Pretty much the subject. I’ve gotten through Module 3, but I’m starting to feel the itch to try to learn a simple song or two. I’m hesitating because I don’t want to derail the B2B process by jumping tracks so relatively early. Should I stick with the program for now? I could easily see digressing to learning a song too soon could introduce bad habits.
Thoughts?
Do it! It’ll be a nice break from the lessons.
There are some cool grooves coming your way in the course. The first few lessons cover fundamentals, but things are about to get very interesting.
Of course, feel free to do whatever moves you, but if I were you, I’d stick with Josh and continue with B2B before trying to tackle learning a tune on your own. It will make so much more sense and be easier for you once you learn a bit more technique and theory.
First watch these videos so that you know which of the worst habits to avoid:
And then pick something arguably appropriate for your level (nothing wrong with challenging yourself but be realistic). Take it really slow and pay real close attention to your technique. Speed comes later. Even if it takes you a minute to play a 10 second riff, playing it accurately is more important at this point than playing it up to speed.
If you’re wanting some inspiration of some good starter riffs, by a crazy random happenstance Josh has a video with some great beginner bass lines as well:
Personally, the first bass line I learned was Feel Good, Inc. Granted, Josh covers it at a later point in B2B but I learned it on my own first.
You should be playing and learning songs along with your B2B. It would not only make lessons more fun but making the music more fun as well.
Do it!
If you’ve gotten far enough to know the basic technique, applying good technique to songs you care about is the best learning opportunity.
That’s what I did, and that’s what most players I know did… though most of us without the benefit of having the BB resource to make sure we weren’t learning bad habits.
Don’t worry about bad habits too much.
Learning music is more important.
Best thing to do is to find a song where the bass either runs the same progression through its entirety, or one that just has a simple change up for the middle part of the song.
Stupid Girl by Garbage is pretty good. Its only one progression with a slight variation every other bar. The bass is a huge part of the song. And the change up is starting and stopping playing at various points.
The first song I learned end to end is Bullet in the head by RATM. Its got some nice fillers, and three major progressions.
Which module covers With Or Without You? I think it may be Module 4, and it covers the bill perfectly.
Seven Nation Army is a good song to learn. We can all name songs, what kind of music interests you?
Wow, everyone! Thanks for the input! There’s a lot to think about. I think for at least right now, I’ll stick to the program, because, ultimately, my technique is still a bit sloppier than I’d like. But, I’ll definitely look at something soonish - I was thinking “Learn To Fly”, Foo Fighters. I’m not quite up to “Teen Town” just yet, lol.
@AdamDickson, if you’re just starting out and only a few lessons into B2B, follow Josh’s lead on the course. He has a brilliant methodology for bringing newbies up to speed the right way, as quickly as possible.
As a previously self-taught guitar and bass player, I learned tons of songs on my own. But I sure wish there had been great technique and theory instruction like B2B back in the day to make the whole process sooooo much faster and easier.
I think it’s important to do the things that make you want to pick up the bass and play. If learning some songs (while still progressing with the course), helps keep the bass in your hands, then do that! But definitely keep moving forward with the B2B course at the same time.
Learning song(s) could be a great added motivation to supplement the lessons in B2B.
Just make sure to continue to progress with the lessons and not supplant them.
This is good advice. Stick with the course for sure. But sprinkle in whatever keeps you motivated. Even if it you are working on something really complicated. Make that your goal, and work towards it. Josh has a video that covers Muse - Hysteria. I started working on it right after the video came out. I threw it in to every practice session. And I can now play it without even looking at my fretboard. Practice and repetition can help you reach any goal. So do things that keep you motivated.
Definitely agree with this choice. You’re almost there, lesson 2 module 4. I played all the way through the song after this.
If I could start over on my guitar journey (I started with guitar before adding bass), I would definitely have learned some songs earlier.
As others have said though, B2B is awesome and lots of riffs from popular songs throughout so they’ll be no shortage of playing music.
Just watch out for lesson 6 in this module - you’ll understand why when you get there - then search the forums for a plethora of posts about it 
Personal opinion - you should start learning songs almost from Day One 
As it turns out, With Or Without You was up next. So I did that and met with decent success and decided to try to dig into “Get Down On It” for a bit. It’s a nice change of pace for a little bit but I’m not going far from Josh’s stuff.
And yeah, I’ve heard about BJ. Lol
Thanks for posting those videos. I am literally only on day 3 of my bass journey. I am noodling around just to get a feel before jumping into the B2B and these videos will be on tomorrow night’s menu.
Josh has that wry wit that keeps my attention in the videos. He is able to transcend his amazing ability down to a level without insulting the beginner.
Respectfully,
Frank W.A. Beard
@AdamDickson there are a few suggestions in this thread. Don’t discount reggae because although it’s often a simple bass line it’s great for your timing / feel.