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Best way to learn bass

mszzzi
Posts: 25
I am learning with some help from my boyfriend.
I had some experience with a guitar (not much,but learned to read tabs from that) .
When i started with the bass i felt lost, he wrote down some stuff for me to practice (easy songs like wild thing, bela lugosi's dead, and the riff from smoke on the water, and living loving maid (shes just a woman) and i asked him to show me 53rd and 3rd.
Just kept knocking around with them till i got them. He also gave me a book (told me to skip parts of it i didnt need to know right then) and a blank tab/staff book, and a poster with scales/circle of 5ths and so on. A friend of mine wanted to learn, too…so we got together once a week and i showed her what i was working on, which helped me solidify it.
He showed me patterns for what i was learning, and broke songs down into parts instead of trying to just play through all at once.
He still shows me technique and talks about theory (most is still over my head), told me to find a scale and practice it, play around with them and make noise, doesnt matter what, just to do and make noise, make mistakes and listen to what sounds good, or what works.

When i get stuck is when he steps in, he just is directing me, but it has mostly been me knocking about learning songs i want to play, unless there is something (technique wise) he thinks i am ready for, then shows me a song that uses it.
So it isnt exactly like structured, or traditional or directed lessons, just nudges in the right direction or helps me when i get stuck on something.
So having someone to help is beneficial,didnt have it when i tried picking up the guitar, as i am much further along with the bass than i ever was with guitar. 8months in from when i first picked up my first bass, i was asked to join a project band, and learned a lot more/faster than just practicing stuff on my own, too. He has also asked his drummer in another band to jam with me (and him guitar - for some other songs he wants me to learn now) so i can get exposure to other drummers besides the one in my band.

Still have a lot to learn and a long way to go…but it is all fun.
Marko1960
Posts: 3143
That's a great way to learn because you are doing all the work and he's just there to keep you on track, jamming with other musicians too is essential

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