Welcome aboard, @eharrell . . . 
Learning how to play any instrument by yourself can be frustrating. (I felt very much the same way as you when I started). Did you sign up for @JoshFossgreen’s course? It’s a great way to gradually get into playing bass and he uses a nice step-by-step approach to learning it.
All best, Joe
@eharrell So many of us were in the exact same place. Josh’s course was the single best investment I’ve ever made in my bass playing.
If you take Josh’s course you will probably be able to understand how all of that stuff fits together before you’re even half way through.
You’ve come to the right place and the community is the nicest around.
Welcome aboard!
Welcome to the forum @eharrell! I hear ya about getting stuck with scales, I’m actually editing a video on that exact topic at the moment… (will be on Youtube soon)
Welcome @eharrell . I have tried to learn on & off for decades, and although I got serious a few months before signing up for B2B, I found the progress and understanding that came with the course was astounding. The early stages felt like they were too basic for me, but I stuck to the course and started to realise I was absorbing new info without even consciously noticing. The way the info is presented has helped me to grasp written music better than before, and I feel I understand so much more of the underlying theory - including the power of knowing scales etc.
I’m looking forward to it Josh!
Thanks PeteP. This is good to know.
@eharrell - welcome aboard!
There’s a world of sympathetic musicians who feel this pain!
For me, this all made sense when I started having to improvise and come up with my own bass lines.
Scales are like ingredient lists.
As long as you’re using other people’s recipes, it doesn’t make much sense to have a categorical knowledge of ingredients - because they are always selected for you, and always in the perfect amounts.
When you start cooking without recipes (improvising, writing your own songs, writing bass lines to a band’s songs, etc) then you need those ingredients, and some of the usefulness of that knowledge becomes more obvious.
I’d highly recommend looking for a beginning jazz improv class at a local junior college, or music school, music store - anywhere that organizes such things. It’s a wonderful way to see and hear scales and music come together in a practical way.
Hi All,
Thanks for your storries! 
I’m Remco living in the Netherlands. Been trying to play some instruments such as tinwhistle, piano and even bass. I usually sing, in a popgroup as well as in a folkrock band. As singing goes better each time. I want to do more and decided to look for some bass lessons. Fun to wonder around on youtube, trying out Studybass, Scottsbasslessons and how-to-play-bass, yet somehow to me, it doesn’t ring a bell. 
Now trying out the ‘Beginner Bass Basics’ in the next couple of weeks. So far it looks and sounds promising: Josh, you do have some energy I really like and enjoy!
There are a lot of bass players out there who are very good at playing, fewer that can play AND teach, and even fewer that can play, teach AND inspire. Josh’s manner is relaxed and a bit fun (in a geeky sort of way - which I love), and I think you’ll find him easy to listen to and follow.
One difference with this option is the forums; we’re not a bunch of egos trying to outdo each other. We all know that we have much to learn and we share our experience with supportive folk. There are numerous differences to other courses but I think this is one of the defining points.
Welcome, @RemcoRG.
Welcome aboard, @RemcoRG . . . 
You’ll enjoy Josh’s courses and we hope you have a great time here!
Cheers, Joe
Welcome to the forum @RemcoRG!
And thanks for the kind words @PeteP!
I love that so much about this forum! Grateful for that every minute I spend on here. I haven’t had to “moderate” almost anything in the whole 1.5-2 years the forum has been alive. You’re all amazing!
Hi Charlie, I’m in the same boat at 66. I have played with guitar on and off (mostly off) since my teens and write lyrics with a few chords to go with them here and there. Age, some hearing loss, especially in high frequencies and knowing too many guitarists have led me to the bass. I’m taking Josh’s course very slowly but surely, along with some of his freebies on you tube. A weak back, bad knee and being used to a guitar have led me to short scale basses and now I’m really getting into it.
By the way, getting some exercise, whether it’s walking, biking, or something else that uses a nice rhythmic pace is really helping me keep time when I play. In my head, I sound like Josh counting. One and two and…
Welcome @saradave2. That’s so true. When I take my dog for a walk I find myself almost bouncing along to whichever bass line I’ve been working on that day. Don’t worry about hearing @JoshFossgreen’s voice in your head - he never tells you to do anything (too) naughty. 
I also find myself plucking the steering wheel with my right fingers - any song on the radio has me listening for the bass, or playing my own bass line if it’s not obvious (or interesting).
Hey everyone -
My name is Bryon and I’m currently living in the Boston area. I played bass on and off in high school, played in a band but never was consistent at practicing. All through college and my 20’s was the same deal I could never put consistent time into it. I turned 30 in April and this past year I’ve been playing every day (and realizing what I was missing by not doing so!). I’ve been really focused on trying to improve my playing while having fun doing it.
Part of my bass journey recently is trying to meet new people who play and share ideas with - which is why I’m glad I came across this Forum. It’s great hearing your stories and I’ve been getting a lot out of Josh’s videos.
Cheers!
Welcome!
Welcome to our forum.
Hi Bassbuzzers,
Since I already posted on this forum I should properly introduce myself. 
My name is Paul and I’m from The Netherlands. My love for music started when I was a kid. My taste for music was ‘educated’ by my parents who always listened to all kind of rock and funky music. My dad is still collecting records and he has the most insane jazz collection you will ever see! Personally I enjoy all kind of music genres and I can never stick to one genre (sadly this goes for anything I do in my life lol ). I love metal, hip-hop, jazz, blues, rock, techno, alternative, etc and I’ve always been toying around with creating cheesy digital music. This year I decided that I want to learn the most badass instrument out there and show my son that there is more out there then playing games. 
Josh’s lessons helped me a lot to understand the ground rules of playing bass and learning music theory along the way was a big bonus for me.
Today I even bought a Fazley bass for my son’s birthday and he is already jamming it!
Welcome!