Hello community!!
I need some help with my bass path.
I got stuck at the beginner level and can’t seem to take the next step towards more challenging musics or exercises.
What should I do??
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Dear @Guto
Well, i started to cover songs i really like with simple basslines.
Just to play along and discover how get use of the technique we ´ve learned and to develop my hearing.
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Yeah, I’m running out of ideas for music to learn… The easy ones I got and the intermediate ones I can’t get them right, the challenge/step seems to big…
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So what is the problem?
Left hand, plucking, anything else?
What kind of music would you like to master?
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Agility with the fretting hand… and switching strings with the plucking hand…
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I think deep down you know the answer to your question, @Guto 
There is, unfortunately, no short-cut to being able to play more challenging tunes. But, you already have identified where you need to do some more… now, it is all about finding exercises to work with and slowly overcome these challenges.
Of course, it is important not to get de-motivated by just practicing technique or arpeggios etc - you want to mix it with more fun stuff - covers, playalongs etc. But, still, if you only do the latter, you will get stuck at some point… as you already have experienced.
Hence, I think I only emphasize what you already know you must do!! Good luck!
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Yeah… after the B2B course I have only been trying to learn the musics I like… the easy ones I learned and the other ones I can’t play…
I haven’t done exercises, my friend said that focusing on learning music would give me the skills I needed to keep on learning more and more music.
However, I got stuck! And demotivated!
Ok, where is good place to find these exercises? Any recommendations?
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This is a bit tricky… I mean the internet is full of stuff and there are tons of YouTube videos for all kinds of exercises. The problem is how to find that which is most appropriate and helpful for you. That would be a teacher’s job to decide… someone who has analyzed what you need and gives you the right exercises to progress.
I am not a teacher (for bass, at least) and perhaps it could be beneficial for you to find a teacher in your area and get some in-person lessons (or, perhaps, via Skype etc).
I think what you are experiencing is what hit a lot of us here - a certain vacuum after having finished the course and along with it an almost paralyzing feeling of not knowing what to do next. This is mainly because we no longer have Josh taking us by the hand and showing us the fun of learning all things bass.
But, Josh does have a bunch of YT videos and teaching material outside B2B (also booklets about technique and exercises). You could check those out as well!
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The only thing I know after learning guitar for a few years is that there’s real value in learning a whole song (not just a riff you like) end to end. One of the main things I found was just having to concentrate and stay in time for 3 mins is harder than it seems.
I’ve been learning bass a few months and have started learning a few songs. I found a good list of beginner bass songs in both rock and soul genres online. Maybe you could pick out a few of these tunes and rediscover your inspiration. But as @joergkutter hints at; the real answer is ‘you just have to put in the work’. Good luck 
Oh and I’m also completely redoing the B2B course because I’ve already paid for it and I can still learn things from it, second time around.
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Awesome!!! Thanks guys!
I’m sure this will help a lot!!
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Hey @Guto,
We all go through different phase as we are learning, and the responses all say similar things, we need to practice to see improvement.
I don’t practice theory stuff as much as i should, it bores me.
My suggestion would be to continue with the easy songs to gain strength, dexterity, and improve timing, you will over time see your own improvement in these areas and all the stuff that you currently find challenging.
When i am practicing a song i want to cover, i can spend 1-2 hours per night playing it over and over for a week or 2 or until I’m happy with it.
With songs you find challenging you might want to break it down into pieces and then as you master one section add another section.
I don’t know what type of music you like to play, if you can read music or tabs my suggestion would be to head over to bassinstructor.ca , Con has heaps of covers with music across heaps of different genres, you can download his sheet music, watch him play them to see what his doing and i have found 99% of his transcripts to be very good.
Cheers
Brian.
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I use Ultimate Guitar tabs to learn a song. If you pay for the Pro version; you can slow the song down, loop the part you need to work on. Mute the other instruments etc. It’s a really powerful tool to learn with.
Cheers
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@Guto We all hit ruts that we find ourselves either stuck playing the same stuff or bored whatever. I have done it numerous times. I am always working on various things, for instance, I will practice scales, modes, chords, but I get bored pretty quick so then I will work on a song I am going to cover which is usually a song that is fairly simple. With this song, I will focus on timing, groove, technique, etc because I am going to make a video of it and I know that others will see it. Then I find a song that is way out of my league and I will break it down into smaller fragments and learn the lines a few bars at a time. With this I am learning to challenge myself to get better, but I am also challenging myself to find the chord progressions, common patterns, the key center, I try to see if the artist is running common modes, arpeggios, or fills that fit into certain fingerings. Even then most of the music I record as a cover is not something I generally listen to it is solely for the purpose of playing. I put into practice all of that boring stuff like running scales for instance when I am learning other music and I find it helps me stay engaged but it also helps me see how it is put into practice.
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One other thing I use is a looper for YouTube. This website allows me to take a YouTube video I want to work on and I can drag the buttons to get a small section of the video to loop.
It’s useful if you’re trying to learn something and you don’t have the tab. You can slow the video down and pick out the notes. Then speed it up and practice the specific bit you’re working on.
Click on the ‘edit timing’ button to highlight the part you want to work on.
This was a demo for a bass I was looking at and I liked the intro music. So I learnt it using the loop function.
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Awesome! Thanks Barney!
Play with others, play to a drum track, play originals. Even if it is 3 notes to some drums.
Practice scales. Play the scales in each finger position. Play them up and down the fretboard.
Take a bassline you know and try adding 3rds and fifths.
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Big +1 to the drum track suggestion. Triples the fun and is much better practice.
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@Guto one thing to do is download apps like Drum Genius and start using chord tones and create bass lines. Work on your groove development. Choose Latin rhythms and focus on upbeats, 2nd 16ths and subdivisions. Or pick a more challenging piece of music learn it in small chunks a few bars at a time until you master it.
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