Fatality said:
I stopped listening at about 30 seconds. Are you teaching yourself how to actually play a bass, or are you just reading tabs?
No idea what you mean. I am going to assume that you mean that those tabs I read are just what I know.
This guitar was basically my first try at ever owning, let alone learning to play one. I started from playing with my thumb, to a pick, to the fingerstyle I now use. What have I learned while playing with this instrument?
Lots of things. Hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, root notes, simple sheet music reading skills (yes, i do "translate" some piano pieces into bass pieces) and other skills related to those.
My finger muscles have also gotten stronger, and my mind being able to remember where the fret locations are on the fretboard, so I can quickly change from one fret to another. When I started, this was a BIG problem for me, and i had to play tunes in 8x slower tempo so I could learn them.
But, there are still a bunch of things i need to learn. Popping and slapping is one skill that I would like to be able to do fluently. My fingers need to stretch more, my pinky finger needs to be used more and I'm learning how to use all 5 fingers with the fingerstyle.
Yes, I read tabs, but only because they are the most efficient way to learn songs. It is in a easy to read format and even with special software WHICH I WILL NOT DISCLOSE~, you can even hear the tempo.
Why did I post that video if I am still in a learning stage then? I want to be able to recieve criticism, good or bad, from elite players that reside on these forums. Yes, I should go to a specialist forum, like TalkBass.com, but with the amount of skill I have at this moment, I would be *insult'ed. On top of that, I have been learning skills non-stop for the past 4 months. I believe that I should take a break, learn some songs. I personally believe that if I have skills, but yet I have no varied songs to pracitce to, I am at loss.
So in answer to your question, yes I am teaching myself how to play. Without the skills I learned by teaching myself, I would not be able to read the tabs and henceforth, would not be able to play those tunes in that video.
