Hi There, I’m looking for very convincing advise here when it comes Reading Music or Scales/Grooves. Playing bass is my thing but not entirely because of many responsibilities but the passions and my interest to play is still there. After completing B2B course, I’m thinking about to start Reading Music/Notes or Just proceed Scales/Grooves.? I just want my Bass skills to be valuable even though that’s my spare time. As a bassist my goal is to have a good tone, tempo or rhythm, improve anything else that require to be a better bassist. also can get an educated band in the future. If were we in the same situation what would you advise?
Simple Steps to Sight Reading by TalkingBass.net is an excellent course for learning the fretboard by touch, without staring at your fretting hand. Mark Smith’s course is valuable for anyone who has completed B2B. Highly recommended.
@MikeC That’s one of my lists. do you think after that I able to proceed with any training to improve my solo and tones? what courses do you recommend from Mark Smith regarding Tones, Scales, and Groove? I’m trying to build my pathway so I can apply it one step at a time.
I think both of these things can be done, if you want.
In my teaching experience, it has been very difficult to keep students motivated on the reading music side of things if they don’t have an application for it. Kids that are in school bands, or players who want to learn music they can only find in written form (without tabs), or want to work from piano/orchestra/trombone scores have stuck with reading much more than people who wanted to learn it just to learn it.
The scales and grooves side of things seems more immediately practical, so if you were just trying to prepare to go out and play, that would be where I’d put my emphasis.
I think the resources here are probably great.
Hope things go well, and if the reading music things keeps hitting a wall of “why am I learning this?” well, maybe you don’t need to throw your energies that way right now.
Reading is very useful and rewarding. Theories is awesome but it can be a rabbit hole. I find it very rewarding when I learn the name of the modes and theories after I already learned the songs they were used. Unless you are young and/or have a lot of time, you don’t need to learn them before you play, you can discover them as you go.
When I learn songs and I found something interesting, I look them up and learn what they are. Pino and Tony Levin are really good at incorporating tasteful modes in their music.
Pentatonic scale is probably the most used, so if you want to start, dive into that first.
Hi There, You meant to say after completing B2B, There’s no trouble if I take Chord Tones Essential then Sight Reading next to something else you mentioned?
Thanks @Al1885 I’m struggling if which one should I take when I complete my B2B course. Since my time is very limited to acquire those things. I just worry if sight reading is the first prerequisite before anything else however I like to improve my rhythm too. by taking those courses such as Scales, and Chord Tones are they able to suite and can improve my tempo and rhythm too?
Don’t mistake Mark Smith’s Simple Steps to Sight Reading for being ONLY about reading music notation. I found one of the most valuable things about it is the way it teaches you where notes are on the fretboard. Another major aspect of it is that it breaks you of the habit of staring at your fretting hand. Of course, being able to read notation can be very helpful, especially if a song might not have tablature to follow.
I have a feeling, like everyone else here you are probably not in your 30’s. Go after what you want, playing music. It’s like if you are asking me about learning how to speak Japanese, well I’d first tell you to talk to @howard, , I’d just tell you to just start speaking it. Learn, words then phrase, then sentence. Go to Japanese restaurants and markets. The last thing I’d tell you is to first learn to read and right and proper grammar before you can start speaking. Music is the same way.
You want to know about scale and chord tones as you learn and play the songs not before it.
I think it’s not a matter of either/or, but it’s AND: learn songs but also learn why and how those songs were created. That only comes from studying technique and theory.
Learning a language by hearing/speaking conversationally is valuable for getting by in society, casually, but there’s a ton more to communicating in a language effectively than just chatting.
As is true in any discipline, true art is in the details.
Learning music on your own, without knowing how or why it’s created, can get you only so far. Knowledge is power.
thanks for clarification @MikeC. I’m going to focus my technical skills until I get comfortable to play correctly those scales/tones then move to sight reading.
Lots of great replies and advice. I just started Mark Smith’s Scale Essentials. I wanted a basic knowledge of scales after always hearing all the terms. I knew my major and minors from both bass and piano, but this is pretty comprehensive. The exercises are helpful, but I don’t feel like I have to master every one just to get the idea of what each module is about. Great in-depth exercises, but I go easy on myself if I don’t nail it right away. I’m about a quarter way through.
Another vote for Talkingbass Simple Steps to Sight Reading, followed by (or done simultaneously) Chord Tone Essentials. I’m about 2/3 complete with Sight Reading Volume 1 and have just started Chord Tone. Excellent courses and a great compliment to B2B. I’ll note that Mark’s courses work best with a significant amount of repetition so keep that in mind.
I’ll second the point @MikeC is making here. Learning to read music has been very rewarding because I can pick up almost anything and figure it out now, however learning to play without looking at my fretting hand has been an invaluable skill I didn’t appreciate until taking the Sight Reading course. Also the Sight Reading course includes both reading pitch and rhythm.
By getting Chord Tones Courses from Talking Bass, it is also covered any theory on that Courses. Just want to understand the basic Augmented, Diminished, etc. they are also covered on Chord Tones?
, I’d just tell you to just start speaking it. Learn, words then phrase, then sentence. Go to Japanese restaurants and markets. The last thing I’d tell you is to first learn to read and right and proper grammar before you can start speaking. Music is the same way.