First thing I did after finishing Beginner to Badass was join a band
until then I had basically been “I don’t like to learn songs”
Now I’ve learned Raven by Melissa VanFleet (just using chord sheets, thanks Josh!), Avalanche by Cellar Darling (again, with chord sheets), Get the F*ck out of Here by Kobra and the Lotus, The Game Is Over by Evanescence, and I’m working on making Paramore’s Decode into a symphonic metal or possible electronica/cyberpunk-influenced metal song.
I’m working on an original, too.
I guess my point is, rock on, have fun, and do your best. Learn what you can, the best you can, and add in stuff as you get better/more confident. I played some wrong notes on the Kobra song at every rehearsal (but in key!) until I finally realized it. No one else knew and thought I was nailing it
Use it as an opportunity to push yourself and grow as a player
To re-iterate some previous points - I prefer funk/soul type music and that’s what I would seek out. But I joined School of Rock for the band aspect of it…even though the set lists weren’t what I wanted, I had to admit, it was called School of Rock and not funk. But you get an opportunity to push and grow in other ways with the group…which I’ve enjoyed way more than playing some funky bass lines in my room by myself.
And I’m simplified every song…with the notion that as I get more comfortable with it, I’ll go back and add somethings back in. Though I rarely do that. Because as I get more comfortable, then I’m able to start listening to others in the band, and then timing becomes more important and I’d rather get that nailed down better than a few extra notes…I enjoy the teamwork challenges of a band a lot. And performances are the next level, with a whole new set of mistakes being made, and recovering from…which is a ton of fun for me. Though I think, cause I’m smiling and laughing through it all, it makes it seem like I don’t care on the outside, but it really is just cause it’s so much fun trying to figure out how we’re going to get back in sync. I mean, we’re all beginners, so it’s not easy getting us back in sync.
But playing together is more fun for me than getting every note perfect. Even last week, as I was playing somethings and I was disappointed with how much I still struggle given that I’ve been at this for a couple of years now…going to practice with the band cheered me right up. And then I spend the next few days with the chorus of You Give Love a Bad Name in my head too…which now also makes me smile…
[begin slap rant] Everyone’s always so worried about slap, and as a slap bassist myself, I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can absolutely never slap a note in your life and be a phenomenal bassist.
But DO learn what octaves can do for you. Seriously. Octave jumps in songs are just, so so cool, whether you slap them or not. Go learn a slap song, right now. But don’t slap/pop. Just learn the cool octaves. Go do Josh’s new video and its exercises without slapping. Do it. It’s fun. Feel how pulling a quick octave off a root note at a rapid pace adds a neat flourish. Feel it. Do it. Go! Don’t miss out on this cool stuff!
[end slap rant] Welcome, welcome to our forums @monse_foster and @kendra.phiri and we all hope you have a wonderful time on your music journeys and on the forum with us!!!
I’ve had a similar experience— learning bass while being in a band. It can be exhausting, but you are always learning whether it’s through Josh or on your own through band songs. I’m in a band and am so consumed with learning the band songs that I’m only about half way through BassBuzz! I’ve been playing 3 1/2 years now. It can feel overwhelming to figure out tabs and patterns and such for new band music. Hang in there—your learning is accelerated by it—every now and then do one BassBuzz lesson or look up help in BassBuzz for fingering, timing, alternating plucking, etc, as you find yourself struggling. You will be SO surprised at how much you can learn and grow in a couple of years. I am! And I still plan on finishing the BasBuzz course. Even if I’ve been doing something a harder (“wrong”) way, when I learn the better way, I just change what I’m doing. It’s all learning—you’re just piecing it together differently than starting in the course and finishing it all in one short period of time. You’ve jumped in the pool and are swimming! Yay for you! It’s amazing what you will be doing a year, then 2, then 3 from now. I’m amazed.
