Teach Me Bass Guitar User Review

When it comes to learning bass guitar on your own there just aren’t as many choices out there as there are for instruments like the guitar or piano. When I came across Teach Me Bass Guitar it instantly became my go to course for beginner and intermediate players looking to learn for the first time or sharpen their skills.

Teach Me Bass Guitar covers more topics, styles and concepts then any other DVD or online bass guitar course and offers more then a years worth of lesson content for the average student.

Course instructor Roy Vogt is a world renowned bassist and instructor. He has the perfect demeaouner for a self study bass guitar program. While Roy isn’t rushing you through the lessons he doesn’t spend too much time over explaining things. I’ve found that with some video courses over explanation is easy to do since you’re not right in front of the student. From the students point of view once you understand a concept you’re ready to move on so it can become boring.

If you’re ready to make a commitment of 20-30 minutes each day to watching the lessons and following the practice exercises supplied this is the perfect course.

What We Liked about the Course

It certainly felt like Teach Me Bass Guitar covers every essential element for learning bass guitar. From basic musical theory to scales and chords. The lesson plan is easy to follow. You start at DVD 1 watch the lesson, move onto the workshop session where Roy shows you practice exercises then practice those until you’ve mastered the concepts. Then move onto the next lesson.

Video Quality

It’s apparent that there was a lot of time spent both in the planning phase of these lesson videos but also in post production. During every lesson there is a real-time fretboard at the bottom of the screen which shows you exactly what strings and frets Roy is playing. This feature alone is very helpful especially for beginners.

A second feature they’ve built into each lesson is a “Looping” button. By pressing the looping button on screen you can loop particular parts of each lesson over and over until you’ve got them under your fingers. With similar courses you need to keep grabbing your DVD remote or the mouse for you computer, go back a few seconds and watch it again. This looping feature is a seamless way to learn each new technique taught.

Lesson Book

There is a lesson book included with Teach Me Bass Guitar that contains all the practice exercises and supplemental material you need when not watching the lesson DVDs. The book comes as PDF file on one of the course discs but you can order a hard copy if you wish from the official website. I’d suggest printing off the pages you need as you go and printing two pages to a sheet to save paper.

Play Along Videos

If there was one thing I hated about guitar lessons as a kid it was the repetition of playing the same thing over and over. Today there are solutions to practice those same old skills but in a much more enjoyable manor. There are over 100 play along videos included with the Teach Me Bass Guitar Course. These were all recorded with professional studio musicians and are available with and without the bass track being played. These are the perfect way to practice. I did find the beginner videos a bit boring, how ever I’m also not a beginner. The more advanced play along tracks were challenging and enjoyable.

Screen Shots for Teach Me Bass Guitar Click to Enlarge

What We Didn’t Like about the Course

Teach Me Bass Guitar isn’t cheap. At $187.50 (there are coupons available sometimes) it’s several more times expensive then most competitive home study courses online. How ever I don’t think it’s fair to compare this course to other home study programs. I’d rather compare it to taking private lessons because that is what this course is a replacement for.

Price Comparison

A 30-60 minute private bass guitar lesson will cost you between $20 and $30 each week. Taking one lesson per week, and using the lower end of the price scale that will cost you $1040 for an entire year. The $187.50 for Teach Me Bass Guitar doesn’t seem so steep when you compare it to $1040. Not to mention you get to keep those DVDs for ever.

One other down side to Teach Me Bass Guitar is for some there may be too much content. I know that might seem crazy to you reading this who are really excited about how much you can learn from this course, but for some they just want to get their feet wet.

If you’re one of those potential students who feels they may become over whlemed by all the content in the Teach Me Bass Guitar Course keep this in mind, you can stop and come back to pick up right where you left off at any time.

Conclusion

Teach Me Bass Guitar is the closest replacement for private bass guitar lessons available right now. Being able to watch the lessons on your home DVD player or computer at your leisure makes this course extremely versatile.

Included with the purchase of the course is a lifetime membership to the support website and community ThunderRow.com. This site is where you can get answers to questions you might have, chat with other students and even introduce yourself to course author and instructor Roy Vogt.

Cost and Guarantee

As mentioned above Teach Me Bass Guitar sells for $187.50 online (check for current Teach Me Bass Guitar coupons). That’s 25% off their suggested retail price for music stores. There is a 90 day satisfaction guarantee which I know first hand works. You simply send an email or call their customer service department and they’ll arrange for you to send your course back for a full refund of the purchase price less shipping.