Bass Lesson Archives - Page 12

I’m working on a new concept in double thumb slap bass, which basically is an “in reverse” technique. This means the “down” thumb is on the offbeat, and the “up” thumb is on the downbeat. This creates a whole new feeling worth exploring. You can follow along with the notation (PDF) and the video below. Let me know how it...

Bassist Damien Langkamer put together this funky video to teach us how to build on the groove. (And how about that tone?) Damien shares, “I’m taking a few simple groove ideas and expanding them each time round, to build on the groove. There’s two main ideas in this, a funky melody section and a choppy bridge section, both start off...

Here are some cool patterns for you to try out, using open strings for creating fast passages and note doubling. In the video demonstration, I first play it at full speed, followed by a reduced speed. Follow along with the notation/TAB (PDF). For the gear heads: I’m playing my 1966 Fender Precision bass (I don’t use the Jazz bass bridge...

Editor’s note: No Treble readers submitted questions to us for the next series of lessons by Thomas “MarloweDK” Risell. Several readers submitted questions about learning scales, intervals and patterns, as well as asking how I approach practicing them. In this installment, I try to cover all the basics. If you have questions or something you’d like to share about these...

Here’s a new bass lick lesson for you. This time around, we’ll work up a fill in E minor, using the B minor pentatonic to start, then adding the E minor Dorian scale with some chromatic notes thrown in. This is handy for those one bar fills you’ll want to incorporate in your playing, including your solos. The first part...

Pablo Elorza has published the second video in his “Deep Into Electric Bass Classics” series of bass lessons with an in-depth look at the popular Jaco Pastorius tune “Continuum.” After playing through the tune, Elorza explains the methods and techniques Pastorius used to create his melodies. The lesson is a great one for any music theory buff as well as...

One way to quickly become fluent in a key is to familiarize yourself with that key’s diatonic arpeggios, i.e. the arpeggios beginning on each note of the scale. Facility in diatonic arpeggios is also necessary for true improvisational freedom and fluency. I don’t suggest attempting this until you are comfortable with the originating scale. In today’s examples, that is C...

This time around, I have two lessons in one for you to try out. The first part touches on the concept of practicing with a metronome. In this example, the metronome is counting on beats two and four. To make this fun, the other part focuses around a sort of offbeat, Larry Graham-style rhythm. We tie it all together –...

Bassist Pablo Elorza has started a new series on YouTube he’s calling “Deep Into Electric Bass Classics” with the infamous Jaco Pastorius tune “Havona.” Elorza rips through the tune, then breaks it all down for everyone trying to learn. He speaks in Spanish, but don’t worry, there are English subtitles for his in-depth analysis. Time to hit the woodshed!

Last time, we kicked off a bass line construction series of lessons with a study in improvising on some funk in the key of C. This time around, we’re focusing on some new phrasing ideas for the trusty old minor pentatonic scale. In this case, we’re using the A minor pentatonic scale: A, C, D, E, G The exercise covers...

Let’s take a look at some of the fundamentals in bass line construction. In this lesson, we’ll improvise on some funk in the key of C. A quick note and correction: when I say “seventh” in the video, I mean flatted seventh. You’ll see the annotation when that comes up in the video. Here’s a break down of the notes/intervals...

After mastering the exercises on one and two strings, you will be ready to challenge yourself with some three-string exercise, like the ones below. Some Notes: These exercises can be done pizzicato or arco. If done pizzicato, I suggest beginning each pattern using the second finger of your right hand, followed by the first (i.e. 2-1) and alternating without exception....