Should I quit bass lessons and teach myself the rest?

Question

Hello everyone,

I have been playing electic bass guitar for 7 months and have made considerable progress. My teacher says that I have perfect pitch (my brother plays piano and also has it.) I'm 18 and work as a cashier. I have been paying for my lessons.
I estimated my lesson cost for 2009 and it will cost me $848 this year. I make $2000 a year. After deduction, I have $1200 left. I want to save up for a car. At this rate, it will take forever to earn a car.
I love music and want to play the clarinet as well as stick to bass. If I quit lessons right now, I will save $720 this year. I know music theory and can play songs on the boombox 1,2,3.
My question is, would it be wise to quit lessons and teach myself the rest of the way? I am very motivated and am confident in myself. I have enough books to help me and think it will be more rewarding. I want the challenge. So, my plan is to quit bass lessons, teach myself bass an hour a day. Then when I am ready for clarinet, I will take lessons for 6-8 months and teach myself the rest. Sound like a good plan? Please let me know. I have been thinking about this for a while. Thank you very much,

Answer 1

$2000.00 a year part time? What...???





You're at the point where lessons ARE important. It would've been wiser to teach yourself the basics. My two cents.

Answer 2

Bass is a really instinctive instrument, so I suspect you wouldn't have any trouble becoming a fantastic bassist with the foundation you've already built. Most rhythm instruments feel very natural to people who are rhythmically inclined. When you consider that you've also got perfect pitch, the only benefit of taking lessons would be to learn music theory. To be honest, I prefer listening to musicians who haven't relied too heavily on theory, since it frees them to follow their instincts. The best bassists are the ones who can find a groove and settle into it, so I'm sure you're more than ready to learn without instruction. Just follow your instincts!



It's cool that you also want to learn clarinet! I play bass, guitar, piano and drums and thought I'd venture into horns a couple years ago. You're definitely better off trying new instruments when you're young, since the older you are, the more mental barriers you have. I'm so bad at clarinet, the dog leaves the house whenever I get close to the case. I suspect you'll have much more success with clarinet than I have! Good luck!

Answer 3

Sure, it sounds fine. Keep in mind, however, that no matter how good you are at teaching yourself, you won't be learning quite as fast as lessons would. Then again, its bass. I found that joining a band helps learning certain things, and its free! Also, clarinet, in my opinion, takes quite a long time to master, so I would take clarinet lessons for about a year.



Btw, what is the connection between bass guitar and clarinet?

Answer 4

If you have the basic music theory down as far as the bass is concerned, quit the lessons. Start jamming with other musicians, or join a band, but especially try to hook up with a good drummer, and other rhythm players.



Alex Sampson has at http://www.bassguitarsecrets.com has really good product for learning that you can use for further study.

Answer 5

I say keep up with the lessons, but if these lessons have grown stale, try a different teacher. (someone who can give a different perspective, maybe a jazz bassist, or even a classical bassist.. . you know, expand your mind)