[mtowenby]

Hey, All! Just a brief intro and shout to everyone!

I'm a primarily self-taught guitarist crossing over to bass. I did take lessons at various times when I was much younger. I was also in our school band (trumpet) for 6 years. So, I do have the basics for music structure and theory.

After feeling what I call a "nudge from above," I decided to sharpen my skills and deepen my knowledge base in order to eventually start a music ministry. (Being self-taught, there's a pretty large gap between what I can play...and what I can explain).

Anyway, I also decided to self-study bass. I bought a new Squier Affinity J-Bass. It was affordable, pretty (metallic red), and seemed to play pretty well. I checked the intonation by ear, and then with my tuner and it's nearly dead-on. I'll post a picture when I get it back from having the action lowered.

Here's some of the material I've used so far:

Progressive Bass - Bass Guitar Method Lesson Books - Bass Guitar Lesson Books

This is a book, CD, and DVD combo. It's pretty good with tons of riffs AND enough theory to explain why the riffs work.

How to play bass guitar by learning songs not scales!

This site has tons of free instruction, basslines, and excercises. There's also an online lesson option that I'm considering. His method makes much more sense than how I was taught on the guitar.

Online Bass Lessons at StudyBass.com

This is another great site with tons of free instruction, particularly on theory. Just be mindful as you work through the material, some of the sections mistakenly allow you to "skip" previous lessons.

So far, learning the bass has really helped my guitar playing, as well as strengthed my musical knowledge overall. I've really enjoyed it and would recommend learning bass to any guitarist. It's certainly different...the strings and frets are HUGE compared to my Washburn (Oscar Schmidt) acoustic/electric!

I hope soon to be able to contribute in some form of a music ministry...and act on the "nudge" I felt. I'm mainly into Contemporary Christian music (Casting Crowns, Jars of Clay, Third Day, etc.). But, I may start out simply playing with our choir and/or for special music, etc.

Guess that's about it. I think I'm following a pretty decent musical path, but I'm always open to suggestions and other resources.

Oh, I've also posted a few tabs/chords (Brave, What Child is This?, When I Get Where I'm Going, etc.) When they're approved and posted, check them out and let me know what you think. (Any ideas on how long it takes to get these posted?)

todd