One lesson at a time, one day at a time. It took me about 3 months to complete the course. I loved it. Josh explains things well, the videos are easy to follow, and I definitely learned as much, if not more than, I hoped.
For those who finished it - what did you do NEXT?
Congratulations!
What did I do next?
I take lots of courses on TalkingBass . I’ve completed the Scale Essentials course & Chord Tone Essentials course. I’m currently taking the Sight Reading course (halfway through), Walking Bass, and Ear Training. I have the Chords for Bass course and the Slapping course in the queue and will start one of those as soon as I complete one of the three I’m currently taking.
My answer: Never stop learning. Never stop practicing. Take B2B a second time if nothing else, just to catch what you may have missed the first time.
Thanks Pam! I’ve DEFINITELY been looking at Talking Bass. I even bought the “scales for bass” ipad app which is KILLER!! The courses look kind of expensive, no? You just buy them separately or is there some kind of “pass” to them?
Mark offers a Pass program, which is a monthly subscription, or you can purchase each course individually. I prefer to purchase the courses individually because that allows me to download all the backing tracks and workbooks which I find invaluable. You can’t do that with the Pass program.
He has occasional sales, which is when I purchased all my courses.
Great tips Pam, thank you!!! I do see he’s a very very good instructor.
Almost identical.
I have taken the Scales Essentials course on TalkingBass, and I am in the middle of the Chord Tone Essentials. I will move onto the Sight Reading course, Walking Bass, Ear Training, Chords for bass and slapping, not necessarily in that order, but close.
I actually was able to get the All Access Pass to TalkingBass last time it went up for sale. Invaluable at $16.99 per month, but it only goes on sale periodically, every 6 months I believe. That said, things like the Sight Reading course are really hard to do without purchasing the module, because you do not get access to download the course material, you can only view it online, and it is very very very beneficial, bordering on necessary to have for this course at least, so if you are going to start off by purchasing a module, and waiting for the All Access to do some, you might consider starting with the sight reading course.
I also have an all access pass to www.lowenduniversity.com which is s$20 per month. this course has loads of excellent exercises in the technique module, and also has sight reading, slapping, walking bass, etc…, but I have only gone thru most of Technique and part of Music Theory so far. I love this site and recommend it. The nice thing about it is you can pay monthly, and stop paying, and start back up anytime you want. you don’t have to wait for the all access pass to go on sale, so you can go start using the. sight, and stop payments while you do lessons or modules elsewhere, then go back and start up where you left off at anytime.
One other thing that @PamPurrs forgot to mention was that both her and I continue with lessons. I take online lessons with none other then @JoshFossgreen via Zoom 1-2 times per month, and Pam has a bass coach she meets with once a week. I can not stress how beneficial this has been for me. It really does help to have somebody to guide and teach you at a personal level, where they can tailor practice and homework and lessons geared towards you, based on your current level and your goals
Thanks for the tips and follow up!!! I absolutely agree that personal instruction is super important. I’m pretty much at the place where I want/need it. Taking advantage of as much online courses as possible at the moment while cash flow is light due to the 'rona (I’m a freelance photographer in none-other than the events industry!!!).
You are correct @T_dub I failed to mention that and it’s important. As good as Josh and Mark are, and as much as I’ve learned from them both over the past year and a half, my bass coach has lifted me to new heights. There is something magical about an interactive, one-on one session, be it with Josh over Zoom, or in a studio with a good teacher.
The trick is finding that good teacher, which @T_dub and I have accomplished.
I am only just at the halfway point with the B2B course, and enjoying it. Depending upon how the rest of it goes (and how much I go back and repeat until I feel I’ve gotten the most I can from it), I am considering doing this next:
Carol Kaye also has a course, or as she calls it, a “tutor,” which she wrote in 1969: “How to Play the Electric Bass” book & CD, which I understand is not a beginner book. I also realize that her materials in general are overall not meant to teach inexperienced beginners, and are probably aimed more at preparation for playing jazz and standards, and for those aiming for studio musician work (not I!), but they also cover many rock, blues, funk, and reggae lines. So, I may try some of her “easier” materials after finishing B2B.
I should add that if anyone has experience with any of the Carol Kaye materials, I would appreciate feedback, particularly on the ones mentioned above.
Im doing the talkingbass courses as well and they are really great… Someone described as like being in college then going to uni and I find that true… Also what I would recommend is doing the the 50 song challenge… Im finding it challenging im not particularly good at learning songs and im finding it great practice, its building my hand strength doing full songs and you dont have to find the tab. Plus lots of help from people on here doing it.
