Beginner Class of Winter 2021 - How is it going?

Welcome aboard @Doug_Keese,
Sounds like your having a real blast,
The B2B course does give you the stuff that is structured and sets you up to get to where you need to be.
Enjoy the ride,
Cheers Brian

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Glad you are here @Doug_Keese
You are in the right place

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Welcome @Doug_Keese…

Please also post in the Introduce Yourself thread.

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So just starting out, module 1, lesson 3. Normal for the left index finger to hurt? Not a lot, but of course I practiced what I learned so far for about an hour.

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Yes, your fingers are doing things that they are not used to.
Just make sure it doesn’t hurt to point of pain, a little soreness ok, pain no way.

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Yep, a bit sore and a little numb-ish? Nice to meet you John_E. Thanks for the reply!

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Same here, welcome!

Yes, will take time to build up stamina and strength in those little muscles.

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Welcome to the forum @GunnyAlki
A little discomfort is fine, certainly on the finger tips
… on the update front, I’m working on module 9, just did Roxanne today, I really like syncopation very much, it adds flavor… I’ve struggled with consistency, meaning I have had some very sloppy days, but it seems that we all have those… I intent to keep my casual pace with the course and figured that the second half will be slower

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Awesome! I tend to over do things sometimes, so going to slow it down a bit, practice tomorrow. What kind of practice schedule are you using? No idea what would be considered too much or not enough. Understand it’s all individual, just looking for ideas.

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I don’t have a set routine for bass like I do for sax, just don’t have the regimented time for both like that.
Some nights, I look up and it is 12:30am before I know it, and some nights, I noodle for a bit and walk away.
The best thing about a hobby is you make the rules, however, your rules dicate your pace of advancing. But practicing too much can have a negative effect too. Days off work wonders for your brain to let things bake in. Multiple days, not so much.
If you try on light days to even do 5-15 minutes, then as long as you like without pain, you will soon fall into a groove that is right for you. Don’t force it, it will come on its own.

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Hey John, @John_E,
i am doing another cover of Aussie Crawl’s Downhearted ā€œShort versionā€ which imo is better than the long version simply because it has some nice SAX in it, I will let you know when im done so you can have a listen,
Cheers Brian

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You should collaborate. Remove the Sax from the track too, after you lay down the bass line, send it to @John_E to add the sax…

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That could probably work Toby, @T_dub, i will see if i can :thinking:
if not im sure @howard may be able to do it :+1:
Cheers Brian

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Thought I’d post back to reflect on my progress over the last month or so. So from just starting to tackle scales in March, I am now able to play along some of the ā€˜50 first songs’ and signed up to Ultimate Guitar to try out some more tunes. It’s a long journey and still early days, but from picking up the instrument for the first time in Feb to this, I think I’m on the right path. There’s definite pitfalls to using tabs whilst still learning the neck I feel, and I’m trying to think ā€˜notes’ more than fret numbers each time I play, as it makes things a lot more straightforward in my head.
Back to the course, I am now starting the last, third section and excited where that will take me, having made such good progress over the previous several modules (ā€˜Higher & Higher’ was a real challenge that was worth overcoming, syncopation was lots of fun, though nailing ā€˜Feel Good Inc’ to rhythm was pretty hard, even though I’ve listened to that song since I was 15! And I’m still amazed how learning chord progressions hasn’t been intimidating at all).

Yesterday I learned bits of Evil by Interpol, now off to play some simpler Coldplay bass lines for morale-boosting, and will be back at it with section 3 of B2B… But it’s been such a blast so far, starting out on this journey has been the best decision in a long while.

Keep calm and rock on folks!

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Hieeeee :slight_smile:
I am finishing module 2 today - hoorayyy -
I wasn’t very very beginner it seems; up until now I’ve been cutting through like knife on butter! But what I cherished the most is my better understanding for rhythm, using eighths. Beat ruler makes it easier for me to comprehend when to pluck and when to mute. I am better at counting whole notes too.
I can’t wait to proceed to module 3.
I am slow with my practice though. I am trying to do lessons as much as I can but I feel like I 'm disappointing Josh lol because I ve been doing these 2 modules for like 3 months :<

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There is no requirement that anyone has to complete the course within any specific time frame, @Feggarow . . . :slight_smile:

Each of us has other things going on which could impede our progress.

So don’t worry, and just do the best you can, as time and other commitments allow.

Remember, it’s supposed to be fun! :wink:

Cheers
Joe

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I’m on module 6. But I’ve been doing a lot of other practise and just general noodling to build up my pinky strength. Today, I played Billy Jean fluently with no fret buzz so there’s definitely improvement. I refused to let that track beat me :sweat_smile:

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For what it’s worth (probably a half a cuppa coffee), I did B2B and the Scale Essentials Course on TalkingBass simultaneously. It took me 4 month to get thought B2B nstead of the 30 days I had originally predicted, but I’m all the better for it. You can’t rush art, as they say.

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I needed to hear that.
Thank you Joe :slight_smile:

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@Barney, that is an AWESOME & FREE’ING quote, especially the line about ā€œā€¦you are literally making an inanimate object sing!ā€ I just finished the course (started in 2020) and as I reflected on my experience, I took great satisfaction when I realized that although I might not be where I want to be in my playing, or as good as someone else, I was doing something I could not do last year!

@Regina and everyone else, let me know if I can help in any way sharing my thoughts experiences. We are all in this together.

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