Hello All,
My name is Travis ( AKA The Padre ) and I reside in the beautiful state of Colorado. My personal introduction to the bass was very simple. I was hiking with an older gentleman that expressed his interest in learning the electric guitar. I encouraged him to do so and said," I Have Always Wanted To Learn How To Play The Bass." He went on to explain that HE IS A Bass Player! So two summers ago I purchased his amp, pedals, and 5 string black beauty.
My first year with the bass was nodding around the fret board and watching “every” beginner Youtube bass video. After one year, sounds about right, I joined Scotts Bass Lessons Academy for the year. I have NOTHING bad to say about Scott’s School. Its just that for me, total rookie, his lessons were way over my head. I stuck with it for the year but improved very little. The example that I would give would be that the instructor would explain a basic C Major Scale but then jumps to the C on the 8th fret of the E string. So intermediate players understood and could follow but I was constantly backing up the video and clicking pause to count frets. Not Fun
Summer of 2020 I singed up here on B2B A$$. I practiced everyday and finished the 108 course material but did not absorb the material because of my own pace. I still felt frustrated and really felt that I had not improved. Kind of playing the petty me party.
Then, I was just on a road trip to see some friends last week. We stopped by a BBQ gathering and a fretless acoustic bass was waiting for me. After asking if I could noodle around, the owner picked up his guitar and him and I messed around. In the first 5 minutes I was totally clueless and almost stopped. That is when Josh’s little voice popped in my head. Root, 5th, and Octave. So I camped out there on that pattern while the banjo and guitar player went for it. After a couple of “songs” the banjo guy would call out a D and I would pluck with his head bob. He called out an A and then G and then C and I was stoked. I came in on the boom with his head nob and note calling. Root 5th, Root 5th, And Root Octave. STOKED
So long story short is that I am all rejuvenated and about to start the course over. So looking forward to my future aha moments over the next few months. Wish Me Luck
My Goals:
- Warm Up Properly And Stretch The Hands Out
- Take My Damn Time And Slowly Play The Beginner Riff Before Moving Onto The Medium Tempo Exercise.
- Pay Attention To The Notes, Not Just Tabs
- Video Record Myself And Watch The Mistakes For Corrections Later
- Slow Down!! No Need To Be In A Rush. Not In A Sloppy Way But I Was Always Thinking About What Is Next. Just Slow Down And Be Present
- Practice In Front Of Someone. Not For Accountability But To Understand The Tempo With Someone Watching
- Frequent The Forum Here On Bass Buzz. Become Involved And Ask Question
So in closing, thank you for your time. Thank you for reading my story. Thanx in advance for all the feedback and for sending positive vibes.
Much Appreciated,
Cheers
