WHY DO I EVEN NEED BASS LESSONS?
by Adam Nitti
This is a question you might be asking yourself as you
peruse this website. Okay-So you've got a good steady gig. Your playing
has shown some improvement over the years. When you play, you have a certain
level of confidence in what your doing. You may have even conditioned yourself
to the fact that you don't plan on ever trying to be a Victor Wooten or
John Patitucci, and therefore may be content with where you are musically
(for the time being). Although you might not read music, you haven't ever
been in a situation that required it. So what will bass lessons do for you?
At some point in your playing career, you've probably been inspired by either a specific bassist, a particular band, or a type of music that you might not have much experience playing, yourself. The inspirational moments you may have experienced while listening to this player, band or music struck someplace inside you, and therefore moved you emotionally. For most of us, these moments are what motivate our creativity either directly through our own music or indirectly through other aspects of our lives.
So why all the mumbo-jumbo about motivation and inspiration??? Unless our basses were just purchased to function as a dust collectors, I think we can all agree that we wouldn't mind being better players than we are now. Inspiration yields the desire to improve. Bass lessons, regardless of the medium in which they are taught, obviously provide a way to become more proficient with our craft. They can remedy a variety of problems:
- Knowing we want to get better, but not knowing how to get better. "I wish I could play jazz, but I don't even understand how I would begin to learn it." Bass lessons can give you a sense of direction in your quest to overcome obstacles.
- Lacking the direction or focus we need to get there. "I know that my knowledge of scales and arpeggios will help my improvisation, but I don't know what kinds of exercises I should practice to become proficient at them." Bass lessons provide specific exercises and practice techniques designed to help you apply them to music in a practical manner.
- Lacking the discipline to stay on course. "I can get into a killer practice routine for about 3 days straight, and then I just blow it, and revert back to my old practice habits, which aren't very efficient." Bass lessons can teach you HOW to practice and help you create a method that will work for you that is both enjoyable and manageable.
- Feeling the need to spend money on music equipment, rather than lessons. "I just can't afford a private instructor right now, much less a music school." If some players invested as much time, effort, and zeal playing and practicing their basses as they did buying gear, there would be many more outstanding players.
This website can help you with any of these problems and much more. However, there is one problem that no instructional resource can help you with on its own, and that is YOUR DESIRE to improve. That's got to come from inside you, and you can't get it out of a book or teacher. As long as you stay in control of that one, you are on your way to success! So, set your sights high, and never give up. You will soon find that you've achieved things you never thought imaginable on the bass!
Adam Nitti
Adam Nitti is currently the head bass dude at the Atlanta Institute of Music, and an SWR endorsee. Read the rest of his extensive and impressive bio at http://www.basslessons.com/nitti.html
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