This quote sums up how I feel about learning the bass guitar:
'When you first start to study a field, it seems like you have to memorize a zillion things. You don't. What you need is to identify the core principles – generally three to twelve of them – that govern the field. The million things you thought you had to memorize are simply various combinations of the core principles.' John Reed
It seems like there are an overwhelming number of things you need to learn to become a good bass player but that's not exactly true. There are a lot of things but once you focus on what matters, the whole thing becomes easier.
This is how I think about it.
At first the ideas are out of reach, floating confusingly around your head (and the internet!). Then, you start to piece a few things together and, before you know it, you can start to see the connections that exist between the different musical elements.
That's when the magic happens...
I wrote a Bass Guitar Syllabus that goes through these main ideas step by step. There's A LOT to learn here so I recommend you commit to a daily practice schedule and, well... get to work.
I guarantee that you will improve if you focus on these things.
If you want to go deeper, I have some books and courses here.
Thank you for this, as I am a subscriber I follow your videos which have helped enormously, but, I’m still having trouble getting my 80 year old fingers to reach the speed of yesteryear.
Kind regards, Mick.
You’re welcome, Mick. I suppose it’s a case of adapting. You don’t need speed to play with excellent taste, touch, and timing. It’s great that you’re still playing! Keep it up.