I have read quite a lot of the above content but was hoping that you could help me pick my next teacher.
Here is my situation
I have passed the B2B exam (not the superbadAss - 50% on this one; will continue to work)
I have not more than 10 min / day (I could use the 10 min daily exercise you will tell ā¦ but I find it a little boring )
I have no time to plan / search for stuff; course needs to be āoff the shelf, no headache, you play you growā
I play anything with my family band so not interested by ābecome the best XXX bassistā
Iām motivated to continue for at least an extra year
Iām not a English native spreaker but work in English every day and was OK with Josh or SBL / Mark free videos" so language shouldnāt be a big issue
=> Iām looking for bit size video, focused on playing, with a gradual increase in complexity (even if I survived the Billie jean blues ā¦ module 4 come on !), teacher with good energy level so that I become a more all around bass player.
Iām currently more into SBL Player Path as it looks like a very āgenericā and I could probably start at level 3
I have also read looots of positive feedback on Mark on taking bass ā¦ but Iām concerned as I would need to pick āChord Tones Essentialsā and Iām not sure this is what I need.
I could also go for the 50 songs challenge but I might not be disciplined enough + I have regular sessions with the family group to go over real songs.
I have a bunch of the Talkingbass courses and they are fine, but not 10 minute material, as you need to work your way into them. They are great if you do that though.
For you, maybe something like the Trinity Rock & Pop Bass books/online courses could be fun, as you learn songs in a graded system.
I decided to work on a practice routine which includes a warm up, scales and technique, some practice songs, a Talkingbass lesson and then some more jamming. Takes me about 45 minutes though!
Iād advise to use your warm up to focus on slow and precise technique. Do something thatās fun to you, e.g. maybe not scales but arpeggiosā¦ then do a quick lesson. Donāt skip the technique, itās good for you
It made me realize another great feature from B2B ā¦ most lessons are short, maybe below 5min ā¦ so if you have only 5 min, you donāt hesitate and start but most of the time I will end up playing longer (your initial 5 min availability was wrong)
Iāll look at the websites you suggested and Iāll keep you updated (yesterday I decided to randomly come back to some B2B lessons, this morning my kid practiced drums and I overlayed them with the 10 min daily practice exercice)
for the community benefit, here is an answer I have received from SBL after asking a question on Player path lessons duration (answer received in <6 hoursā¦ quite a reactive client team)
āMany thanks for your message. Each song within Players Path is accompanied by three videos: one is a performance of the song, one features Scott talking about the structure of the song, and one features Scott discussing how to play the song. The first two videos tend to be relatively short (the performance videos range from about 2-5 minutes, and the structure videos range from about 4-8 minutes), but the videos discussing playing the song are the longest, ranging from maybe 10 minutes up to approximately 45 minutes. I appreciate that that seems like a lot of time but Scott is very thorough with his teaching. Itās also worth highlighting that each Players Path song comes with its own individual workbook which reiterates many of the key points from the videos, meaning itās not always necessary to watch the videos in their entirety.ā
Not sure what are the benefits of the 2 1st videos (structure could make me more aware of music theory) ā¦ but the description seems overall interesting
On a side note, I āloveā how much marketing SBL puts into all communicationā¦ for a French guy this is waaaaayyyyyy toooo muuucccchhhhhh). I have already received 4 emails from them since I connected to the site
Oh trust me, you and your children and your childrenās children will receive emails from SBLā¦
I tried it, I did not like it as I felt their approach is very much āhere is the intro now you are on your ownā. Also I did not connect with them at all. Talking Bass seems good, I might go there after Iām done with the b2b.
But I think I will have a hard time adjusting to anything else than Joshās heartwarming way of teaching.
I hear you on SBL. The problem that Iām running in to is that I can either find a place that teaches what I want to learn OR teaches things in a way that my lizard brain can deal with. The only time Iāve found both was with BassBuzz.
SBL teaches what I want to learn but I hate they way they teach. Talking Bass teaches in a way that mostly works for me but doesnāt have the majority of the information I want. Trying to learn with executive function disorder is just one frustration after another.
No I didnāt try Players path, just colleted some info here and there, so your post is super usefull !
Might give it a try based on your feedback
at the end of the day, maybe both SBL and TB could work - the most important will be my willingness to work (but I have to admit that B2B was addictive !)
Iām in the middle of it now. I started on the intermediate path thanks to BassBuzz and, like I said, the information is fantastic and exactly what I want. I just have a lot of trouble with the way itās presented. He takes a āhereās a quick and somewhat vague high level overview now figure out the detailsā whereas I need a āhereās the basics spelled out for you with 27 8x10 color glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining how each one is to used. Now expand on them on your own.ā kind of approach.
I went to Belgium last weekend and was so afraid someone would try French on me. France is so beautiful - if only I could speak French or you folks would help me when I canāt. Last time, the waiter just walked away and I had to find a new waiter before I got food.
Thank you for speaking Northern French, i.e. English here. (For the UK people: )
Have a look at this page at Talking Bass:
The lessons are all like this:
A video explains the topic and goes through the steps that Mark Smith thinks are relevant.
You have notation and usually no backing track.
There is some explanatory text.
You can play with a drum track or a metronome, which you have to find yourself. I find that this is a good step after B2B, especially if you record yourself and really work on the details.
Great to hear that you usually get jamming longer than intended! Cāest magnifique!
Cheers,
Antonio
PS: I hope it is okay to post so much about other services. Love B2B and wish there was another course.
Thanks to instagram/ facebook/ snapchat, I guess the average level of Northern French is step by step improving Not sure about other benefits fo these types of media but this is another story
Iām sure itās OK to mention other channels as there is nothing here after B2B (I) ā¦ Would Josh release B2B (II), Iāll be the first one to enroll
Thanks for sharing the video, I like it overall, doubts are around the level of talking vs. practicing (Iām not sure this is an area where SBL would de better !) + Iām still concern by the fact that you have to pick a theme vs. doing lots of things (Itās a personnal preference, at this stage, Iād like to experiment a lot as I donāt have a target style of music/ bass playing - not mature enough (bass wise) to take these types of decision)
There is also a ālotteryā at SBL to win 5 basses that I will never ever be able to affordā¦ so might be a nice nugget (eventhough rough calculation give me 1/ 1 000 000 chance to winā¦ which is ower the lotteryā¦ but unlike lottery you still keep the early training even if you loose)
A small few forum members here have had a good experience with SBL. I cannot attest to be one of them.
I signed up for SBL but was repulsed by Scottās excessively meandering teaching approach and the entire organizationās spam-tastic email marketing. I couldnāt stand either.
That said, to each his own. If it works for you, godspeed and best of luck.
I agree with Mike. I also signed up, since you could get a month for free, but I lost interest after about a week.
Talkingbass is where I will perhaps go to next, but I can also feel Iām not connecting well with Mark. It just seems more cold and the constant stare at the camera and the āok?ā, after a very intricate pattern is not what I can feel is beneficial for me.
An amazing player though. And I have picked up quite a few things already, just from the free videos.
Other people might benefit greatly from them, we are all not wired the same way.
I havent ever tried any course, so cant say much i guess.
But just like after learning a new song, once some course is done, there is always a something new to learn or to write.
I mostly enjoy listening radio, spotify etc and time to time i just hear something i like to learn. It may be hard one or easy one. I think easiest was Zombie which i learned after listening it like 3 or 4 times.
Play what you enjoy to play or listen. Dont just try to reach some next level, remember to enjoy your skills. That is the best part of whole thing, enjoying to play.
You can adjust the tempo in 10% increments and also loop certain sections that need extra attention, so you can focus on those sections isolated from the entire song.
I think the Playerās Path concept is really good and very well implemented - diverse tunes for every taste and enough levels to keep me busy for years (at my current pace )
I havenāt joined this yet, but Charles recently started a new YouTube channel on the back of his main bass entertainment channel. The new channel is BassCamp - the few videos Iāve watched on their are good.
Patreon is good for a quick try or longer stay as you pay monthly.
Just a quick note. I was perusing bass videoās on Youtube and ran across a teacher, Rich Brown. This guy is the real deal. Laid back way of teaching and conveys concepts I have not thought of in an easy to digest manner. Might be worth a watch for you guys that need a fresh face aside from Josh, Scott and Mark.
ā¦ but I find it a little boring )
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