I’m most of the way through module 2 of Bass Buzz and have picked up any number of good habits as well as dropped a few bad ones. Before I started the lessons, I was learning songs from tab as well as jamming occasionally (and badly) with friends.
The question I have is do you all supplement Bass Buzz with other methods of learning and practice, or does that have a negative impact on the lessons?
Personally, I found the simplest way to get the most from B2B was to just go through each lesson in order. The reason is that Josh does a stellar job of introducing concepts and song snippet examples that apply those concepts in an easily understandable and fun way.
In short, you’ll get a lot to learn and enjoy from B2B. You can sure supplement this study with other stuff simultaneously, but I got the most benefit from not straying from Josh’s brilliant curriculum.
I’m right behind you (Module 2, Lesson 2 done this morning)…I too am a bit eager to have something to do when I am not in the mood to watch a video, just to move the fingers for practice/strength building…I would image some simple scales are coming up soon…
I know the feeling. You’re starting to play real stuff by module 2 and you get excited.
Best thing I can think of is keep up with B2B but also check out the 50 first songs section and pick one from the easy list to learn while applying what you’ve learned so far.
Thanks for the replies so far! I’d certainly not deviate from Josh’s lessons, or skip any - rather when I have a few spare minutes and want to mix it up by playing a song from tab, or joining friends jamming, would I likely be hampering my development through Bass Buzz?
I can play a number of songs and get the job done by using tab, but my driving force for signing up to the lessons was the desire to learn the correct way to do things and why it’s done that way.
Here is my approach. I began with identifying what I want to learn and improve (I simply have noted fingering, speed, learning the fretboard, and theory) and then created a routine which I track. The tracking allows me to return to lessons I want to revisit as well as see my progress.
My practice then is some variation of the following:
[fretting] TalkingBass Essential Beginner Bass Technique Exercise – 3 Patterns To Rule EVERYTHING!
[fretting] TalkingBass Awesome Finger Strength Exercise and Warmup for Bass
[fretting] BassBuzz Top 5 Technique Fails… Practice THIS Daily (10 Min Fix) - (I’m continuing to work on level 4 here)
[learning notes] Going up and down the strings, saying each note out loud, as we began doing in Module 6, Lesson 1 recognizing the octave shape and other things we’ve learned through the course of B2B
[learning notes] Scott’s Bass Lessons How to Learn the Notes of the Fretboard (7 Step Fool Proof Formula) - note: this is the circle of fifths and Josh has a music theory video from a couple of months ago with a thumbnail of the circle saying “this is bulls**t.” However, I’m simply using the exercise to learn the fretboard (it is slow going for me but I know where C, F, B♭, E♭, A♭, and D♭are)
[BassBuzz course] Somewhere in here I will continue with where I’m at in the B2B course.
[improvisation] Revisiting B2B Module 7, Lesson 5 (I’m on Module 8) using the mp3: 3-15 Improvising Bass Lines M7-L5 from the course extras.
[theory] For theory I’ve watched a variety of videos to supplement B2B, but I landed on the following to help in my understanding and improvisation: Scott’s Bass Lessons Practice THIS Every Day. He breaks down improvising with the seven chords in the C Major scale.
And finally, playing songs I enjoy purely from tabs - because I just want to jam and have fun.
Yes. I had warmups that work on plucking and fretting. I learned songs. After getting to the 12-bar blues section, I practiced improving and playing along to 12-bar backing tracks. By the time I was at the end, I was able to put on songs and figure out the basic form in real time.
I like having variety. If I focus on one thing over and over, I get burned out quickly. Being able to change up what I was doing meant I could give the lessons time to digest and incorporate better while still practicing.
I do some informal extracurricular practice on scales using guitarscale.org. They have a specific section for bass. I also goof around using a Vox headphone amp that has built in grooves to play with. I can plug it into my bass amp and play along. Last night I was using a groove in module 5, slightly changed. I find it really helps me with rhythm being that the lesson play alongs are so short making it hard to get into a groove.
Something I work on daily is one-finger-per-fret permutations. These guys:
Fretting-Hand Permutations.pdf (18.0 KB)
I like to start in fifth position and play each pattern from the E string up to the G string, then back down. (If that’s too much stretch, start higher on the neck; not enough stretch, start lower.) I work slowly and deliberately, paying attention to every aspect of what I’m doing—plucking, fretting, muting, tone—but I never use a metronome for these, as my objective is developing and maintaining proper form. This is my “perfect practice makes perfect” portion of the day; there are myriad other ways to work on timing and speed.
This exercise, while simple, gives you a chance to practice all the things that Your Trusty Bass Teacher™ hammers in the lessons: plucking across the string, I/M alternation, minimum viable pressure in the fretting hand, etc. It’s not just a fretting hand exercise at all. And if you’re creative, you can mix them up to incorporate string crossing and jumps, shifting…you name it. And it won’t hamper your lessons in B2B, as you’ve expressed concern about.
Incorporate these into your practice, work at them diligently, and you will see results in short order.
P.S. — Sharp-eyed observers will note that the worksheet title is “Left Hand Permutations.” Apologies to all the lefties who fret with the right hand.
Supplement everywhere with everything you can find, but remember to get your first 500 hours asap.
It takes at least this amount of time and usually more to train the eyes to brain to fingers recognition to a decent level.
What counts most, practice.
What a person thinks on how to get there changes with time and as any newer player or experienced player its guaranteed to have a different and expanded idea as they progress.
If it is true that it takes 5000 hours to be a truly competent player then hammering out those hours is perhaps the important part.
Direction and guidance is not to be put on the sidelines but in the beginning a new player is fore most learning control of their own recognition time and motor functions.
Theory is a lot easier to learn after one has a fair control over their own fingers and is not fighting themselves with what will become simple movements.
The BassBuzz course is very good and the number 1 tool towards success.
Hammer out the course then breeze through it a second time and find then that Billy Jean is no big deal.