How To Play Bass Guitar: Why Do You Want To Play?

 

 

Whenever a beginner asks me how to play bass guitar I want to know his very own reason why he wants to learn playing bass.

The reason why is essential because it is the initial reason that predicts if someone will will quit soon, stay mediocre or become good.
I already mentioned it in a former post:

To my opinion you will only become a good bass player when you have an deep desire to play, to express yourself, to follow your passion.

All the technical and musical skills will evolve with time but you won’t get far if you lack passion.

The best bass players, your personal idols, became what they are because they deeply love music and to express themselves through their instrument.

 

It’s all about PASSION!

With passion for your instrument you will keep the motivation.

With motivation you will practice because you want it.

Without it is just a waste of time and you won’t keep up.

That may sound harsh but it’s my experience.

Imagine to be able to play your favored music, your best loved song, the very same notes that your idol is playing!

What does that feel like?

Does it give you a feeling of satisfaction?

 

Can you say “YES!”?

If your honest answer is “YES” than your chances are good to reach your goal and to keep the motivation during the different phases of the learning process.

Many don’t agree but my simple advice for a beginner is this:

Get home, sit down with your bass and forget about scales, chords, techniques or sounds.

Just listen to your best loved song – the song that deeply touches your heart (whatever kind of music it may be) – tune into the music.

Then start to play along the music.

Don´t even think about to figure out the baseline. You don’t have to. You’re not rated. You’re doing it for the fun.

Just find yourself the first tone that fits. Try to catch some notes that are in harmony with the music.

Then play along the same song again.

Don’t care if you remember the same notes as before. Just enjoy when it sounds right.

Eventually you will be able to play a little sequence. No hurry – it will happen.

That are just your first steps but what’s important is that you experienced your first success:

You are able to get a few notes right!

You are able to become part of your best loved song!

You get a taste of the feeling and the satisfaction “real” musicians gain from music.

That’s a crucial experience I want you to have as early as possible – before any other lessons.

This first little success will give you the motivation to go on.

With this motivation you get better and keep the willingness to practice continuously.

With your practice you experience more and more little successes.

The little successes grow to larger ones.

You get passionate and will master more and more steps.

 

Every step sustains your motivation.

You have created a kind of cycle – a learning cycle based on satisfaction – that can get you very far as a musician.

For sure that is not the only way to learn playing and different people have different learning styles but of one thing I’m convinced:

Without satisfaction from the beginning you will have a hard time to learn how to play bass guitar.