Alex Sampson, Founder
BassGuitarTips.Com
Hi,
My name is Alex and for the most part, the first 8-9 years I spent as a bassist were pretty discouraging and quite stagnant if I'm being honest.
...I bought all the books and DVDs... Did all the online lessons and attended all the clinics I could which meant;
...Hundreds and hundreds of hours spent learning scales, studying theory and practicing exercises.
Yet, despite all that earnest effort, I never really felt like my musicality was improving past a certain level, like I saw it did for others around me.
I could learn and play some songs reasonably well if given a set list with enough lead time (although I'd generally ignore the really intricate parts)...
I could partially copy some of the things I heard other bassists play...
...But even with a head full of music knowledge, I never really felt like I had the ability to "come up" with stuff like that myself - Much less on the spot!
While other bassists I knew got applauded for flexing their "musical muscles", I'd always get told to just keep it simple...
So;
...I'd totally avoid any playing situation with other musicians where I felt I'd likely be exposed as the weak link...
...I'd retreat to the privacy of my basement to practice all the things I'd been told would make me a better musician...
...I'd lose myself in a maze of videos, lesson plans, books and exercises only to end up feeling completely overwhelmed with too many things on my 'to-try' list...
...Ultimately the burst of motivation would dwindle because I simply couldn't see how the things I was doing created any real, visible result for me...
All the while wondering why it's just not clicking for me, when I keep hearing the same regurgitated advice from all the players I admired...
But Then This Happened...
This cycle continued until right around my 10th year playing...
...When by total dumb luck I walked into a bar, met and later started working with a bass mentor I'd quickly come to realize, truly processed music in a way that was drastically different to literally everything I'd been taught!
Unlike everyone else I'd met, the phrase"music is a language", (which I'd heard a million times) wasn't rhetoric or a cute cliché for him.
From the very first conversation we had, he got me to clearly understand that if music was in fact a language, we should probably be learning to play by following the same process that we used to learn to speak our first language.
But better yet...
...He immediately started laying out a sequence of counter-intuitive "bass-language-learning" activities that had single-handedly gotten him to a level of effortless fluency with his playing.
Funny thing is, almost all of these "language learning" activities were the polar opposite of the things I had been devoutly spending most of my time on!
Do you have what it takes to be an Admired, Fluent And Confident bassist?
(Copy this Very Specific 'Language-Learning' Process And Find out)
I'll admit...
There were several times in those first 9 years when I was convinced I just didn't have what it takes either.
...Yet fast forward to today and as a musician I've now toured extensively with award winning artists, played everything from sold out arenas with tens of thousands of people to the most exclusive private events, hung out with celebrities, appeared on national TV and overall just had the most amazing time playing music with elite musicians I respect and love.
The only reason I'm even mentioning this is to illustrate how drastically things can change even if you feel like you've been stuck forever.
And that's why...
...Even though I don't personally know you, if you're reading this letter I think there's a good chance, you too, are a far superior musician than you've been able to realize thus far. Because achieving a high degree of competence on the instrument (even after failing for several years) isn't a "talent" thing...
It's a "follow-the-right-process" thing.
And while some people accidentally stumble into doing the right things, just by virtue of practicing 14 hours a day, then learning and consistently playing hundreds of songs over 20 years...
That's not what I want for you.
Most of you don't have the time it'll take to travel that route.
Instead, I want to show you exactly;
- ...How to accurately and intentionally treat music like an actual language, get fluent fast, and see an almost immediate and undeniable improvement in 1) the ideas you play when presented with a song, 2) your confidence and ability to keep up and shine when playing with other musicians.