Hi guys! I’m back on the support category lol
So, I think only a few people know, but I play bass!
I want to be in a band in the future, so I have to practice really hard! But I seriously struggle with finding the motivation to do that!
Plus I’m not the most comfortable playing with my family home, and I don’t take classes for it either- but that’s not important!
Does anyone know any solutions?
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I think it is important to make sure that you not only practice but also play the bass guitar for own enjoyment
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I agree with @blossomingRuin. Play because that’s what you wanna do! Here are some of my nuggets of wisdom:
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Keep the guitar out on a stand. Putting it in a bag is one more obstacle between you and playing it.
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Don’t worry about what your family thinks of your playing; Very Loud Music Is Good For The Soul. Also, if you play live people will hear you so ROCK ON!
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I wouldn’t fall prey to gear acquisition syndrome, but I would get a good practice amp. You won’t practice as much if the instrument doesn’t sound like the song you want to cover. Plug in some headphones and no one can hear you.
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Figure out what you want to practice. Aimless noodling can be fun but it doesn’t get you anywhere. I guess this is where music can be a bit overwhelming because there’s no real order to go in. But the beginning is the hardest part and things start fitting together the more you play and study it. If you ever have any questions you can ask us, we might be able to help.
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I really ought to practice what I preach because it’s been a few years since I have played my instruments, but my biggest motivating factor has always been inspiration. Listening to music or watching videos that showcase the instrument usually do the trick for me, especially if I see something fun that I want to try.
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bookmarking this because I still haven’t tuned my mom’s old acoustic guitar (esteban i think?) and i somehow am saving up for an electric ( don’t know what type, maybe something basic like a stratocaster ) ALSO if you have an instrument you want to start playing, then mess around with it to see if you like it ! Learning later
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Consider this the world’s most polite form of peer pressure.
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I too struggle with this, also own a bass as well but yeah all of the above is all so true. Enjoyment is a big part of what keeps me practicing, but it’s also so difficult finding the time because of how little of it I have during the week ):
If I’m super busy, I try to at least get in like…10-15 minutes of playing, even if it’s just playing the same bassline over and over sometimes. Just feels good to play and that’s all you need sometimes
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Same with any hobby or activity when you’re otherwise busy, you have to set out time and stick to it. Doing things regularly is the key to improving at things, and if it is important enough to you to get better at, it works best if you don’t give yourself the out of motivation/no motivation. At the risk of sounding like my mother, you have no motivation? So what?
Most frequently I find that I end up generating some motivation if I only begin, and even if I don’t, well…either way I’m going to sit at my piano and go through my exercises even if it’s agonising, and maybe next time I’ll have some inspiration. And if not, that’s fine too. I’m still improving, I’m still working, I’m still doing the things that are important to me.
Once you get used to pushing through the initial wall at the beginning of a practice session, it gets a lot easier.
Motivation and inspiration aren’t things you find, they’re things you make.
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I’ve never been in any band at all but make a session band with 2-4 friends with an equally green level as you. Yes. I get that you’re still learning but i think you’ll get more enjoyement if you’re learning things with friends.
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Learn how to play songs! That’s a great way to practice without actually feeling like your practicing. And if your starting a band, you’re probably going to end up playing a few covers while you’re writing originals (I’m assuming you want to write original songs), so knowing how to play a handful of songs in advance helps out a lot.
It also often helps to practice in short spurts rather than sitting down and practicing one thing for 2-3 hours. If you’re working on a certain technique or part of a song that you’re trying to get down, just take 20 minutes a day to sit down and work on it, or even sit down for 20 minutes multiple times a day if you have the time. You would be surprised how much progress you’ll make if you just take a little time out of your day to practice.
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DO I WATCH THE ESTEBAN DVDS TO TEACH ME OR NAH I BARELY KNOW THE MAN
From my experience, if you are passionate about your instrument, you don’t need to find motivation, playing and improving is like a necessity. You cannot live without it.
If it’s because you are just at the begin with your instrument, maybe to find a teacher is not a bad Idea. Because once you have bad habits, it’s very difficult to go back.
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My parents don’t want to get me a teacher bc they’re convinced I can just learn from videos on YouTube, but I don’t know where to start.
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Scales:
- Doremi
- Minor pentatonic
- Major pentatonic
Chords:
- 4 Fundamental Chords: E, E minor, A, A Minor
- Circle of Fifths
Songs:
- Whatever you want
I think the most important thing for a beginner is to understand how everything connects back to Doremi. Because it does.
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One of the biggest things ive found helpful as a guitarist is practicing hard songs slowly and building the speed up.
i dont have anything against playing simpler music but as for improvements ive felt that recently my two biggest breakthroughs were Intervals - I’m Awake and Versailles - Masquerade, both of which i started learning at around 40% speed, and then increasing by about 2-3% after im comfortable with the part at that speed
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Okay so a lot of people have already touched on this in this thread, but playing/practicing songs that make you think “Damn this bass line is sick, I want to learn how to play this”, is always a good place to start.
So how do you start? I’ll tell you what works for me.
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Keeping a list of songs that you want to play. Sometimes it’s just a particulair part of a song that you like. It doesn’t matter, get it in there.
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Choose a song, and analyze the bass/what’s being played. This can be the trickiest thing to do, especially with bass, as it often moves to the back of the mix. I use a program called “RipX” that separates all the instruments in a song into separate tracks. In other words, a way to isolate the bass so you can hear it better.
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Write down the bass in a program like “Guitar Pro”. So now you’ve got the bass separated, but now you need to figure out how to play it. Personally, I use Guitar Pro 8. It’s a program that lets you write down and play tabs. Not just for bass, for basically any instrument. I also use it to write songs, but I diverse. Why is this important? See it as an archive, a way to store the bass composition. But it’s also a way to train your ears. You need to find the notes you’re hearing on the neck of your bassguitar.
For me this works like a charm, because as a side effect it feels good to expand my archive of bass tabs.
Now motivation-wise, I think @wing made some very good points.
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I am sorry for you, because they are wrong. When you are alone, no one can correct the position of your hand if it’s not the correct one, if you play the note not long enough, or If your tempo is off, ect.
Pay attention to those points.
For the rest, yes try to find guitar pro, to begin learn the songs that you enjoy. It’s music, you need to have a good moment.
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Only if it’s the limited edition steel string Camaro version.
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Find a good teacher and start taking lessons. Also speak to your family about playing at home. You’ll have to practice the stuff your teacher shows you at home.
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My parents don’t want me to have a teacher 
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