My experience and recordings from SBL

1

Hey guys!

I started playing bass a few years ago, but had to take a break for quite some time. When I was finally able to play bass again, I jumped into Josh’s B2B course and finished it quite quickly, within a month. So I decided to go on with the 50 Songs Challenge and in parallel, with the player’s path over there at Scott’s Bass Lessons (SBL). Some of you asked me, if I could share my experiences - so, yes, of course, here we go. :blush:

Out of curiosity I started the Player’s Path (basically B2B but from SBL) at the bloody beginning which is Level 1. :grin:

So far, I’m in for 2 weeks now and finished Level 1 and 2 already. What I can say at this early state is, in my opinion, SBL is much harder than B2B, if you’re a bloody beginner at least. But if you’re kind of a bit advanced already, for example a returner like me, it’s just the right thing to be challenged but not overwhelmed and to develop skills and abilities on the bass. I’m very happy with my decision to give it a shot!

I’m also regularly posting some of the tunes that I learned and will learn at SBL over there at my YT channel, especially those which I find really beautiful (many are actually very nice!), some are full songs, some are just licks or even shorts, so it’s kinda diverting. :blush: I’ll also post those video links here in this thread and of course in my User Video Index.

If you have any questions, I’m happy to help. :blush:

And if you like my videos / covers / tunes, I’m happy and grateful for a :heart: or :+1: over there at YT. I’m honestly happy about that. :blush:

So, have fun watching the tunes! See ya around and rock on! :metal: :grinning:

10 Likes
2

So one of the criticisms I have heard from multiple sources… is that the SBL platform is excessively ‘chatty’… and often diverts from the topic at hand…

How has that been for you… would be interested in hearing your take on that.

( the above is one of the reasons a lot of folks here take Marks lessons at Talking Bass… straight to the point, no chit chat kind of thing )

Not trying to stir the pot btw… Just asking. And obviously the lessons there are working for you, so that is awesome! :slight_smile:

4 Likes
3

Absolutely! SBL has a big following. I’m glad it’s working out well for you, @firefly. :+1:

4 Likes
4

The platform itself isn’t really chatty. What can be chatty is the free content that is mainly presented by Scott Devine and Ian Martin Allison. They tend to talk a lot, but it’s (mainly) because of their enthusiasm.

The lessons are different. Also, there are a number of different instructors, each with their own style (and focus areas).

The Player’s Path that @firefly mentioned is a really cool program, with nine levels and more than 50 songs from different genres, all specifically written and produced for this program. Many of them are “in the style of…”, but they are all originals, with backing tracks, loopers, extra videos on particular aspects of how to play certain passages, and sheet music, of course. Definitely well produced.

The chattiness is in the free stuff. And, yes, they also have a reputation for somewhat “insistent” emailing… :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

6 Likes
5

That was very useful info! Thanks @joergkutter :slight_smile:

4 Likes
6

The Player’s Path must have changed/evolved since 2022, when I signed up for it. Scott was the teacher and he wasn’t so much chatty as gabby, the distinction to me being that it wasn’t so much enthusiastic banter as it was just overly wordy. A lot of lecturing just didn’t sit well with me and it wasn’t what I was looking for.

In contrast, Josh was friendly and got down to having us play something right away. He struck the right tone of delivery and interaction that worked for me.

Honestly, with your endorsement and that of others here, I’m sure SBL has great content and teachers. I’d be curious to check it out sometime via the free trial, just for the hell of it. But the fact is I have more than enough course material and tunes I’m working on already. :sweat_smile:

6 Likes
7

If Sharon was do do lessons over there… I’d be sold in a heartbeat… she is so funny… and has that personality that is really close to Josh… bass is supposed to be fun! :slight_smile:

5 Likes
8

Ohaaa, so many replies already. Let’s see! :sweat_smile:

@Buzzin_Canada-John, in comparison to Josh they do talk a bit more in the lessons, yes. But to be honest, for me, it’s at a perfectly fine level. They don’t just chat around pointlessly, but they are simply enthusiastic and deliver some musician / bass player psychology with it. Sometimes it may be a bit over the top, but really just a bit and that’s absolutely okay. I’m happy to feel the energy behind it. :blush: I do very much aggree with @joergkutter here.

The lessons are very well presented and they always give you tabs and notes right from the beginning and properly explain what they do. But they are for sure faster than Josh (no clapping and counting and supersupersuperduperslow playthroughs etc. - as the student, you have to figure it out yourself more often. You have to read yourself more often (they provide workbooks and real sheet music with every lick and every song). And you have to practice yourself more often, for example by going for the groove trainer and really practice the bass lines. AND - those bass lines, especially right at the beginning, are much, MUCH harder to play than in B2B. So, it’s more like switching to university when coming from school. They don’t hold your hand so much, you have to do more on your own if you really wanna be good at what they teach.

On the other hand, outside of the Player’s Path, they also provide seperate lessons by different instructors, for example for reading sheet music, rhythm training, genres etc., so that’s much more deep dive content that you CAN do, if you WANT to do it. Again - it’s your own decision what you pick and learn.

@MikeC - Maybe! A few years back, I already tried SBL. That was around 2012 or so? So quite some time ago. And back then, I was a real beginner on the bass guitar and quickly felt overwhelmed by their content. It was so much to read, so much to understand, so much wordy lecture that I - not a native English speaker - had a hard time with. And the excessive emails were very common back then, too. I remember deleting their mails thinking things like “Man, don’t email me so much, don’t make thinking about the bass annoying for me…” - I think that was the time when I decided to opt out again.
Today, I get like 1 mail each day or another, that’s quite okay, and the email settings are at standard. I did not yet unsubscribe to any of them because I wanted to feel the real deal. :grin:

And yep, my recommendation for you, @MikeC , would actually be to try the free trial as soon as you have like 2 weeks time to truly dedicate to SBL. Otherwise, you won’t have a chance to see all the wonderful stuff in that box! :smiley:

5 Likes
9

Thank you for the detailed insight of your experience there! :slight_smile: I may give that a look ( for next winter… spring is coming and I am going to be STUPID busy soon (landscaper) ) … :stuck_out_tongue:

3 Likes
10

This was an excellent review and much appreciated. I’m totally ‘full’ right now with lesson material, but I was intrigued by the “Full Stack Bassist” course they launched a few months back. I’d be curious to hear if anyone is taking that and what they think so far.

4 Likes
11

There is undeniably a certain aspect of preferences and “chemistry” here; and it might not work for everyone. And yes, often very different from Josh and Mark.

That’s all OK. However, I get a little sad/annoyed when people just brush SBL aside based on very limited own experience and a lot of hearsay. I am not implying you do that, Mike, just seeing it pop up here in the forums, often like a kneejerk reaction. And I just don’t always find it fair or balanced, but, of course, it is what it is.

7 Likes
12

@firefly
Thanks for sharing ! I’ve been an SBL user and move to Mark has I felt the lessons were too much for me in duration and compelxity ; now that I’m older / better, I might want to try again

BTW, Great playing and great recording - what material are you using ? I’m wondering myself if I should try recording myself to spot what I do well and … not so well - You can mp me if you d’ont wan’t to derail your topic

3 Likes
13

Exactly why I was asking… I wanted to hear opinions right from the source :slight_smile:

3 Likes
14

@jefflangford67 Thanks! =) As far as I can tell, the Full Stack Bassist is a seperate course which probably comes for extra charge. If you want, I can keep my eyes peeled for you, or give me a few years until I’ll be there myself :laughing:

@joergkutter , exactly, agree again. For me personally, Josh is the perfect bass teacher because the chemistry is just ideal and we share the same stupid sense of humor. :smile: I do not quite click, chemistry-wise, with Mark from Talking Bass though, for example. To me, he is too fast and too cold, too distanced, I can’t feel the teacher-student-connection there. And this is important for me. :sweat_smile:

At SBL, the Player’s Path so far is presented mainly by Ian and he is like a big brother for me, lol. Sympathetic, calm, funny, enthusiastic, chilled, and an instructor who explains very well and grooves like hell. :smiley: So this switch is perfect for me. Scott introduces the study pieces of the chapters and I really can’t complain about him, too! :ok_hand:

4 Likes
15

If bass doesn’t pan out for you @firefly … you have a golden future in marketing :wink: … you sure know how to make a pitch :slight_smile: :rofl:

3 Likes
16

Thank you so much! :smiley:

For the recordings, I plug my bass guitar into an Ampeg SGT-DI into a Yamaha AG03 into my computer. That’s it, actually. :grinning: All the tone settings are mostly coming from the bass itself, I don’t even mess around much with the Ampeg or so. For every song I dedicate like 30 mins to try to find the tone which is perfect in MY ears for the specific tune and atmosphere of the song. :blush:

3 Likes
17

Lul, I’m not even making a pitch, I’m not endorsing, I’m not being paid or anything. Only thing I do is share my experience because people asked for it. :sweat_smile: And I really wanted to have a place to put those beautiful tunes to. :blush:

4 Likes
18

No need to explain… I’m the same way with B2B… and if you are just as jazzed about SBL… that’s a GOOD thing :slight_smile:

Rock on! :metal: :laughing: :metal:

2 Likes
19

I already endorsed Josh’s course three times, too! :smile: To another returner and two beginners around me in real life. Because they asked me how I accelerated my bass playing so much in such a short time. Well, THAT was B2B and I would do it again anytime! And I honestly hope Josh is going to release an Advanced Course sometime… anytime… not too far in the future. :smile:

3 Likes
20

Chemistry with teachers (or lack thereof) can either be very motivating or discouraging to a student.

I played bass in a band many years ago. Actually being a lifelong guitarist, I played bass with a pick, which was actually appropriate for the rock we were playing. Then, decades later, during lockdown I wanted to learn proper bass finger picking technique, so I researched online teachers.

After sifting through a whole lot, I narrowed my options to three: SBL, Talking Bass, and B2B. As I mentioned, I tried SBL first, primarily because of its impressive website and course offerings.

As for Mark Smith, I recognized his university music school delivery right away, because I was a music theory & composition major in college. He very much reminded me of my theory profs.

Josh was friendly and seemed acutely aware that his content aimed at beginners. Since I knew precisely nothing about proper bass finger picking, I felt comfortable with Josh’s slow and easy intro to the subject. I already knew all of the music theory and timing content he presented, but I still found it valuable in the context of bass playing. In short, the laid back, “let’s play some riffs” vibe of B2B was a cool way to ease into bass playing the right way.

I have to admit that I found Mark’s approach pretty clinical at first (“cold” was your descriptor), but I soon learned about his background and why he teaches as he does. Many know his backstory of having been a self-taught bass player who gigged for years before entering university music school. There, he discovered that he was not the badass he had thought he was, so he dissected all the theory and technique he didn’t know and reassembled it in a way he could understand it and make it his own. Of course, that worked out brilliantly for him, and that same presentation of information (without all the chatty BS of some others) is exactly how he teaches. Yes, it’s not warm and fuzzy, but it is the shortest distance between two points. I, for one, appreciate that: Just give me the info as clearly and succinctly as possible, and leave it to me to practice it and make it my own.

Again, it seems SBL has somewhat adopted this approach and I’m glad to hear that. Best of luck with your studies. Knowledge is forever power.

8 Likes