I’ve been playing bass for a couple of months now and I’ve always wanted to get a teacher but I don’t think my mom is going to want to pay for the lessons. But hypothetically speaking if I could get a teacher would it really be worth it?

There are instructional DVDs and online lessons (a lot of these are free). Give those a shot first. And if you decide on an instructor, get references. They’re usually paid by the lesson and will drag them out for the sake of making more money.

Not all of them do this…so if a bass teacher reads this, no offense.

on average.. suggestions?
I’m sorry. I’m a high school student. but i have years of experience.

Are you a degreed and certified teacher – or a student yourself? We would need to know, to give better advice.

I used to play bass when I was younger, but I’m a real beginner. I want to learn how to read music and really learn how to play the bass. Any suggestions for online tutorials or should I just find a real instructor locally?

You should really take lessons form an instructor. That way if you have any questions they can easily be answered.

and how long does it take to be really good?

If you know nothing about guitar is wouldn’t hurt, to be a pro takes time and a lot of talent, guitar is not a thing that you learn overnight, you have to put in a lot of practice time and lots of hard work, those strings on a bass are not easy to play, they are very thick, you need good callouses. To be a pro you would have to work on a daily bases, and if you have the talent and are a quick learner maybe three years. I know when I was first learning I use to set my alarm for three or four in the morning so that I could get in practice time before work, then I would practice two hours later, and then another two at night, most people are not willing to put that much time into study. Some people have perfect pitch and seem to learn a lot quicker than others but this is rare, some of your musical geniuses can learn to play well in three years, but this is also rare. Most rock players that bang did not learn their instrument in a couple of years, they have been playing since they were kids. Everything depends on how ambitious you are and how much time your willing to put into studying.

I’ve been playing for about 5 months now and there’s still something missing… I learned how to play through tabs and I know how to slap and pop. Though I’m not yet satisfied with what I’ve learned and I want to take bass lessons. What should I ask the Bass instructor to teach me so I can become a better bassist?

what all the notes on the bass are. and advanced bass improv for playing with a band and without tabs

I’ve been playing bass for a year now, teaching myself the whole way. I’ve been thinking lessons will give me more skills faster, but I’m poor. Are lessons worth the money, will they produce the results I’m after?

They certainly will produce good results as long as your teacher is good. That can be hit and miss, but in most cases they know what they are doing and can pave the way for you. Besides, you can always pick up a new teacher if you dont like the one you have. A cheaper option, or rather free option, you can just google……."free guitar lessons" and you might be surprised on the results. One more cheaper route and my top choice……..get the guitar book for dummies. Online or at any local book store will carry it. It comes with a disc and great intructions. GL!

he’s charging 50 bucks for an hour lesson. I haven’t really gotten lessons before so I’m not sure, seems high to me.

here are his stats:

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/muc/1499602021.html

I think that’s a good price, for an hour. He seems pretty good too.

I have a fretless bass guitar and no idea how to play. I have no experience whatsoever but I’m eager to learn. Can anyone help me out?

Not many people start off on the fretless bass ; most people learn on the standard fretted bass and later make the switch. But this should not present too many problems for you

Do you have "fret" markers on the fingerboard or is the fingerboard a plain piece of ebony, perhaps with some dots up the side of the neck ?

I strongly advise you to get some lessons for the first 12 months just to get you started. After that you may feel competent enough to keep teaching yourself.

You could start off by learning the notes on the fingerboard and playing some scales.

http://www.activebass.com/basics/fboard.asp

http://www.cyberfretbass.com/scales/primer/page2.php

EDIT : Do not learn TABS ; learn how to read standard musical notation. Buy a few books at your music store.

I really need to learn to play bass or my family and friends are going to think im a nobody so i need to show them that im a rocker! but the only problem is, is that I know absolutely nothing about playing an instrument. does anyone know of any dvd’s or books or web sites that can teach someone who is a begginer with a capitol B at playing an instrument? My local library usually has anything you can think of so I am open to anything. Thank you for your answers.

I want you to e-mail this person and ask her, she plays the bass extremely well, rainofsparks@hotmail.com

ok, ive been playing bass just over a year and i had lessons for about 6 months , then i stopped because he was a crappy teacher.
so are there any FREE lessons that i can learn to read real bass music and not tabs?

Get to a library and get a book like "Music theory for dummies" or "teach yourself – Music theory" or "The right way to read music"

And as bass only has 4 notes…The scores will be even simpler for you. But at the same time, You’ll be able to apply your theory to other instruments. And once you learn it, you’ll be able to write the notes down and play them back to yourself without needing to hum/have them played to you.

Try these two..

http://musiced.about.com/od/beginnerstheory/Beginners_Music_Theory.htm

http://www.8notes.com/theory/