learn to play bass

I’m 24 y/o and want to learn to play bass guitar. Will it be difficult? How do I start?

Many people start learning to play a musical instrument at early age. I used to take classical piano lessons but didn’t enjoy it so I quit. I’m always thrilled at watching people playing bass guitar but at the same time wondering whether I can still learn that because of my age. I just want to be able to play it, not be an expert.

YES! You can learn to play it. I didn’t start until I was 19 (I’m 33 now) after having played trumpet (of all things) for 9 years. To be brutally honest, one night it JUST CLICKED. I knew I had found MY instrument.

Learning bass should be easy for you since you already have at least some musical experience AND you really like the bass.

Even for someone who just wants to play “for fun”, there are a few basic things you should know/do:

1) Buy a decent bass. I know this is like listening to captain obvious, but one of the biggest mistakes that beginning players make is that they buy an instrument that is either too horribly set-up to be able to enjoy playing, OR one whose sound is so horrible that it is thouroughly UNINSPIRING. Now, what I mean buy a “decent” bass is that it plays easily, sounds ok, and is within your price range. Don’t get hung on brands, just get what is cool to you. You should be able to acquire a decent used bass to start with(if you are not hung on looks either) for under $200.

2) When buying a bass at a store, DON’T LISTEN TO SALESMEN. If you have to, bring a bass player along to give you some suggestions and maybe fill you in on some things maybe you are unaware of………and oh yeah, TRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT.

3) After getting your bass, either take a few lessons (to get some sort of a grasp on technique) OR get a friend who will show you. With bass, usually books seem to be too “abstract” about what it actually takes to get a good sound from your fingers.

4) Even beginning players have a certain “level” that they must attain in order to believe that they are “playing” ….. even if it is just for fun. Once you have attained this “level”, start ENJOYING what you play.

Just make sure that you don’t skip this stuff. You don’t want instant discouragement. These suggestions will make the road to playing bass MUCH MUCH smoother.

Hope this helps.
Thanks
Jon

LEARN TO PLAY BASS GUITAR: DIFFERENT MUSIC STYLES

Fun To Know: Learn to Play Bass Guitar $13.99 Studio: Victor Multimedia-05 Release Date: 12/19/2006...

Bass: Learn to Play! $19.95 ...

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JustEnough: Learn to Play Bass - $14.99 The instructional video JustEnough: Learn to Play Bass offers tips on how to master one of the instruments crucial to any band's rhythm section. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

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Learn to Play Bass Guitar $9.77 Learn to play bass guitar the easy way, following simple illustrated lessons from all styles of music. Lessons start with the basics - how to hold the bass, how to tune and start playing - and take the student to a playing level with sufficient skills to join a band. Each lesson is written in the standard TAB format with easy-to-read rhythm notations, and step by step pictures of the correct finger positions. Also includes a library of scales and a CD of correct bass lines and bass-free music tracks to play along with. Over 40,000 copies sold worldwide.

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Learn To Play Bass $4.8 Step-by-step interactive lessons show exactly how to play each song, let you change the speed of the music, mix accompaniment parts, and record yourself performing. Learn to read music and play with proper technique in the style of music you love. For Windows/Macintosh. Ages 8 to adult.

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Learn to Play Bluegrass Bass $9.45 Description not available.

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