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Ryan Madora

Ryan Madora

Columnist/Lessons

Ryan Madora is a professional bass player, author, and educator living in Nashville, TN. In addition to touring and session work, she teaches private lessons and masterclasses to students of all levels. Visit her website to learn more!

Visit Ryan’s Patreon to support her work and get exclusive access to TAB/Notation for video lessons.

Head to her online store to grab an autographed copy of her book, Bass Players To Know: Learning From The Greats, or her Youtube channel.

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Latest from Ryan:

Cissy Strut Jam: Groove Like George Porter Jr. of The Meters
Keep It Groovy

Cissy Strut Jam: Groove Like George Porter Jr. of The Meters

In this “Keep It Groovy” episode, we’ll channel the power of George Porter Jr. to get our funk on. Check out this lesson Ryan Madora created around “Cissy Strut” by The Meters.

Learn How To Play A Country Bass Line: Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash
Keep It Groovy

Learn How To Play A Country Bass Line: Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash

Let’s add to your repertoire of country blues bass lines and practice the Johnny Cash classic, “Folsom Prison Blues.” Ryan Madora breaks it down in this “Keep It Groovy” bass lesson.

Learning Arpeggios On The Bass: G Major 2-5-1 Exercise For Major and Minor Triads On Bass
Keep It Groovy

Learning Arpeggios On The Bass: G Major 2-5-1 Exercise For Major and Minor Triads On Bass

In this “Keep It Groovy” lesson, Ryan Madora guides us through practicing arpeggio shapes by playing through a very common chord progression. It’s the perfect warm-up exercise to play with a metronome and can even be shifted to other keys.

Learn The Bass Line To “Glory Days” By Bruce Springsteen
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Learn The Bass Line To “Glory Days” By Bruce Springsteen

Ryan Madora is keeping things groovy today with The Boss and learning the bass line to “Glory Days” from “Born In The U.S.A.” We’ll look at its theory, integrate some short slides, and do our best Garry Tallent impression.

Finding The Best P Bass Tone: Flat vs. Round Wound Strings
Keep It Groovy

Finding The Best P Bass Tone: Flat vs. Round Wound Strings

In this “Keep It Groovy” bass lesson, Ryan Madora explores the tonal capabilities of the Precision (or “P”) bass. She A-B tests the difference between flat wound and round wound strings along the way.

Learn How To Play Pull-Offs: Essential Funk Bass Technique – Part 2
Keep It Groovy

Learn How To Play Pull-Offs: Essential Funk Bass Technique – Part 2

In Part 2 of this lesson series, we further develop our bass groove with the E minor pentatonic scale and a few built-in moves perfect for pull-offs.

Learn How To Play Pull-Offs: Essential Funk Bass Technique – Part 1
Keep It Groovy

Learn How To Play Pull-Offs: Essential Funk Bass Technique – Part 1

This lesson explores the pull-off technique, an essential element of bass playing. While it’s typically used in funk, this can be applied across all genres of music.

Playing Hammer-Ons on Bass In The Key Of E – Part 2
Keep It Groovy

Playing Hammer-Ons on Bass In The Key Of E – Part 2

Here’s a quick follow-up to Ryan Madora’s previous “Keep It Groovy” lesson on hammer-ons in the key of E. Ryan reviews the basics of the technique and then adds a few new funky options to help build our groove.

Playing Hammer-Ons on Bass In The Key Of E – Part 1
Keep It Groovy

Playing Hammer-Ons on Bass In The Key Of E – Part 1

In this lesson, Ryan Madora breaks down the technique of hammering-on. A quintessential element of bass technique, this focuses on our fretting hand and adds plenty of groove to any bass line.

Nailing The Bass Intro To “My Girl” By Palm Muting and Getting a Vintage Tone
Keep It Groovy

Nailing The Bass Intro To “My Girl” By Palm Muting and Getting a Vintage Tone

In this lesson, we’ll learn how to keep it groovy by palm muting and using our thumb — a slightly different technique compared to standard finger-style playing. To practice this, we’ll play the distinctive intro part to “My Girl” by The Temptations.

Keep It Groovy: Learn The Bass Line To The Beatles’ “Eight Days A Week”
Keep It Groovy

Keep It Groovy: Learn The Bass Line To The Beatles’ “Eight Days A Week”

Today, Ryan Madora keeps it groovy by learning triads, following a chord progression, and applying a walking bass line by taking a page from Paul McCartney’s book and “Eight Days A Week.”

Keep It Groovy: Using Major and Minor Triads and Making Them Groove: 1-6-2-5 in the key of A
Keep It Groovy

Keep It Groovy: Using Major and Minor Triads and Making Them Groove: 1-6-2-5 in the key of A

In this “Keep It Groovy” lesson, we take a look at combining our major and minor triad shapes to fit a key and chord progression. We’ll focus on the good ol’ 1-6-2-5 in the key of A.