I realised the other day that I have been working on TMBG for almost 9 months.
I came to this with no real musical experience (I rejected cello lessons after 3 weeks when I was about 11 years old - soccer had a lot more appeal) but having always had an interest in the dark side (bass....).
So it's been an interesting journey so far. I was a completely blank canvas. I had an Ibanez SR900 and an amplifier, a Roland Cube 100 Bass. Both a consequence of being asked to perform at a public performance or two with some very musical friends and a lot of bravado..
In the four or so years I'd owned them though, I had not got far. I had (and have) a big pile of self-teaching books and the odd DVD, all of which offered the impression that learning bass was pretty much an overnight exercise and that I would soon be playing like (select appropriate endorser...). It didn't seem to happen though.
To be fair, it was mainly me. I have always told my daughter that the way to get better at things is to practice, unfortunately I didn't ever follow my own advice.... Partially because my working life is sometimes disruptive, but mainly because there was not adequate structure and support.
I tried a music teacher at one point; he showed me how to get music off YouTube, but frankly not much else. After a few quite uncomfortable hour-long sessions in a small room in his house, I was less convinced than ever that I would ever learn this instrument.
Then I spotted an ad for TMBG in Bass Guitar Magazine. I'd subscribed for years, in much the same way as I read "Superbike" but don't actually own a motorbike....
So, I imported the course. From day one I was hooked. The approach and the forum structure offer me exactly what I need. A consistent and repeatable series of lessons and the opportunity to discuss things with a group of equally committed students.
Today, I find myself about to complete lesson 4. Doubtless many will be incredulous that it could have taken me so long to get here. Actually though, I feel I am improving at a suitable rate and I can see, feel and hear the differences.
I always said I could never learn to read music, it was just ants on a page to me. I watched my daughter gobble up piano, flute, viola and formal singing from a young age and never really understood what she was doing. "Middle C", yes, but what does it actually mean? Well, now I know... I am actually at the stage where I don't want the TAB anymore; I would rather read the music.
Similarly, my ears have been opened to a degree I find impossible to believe. I have always had (I thought) a very wide taste in music, from punk (I was a 70s student in the UK - The Stranglers have a context to me) to classical (I have seen my daughter perform in many orchestras, ensembles and musicals and been exposed to many things as a result). And you know what, I had never really listened. Now I hear things, am starting to understand things anew. It is such a marvellous thing to rediscover music at 52.
I consciously decided right at the start of this journey not to put time pressure on myself; my working life is timebound and stressful, this was to be an escape. So, I set up a practice regime which broadly gives me about an hour each evening to practice and I usually manage to stick to it six days out of seven. Sometimes though I am travelling overseas and a week or more may pass before I play, and that's OK.
I chose to work with exactly what Roy recommends. I find one of the disadvantages of the internet is that you can find contradictory opinions on just about every subject; the difficulty now is finding credible and consistent authority.
So, for example, I stuck with Roy's fretting hand position despite it feeling counter-intuitive for a very long time. Now, it feels natural and gives me great access to the neck - it works. I have seen an increase in my fretting hand span of over an inch in that 9 months, without any great strain or physical effort on my part.
So why start blogging now? Partially because I would like a record for the future, partially because as a long-time distance runner I realise it is useful to be able to review progress.
Mainly though, because I'm having such a good time learning this instrument and I wanted to share my experiences.
Thank you TMBG, Roy and my fellow travellers. You appear to be achieving the impossible; a self-confessed musical ignoramus is slowly coming into the light and spreading his wings.....
I'm even contemplating joining a jazz workshop!
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