Hello there and a happy new year!!!
My daughter Mella, 6 yrs old, will be receiving her first 3/4 electric bass in few days.
Assuming she will not be too happy to have me as a teacher, I am wondering how to proceed with her learning method.
The closest conservatory is not too far away and will offer 1xweek group courses with all the instruments. Could be an option but I am aware that repetition and frequency should be almost daily to progress and find pleasure.
BassBuzz (maybe too complex for her?)
Apps (yousician…)
1to1 bass lessons with a teacher?
Any suggestion would be appreciated
Cheers,
Sergio
And therein lies the problem with people in Melia’s age group.
IMHO all it takes to learn bass is:
Wanting to learn to play the bass
The willingness to put in the time and effort involved.
As a ukulele and guitar teacher, not only young children, but some older people are so used to instant gratification in this day and age that they are not willing to invest the time and effort involved. Unfortunately I see this all the time.
Music is a life long journey and I cringe every time I see an ad on YouTube to learn to play an instrument, usually within a month. Outside of child prodigies this is just not going to happen.
Here’s a thought. Why not take the B2B course with your daughter. I assume if you are going to be her music teacher you do play an instrument. You have a built in duo and a great bonding opportunity with your daughter. Just do not be discouraged if her interest changes.
I had a family of four, Mother, Father, Son and Daughter come to me a few years ago and they practiced together regularly. After about 8 months they were actually playing for others. Then the children’s interests changed but the parents still attend our jam sessions.
Finding a good teacher can be a chore. There are a lot out there that only want your money. Just remember you are the client and if the teacher is not interested in adapting to your needs move on.
I have a great following but then again because of the rural area I live in I provide my lessons free of charge just to get people interested in learning to play. Of course I am retired so it is easy for me to schedule my time a lot better than someone who is still working.
Anyways, good luck and keep us informed on how you make out.
All the best
These guys are on point. If she doesn’t keep playing, your aren’t out a ton of sweet, sweet cash as Josh has this program really reasonably priced.
And here’s the bonus-you may find that you are the bass prodigy.
Plus you are buying these lessons. Meaning if it takes her a year to develop an interest, you still have them.
All the best, and i hope she shreds on that thing!
Hello folks, thanks a million for your replies.
After reading them and doing my due diligence in researching and asking around, this is what I will do:
follow the big picture (it’s a long journey and she is so so young), have the bass all time around in the house and tell her about my bass learning path (which includes a method where there is a nice fella with a banana tattoo on his arm, did it durind confinement 2020)
teach along bassbuzz approach (one hand at a time and play along some easy tunes)
take her to my concerts and to our rehearsal room sometimes
take any opportunity we have to discuss what we hear (do you hear the bass, the drums , the rhytm?)
no pressure. Never. Juste use 10-15 minutes when ot suites her/us
I personally do not instruct children under 10 years old. I just found it a complete waste of my time when the child’s interests changed. Just children being children and remember I do this for $0.
I had seen this book a while ago, and came across it again. It’s a bass instruction book aimed at girls, put out by Alfred Music publishers: "Girl’s Bass Method." Of course there is no difference for girls or boys in learning bass, but I guess anything to make things more attractive to an individual may help. The description says:
From Tish Ciravolo, president and founder of Daisy Rock Guitars, comes the first bass method written especially for girls! In the tradition of the immensely popular Girl’s Guitar Method , the Girl’s Bass Method speaks to girls by teaching from a girl’s perspective, with a style and design addressing the interests of young women today. This is a solid method that teaches how to read standard music notation and TAB, play in several different keys and styles, perform slides, accents, and syncopated rhythms and more. The included CD features recordings of all the music in the book for listening and playing along. 48 pages.
I don’t see an age range specified, but thought I’d mention it as something that could be useful as an additional tool for some, depending on the girl and the instruction situation. I have not seen this book in person, so can’t comment on the content. But I would advise checking it out in person before buying it, in case it is too “gimmicky.” To get an idea, though, Amazon (which sells this book currently for 12 cents more than the publisher) allows you to “Look Inside” at a few pages, including the contents and introduction.
