Hi bassers,
I’m on Module 5 being introduced to note names and rests. I’m an older bass learner and worrying that all the information is going in but not staying!! Does it get easier? I don’t want to quit 
Thank you
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The more you do it, the easier it becomes. Just keep chugging along 
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I agree with @Rob5589, I’m not very smart, and its slowly getting there after 6 months 
and its also not something that you need to play songs and such, but it comes with time
best of luck in your bass journey 
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Don’t worry about it just yet. You’d need to listen to the music first and understand and absorb the information. It’s like driving a stick shift, there’s no way to do all task successfully the first time around. The more you do it the more it becomes your skills and you’ll think about it less. It’s all patterns recognition.
It’s a complicated thing to do playing along new material the first time. Not even pros can do that, that’s why session musicians are so celebrated.
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Hi @slqwolves
It will come, carry on playing and following the course.
You will have doubts, failures and wins but it will click and you will be surprised just how far you have come.
When this happens you will know what you need to work on to improve on YOUR journey.
Good luck!
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Our brains can only absorb so much information at a time. You can’t absorb everything. Don’t worry about it.
Absorb what you can and keep going.
The course is very well designed. It fully factors in that you will not absorb everything. I’d wager it expects any student to absorb LESS THAN HALF of what it presents. Because it is designed to accommodate different skill levels. It is presenting information for new musicians that more experienced musicians already know, and more advanced information for the experienced musicians, that new ones are not expected to get.
Just like it gives Slow, Medium, and Full Speed workouts - and you are only expected to get Slow before moving on.
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Yup, and once something clicks down the road when you go back over stuff you start remembering the other stuff and it starts making more sense.
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In my opinion, most of the theory stuff is in there for reference. Generally the goal is learn by doing and listening, tab if you must. If that is too much then you can check in on the theory. Usually its a last resort. While you will likely never become a sight reading bassist, its good to know you can at least look a sheet and know what certain symbols mean and not have to start from scratch. Don’t get bugged out it’s only temporary. It’s way more beneficial to learn the shapes on the fretboard and the note names on the E and A strings
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I’m one of the stupidest people I know. My wife is convinced one of our dogs is smarter (She may have a point).
I started later in life and it’ll all eventually make sense. Just keep putting in the work.
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Are you having fun playing bass? That’s the essential part.
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Josh does a good job of reinforcing his lessons as you continue to grow. String crossing has been kicking my rear, but I’m definitely getting better as the lessons progress.
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Absolutely loving it. I think that’s why I’m struggling. I love playing but keep thinking I’ll never be any good because of the theory side
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When you’re a very small kid, riding in the car with your family, looking out the window, you very likely can’t read yet, so street signs mean nothing to you. But, over time, you begin to notice landmarks along repeated driving routes: the grocery store, the gas station, the burger or pizza place your folks pick up dinner sometimes. Over time, you begin to recognize more and more landmarks along the way to those and other places.
But more to the point, you recognize the destinations themselves in context of further meaning, not just what they physically are: You’re going to get to ride in the grocery cart; your parents are going to run the gas pump; something delicious is coming from the restaurant.
This analogy holds for B2B.
Josh is using chunks of relatively commonly known songs as landmarks, to present lessons about fundamental bass playing technique, bass line patterns, and, yes, music theory.
In early lessons, he might mention something extremely basic about music theory as it relates to a bass line, but it is only a fundamental introduction because beginners don’t have any context for what it means, especially at their level of playing knowledge, So, it’s far more effective and beneficial to the beginner to physically get hands on strings than to confuse them with the theory behind the music.
Don’t get discouraged about not having a clue about most things music theory. It’s most important to get familiar with practicing to make sounds with your instrument, especially by going through each lesson in B2B.
Josh is brilliantly sneaky in how and when he metes out music theory concepts. They are usually small, bite-size tidbits that provide context for the lesson/module material. Plus, he never pressures beginners to get crazy memorizing anything. That’s neither his goal nor the aim of this course.
Lastly, many, many of the most famous bassists have never studied music theory. And most of those folks can’t read music notation, either. Instead, they learned the fundamentals, practiced them, applied them, and customized them to find their respective voices and playing styles. That system has worked out pretty well for them. 
So relax. Bass playing is called “playing” for a reason: it’s meant to be fun. Luckily for everyone here, Josh makes learning fundamentals a hell of a lot of fun. Just keep doing each lesson, try playing the slow workouts, go back a lesson or two if you need, and just enjoy the ride. It is a gas.
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To add, find some easy songs you like and play them. Have fun, relax, that’s the entire goal so start doing it.
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If you can “hit the root at one”, as Bootsy would say, you’re good. That’s the essence of playing bass. Holding down the rhythm.
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This is all very well said.
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I’m older too and my brain can only absorb so much at a time. I finished the entire course and now as I revisit content, I’m working more on trying to memorize the fretboard. It comes with time, don’t worry.
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I really need to be better about saying the notes out loud when practicing/playing scales to lock them in better.
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Not true; just stay at it and don’t worry. Once you learn the acronyms, you can start to place them on the lines and in the spaces. Good Burritos Don’t Fall Apart (lines) and American Cows Eat Grain (spaces)
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