Still feel like a beginner after 2 years

1

I first picked up bass and finished the ‘Bassbuzz’ course online during lockdown and since then been happily playing along to some to some tunes in my bedroom using bass tabs. But if anyone asked me to play anything on bass I’m pretty sure I’d die of a panic attack, I can’t play along to anything randomly unless it’s written in tabs in front of me and already know the song for timings.
I don’t really know the position of notes on the neck easily/ quickly, I definitely can’t freestyle anything. All things that I’d thought I’d be doing after playing for 2+ years.

Question is how do I improve?
I’ve been trying to look into this and most people just say ‘Practice’ ……which isn’t as helpful as you think.
Practice what exactly? - Anyone able to use their experience to give me any tips / exercises / websites / books / lessons etc that helped you become the awesome bass player that I’m sure you all are.

I’m going through the bassbuzz course again to try and hopefully let something sink in.

Just to give background I can normally practice for about 30mins - 1 hour for most nights - Longer if life doesn’t get in the way. I can tell that people tend to improve by playing with other people whether that be in a band or otherwise, but I’m just in no position in life/work etc to commit to anything like that.

Any suggestions?

4 Likes
2

Maybe consider playing with someone. Ive been learning for about 6 weeks, ive a session lined up with a few friends when the holiday season is over. I know that im not ready for performing live, but im happy for a garage bash.
Im sure we can all find a few hours from somewhere

4 Likes
3

I have been playing for over six years and still feel like a beginner at times.

6 Likes
4

You know, I wouldn’t ever have thought saying this, but why don’t you go ahead and explain your problem to an AI and see what they suggest?!?
If you provide enough context, you should be able to get at least some interesting pointers for what and how to practice.

Your challenge is complex and even though it is not unique (and most of us share this), our replies might be too “short” to be adequate. Tips like “practice scales”, “learn the fretboard” etc. are not super helpful, and more in-depth replies would really be warranted.

The very best option is still to get a (human) teacher and, in time, a practice plan from him/her. The next best option might just be to forumlate a carefully phrased prompt and ask an AI :wink:

3 Likes
5

I started five years ago and I still feel like a beginner.

Some progress fast, some slower. What helped me most was playing with people. It keeps me going and sets out goals. Yet, still here I am a beginner.

The important thing is to keep going.

As already the Romans (and the Greek before them) said: Ars longa, vita brevis.

7 Likes
6

Same for me with most songs. I attribute it to age and my way of learning/thinking.
Brute force data memorizing is not my strength, while I can learn about complex theoretical/scientfic stuff easily.
Some have a better CPUs, others have more RAM, I guess.

So, I have no advice her … but you’re not alone.
And I would not be desperate, as long as playing bass gives you fun.
Personally, I enjoy playing to tabs a lot, though I have met many people (singers, guitarrists, bass players etc.) while playing in the park that wanted to make music with me (cause I play through headphones and they could not hear how bad I really am :-))
In those moments I wished that I could play more freely, so I understand your problem here…

3 Likes
7

Nope. Definitely not. I’m right there with you both/all. I’ve been “playing” about six years, but started B2B maybe 18 months ago so I kind of feel like my journey started there.
I also attribute it to the way I learn. I’m not a super creative/artsy person and I have mad respect for those who are. I wish I could just pick up an instrument and start playing, but I need to be told what to play, right now at least. I have come a long way with B2B, but I don’t have that “thing” that others have where they can’t put the bass down and practice for hours at a time.

4 Likes
8

Ah … but somebody here, can’t remember who, said: practice helps :slight_smile:

4 Likes
9

“Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent.”

WHAT you practice and HOW you practice matter as much or more as the amount of time. You need to set clear goals and push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Firstly - is bass your first instrument? What other music experience do you have as a foundation? There is a big difference in the progression curve between being new to bass and being new to playing music.

If you’re new to music, you might actually get more from practicing singing and dancing - which are the best ways to train audiation and rhythm, respectively - than on focusing on just bass.

Identify the goals of what you want to be able to do. Going by your post, it sounds like those may be:

  • Be able to play along with songs randomly in the moment
  • Be able to play in front of other people
  • Be able to freestyle/embellish improvisationally.

(You mention being able to find notes on the neck quickly, but I think that is to support the above goals, more than a goal in and of itself.)

Once you’ve identified those goals, figure out what skills you lack or impediments you need to overcome. Start with the simplest and most basic versions and begin building progressively.

I’m guessing:

  1. Audiation - practice singing along to things and improvising lines vocally (even if badly).
  2. Just starting to improvise and jump out of your comfort zone.
  3. Building comfort

First - I would learn to embrace the suck. Get comfortable playing things “wrong”. Just pick up the bass and make random noises. Play “badly” on purpose, and get comfortable with the idea that you don’t have to be “right”.

I would start by playing along with generic online backing tracks. Like basic “12-bar Blues in [Key]” tracks. Pick a simple chord progression that you can follow and just… mess around. Start by just playing the root notes. Play around with more complex rhythms. Play around with more complex tone/note choices.

Then, begin putting on songs randomly and just seeing what you can do. Once again, embrace the suck. Even if every note you play is “wrong”, just be comfortable holding the bass and plucking notes along with a song you don’t know. Then repeat the process of just playing root notes. Then begin figuring out more tonal complexity.

Other things you can do that will help a lot:
Play with other people (not necessarily a band). Take the plunge.
Get an instructor. Tell them what your goals are, and have them help you figure out what YOU need to do to play by ear better.

7 Likes
10

Like BeerBaron said: backing tracks!

There are a ton of them on YouTube and they are tremendous fun. You are playing “with people” without the stage fright. Make up your own lines, chug on root notes, play with silences and slides, etc.

Then do the same to some of your favorite songs. Pretend you are the backing bass and stick to foundational structures and notes. Then pretend the band’s bassist is the backing bass and you are lead - make up a whole wild bass part on top of theirs.

4 Likes
11

I did that, Asked Gemini to create a practice routine for me to improve in several spots over a 1 hour session, and at the end, another shorter plan for 15-30 minute sessions. it came back with some great suggestions.

7 Likes
12

This is a very good advice.

@sneakyham15 It can be useful to print the course extras, with the bass line shapes, major and minor scales and triads. Practice from time to time the scales, and play some triads for fun.

You can learn the notes on the fretboard little by little, like Josh teaches in the course. When you know where some notes are, you can figure out where the other notes are in the sequence.

You can also write down or print a chart of the fretboard notes, and you can check them from there when necessary.

I have a suggestion that is working for me: I choose songs I like, with baselines I can play (I look for songs with tabs and sheet music). I practice playing them slowly. I figure out the names of the notes, and I say them out loud, or I whisper them while playing. This helps me to both memorise the riffs, and to learn gradually the notes on the fretboard, and to connect in my mind the names and sounds of the notes. I sing to myself the names of the notes with the intonation of the riff.

So when I’m playing a song that in the E string has 5, 3, 0, 3, 5, 1, then I sing to myself A, G E G A F. And so on. One bar has 5 and 3 on the A string, going to 5 3 5 on the E, and my fingers sometimes want to repeat them in the A string, but when I’m saying to myself D C A G A, then it’s easier for me to remember to jump to the E string after D C on the A string. I hope this wasn’t confusing. It has been very useful and helpful to me.

I find it easier to learn the names of the notes when it’s in a song I like.

5 Likes
13

Awesome!!

3 Likes
14

Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame (Sultans of Swing, Money for Nothing) said in a recent interview that he has rudimentary guitar skills, that he can get by in a studio but that’s it.

Of course a lot of people would disagree. Point is your feelings are common. Don’t get sidetracked by them. Even legends share the same doubts.

It’s hard to see the progress you make when it’s incremental, and you only get better a little bit at a time. Record yourself, then go back some time later and watch yourself and see how you’ve progressed.

I think you’ll be surprised

5 Likes
15

Agreed. One time just for the heck of it I turned the bass upside down and attempted to play it lefty. It felt just like when I played it righty for the first time and I realized how far I had come.

4 Likes
16

strangely, scott from sbl just did an entire course based on this. and no, i am not saying that taking the course would fix it, you would have to do your own deep dive into that. but he described this exact scenario and said that this was something he has heard over and over again as a guy that sells bass lessons. he even drew a graph that almost exactly matches your experience, of hitting a plateau at 2 years. he said he routinely hears from people who have been literally been playing for decades and not shown any improvement.

5 Likes
17

Dunno if this is already been said, but you should join a band with like-minded and likely-experienced people (maybe even more experienced, so that you can learn more from them in musicianship).

Punk Rock (and every subgenre of it) was a nice startup for me when I used to play drums. It’s a genre where you can make it as difficult and complicated as you want, because it has not much rules (f*%k the rules).

Else you could try reggae, which has some basic rules, but it’s more relaxed to play.

Another option is to find one music buddy to jam together at home or at a rehearsal room. Metallica’s James Hetfield told this in an interview where he had a group of friends showing off together, jamming together and learning new things from each other together.

One more tip to finish it: Life can get in the way, but be sure to grab it by the horns sometimes and put in the initiative that it needs to make music more your priority. Example from me: Videogames, family, friends and college did make it hard to learn music, but when videogames were gone, focused more on my music friends and found a new college course that fits around everything else like a glove, everything came together.

Hopefully this helps. Rock on!

4 Likes
18

I can tell you this much. It took me one year of playing every day to mp3’s to get to where I felt the basics were locked in and I was brave enough to attempt joining a band.

3 years in now with the same group, and a few side projects. We have about 120 songs in our catalog that we play 4-5 times a month. every song is on a word document with tabs as I don’t read music. These days the only thing I really look at is the count in and tempo, and maybe any special notes that me be written there.

The song itself? Nope. Most of the time I spend watching rodeo on one of the big screens in the bar somewhere or interacting with the people in the crowd. The point being after I have played this music ad nauseum for 3 years it’s second nature.

You’ll eventually get to where you know the tunes by heart, what key they start on, who plays what, when you come in and how, etc. It just takes time and lots of it. even if you think you’re not ready yet, consider joining a group of other players. Be honest with them and don’t exaggerate your skills because they probably think they suck too but won’t admit it! :grin:

I’m betting you’re better than you give yourself credit for being after 2 years of practice.

2 Likes
19

I’ve owned basses since the early 90s, although I didn’t get remotely serious about playing them until mid-COVID lockdown. I still feel like a beginner.

I’m pretty sure the next step in my “bass journey” is playing with people, but when I think about taking that step… whoo boy does the imposter syndrome set in.

I don’t have any real feedback for you other than… you’re not alone.

1 Like
20

What does your current ‘practice’ for 7+ hours a week actually involve?
Are you just playing along to tunes you like rather than pushing yourself? Have you tried the 50 song challenge? Playing with others will motivate you, especially if song choices are harder. There are the Bass Buzz Theory and Technique forums. Have you looked at intermediate online courses e.g. Talking Bass? It sounds like you are treading water.

3 Likes