I’m retired now and also a widower. My doctor suggested that I pick up a hobby. I don’t have the patience to fish anymore and my back informed me that golf is not an option!

The biggest regret in my life was (until now) not learning to play an instrument. So now that I do have time, I decided that I will learn to play the bass! It’s been 3 months now and I’m actually enjoying it. My bass is a Squirer Jazz Bass. I’m taking weekly lessons.

My question? How long did it take for you to actually think “Hey, I think I’m competent enough to call myself an actual player now?”

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Posted by Ace Midnight

Between sanity and madness

Member since Dec 2006

95178 posts

Posted on 3/3/26 at 11:13 am to Uatu

Well, I only hung out with musicians forever (a - not very good at that - drummer).

Then, I started playing bad, bad guitar about 25 years ago. Now, I play piano pretty horrifically.

#ButIenjoyit

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Posted by auggie

Opelika, Alabama

Member since Aug 2013

31291 posts

Posted on 3/3/26 at 11:14 am to Uatu

quote:
My question? How long did it take for you to actually think “Hey, I think I’m competent enough to call myself an actual player now?”

50 years of guitar and I say I'm still learning.
I started learning to fingerpick a few years ago and I get a lot of compliments around the guitar shops now, but to me, there's still too much that I can't do, that I really want to.
That's fine though, it's the journey and not the destination that counts. Just enjoy it and keep learning.

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Posted by deeprig9

Unincorporated Ozora

Member since Sep 2012

74546 posts

Posted on 3/3/26 at 12:02 pm to Uatu

quote:
How long did it take for you to actually think “Hey, I think I’m competent enough to call myself an actual player now?”

After about 6 months of weekly lessons and daily practice of the guitar, I found myself playing in a high school band with seniors who had played for years, while I was only a freshman. Although, I was relegated to bass. I wasn't near good enough to front as a straight up guitar player at the time, and the bass lines weren't too complicated, but I never fricked up, and that was really the important part.

I did grow up with a piano in the house, and played woodwinds in middle school band, so I wasn't a complete newbie to music, but new to the instrument.

This post was edited on 3/3/26 at 4:06 pm

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Posted by Red Boarman

Member since Oct 2023

666 posts

Posted on 3/3/26 at 12:35 pm to Uatu

Interesting question because I was so young that I thought of myself as a player long before I was. Give yourself a goal. Pick a favorite song, one with a bit of difficulty, learn it start to finish, keep playing along with it until you nail it every time, and call yourself a player. Then, pick another song.

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Posted by wareaglepete

Union of Soviet Auburn Republics

Member since Dec 2012

18024 posts

Posted on 3/3/26 at 1:16 pm to Uatu

Not to discourage, but years. It really depends on the time you put into it. Your learning will ramp up when you start playing with others. I would try to work on getting to that point as soon as you can. Don't wait until you've mastered that intro to Hysteria by Muse or learned a bunch of complex stuff. As soon as you can get though some basic three chord rock and blues songs, find a group of folks to play with. Learn the 1-4-5 blues. It is the easiest thing to learn on bass and it gets you into about a million songs.

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