Beginner to Badass Reviews? 🎸

[heather.crook]

Thanks so much, Josh for turning me into a bass badass! I am 26 and have (or I should say HAD) no musical experience whatsoever. Now after completing the course, then going through it a second time I feel confident in loads of theory stuff and can now play a couple of songs from the list of 50.
Josh breaks everything down simply so its easy to understand and when introducing a new topic, will give an overview/reminder of anything we need to know for this topic that we had previously learned. So even forgetful people can stay on board.

The only thing I feel I’m missing now is the ability to tune my bass to different notes. I would love a module where we learn how to get say a Drop D or something.

Thanks so much and looking forward to the next course!

[Wombat-metal]

@heather.crook

The only thing I feel I’m missing now is the ability to tune my bass to different notes. I would love a module where we learn how to get say a Drop D or something.

Drop D is super easy. Hook your tuner to the bass, then take the “E” string, and loosen the string until D is in tune (instead of E). Voila, you’re in Drop D

[fmragtops]

I enjoyed every minute of this course. I never felt bogged down with overly complicated theory or jargon. The course was very focused on “Here’s a thing, this is why it matters, and this is how you do it.” Josh is an excellent teacher and this course is very much worth your time and money.

[MikeC]

@fmragtops

Here’s a thing, this is why it matters, and this is how you do it.

Yep, exactly! That seemingly simplistic approach is Josh’s superpower. He seamlessly blends content with charm and entertainment.

Congrats on the course.

[60HzHum]

Just completed B2B, learned a lot of new concepts and had a ton of fun along the way. Josh is an excellent teacher who explains difficult subject matter in an easy-to-understand way. I really enjoyed Josh’s knowledge and positivity throughout the series. I highly recommend B2B.

[EddieJones]

Completed B2B last week. I have come so far since the beginning. I now can hang with a jam. I can play 12 bar blues, and I can come up with some interesting bass lines. Josh’s style of teaching seems to click very well with us beginners. He teaches just enough per lesson to hold your interest. Then he uses what you have learned to help you play a song. First teacher I have ran across that actually taught me something in a long time. I highly recommend Josh and think he can provide anyone with a solid foundation to being whatever type musician you want to be.

[mgoldst]

im just about done with the course and will immideately do it all over again, but this time making sure i can nail the fast workout in every lesson - even billie jean; i feel like i have a lot more to pick up.

my one criticism is that while i love @JoshFossgreen’s bedside manner (bass side manner?) - jokes, what he has to say, etc… - i do find him chatting over some of the workouts/exercises to be very distracting. i get that when playing on stage there will be a ton of distractions but as im learning sometimes that chatter makes me loose time, or miss notes, etc… this may be more of a me thing than a josh thing.

[EddieJones]

How dare you criticize our bass guru…just kidding. I think sometimes Josh’s chatting is done purposely to allow us to try and concentrate through the distractions of him talking. Especially in the ultimate groove workout. He chats the entire time while the beats are going on and if you can keep good time while that is happening you have got your groove. I can see that it can be distracting at certain points but personally, I did not mind at all.

[mgoldst]

yup - i assume its intentional for exactly that reason.

[heather.crook]

Oh, wow that is easy! Thanks so much!

[60HzHum]

I believe that you are correct about this. I swear I caught him grinning a little after a few of them. I was glad for the little interruptions, if I could keep time it was proof that I had it down.

[dannyj]

Hey Josh
This course has been fantastic. That we can take it at our own pace, with the opportunity to put each lesson into practice at different speeds is a great principle.
The course extras with access to the different songs is a great way to try things out too.
Like quite a few of the learners on here, I’m completely new to any musical instrument and just wanted to give it a go.
I really feel like I’ve learnt a new skill and have a fresh appreciation for rhythm and time when listening to music and just want to keep on going.
5 out 5 from me.

[kenmeer]

Great Course, great Teacher, and well worth the cost. (My only complaint is there is no such word as “learnt”…I looked it up.LOL

[EverC]

I completed the course in 3 months then reviewed all the lessons to identify the training I still needed. Now I am working through the ‘50 First Songs’ and I deeply appreciate the software that plays notes while a vertical line moves over the music sheet. Noteflight.com are the creators. It is important for my confidence to know I am learning a song at the correct speed.

[StartedAt48]

I completed B2B today. I opted for the 30 day plan and started it the day after I bought a bass. I’d never touched a bass before, nor had any real musical training or played an instrument (a few very short lived (a few months) attempts at guitar and piano years ago). I started as a complete newbie, and finished the course in 33 days.

By ‘finished’ the course, I mean doing all the lessons to the best of my current ability. I couldn’t complete some of the medium or fast workouts enough for me to consider having ‘passed’ that exercise, so my final count is 86 out of 109 lessons completed.

I’m about to do the course all over again, but this time take it slow and spend more time on my technique before moving on. I have flying fingers and need to fix that! I will see about having a couple of lessons with a teacher in person to have technique and my awkward hand positioning assessed.

On to the proper review. This course is excellent. Josh is indeed a great teacher and explains the concepts in enough detail but nothing that is super overwhelming. I especially love that you use your bass and play in the lesson, which works great for brains like mine that learn best through hands-on activity.

There were times where I felt frustrated with myself for not being able to do something properly (hello Billie Jean!) but Josh is encouraging and so I kept in mind his advice of just working through things and you can revisit something down the track and be so much better at it. And he’s right, of course.

Value for money is excellent. For what I paid, it’s equivalent to about six in-person lessons with a bass teacher in my area. But with B2B I get all those great lessons, the forum, and of course lifetime access.

I feel this course has given me some great foundations to build on. I never thought I’d even consider playing around other people, but my plan now is to improve my technique a bit and join some local social music groups, to play with others for fun.

I can’t say enough good things about how Josh has structured and presented this course, and his choice of t-shirts. I’m looking forward to going back through B2B all over again.

Tips:

• Watch all the workouts because Josh often brings up new tips or concepts.
• DON’T WORRY IF YOU ARE ‘FLUNKING’ WORKOUTS. YOU WILL GET BETTER! When I started my pinky finger was so weak. Within a week of daily practice I noticed a difference. Now, a month later of daily practice (using B2B), I’m not even thinking twice about my pinky.
• Try to get your technique down as early as possible but don’t worry too much if you can’t, because it’s hard to manage those flying fingers! As I’m working through B2B a second time, I’m much more conscious of my fingers and doing better.

[JerryP]

Congratulations @StartedAt48 !

[StevFargan]

My B2B Review

This summer, after being retired from teaching for a little over year, I suddenly had a burning desire to play bass. I thought about getting a bass for my 62nd birthday in October, but I just couldn’t wait. I bought a Fender Player Series Jazz Bass. After a month of trying out various YouTube videos, I found myself going back to Bassbuzz much more than any other channel. I am really impressed with Josh’s @JoshFossgreen teaching style! I’m also impressed with the production quality on the videos as well as the quality of this website. I started the Beginner to Badass course in September as an absolute beginner and after completing the course this December, I have developed a life-long love for playing bass. (I actually don’t want to stop taking these lessons, so I bought a Squier Classic Vibe ‘60s Fretless Jazz Bass as a graduation present to myself to retake all of the lessons on and keep having more fun.)

I like how the lesson content spirals and interconnects. The progressions, chunking, and connections are thought out and work well.

The course provides the ability to build on a solid foundation of prerequisite skills.

I appreciate how theory and other musical concepts were presented in context in a fun, easy going way. I was able to better understand things I was taught previously along with new concepts by turning this theory into practical practice.

Josh is an amazing teacher! He really makes a positive difference.

His humor and enthusiasm make learning fun! His respect for his students’ learning process is shown throughout the course.

I am also thoroughly impressed with the both the technical quality and entertainment value of the video lessons. The lesson comments are helpful along with all of the course extras. The supportive BassBuzz Forum is an added bonus as well.

I like how there are different paces suggested for the course. (It took me three months to complete the course.) I also found it easy to customize things to match my own needs and learning style. I need a bit of repetition to help me get a better feel for what I am learning. An example of a schedule or routine that worked for me would be something like this:

If I was starting lesson 1 in a new module, I would go back and do each lesson 1 from previous modules as a warm-up and review. I would take a similar approach for a new lesson 2, etc. throughout the course. Having earlier lessons feel easier built confidence and helped me in learning new things.

There were a couple of things that I wish were covered in more depth. They are using a pick and tapping. I hope that these are included in a follow up course or courses. I look forward to when Josh puts out another course release. I most certainly will take it.

Taking Beginner to Badass is a positive, valuable, worthwhile, and fun experience. I highly recommend taking this course.

[autumnsdad1990]

Congratulations @StevFargan ! Good on you, my friend!

[BigBottom]

If you have read this far in the reviews, my guess is that you are sold on B2B. I won’t add much other than to say that I finished the course in roughly six weeks. I had never touched a bass before, but have had private lessons on other instruments. Josh is the best music teacher I’ve ever had, and I’m 57. He keeps the lessons fun, light hearted, and interesting. You start off playing songs immediately, and the emphasis is always on having fun.

The only negative that I have is that there is NO part two, and I really hope that Josh is working on that. I have continued on with instruction from two of the biggest names in online bass instruction. They’re both great with plenty of material and good instructors, but they are NOT Josh, and that’s a big deal. Don’t hesitate to take this course. It’s wonderful.