Beginner Class of Winter 2021 - How is it going?

Hey Brian @TKNA36, thanks and I appreciate your time replying. I have a Windows machine so probably need a bit more of a setup then than the simplicity of doing it all with a Mac. So, once I have a DAI, and software on the laptop that can take the DAI, is that all that is required to get the signal in?
Regards, Mike

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That should be adequate. Most name brand DAI’s come with drivers.
Behringer UMC22 is a good, inexpensive DAI. It comes with some software, but if you want a good software bundle with it, the Scarlet Solo 3rd Gen comes with alot of good software, like DAW and plug ins, along with samples if you want to get that far with home recording.
Personally, I only use the DAI into GB, and don’t any plugins. I am sure I will eventually.

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Yes Mike @MikePhil ,
There are plenty of options with DAI,s
They are reasonably priced depends on what you want,
Cheers Brian

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Great thread I have read each entry!

I started B2B May 21st and yesterday I just completed Module 3. So will be starting M4L1 tonight during my practice session. I really enjoy Josh’s teaching style and how things progress not only slowly and build on previous skills taught but in a logical way. Other online lessons take more of a shotgun approach and we are left to our devices to figure it out. Josh keeps me motivated and having fun.

So far it’s been pretty straight forward I imagine when I get into the secod part of the course (Module 5 and beyond) that things will get more complicated. Even though some of the workouts are not 100% perfect I am taking Josh’s advise and just keep moving forward and I am sure things will fall into place.

Typcially I do one lesson per day during the week and on weekends I do a moring session and an evening session, I am enhoying the process and journey and dont want to just rush through it I figure I will be done the course by Mid to late August which is a good pace for me.

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Oh, you are soon to meet Billie Jean :astonished:

Don’t worry too much when you get there. most people trip up there. The lessons after it get easier, ut is just sort of a bump in the road, a reality check if you will.
Don’t rush thru it, but don’t let it hold you back. Again, once you get the slow work out, you can move on, but keep coming back to this one, it is highly rewarding to get the medium and fast workouts.

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@MikePhil just to simplify things: There are two main ingredients required to accomplish recording. A DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), which is the software part. As I mentioned previously and have others, you have many choices for DAWs, ranging from free ones with limited capabilities, to more complex ones, with robust capabilities. Do your research to see which suits you. I have tried/used a couple of them, and have settled on Reaper. There’s even a thread here for Reaper.
The second ingredient is the DAI (Digital Audio Interface) which is the hardware component. I use the Zoom U-44, but there are many other choices. It has been pointed out in other comments that some come with software (DAW), but I play that down as I think you’d prefer to choose whichever DAW you’re most comfortable with.
The only thing needed after that is the required cables, and some learning on your part.

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Yeah, I came back from surgery and am at Billie Jean. Dead halt lol. Going to take a bit to play at speed.

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Interesting… Most people need surgery after Billy Jean :smiling_imp:

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Remember, once you can play it as the SLOW speed, you can move on, and come back later to get the Medium workout. The Fast one is not even a requirement for the BadAss Test at the end I dont think.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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Yeah I should be getting to Billie Jean (shes not my lover btw) by Saturday/Sunday

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Correct. It is a requirement for the Super Badass Extra Credit, along with other finger twisters such as “Higher and Higher”, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and the infamous Single and Double pluck octave workouts. All at the Fast tempo of course.

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It is if you want to be in a MJ cover band :slight_smile:

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to do that, you need to play the CORRECT version, in the fast workout.
Ghost Gb notes on the E string every-time you play its octave,

I can’t fret the riff correctly with my thumb wrapped around the neck to fret the Gb on the E string, so I my dreams of playing in a MJ coverband will never be recognized. Fortunately, they do not exist. :wink:

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Josh keeps thowing me off. I will be doing fine, he was say something (other than counting), and my attention waivers, and I lose the groove. Enough for now.

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how long have you been playing bass?

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I just picked up close to a year and a half ago, maybe 14 months.
I did play guitar in my 20’s, poorly, but it helped with the transition, even tho it was about a 25 year break.

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:rofl: :rofl:

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Thanks again Pam! great info. Looks like I have a lot to learn! That’s good though, I’m enjoying this journey into bass and music. If I can learn some video and audio editing skills along the way too, all the better.

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Hi, I’m a fairly new beginner (latter half of last year) and that one got me also…I wasn’t the only person who struggled with that! Yeah the fast workout was tricky. I worked all though the course then went back to the parts I was stuck on as has been suggested. Excellent course

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Yessiree - and when teachers tell people that they have to learn something before they can progress further they run the risk of frustrating the student to the point that they just give up and quit.

In short - If your not enjoying what you are doing and having fun doing it then why bother.

I wonder what % of people that give up on bass do so because of inadequate teaching methods?

I have a neighbor’s daughter who I watched go to a local in home guitar teacher for three years. This works out to be over $7K in those 3 years. All of a sudden she quit.

I was talking to my neighbor and asked if his daughter would like to jam with me. When I went over there I found that she could not even strum along to something as simple as Happy Birthday. She told me that she was never taught about chord progressions and the teacher was not interested in showing her how to just play through a complete song just strumming chords. All she ever wanted to do was play and sing along with songs she liked. So, I asked her what song she would like to learn and she said The City of New Orleans by Arlo Guthrie. I gave her the sheet music with a chord lead sheet and in one 2 hour session she had what she wanted and was back at playing. Oh yeh I also taught her Happy Birthday :slightly_smiling_face:
By the way - I did not charge anything for this and never will. I do it for the love of music.

A lot of music teachers in my area just plain hate me for things like this because they are not teaching for the love of music but rather as a for profit business. At $50/Hr I can see their reasoning but IMHO their motivation for teaching is all wrong.

I actually had a so called qualified music teacher ask me to show her how to tune a guitar at an introductory lesson she was hired, and paid to teach, by the local city council at the libray. At this same session when a beginner asked her a simple question she could not answer it and referred the question to me.

After that first session I had about 10 people approach me to teach them. I arranged a hall and everything went swimmingly for three years until Covid hit. I still stay in touch with some of the players but not being savvy or having a webcam to use Zoom, for meeting on line, there has been no teaching from me.

Before you ask - Yes I still did this, and will do it again, at no charge to any of the players and will continue once we can all get together again.

The upside to all this is that local event organizers have asked me to run 1 day beginner seminars that they have paid me for. Again, my only criteria was that non of the attendees be charged for going.

I have never seen an instructor with better teaching methods than @JoshFossgreen

OK I’m done so I’ll get down off my soap box. :slightly_smiling_face: :slightly_smiling_face: :slightly_smiling_face:

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