I am not an experienced bass player (only started 1 year ago) but I think you should try to learn recognizing the notes by ear, I really believe this to be the key when you want to be able to play freely instead of sticking to tabs. I definitely need to be able to do that one day (but I’m not very far as of now). There are different approaches to learn that, but any of them includes singing or humming the notes. There are plenty of videos available on YouTube on that topic. For me it works well when I exactly know what topic I want to work on, f.ex. cleaner fretting or memorizing the fretboard. Also, SBL have some kind of quiz on YouTube which can help you figuring out your gaps. Obviously, the problem of feeling stuck is well known to many of us.
I’m just under two years onto my bass journey. For me, the three biggest things that have improved my playing are:
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Playing lots. I typically play between 1 and 1.5 hours per day, depending on other priorities. This is mostly done before my family are up, so 5:30am / 6am.
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Learn songs. I now have over 170 cover videos on YouTube. Some are repeat covers, so I guess I’ve learnt and played something like 150 songs, so far. No, I can’t remember 150 songs, but the act of learning 150 songs has been a huge benefit. I know how to approach songs, how to break then down and how to make them my own. OK, most are simple, but I am firmly of the view that to be a decent bassist, you don’t have to be flash, plus there is an awful of of fantastic music that is simple and kicks 455!!
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Play in a band. Playing with other people is a huge motivator., especially if some of the people you are playing with are better than you, like our guitarist is. For me, playing with other people, and standing on a stage (however small) is where it’s at, where I want to be. So I practice to achieve that goal.
Am I still a beginner? Probably! I recon I’d fail some Josh’s ‘are you an intermediate’ video criteria? Do I care? Not really!! I know I need to improve my memorization of where the notes are up the fretboard (I am OK up to fret 5). I know I could do with better understanding scales and then using them to create basslines and fills. I know that I should have a go at some harder material to stretch me more…etc. etc. etc.
But, and it’s a huge BUT…I’m having a ball. I’m in a freakin’ band and holding my own! That was my goal and I am achieving that goal. The next goal is to get the band to a point where we can play pub gigs. I recon we need to be able to play 30 to 35 songs, well. We are currently at at about 20.
I guess the point I am trying to make is, “What is your goal? Why are you playing bass?” I’m not looking for an answer, but I think it’s worth considering the personal ‘why’, and the associated goals. From this, you can work backwards … how do you achieve that goal? Then you practice the things you need to practice, to get to where you want to get to.
For me, goal = play in a band and play on a stage. So practice = learn lots of songs so learning songs doesn’t phase me, then practice the band selected songs so I know them, then rehearse with the band so we know them, then play them on a stage. Rinse and repeat.
There are a couple variations of this.
Being able to hear a note and identify which note it is immediately by ear (e.g. “C”, “D sharp”) is Perfect Pitch. And that’s generally something you have to develop as a young child.
What you can learn much more easily is being able to hear a note and identify what it is on an instrument - i.e. if someone plays a C, you can walk up your fretboard and identify what the note is.
The next step up is then to understand Relative Pitch, which is hearing two notes and being able to identify the interval between them.
Here’s a few options of “what to practice”
- Learn songs, often suggested particularly if your goals are to play with others
- Play with others, usually requires having learned some songs (see above)
- Find a bass curriculum, such as B2B (Scotts Bass Lessons and Talkingbass are the most talked about on this forum)
Personally I’m doing talkingbass and think it’s great because Mark provides extensive lesson material, practice material, detailed video lessons, and backing tracks. If you want to go down the path of learning about theory, chords, scales, reading sheet music then the recommended courses are: Chord Tones, Scales, Sight Reading, and Theory. These courses are very big, sight reading alone is probably a 1-2 year course. If you just want some lessons that build up your ability to play bass then I’d highly recommend Groove Trainer and Technique Builder. Neither of these require any knowledge of theory or the ability to read sheet music as he’s got tab’s in addition to standard notation. Both Groove Trainer and Technique builder will provide many months of focused practice. After completing Groove and Technique, you could consider “Creative Bassist”. This path would give you at least 2 years worth of focused practice and pairs well with having just completed B2B.
This is just my opinion YMMV.
This is a great study path following B2B.
The thing is: Do whatever it is that keeps you excited, motivated, and playing.
Many B2B grads choose to work through the 100 Song list, learning as many songs as they can, planning to jam or to play with others in a band.
Others are interested in learning about/improving key aspects of playing, such as how to groove and/or how to train their hands to move smoothly over the instrument.
And others want to learn how to jam and/or how to create bass lines or solos.
The key value proposition of B2B is that it covers all the bases beginners need to know in order to pick up a bass and actually make some decently coherent noises with it. Beyond that lies a world of learning and playing possibilities.
Now it’s your job to ask yourself what you want out of playing bass. Most often, answering that question will lead players towards the best next steps in their journeys. Don’t stop believing.
And…Hold on to that feeling…
Tons of great advice, and apologize if my own echos others.
I always feel like I’m learning and hope I always will because that’s where I often find inspiration.
Some of the things I keep in mind while I practice and continue to learn:
- Learn your favourite songs. The WHOLE song. Enjoy and reference your favourite lines, riffs, and fills often. You’ll be surprised what comes out from muscle memory when you play with others.
That will be a “sign” that you are improving, and take it as a nod to your efforts.
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Be intentional with your pratice. What are you trying to improve? Do you know? What is it that makes you feel like a beginner, and can THAT be what you practice?
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Be clear about what you want to be good at and how you measure it.
I have the good fortune to now be playing with a few bands, and what I always try to achieve is to be supportive of my fellow musicians.
How can my playing make them better?
Do they need steady rhythm to lean on?
Do they need space to shine through?
Do they want me to double their parts so the song is more powerful etc?
Does my tone compliment or compete?
I hope some of this is useful, as well as other comments on this thread.
Take what resonantes with you and start there.
You can’t do it ALL but you CAN do anything!
This matches pretty much what I’m doing. Above all, learning my favourite songs gives me lots of motivation. And I want to be able to play them by ear and produce a clean sound. I did a course by Fender which came with my bass, and now I have started the B2B course. I have been watching Josh, SBL and a couple of other guys on YouTube, like Luke from Become a Bassist, Mark from Talking Bass and Julia Hofer from Thomann. There are a couple of good people out there on YouTube sharing their knowledge or posting videos with bass covers. I also very much like the videos about deconstructions of bass lines and not to forget listening to isolated bass lines. This I could do all day.
There’s a great method for memorizing the fretboard from Bass Video Academy (their vids are in German but you can turn on the subtitles). The method is called “The BCEF Square” and it greatly helped me to memorize the fretboard more easily. In a 7 minutes video, the guy managed to explain that in a way I could understand (which means everybody can understand that).
Julia offers courses too? That would be great - she is so likeable.
Do you have a link?
EDIT This? Or is there something else too?
No, there are no courses, but she plays great bass lines like from Abba and explains a bit about it which I really do enjoy. I’ve watched a couple of her Q&A videos too, and I could take away a few points worth noticing from there, like from this one. Julia’s just awesome.
Honestly, I was in exactly the same place about 18 months after starting lessons (not BassBuzz, not nearly as good,) and I had no idea how to move forward or even if I knew how to play at all. What worked for me was reaching out to other local musicians who said they were about as skilled as me, by their own admission. Just sitting down with a guitar player or another bassist. No dreams of “a band,” just “here’s where I am, where are you?” Someone taught me “Jump in the Fire” from Metallica. One night I went and jammed just that song with some people. All of us learned “For Whom the Bell Tolls” together. Jamming with people and hearing your own playing in context absolutely jumpstarts your learning process.