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brennasea · 10-23-2007, 08:41 PM

I'm not a bassist, but I'm inclined to agree with little bits and pieces of everything that has been said.

First and foremost, only take formal training if that's something that you really feel a calling to do. If you can pick up the basic techniques on your own, from there, you're really in control of how masterful you get. Sometimes formal training can cause you to lose sight of the main goal and get caught up in how boring some of the rudiments can be. If you want to become a virtuoso at some point you'd want to learn from the best but you should have no problem getting good enough to hold your own.

However, I wouldn't downplay the importance of the rudiments. After all, they are the backbone of even the most simplistic songs. It's no fun to say that you can play most of a song, except for its signature lick that requires a technique you struggle with. As silly as this sounds, you should study a little bit of music theory, enough to know scales and chords. You should develop a warmup routine- nothing intense if that's not what you want to play. Make a game out of it- for viola, I actually enjoyed working on just a two-octave D major scale until I could play it in sixteenth notes at 156 beats per minute. (That's not a super-impressive feat but it's just an example.)

Just remember that you're the one who knows what kind of music you want to play. If it ever gets boring or frustrating, there's nothing wrong with backing off and getting less strict in your routine. Keep your eyes on the prize, obviously, but define for yourself what your prize is.

10-23-2007, 08:41 PM	#13 (permalink)
brennasea Groupie Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Somewhere in the US Midwest Posts: 7	I'm not a bassist, but I'm inclined to agree with little bits and pieces of everything that has been said. First and foremost, only take formal training if that's something that you really feel a calling to do. If you can pick up the basic techniques on your own, from there, you're really in control of how masterful you get. Sometimes formal training can cause you to lose sight of the main goal and get caught up in how boring some of the rudiments can be. If you want to become a virtuoso at some point you'd want to learn from the best but you should have no problem getting good enough to hold your own. However, I wouldn't downplay the importance of the rudiments. After all, they are the backbone of even the most simplistic songs. It's no fun to say that you can play most of a song, except for its signature lick that requires a technique you struggle with. As silly as this sounds, you should study a little bit of music theory, enough to know scales and chords. You should develop a warmup routine- nothing intense if that's not what you want to play. Make a game out of it- for viola, I actually enjoyed working on just a two-octave D major scale until I could play it in sixteenth notes at 156 beats per minute. (That's not a super-impressive feat but it's just an example.) Just remember that you're the one who knows what kind of music you want to play. If it ever gets boring or frustrating, there's nothing wrong with backing off and getting less strict in your routine. Keep your eyes on the prize, obviously, but define for yourself what your prize is.