Getting my kid started on bass

[dbielenberg]

My 9-year old son is very keen to begin learning the bass. He's been taking piano for a couple of years and his brother plays drums. I'm looking forward to jamming with them as well.

Are there junior-scale bass guitars available for a child? What advice would you give to a very young person starting on bass?

[dbielenberg]

Thanks for the advice. I actually saw a Fender/Squire Bronco bass for sale at Sam Ash this weekend for $160.

As for the advice, I totally agree. He's taking piano lessons now and is learning theory basics. I'll probably expand into bass lessons for him so he can get the hand position fundamentals right. And the fun will follow from jamming with brother and Dad...

[Dr.SixString]

You can find a lot of short scale basses on the market, I have only one short scale bass (Gibson Les Paul Triumph from the 70's) and it sounds great. Also, you can buy some cheap 1/4 size double bass for your kid, the age of 9 is perfect to start on the doublebass.
Good luck.

[guitartabbooks]

I very much enjoy helping young beginners learn. I have one student who is 13, named Jason. His guitar is bigger than he is (lol) which is why I let him borrow my B.C.Rich
He took a music test at school, and came in the top 5 of our region as having perfect pitch(which explains why he's actually learned a few songs himself by ear)
Maybe the free bass lessons I offer can be of help. I would recommend starting him with of course "how to read tab" then the Riff lesson. I learned those same riffs when I was his age, an man , by the time I was 14, I was playing in the battle of the bands . I am now age 40, and have a daughter who is eight years old, who's just now getting interested, and learning to play silent night. If I can be of help, say , private tutoring once a week by email, let me know.There will be no charge. That's what these forums are all about. My email is youcanplayguitar@core.com
and you can access the free lessons at http://www.guitartabbooks.com/freelessons.htm
Also, we just started a new Yahoo! Group a while back. We have a few members so far. We are looking for new members to join and post and reply to music related issues like this one. You can join us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/youcanplayguitar/
As far as a bass, I helped a mom choose a bass for her son who was 12. The best bass we found close to a short scale, that was small and easy to play for him was made by Dan Electro. It had a great neck, and awesome sound. I want to say she paid around $200.00
I could'nt believe it! It had a built in chours that sounded great.
I hope this helps.
Sincerley
Scott Morris

[Dr.SixString]

Originally posted by Dr.SixString
You can find a lot of short scale basses on the market, I have only one short scale bass (Gibson Les Paul Triumph from the 70's) and it sounds great. Also, you can buy some cheap 1/4 size double bass for your kid, the age of 9 is perfect to start on the doublebass.
Good luck.

Better don't buy the gibson, it's too heavy for a 9 year kid. Bronco is the bass.
Hey Dr.Groove, I'm here

Best regards,

Dr.6