I have five dogs. I’ll find one that likes my playing if it kills me
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It worked for me 
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For some reason, after reading all these comments, the song Jukebox Hero is stuck in my head.
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Correct. Why you do what you do is fine, as long as you are being honest with yourself about it. Not making assumptions about anyone here, but I think some people maybe want to perform, or make original music but are maybe scared that that is “not for them” or they don’t want to be seen as bragging or showing off or something, and I’m just saying music IS in the entertainment business, and that it’s OK to want to be heard. That doesn’t mean it’s not ok to not be heard. That is cool too.
But overall, I did go off on a tangent on that, but my original point was getting better, what the “next steps” are. So, for sure you could learn more complex songs to cover, you could practice better techniques, you could learn to play every scale up and down the fretboard blindfolded. That is it’s own kind of getting better. I just think of things in terms of “classroom” and “practical application”. Classroom takes you so far. Take for instance, martial artists.
They learn proper form, technique, light sparring (where you ARE NOT trying to hurt each other) all of that. Can do it for years. Some of them never get in a real fight. Some of them sign up for the UFC. They get knocked out in a SECOND! A real fight is different, the training is different. Will you USE what you learned in class? Absolutely. How it is actually applied is a bit different than just knowing it though.
So the same with music. What are PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS of what you learned? There are different answers to that question. Finding out what those are, what you want to do, and DOING IT, that is how you get better, once you have achieved a certain level. I think Josh gets you to the level where you can step into the octagon…but nothing teaches you what to do/not to do, like getting punched in the face for real.
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This is very true, in my experience. As I was finishing Josh’s course I looked for a live teacher, and was also recommended to join a band that is one of 12 amateur bands in a project led by a musician in my town. Learning to play 10 or so real songs, with others, with the goal of appearing live after only 3 months, was a real leap into the deep end. No way I could have learned what I did learn with that experience, from any course or video or backing track, and without a little help from a teacher. That was a little more than a year ago, just before Corona kicked us all in the head. Between lockdown to lockdown we play together (just came from a rehearsal 
) and I do courses and watch individual YouTube videos, and keep learning, also challenge myself with songs I love. I like Mark Smith at talking bass, and James eager at Bass lab; they’re very different but I’ve learned lots from both. After looking at 100s of videos and courses, I’m convinced, like a lot of you, that Josh’s course is THE best beginner course, no competition. Enjoy!
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I was going to do the 3 month plan, but I got so into it, that I wanted to just keep going, so it only took me about 5-6 weeks and I had a blast. I definitely feel more comfortable on the bass than I did when I started the course. I’m also on SBL and I agree with you, I need more direction LOL, which is why this course is so good. I like learning something and then applying what I just learned to a popular song.
Since I finished the course, I’ve just been playing along to a bunch of songs I like and learning some other things on the side. I heard Josh was thinking of, or working on another more intermediate/advanced course and I can’t wait to see it.
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Hi Rettta
Sounds like we are on a similar learning curve. I committed to the hardcore plan on Feb 1st but I’m up to module 10 already so should finish ahead of schedule. I do have a bit of prior experience on bass and many years of playing guitar badly so I did whizz through the first few modules. I’m cheating a little also because I’m not playing along to the full songs but I thought I’d leave that until after to give me something to do when I finish.
I’d love to think Josh would do a follow up course but it seems he only really talked about it in 2018/21019 so maybe its something that has fallen by the wayside (either that or he is keeping it all under wraps for a big reveal). It would be a shame if he didn’t because I reckon a ton of members would take him up on it which would give him a great new revenue stream and keep us all super happy at the same time. Win Win! I guess one of the problems is which way to take the course. The beginner course was really a level playing field because we all have to learn the same basics but once we have finished the course I guess we are ready to go off in several directions exploring different styles. Some may want slap, some may want jazz etc so how do you construct a course to please every one?
PamPurrs and Erg have both recommended Mark Smith at Talking Bass so I took a look at his website. It’s odd because I’ve known about Talking Bass and been signed up as a free subscriber for quite a while but never really paid it much attention. What I like about it is that after the two beginner courses, further lessons are presented as modules that you can buy on specific topics. I’ve got my eye on the walking bass course as well as chords for bass guitar but he also has chord tone essentials, sight reading, ear training and slap bass modules.
Without suggesting Josh slavishly copies this I reckon a ‘module’ approach to lessons as opposed to an intermediate course could work well. It may be that I get on really well with Mark’s approach but I’m really comfortable with Josh’s presentation and teaching style and I’d sign up to further lessons from him like a shot without even looking elsewhere!
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I’m just in love with the fact that music exists And always will be. And we, as temporary beings, are able to tap into it’s purity while we’re here.
There’s a quote -
“Music represents freedom. It is everywhere just like the air we breathe, and as long as the universe exists, it cannot be destroyed, nor can it’s freedom be taken away. Because the power of the notes is stronger than anything you can imagine”
And with Josh pointing me in the right direction on the bass, I’m all set.
Come at me, universe!
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I highly recommend the Chord Tones course (before the Chords for Bass course). It really teaches you the structure of all the different chords, which gives a great foundation for creating basslines on the fly.
I also highly recommend the Sight Reading course. It’s long and tedious and lots of work, but very beneficial, not just for breaking away from the shackles of playing by tab, but also for quickly identifying key signatures, timing, rests, etc.
The next one I recommend is the Walking Basslines course, which helps you to be able to simply look at a chord chart and create walking basslines on the fly.
I have finished the Scale Essentials course (very good course about all the scales and modes) and the Chord Tones course; and am a third of the way through the Sight Reading course, on which I take my time. I’m also about halfway through the Walking Basslines course, which I’m also taking very slowly.
P.S. Josh and Mark speak highly of one another. They previously worked together on cruise ships.
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Thanks, that gives me a good road map to work to. Out of interest, another bass ‘tutor’ has popped up on my Facebook page called Lorin Cohen who has a course called New Shapes For Bass and I’m wondering if anyone had heard of him or taken his course. He seems to lead heavily towards the jazz genre but that’s my ultimate aim (I will probably need another lifetime). I suspect it’s aimed more toward the intermediate/advanced bassist rather than someone at my level but if the testimonials are to be believed he is highly thought of. I’m very wary of buying too many different courses because I think it’s far too easy (for me at least) to lose focus and be overwhelmed. I’m not even going to buy any of Marks modules until I’ve finished Josh’s course and even then it will be one module at a time. However, this course seems a bargain at $57 so I’m wondering if its best just to buy it now and put it on the back burner until I’m ready. I’m not sure whether this link will take you to the page I saw or not but if it does there is more info here:
When I started B2B I was only fretting with 2 fingers. I wasn’t doing alternate plucking. I didn’t know my scales. I couldn’t name the notes I was playing. I’ve only finished half of the course and have improved exponentially. What I do to level up my playing is crank up the bass on my car stereo and keep an ear out for great basslines. Then I’ll look up the song and see if there are bass tabs available online. If not, I play along with YouTube video’s and jot down the tabs as I go. I’ve created my own blank tab sheets. Because I’ve become familiar with the notes on the fretboard, I will try playing the same notes in different fret positions or throw in open notes here and there. Then, practice, practice, practice to get the muscle memory.
I keep a list of songs I want to learn. What seemed impossible in the beginning is now simple to play. “Stuck in the Middle” by Stealers Wheel is a good example (for me) of overcoming a challenging song. If you choose songs that you love, grew up listening to that you sing along with, it’s easier to learn the bass part. It has been in my experience anyway. I also record myself playing so I can play it back and pinpoint my trouble spots more effectively. If you enjoy singing, it can be a struggle to do both but it’s very rewarding to be able accompany your voice with a musical instrument. That gives me the drive to keep at it. Sorry about the long reply. I hope there is something useful here for you, lol.
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Hi @froghopper01, welcome to the forums! No need to apologize for the length of your post; I found it fun and inspiring to read.
I’ve been thinking about this as well… As it turns out, there are plenty of blank tab sheets that can be downloaded in various formats. All you need is a printer and you can print as many as you want!
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Yep planty of blank tab pages on t’internet. Here’s a quick link to one http://resources.dsmusic.com/guitar/Blank+Bass+TAB+Paper.pdf
And here are some blank stave pages
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You might consider getting this software from NCH. There’s a free trial period, and after that it’s very inexpensive for a lifetime license. It’s been awhile since a bought it so I don’t recall exactly how much, but it’s nominal.
I use it frequently for converting transcription or chord charts to scores for songs.
I don’t do it in tab, I do it in actual music notation, but for those who are still playing by tab, I think I saw where you can create tab sheets as well.
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I was also challenged by Stuck in the Middle, and then a friend baited me to do it with a pitcher of beer as a reward. So I got the chord chart from Chordify and learned to play the root notes, and then created a simple bassline from there. I was amazed at myself when I finally finished it and posted this cover. It’s far from the the best, but it was only the second or third song I had learned and played all the way through.
I find that transcribing and learning songs is one of the best forms of practice, not just in terms of playing, but also in terms of ear training and sharpening your music reading skills and timing.
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Well . . . did you ever get the pitcher of beer, Pam? . . . 
Cheers
Joe
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Indeed I did! 
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Or Musescore…
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Yes Musescore is good also, I used it for awhile. I prefer using Crescendo though, because the scores I create live on my own computer rather than in the cloud.
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I don’t know Crescendo really, so I can’t say what the differences are… but one difference is that MuseScore is free of charge.
MuseScore is a native app and I have all my scores on my hard disk, and nothing resides in the cloud, unless I want it to 
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