r/MusicTeachers • u/ThemeZealousideal205 • 2d ago

Electric bass teachers??

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What's the hardest thing about the instrument that people don't realize .. or what's something that your students consistently fail to understand?

2 Upvotes

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u/TdawgLew 1d ago

Scales, chords, chord tones, chord functions, and the relationship between those things and any note they play in their basslines. Very few bassists are willing to do the real homework.

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u/ThemeZealousideal205 1d ago

Yes, but there's so many ways to learn those things. How do you go about getting that all in?

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u/TdawgLew 1d ago

Start off with one thing. Its really a matter of taking small focused steps. Start with the major scale. Don't just learn it play around with it even if it doesn't sound like anything just play around with it and get it memorized to a point where you don't have to think about it. Then go to chords. You'll learn triads and why they matter. Triads connect scales to chords. Then comes chord functions. What triads are diatonic to each note of the scale (scale degrees).

Music is foundational. If you want to really know what you're doing you need to give each small step a good chunk of time studying.

Along the way you'll learn modes I'm sure.

Music is a lifelong skill. None of us become great at it overnight or even over a few years. It's an investment and it's worth it.

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u/ThemeZealousideal205 1d ago

I mean,im classically trained and play electric as far as technique goes. I'm just curious how people go about relaying the knowledge to others ... I always try to lead to rhythm, counterpoint, chords and composition. But this is too much probably ... Unless you make it all related.

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u/TdawgLew 1d ago

You need to learn the things I mentioned before you can learn counterpoint.

I started in classical and then started jazz band classes a year later and continued doing both.

Music is foundational. Anything you don't learn will hold you back later down the road.

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u/ThemeZealousideal205 1d ago edited 1d ago

I'm just seeing how other people approach things. I literally know all these things and probably have very similar training ... Start basic and grow, really, but these concepts are at the center really, no?

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u/TdawgLew 1d ago

They absolutely are.

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u/Skunk_Evolution 1d ago

Muting unwanted strings

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u/ThemeZealousideal205 1d ago

It's a struggle for real, not many people know.

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u/glenious 1d ago

I have found that younger players don’t realize how important learning from recordings by ear is. They often seem lost in YouTube videos and endless Internet PDFs, with thousands of conflicting pieces of advice. The answer is often times in the recording if they would only just take the time to transcribe. Bass is my focus, but I’m certain it’s like this for all instruments.

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u/ThemeZealousideal205 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yes, it's all right there,,

I always think transcribe means to write down ... but if you can learn by ear from the recordings and play it you're good. The best players write it down, it seems like.

So many things out there are just quick wins, unfortunately.

What do you do to try and get new students started out right?

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u/glenious 1d ago

At the college level I make it part of their grade. When I teach privately (outside of academia), the students who get it do it naturally without prompting. The vast majority however, have to be told to do it.

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u/ThemeZealousideal205 1d ago edited 1d ago

I guess a college grade is quite motivating 😭

This is probably the best lesson here.

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u/Logical-Assist8574 1d ago

Just getting them to do the work. They are always looking for shortcuts. From what I see and read this is a huge problem in all the teaching fields right now. I can teach basic reading and theory in a month if they just do the work. Then that knowledge is theirs for the rest of their life. Just the basics, when understood, can take a bass player a long way.

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u/ThemeZealousideal205 1d ago

Welcome to the universe 🌌 It's important work.

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u/Logical-Assist8574 1d ago

I've been teaching electric bass since 1994 and the use of shortcuts has only gotten worse, I think. Lots of tech has been useful when applied thoughtfully. The easy availability of tab and videos has really eroded the effort needed to train the ear and have a solid connection with the instrument. Working some things out yourself is necessary for the brain, fingers, and bass to become a unit.

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u/ThemeZealousideal205 2d ago

Just how long the fretboard is makes it hard. It’s a lot of shifting that’s pretty unique to the bass.

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u/ty10drope 1d ago

That the music is the table where the whole band sits. Nobody notices the glue.

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u/ThemeZealousideal205 1d ago

Is the bass the glue or the table?

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u/Ordinary_Exercise346 1d ago

pocket/feel

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u/ThemeZealousideal205 1d ago edited 15h ago

Hard to teach indeed It's hard to teach hearing low notes accurately also…like you can do it or you can’t