My plan is to follow the wisdom of Zen Guitar and post thoughts, observations and maybe some videos as I travel this path. Hopefully something I post here will be useful to you, or you’re friends. I would LOVE for this blog to inspire others to take up a musical instrument– especially the guitar. At any rate, I think it will be fun to look back on these posts… two or three years from now.

To put this experiment into context, be sure to check out my blog review of Philip Toshio Sudo’s excellent book, “Zen Guitar.”

The chapter titled, The Beginners Mind summarizes my view about taking on a challenge such as learning a new instrument– which anyone at any age can do– is that it’s like running a marathon;

 “Those who want to run, run. Those determined to finish, finish. As the samurai say, ‘The only opponent is within.’ There are no tricks or secrets. It is a matter of will– putting one foot in front of the other every step of the path. In Zen Guitar, honesty, integrity, spiritual strength, and depth of conviction are more important than skill. These are the elements that make vital music, and they have nothing to do with natural talent. Where there’s a will, theres the Way.”

First, I (we?) need tools; a guitar– in this case a bass-guitar, amp and assorted gear. When choosing your gear, keep in mind the wisdom of Zen Guitar;

“…make sure you look for an instrument of suitable quality… Avoid poor craftsmanship; it’s the sign of a poor spirit. That doesn’t mean you have to buy the most expensive equipment… Learn to identify quality and appreciate anything thats well made, wherever you find it. Look deeply into the spirit that goes into making an item of quality– the care, precision, the attention to detail. Incorporate that spirit into your work…make [it] as well as you can. To do otherwise is spiritless.”

The tools/gear I choose: G&L bass guitar, Carvin combo amp, Boss tuner/metronome, notebook (for keeping track of my practice sessions, music notation, etc.) and my textbook of sorts– “Bass Guitar For Dummies.” 

Next, rather than finding a good teacher (-no money left over after acquiring the gear) I am following the advice of Victor Wooten, which is to just start playing– this will inspire me to practice more often. I started through the book, and searched out a few foundational lessons on YouTube. There are some good videos to get you started, which I’ll post links to in the Bass Guitar Journal page.

It is important to remember that not everything on Youtube is helpful, or useful. There are however some real gems to be found. One of the gems belongs to Scott Devine, titled, “The Most Important Bass Lesson I Ever Teach.” Scott is responsible for A TON of quality instructional videos– and they are free. This first video establishes a solid foundation and proper perspective to approach learning a new instrument. It contains wisdom (not just information) that will sustain the beginner through the long journey ahead. GREAT stuff here!

Click here to view the embedded video.

With a proper foundation established, it’s time to pick up the instrument. Building on the Zen Guitar wisdom that says,

“Don’t pick up your guitar aimlessly. Act with a sense of purpose. Be of the mind that you’re going to do something– even if you don’t know what that is yet. Prepare yourself to play.”

As a long-time guitarist, I intentionally remind myself that playing the bass is quite different in approach and technique. For example, on guitar I strike the strings with a pick; good bass tone however, is all in the fingers. I found videos very helpful in getting started, but effective practice is much more than following a video or two. You have to have a plan. Time is a premium in our house, and when one considers all the responsibilities that come with married life, finding time to practice can be tough. Thankfully I came across this article on No Treble, an excellent website for bass players:

 ”Efficient 20 Minute Practice”

The advice in that article has really helped me stay focused (rather than noodling around), and to concentrate practice time to improving areas that I’m weak in, opposed to playing only the that which I already know. I started keeping track of these practice sessions with a basic 80-sheet bound notebook. I choose a quad-rule (graph paper) version because I like to map out fretboard shapes, and locations. Having the little boxes pre-printed is also a time saver, and keeps things neat and orderly.

Lastly, I created this little cheat sheet, or as I like to call it “quick reference guide” to the fretboard. I have found it very useful in conjunction with my practice logbook.

Theres nothing like playing with other musicians to inspire me to improve, and keep learning new things. It’s my hope someone will read this blog– perhaps this entry– and find the encouragement needed to learn an instrument. The great blues musician, Elwood Blues once said,

“…no pharmaceutical product could ever equal the rush you get when the band hits that groove; the people are dancing’, and shouting’, and swain’, and the house is rocking’!”

Stay tuned & in-tune!~