' post='483954' date='May 9 2009, 07:29 PM']Where's that then?

It's a perfectly reasonable question.[/quote]

Let's hope the answers are all just as reasonable.

[AM1]

[quote name='maxrossell' post='483959' date='May 9 2009, 07:34 PM']Let's hope the answers are all just as reasonable.[/quote]

Well, we're talking about music.

It's not quite clear what you're doing.

[maxrossell]

[quote name='AM1' post='483960' date='May 9 2009, 07:37 PM']Well, we're talking about music.

It's not quite clear what you're doing.[/quote]

Editorialising.

[M4L666]

I took lessons till I got decent, broke my collarbone, self-taught for several years and now I'm getting lessons again. I prefer having lessons, but like self-teaching for more personal stuff- so I get taught 7th arpeggios in lessons and learn technical death metal myself. Get a teacher but self-teach too.

Edited May 9, 2009 by M4L666

[Guest Lee Van Cleef]

I'm teaching myself from one of the Hal Leonard books, it's good for learning basic theory, but I find the actual physical aspects of playing are difficult to pick up from the written word and a few pictures.

[xgsjx]

Apart from Tenor horn, I'm self taught. Unless you count learning & giving ideas with your best friend as a kid as lessons!

Started bass with a book that I think was called "Teach yourself Rock Bass" (Vol 3 I think) & also got the Jazz version too. Then just bought loads of transcribed music books & bought Guitarist every month as it had a few pages dedicated to bass.

Still been thinking about getting lessons tho to learn some different techniques.

Never did keep up with the Tenor horn

AM, you're not alone. Ive spent the past 1 1/2 hours playing about with my bass too, only stopped to go on basschat

[Johngh]

[quote name='6stringbassist' post='483951' date='May 9 2009, 07:25 PM']I didn't bother with lessons when I changed to 6 string bass, again I learned the hard way and it took a few lessons from Steve Lawson and a lot of hours practice to get my 6 string playing sorted out, floating thumb and damping/muting etc.[/quote]

Funny that, when I changed to six string bass I found the floating thumb thing came natural. Only problem I have is the string spacing as it is different on my Status and my Shuker, I've only really noticed now I'm getting into more complex stuff.

[ZMech]

Had lessons for the first year or so. Were pretty useful, as it started me off without any particular bad habits. However I reckon that once you get to a certain point, teaching yourself is a better option as it becomes more about putting in the hours practicing. theorywise I'm still learning from books and the interweb, and with technique i think it's just about slowly building up speed and dexterity.

[Doddy]

I think it's a matter of finding a good balance between taking lessons and self-teaching. You will learn more and progress
faster with a teacher,but you then have to take what you are being taught and learn to apply and expand it -so you are learning
something formally and then teaching yourself when and how to use it,and even take it further.
Sometimes a few lessons are needed to give you a kick up the arse to start practising more again-which is the reason that I've
taken a couple of lessons off Bryan Beller and Janek Gwizdala over the last few years.

.......And no,you won't start to sound like your teacher. If you do it's usually because of a bad teacher who just teaches licks,and a lazy student who
never goes beyond these licks.

[AM1]

[quote name='xgsjx' post='483980' date='May 9 2009, 08:04 PM']AM, you're not alone. Ive spent the past 1 1/2 hours playing about with my bass too, only stopped to go on basschat [/quote]

At least I'm not alone! I need to get this under control, I've stopped even answering the phone any more when my mates ring, most of them think I've dropped off the planet!!

I was already weird to start with, now it's off the scale!

[6stringbassist]

[quote name='AM1' post='483956' date='May 9 2009, 07:31 PM']Hiya, thanks, really useful info. Floating thumb was actually one of the things I was going to mention, although there are variants of it (which is another discussion in itself!) I'd be interested in how you played before the lessons (right hand) - did you use thumb on the pickup or float?[/quote]

I used to balance my thumb on the pickup. It was kind of OK when I was playing 5 string, but a bit of a stretch when I played a 6, but it really didn't occur to me to do anything else.

Edited May 9, 2009 by 6stringbassist

[ARGH]

It pleases me that people actually want to get better at playing...5-10 years ago it was almost anathema to be educated.

[The Funk]

I agree with Bilbo's assessment: even if you have a teacher, most of the learning or progress happens in your own time.

I find it a lot easier to learn things when playing in a band - because they're almost immediately useful and applicable.

I was self-taught for the first 5 years but I started getting frustrated when my friends would write more complex tunes and not be able to explain how the chords fit together. I then had 6 lessons with an American guy who'd played with everyone from Bo Diddley to Cypress Hill. He threw so much at me in those 6 lessons that it took me years to absorb it all. Great stuff. Very, very inspiring.

Then real life got in the way and I haven't had a proper practice or learning regimen for the last 10 years. I've mainly been playing, writing for and leading funk/rock/soul bands in that time.

Just started the whole process again with jazz. Suddenly all the books that have been sitting around unopened for years are open and being cross-referred to. I've had some great tips from the BC forumites too!

Edited May 10, 2009 by The Funk