The Internet really is the modern day wild, wild west. Information – both good and bad, useful and not – flourishes in a wide span of capacities. Some people buy it – many of us don’t. But one irk to me is anyone saying they have the secrets to learning bass.
Why?
Because we have grown very, very cynical when it comes to some of the services that are provided online. And rightfully so. There are some bad apples who have ruined the bunch for everyone and as a result, we now are more worrisome about our information and where it might becoming from and if these services are reliable or not.
I was cruising the Internet a few days ago and came across a handful of online bass guitar services promising to “reveal the secrets of bass” with “seldom revealed techniques” and “tips to turn you into the ultimate player” but above all “turn you into a master in a week” and other promises that absolutely made me wonder who on Earth these were for?! Who would buy this?
Seeing enough of these prompted me to make this post with this sole message: there are no secrets to learning bass – or any skill for that matter. Period.
The Real Secret: There is No Secret
Flatly put: anyone that tells you there are secrets to learning something like bass or drums or carpentry are either 1. trying to oversell you on something by making it look much more elegant than it really is or 2. really trying to play you for a sucker.
The forumla for learning anything – any kind of skill, you name it – will require time and patience from the student and the teacher to provide a healthy, enriching, mind-opening learning platform to do it on.
You can’t expedite time, you can’t take a magic pill and suddenly get good at bass or any instrument skill or craft and there is certainly no giant tome kept under lock and key that holds the 5 secrets to getting good at bass in a weekend
Secrets is a testy word because it implies that something is missing from the world of bass guitar, or drum or cooking lesson lexicon. There are no secrets any more. It’s all out there. All the technical ends of things are in full air and fully present for the world to see.
And even if there are “secrets” to learning a craft or skill, more than likely they are tips or pointers that have come from years of experience that can aid in learning a technique or make something easier to learn. But giant, grandiose “secrets” like “the secrets to playing like John Entwistle” or something in that family are – flat out – false and nonsense.
Not What You Say, But How You Say It
Bass players are everywhere and people who want to learn and be the best bass player they can all over the world. All people need different levels of instruction or need more guidance or welcome different ideas about music over others – the pool is mixed. One teacher for one student may not be the best teacher for another.
I can say from personal experience that I have had teachers across the board – school, martial arts and music – that I have received a tremendous amount from while others loathed. The converse of that statement is also true to.
But the point is that there are different needs that aspiring musicians need to really feel like they are making musical progress and enjoying their decision to try out the instrument. With the digital age upon us, teachers now have that chance to make themselves known to a bigger audience than ever before.
But if these teachers pitch their services the same way the stereotypical used car salesman (see above) does, than we on the Internet are right to be skeptical and right to be wary.
And any teacher that tells you they have “secrets” that will go from a “total noob at bass” (that is an actual quote that I read) to master overnight is lying. Flat out. They’re not out to teach or provide a fulfilling musical experience for aspiring players. They’re out for money. Nothing more.
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