How To NAIL Your First Song On Bass
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- Опубліковано 10 чер 2024
- ►► FREE: Need ideas for your first beginner-friendly song to learn on bass that’s guaranteed to impress? Check this video out → • Beginner Bass Lines - ...
These days, I don’t do a lot of in-person teaching anymore, but when I did, I’d get a lot of day-1 beginners coming to me keen and excited about playing bass but they didn’t have a clue where to begin.
They may have searched Google or UA-cam for ‘bass lessons’ and seen the ever-expanding buffet of lessons, articles, reviews, books, videos and everything else.
It’s hard to know the very first step, right?
As a teacher, it’d be tempting for me to jump straight to things that I know are good for new students - proper technique through exercises, learning some basic theory, how to lock in with a groove etc.
And for a while, I tried teaching those things first up. The result?
Eyes glazed over, minds wandering.
To a total beginner, that stuff is super important, but not super compelling (although it becomes more compelling the more you learn)
The last thing I wanted to do was take a beginning student, full of vigor and enthusiasm and suck it all out of them before they even got a chance to get going, so I tried some different approaches.
By far, the one that made the biggest difference was very simple:
►► Get them playing a song that they like
In hindsight, this is painfully obvious, but at the time it was a revelation to me.
When I did this, eyes stopped glazing over - they went wide with excitement. (“We’re going to play *that*!?!”)
Their minds also stopped wandering. These students were 100% with me as I guided them through some very simple songs, and it was through these songs that I could then teach them about things like basic technique, groove and how the song was put together.
They got what they wanted, but I also snuck them a bit of what they needed.
So if learning songs is a great way of working on all these things, plus it’s super compelling, how are you supposed to do it as a beginning bass player?
Well that’s exactly what today’s lesson is all about.
Now in this video, I’m specifically talking about learning your first song all the way through, but even if you’ve already learned a bunch of songs, I’d recommend checking out the 4 steps I outline and see if they can help speed up your own process.
If you’re brand new to bass and Become A Bassist, I have a ton of resources you can use to jumpstart your playing. If you’re looking for ideas for very beginner-friendly bass lines, then be sure to check this out:
• Beginner Bass Lines - ...
There are tons of bass lines in there that would be ideal first songs. If you want to go beyond that, you can also check out my Beginner’s Starter Pack
becomeabassist.com/bab-beginn...
It’s a collection of some of my absolute best free material you can use to work on the 3 most important areas of your playing as a beginner.
Whether you just want to learn your first song or you’re looking for a new way of approaching things, I hope you find all this helpful!
Good luck with everything in here and happy playing!
Cheers,
Luke
[Chapters]
0:00 Intro
1:38 The Most Overlooked Piece Of The Puzzle
3:37 How To Find Beginner-Friendly Songs To Play
4:22 Slow Is Smooth, Smooth Is Fast
6:36 Get ‘In The Pocket’
8:22 Work Your EAR While You Work Your Hands
#becomeabassist #basslesson
Kids these days have no excuses not to learn to play songs. When I began learning to play there was no UA-cam channels like this. I had to learn songs by ear, and I learned a lot of songs on stage in front of an audience. Probably one of my biggest highs was the day I my band played YYZ by Rush on stage, and I nailed the bass line. Learn to play all the songs you can, that's where all the fun is.
I'm just starting bass, I'm a drummer and have played for 20+ years, what helps me is doing the beat of the drums in my head or doing it vocally when trying to get the feel and time for each note on the bass. but I'm very new at it and wish I'd picked it up sooner than 10 years of guitar friends saying "nah play guitar instead". I always loved bass over guitar
thanks for this video! only just picked up my bass yesterday and your videos have already helped me play through a couple songs i love. also - thanks for signposting your videos so we can skip to the bits we need. it's super helpful!
Awesome Ezra! Keep on practicing and keep on playing!
Thanks Luke for the good advice, just changed the strings on my bass from factory to flatwound - what a differance in sound and feeling, looking forward to the new year CHEERS
After the bass lessons, Luke should also make a video on how to get RIPPED arms like that !! :p
Thanks, Luke! Merry Christmas from America! Mom of four just starting out, and I appreciate your channel!
Merry Christmas @Alysha Jones - awesome to hear you're starting out on bass. I'm sure you're going to love it!
Merry Christmas Luke. Good teachings, really appreciate your work here. Cheers mate!
Thank you, you are my best teacher I ever had
Loving this channel,such a great toolbox to have
It was a good lesson man ....love learning with ya😀😎
Merry Christmas Luke! Thanks for your tutorials, I am a new bass player and I appreciate your help! Wanting to learn early beatles bass lines, some are pretty tricky! That sir paul is tough to emulate. But its really fun! Thanks again, and happy new year!
Started playing around on bass and played a lick that sounded like Hot Lunch from Fame. So I learned it and played through the whole song. So fun!
Happy Christmas Luke! Thanks for the video on Christmas morning. You nailed it on this one. When I was a teen learning how to play, all I wanted to do was to play songs. I never practiced scales or bothered to learn theory. It's only now that I am older, that I have become a student of the bass. Thank you for all your videos. You are one of my highlights from 2020 as I picked up my bass again and started playing after a many years of inactivity. Wishing you a peaceful and healthy 2021!
This is so cool to hear @Thomas Fioriglio - I'm glad you've come back to the bass and I'm happy I can help you out with all these videos. All the best for 2021 for you as well!
As a couple of others have already said, this is probably the most important lesson of all. Nearly all ( I say nearly all because I’m sure there’s going to be someone somewhere who only wants to play scales) want to play songs. These though, as you rightly point out, have to be at your right ability level, and I would say there is a big physiological downside to attempting a song that is way beyond your ability in that it acts as an inhibit for the future because when you try it again you start with the mindset of ‘I failed last time so I’m probably going to fail again’ which is not a great confidence booster in my book.
Would you be happy for viewers to suggest songs? Obviously if you disagree with the idea or the choice of song say so or just delete. But assuming you agree with the idea at least, can I start with U2’s ‘With or Without You’. Thank you.
Thanks man!
God I NEEDED this lesson earlier
Merry X-Mas Luke & thanks for this lessen. 2.5 years ago i started with my first Höfner Bass without knowing these four items. I tried with Uriah Heep - Easy Livin' - you know. Now i better know: what you can't do slow, you never can do fast. Thanks , Cheers and bye for now. Old Al
Merry Christmas! You have some great videos, thanks!
One small disagreement....I believe the scales, arpeggios, exercises have their place in music just as wind sprints and passing drills have their place in basketball.
Love the videos luke! What bass are you using in this video??
Well Im going to learn how to play a Bass. Just learned how to tune it up to key. Sent for your instructions packet and will study your You Tube steps. Wish me luck. Larry
As a beginner in the literal meaning of the term, not a beginner from another instrument, not a beginner who has learned the basics, but a true beginner, I find it a huge barrier that every bass teacher for beginners chooses songs that are too hard, or that only have an easy riff, but the rest of the song is impossible for a true beginner. Can we please start with a song which is slow and easy from beginning to end? Beginners need enough time to get their hands and fingers in position, figure out muting, play along in time and pick the stings properly. That is a ton to keep track of. A song please, that's slow, easy, just quarter notes, beginning to end. Not just riffs, not just intros, but a recognizable song easy enough that you could put a bass in the hands of someone who has never played an instrument, and can play along. I hope you take this to heart Luke.
Songs like Sly And The Family Stone's 'Everyday People' is a single note all the way through. Is that the kind of thing you're after Dan?
@@BecomeABassist Thank you for taking my question seriously. Slower and more standard please. There is one note in that song true, but for an absolute beginner, someone random on the street you gave a bass guitar to, me who struggles for years with songs that are too hard,it is not slow, there are these "x" notes, and it is slap. Already three things for more advanced beginners. When things are fast it can be a challenge to play along to, you fall out, you are running after the next note, and it doesn't sound good. And I am not ready for slap, nor is slap something for an absolute beginner. The muting is harder with slap.Slow and easy finger-plucking please. Absolute beginners need to play along, figure out muting and strike the strings properly and consistently. Only those three .things. This song is for a later beginner, not an absolute beginner. Thanks
I’m afraid I can’t think of any full songs that fulfil all
the criteria you’re looking for Dan, but if you come across any, let me know.
@@BecomeABassist I have found some of what I need, Nirvana's Something in the way. It's slow, but it's uneven. Some dottted notes. I would like slow and just normal quarter notes. Same throughout. 1,2,3,4- No dots, slides, x's or squiggles. So I can easier play along and concentrate on the other stuff an absolute beginner needs. Can you think of anything even, slow and normal?
Merry Christmas Luke
Merry Christmas @Scott W - hope you're having a good one!
Any easy music suggestion for people that are into progressive metal and metalcore?
Love your channel Luke!!! I saw a long time ago you had a download for watching the lead guitar playing chords and knowing what to play. I can't seem to find it again. Could you give me a heads up on where to find it? Thanks so much!
Are you talking about this video? ua-cam.com/video/w246hgEf8F4/v-deo.html
@@BecomeABassist That's the one!!! Thank You so much. I'm playing in a band at my music studio and I was actually able to play a new song on the fly watching the guitarist! You are the BOMB!!!
Thanks Luke. Happy Boxing Day
Haha! Same to you @Phil C.
My first bass song was "Come Together" by the Beatles.
SAME!!! Great song!
What is the name of the song you are playing on bass? 8:00
stand by me
@@ugifr9538 thank you :)
Great example using flea...
Merry Christmas Luke
Merry Christmas @John Wilkerson! Hope you're having a good one!