I’m not sure if I’m using the Beginner to Badass lessons correctly. I’m working through each module and lesson and completing the slow, medium and full workouts at the end of each lesson faithfully.
But I feel that I should maybe be doing some extra practice in between lessons - it somehow feels wrong to move on to the next lesson just because I’ve done the previous one. Should I be repeating the workouts? Or are there other things I could do to practice?
I am enjoying the course, but I don’t want to get to the end and not have picked up all of the skills I’m expecting.
I’d also like some playalong practice - can anyone recommend some decent sites for the less than expert player?
While you’re working your way through the course, I wouldn’t worry too much about having a set practice routine. Working your way through each lesson will give you the practice that you need, and each one builds on what came before so nothing will get left behind.
The most important thing for now is to have fun playing your bass, so you have a reason to pick it up. So as others have said, maybe find some songs you’d like to play, or just some riffs if that’s easier at this point.
If you’ve got as far as looking at the major and minor scales you can play them a little to warm up. Or you could try the say and play activities from the lessons to help you learn where the notes are.
But the way the course is designed, there’s nothing wrong with moving to the next lesson. You’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future to go back and repeat or improve on what you’ve done before.
The biggest reason that you might have for stopping in the future is if you get into the headspace of “I didn’t get that last lesson perfect, so I’m not going to move on until I’ve done it”. So avoid that mindset at all costs. Just move on and you’ll keep improving every day.
I picked the bass again with Yousician, started learning songs and then got into B2B. Now that I’m done with B2B I’ve started a TalkingBass course while I still playing a bit of Yousician daily. Yousician is the last thing I do every day before bed. It’s a paid app but you have a trial so you can find if it suits you.
I guess the best way though, if you have the time and the means, is joining a local band.
Whatever you do try to play just for fun a bit every day!
No issues with working your way through the modules. There will be a time when you will need to practice more with a module. Billie Jean seems to be one of those moments for a lot of people. Some of the workout songs are in full in the 50 song resources so maybe try some of those.
When I started it was on an acoustic guitar with the note sticker on it. It was the catchy riff of the song Owner of a lonely heart, it was quite easy to get started and play along with my friends who plays guitars and keys. I borrowed that guitar, took it home and start transcribing the song.
Of course, that’s not an easy song once you get deeper into it, but I was already hooked, I pretty much spent the next few weeks doing it and having a blast. Then I moved on to the next song my friends were playing so we could jam.
The moral of the story is start playing the song, lessons are supplements. Always be a player first and student second,
I’d pick a song you like on the challenge and just go for it. I promise you it will not be as easy at first but before you know it you’ll be playing songs.
Learn songs, whole songs not just bits of songs. Try the B2B Fifty first songs list for easy ones to start with. Record yourself (start just with a phone as it’s free) and work up to recording yourself for YouTube.
Use this as a learning / encouragement tool. Later on if you want to play with other people you can use it as a calling card.
Good luck
Some easy songs below to start that might interest you?
All good advice. Personally, I started playing songs from the 50-song challenge when I was in about Module 6 I think, and towards the end of Module 6 (IIRC), Josh mentions that you should be able to handle the easy songs from the 100 song pack at that point. Before that, I would sometimes play along with the backing tracks from the course extras for a little practice playing longer loops.
BTW, If you can do the U2 - With or Without You chugging exercise from Module 4, you can play the entire song. Other than a spot where the bass drops out for a bit, that’s the entire bassline.
I’m a big fan of chordify. I just renewed my annual subscription. I like thats its just simply chord changes. It’s not great for specific bass lines like CCR’s Suzy Q. TAB is better for that.
However, if you want to groove and improvise its awesome. It let’s you know the time signature and specific tunings. You can build setlists, loop sections, get count ins, lyrics, and a ton more im sure.
I prefer the desktop interface over the app, but both are serviceable. I am usually practicing through my interface and out my studio monitors or headphones. Having control of everthing through my pc make practice convenient. Although it works with your phone connected to an amp if your amp has that feature. There are also a bunch of different instruments to choose from. My daughter uses it for piano. It will tell you how to make chords if you don’t know. Same for guitar, there is also a capo option if your into those things. While there is no bass specific setting for the fretboard, its still very useful.
I can only echo what a lot of others have said here already. There’s nothing wrong with just working through the B2B lessons. They’re structured in such a way that important topics are often covered multiple times, in subtly different ways, so they effectively function as a practice regime.
I actually worked all the way through the course before I seriously thought about learning entire songs, but now I am working on songs I tend to use Songster. It’s a decent interface (including tempo controls) and has a wide selection of songs to choose from, though some of the bass transcriptions can be a little questionable - for those ones I just learn separately from notation/tab and use Songster to play along as practice. I can also run Songster on my PC/Phone/iPad so can take it anywhere.
The only thing with Songster is that there’s no indication of difficulty (though you can typically tell simply by looking at the tab), whereas Josh has carefully curated the 50 songs list by difficulty. I really should start working my way through some of the 50 songs, alongside Songster …
Thanks for all the suggestions. I’ve picked Songsterr as it’s got tabs for stuff I want to play and an AI interpreter for stuff it doesn’t have - already transposed ‘Mouldy Old Dough’ by Lieutenant Pigeon.
Hope I wasn’t appearing to dislike the lessons on BB - I’m just used to having a lesson a week and practice time in between when I was attempting piano.
I don’t have a solid answer on this, but was definitely wondering the same thing
I’m just on Module 2 and I’ve come round to the conclusion that in these super early lessons there’s no harm in just drilling the basic techniques from each lesson and also just ploughing through the lessons. Josh essentially says to just keep going in a couple of lessons.
As others have said, there will come a point where the lessons hit a difficulty level that will basically force me to practice longer, and my assumption (since JF is evidently a great teacher) is that there will be lessons that introduce ‘stuff to practice out of lessons’ (scales and other, more interesting things, I expect).
My name is an obscure reference to the TV show “Mystery Science Theater 3000”. During one host segment, they were trying to come up with action hero names by combining manly first names with a tough material for a last name, and Dirk Tungsten was one they mentioned!
That’s all well and good while you’re early in your learning, but once you’re most of the way through the lessons you should start taking a crack at transcribing some songs yourself. It’s difficult at first but you learn a lot from it about how songs are structured, and it’s a good bit of ear training and fretboard familiarity too.
I generally get my tabs from Songsterr but I’ve noticed quite a few mistakes in them, from bits of songs that are wrong to fingerings that are more difficult than they need to be. And every once in a while, a song I want to play isn’t on there at all.
I run through the notes on the neck, both down and up each string, then accross each fret, first.Then I do about 10+ minutes of finger exercises and flying finger exercises. Then I do either a course lesson or practice a new song. I also do a couple of songs from the band I play withs set list (when a gig is looming I do the full set every night, I’m 65 with arthritis starting, if I miss playing for a coupke of days my hands freeze up. The more I play the better). As well as easy songs, try songs that strect your abilities, its amazing how soon you will find yourself playing them.
My name is an obscure reference to the TV show “Mystery Science Theater 3000”. During one host segment, they were trying to come up with action hero names by combining manly first names with a tough material for a last name, and Dirk Tungsten was one they mentioned!