On this page you will find materials required for lessons on bass here at Promethean Studios and various other resources for the bass as well. The resources on this page are specifically for the bass, more generic resources (music stores, recording studios) are listed here. At the time this information was posted, all links worked and products listed were available. For information purposes only; we won't post resources when we know there might be any sort of problem with a product, business, or person listed but please check out the reliability, appropriateness, and reputation of any resource you plan to use.
A bass in fair condition (suggestions and details below) - I can advise you on the suitability of specific instruments.
A bass amp in fair condition (suggestions and details below) - Leave your amp at home.
A cord to connect your bass to your amp (suggestions and details below) - Leave your cord at home.
Strap (preferably leather) - Always play with a strap.
3 ring binder - with loose-leaf paper and pockets for holding handouts.
Pencil - Erasable, colored pencils are best.
Manuscript paper (music paper, staff paper) - Click here to reach the resources tab and select Music and Tab paper and print 5 sheets of ‘medium music paper, bass clef only’, bring them to your lesson. Feel free to download any of the other types of music paper you want for assignments and written exercises.
Bass tab paper - While at Music and Tab paper in Resources, print 5 sheets of ‘Bass tab paper, 4 string - medium’ and bring it to your lesson. Feel free to download any of the other types of tab paper you want and your friends can, too. For assignments and written exercises, songs, and licks.
5 GB flash drive or larger - suggestions and details below.
Download Audacity (optional) – details below.
Metronome or Drum machine - Leave your metronome at home.
Sheet music for 5 pieces - Click here and look through the songs there. If you like some, download them and print them out. This list grows weekly and the great advantage of using the songs here is that the charts are pretty accurate and easy to follow. If you don’t see songs you like here, find music for 5 songs of your choice.
Tuning fork - preferably E or a piano or keyboard
More Details and Resources
A bass in fair condition - I can advise you on the suitability of specific instruments. Always get the best instrument you can reasonably afford.
Beginning Bass $180 - $250.
Intermediate Bass $400 – 600.
Top bass guitars - Fender, Gibson, Hofner, Ibanez, Rickenbacker, and Warrior are long-term favorites with bass players and a top bass guitar will cost $2000-$5000.
A bass amp in fair condition - Leave your amp at home, but you need it to practice. Always get the best amp you can reasonably afford.
Basic practice amp. $80 - $150. It’s good if it has a headphone jack.
Intermediate Bass amp. $250 – 400.
A cord to connect your bass to your amp - Livewire 10’, life time warranty. $15-20. Leave your cable at home, but you need it to practice.
Strap (preferably leather) - Regardless of the material of the strap, it must grip the back and not slide, so the left hand develops the greatest skill. Cotton and Neoprene are other good materials. Use the strap even when you’re sitting down.
Strings - DR Lo Riders, Light. $25-30. Just as needed.
Pencil - Musicians write with pencils because they make changes to their music and make frequent notations on the pages. Erasable, colored pencils are best.
5 GB flash drive (or larger) - To record your lesson - Bring this to your lesson, when you begin each lesson, give your flash drive to your instructor and they'll record your lessons. Be sure and take the drive with you when you leave and listen to it in your computer the day of or the day after your lesson. This will give you a way to review the lesson and give me a way to send demonstrations of technique or songs home with you. If you'll review your lesson each week, you'll progress about 5 to 10% faster.
Audacity - Also, if you'd like to get a even more out of some of your own practices, download Audacity, a free computer-based recording program. It does many great things to help you practice; people even make professional albums with it. You can change the pitch of your song, record yourself, record yourself playing with your song, or isolate sections of songs for practice. Many good things.
Metronome - Leave your metronome at home, but you need it to practice. Apps for iphone – Tempo Advance is the best - $4. For Android, Tempo - $2. Standalone metronomes: Planet Waves PW-MT-02 ($15), Korg MA-1 ($20-25). Use the metronome whenever possible. It will develop your sense of rhythm and counting; equally important, it will show you where you should be practicing. If you follow the beat from the metronome in songs and exercises, the areas where you don't do well will be revealed, and you'll know where to spend extra practice time. The metronome is your drummer.
When you’re having trouble getting into the metronome, use a drum machine. For iphone, use Garage Band, for Android use Drummer Friend - $3. Standalone drum machine: Boss DB-60. And a little home keyboard with rhythms and metronomic markings works well, too. Students who practice with metronomes or rhythm machines will also progress about 5 to 10 percent faster.
Sheet music for 5 pieces - Click here and look through the songs there – if you like some, download them and print them out. This list grows weekly and the great advantage of using the songs here is that the charts are pretty accurate and easy to follow. If you don’t see songs you like here, find music for 5 songs of your choice, within these guide lines: 1) No songs where violence, drugs, cursing, or sex figure largely, 2) No songs where what you like about the song is how super hard it is – for now. Just pick songs you think are cool. Bassists would normally work with Lead Sheet, chord charts, and P/V/G arrangements.
Be careful not to get instructional material (for songs); TAB-only (internet) should only be used only very occasionally, because there's no way to know how long any of the notes or chords last. You will work through 1-2 songs per month, and will need to keep a steady supply of cool songs available, as we learn the old ones. If you have recordings of these songs, that's great and very useful, but not required.
Tuning fork - (preferably E or use a piano or keyboard). This is to learn to tune your bass. Develop your ear and become a great musician. We discourage the use of electric tuners (unless you're playing on stage and can't hear your bass), because it prevents musicians from developing their ear. But here are 2 cheap tuners: Grover GP680T Chromatic Clip-On Tuner - $13 – 16 and Boss TU-01 Clip-on Chromatic Tuner - Black - $18 – 24.
Funk students - Funk Bass, Jon Liebman, Hal Leonard.
Harvard Brief Dictionary of Music - Recommended, but not required. Definitions for many useful musical terms are found here.
More Bass Resources
Amp Repair - Terry Slemmons – 214-747-1090, 3003 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75226. service@slemmons.com. Licensed warranty repair for most.
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