Bass Lessons

Two-hand tapping on an electric bass can be used in a multitude of ways. In his new “Tapping Technique” lesson, Josh Cohen covers the creation of improvisations in the upper register with the right hand while playing a bass line in the left hand.

In this “Bass & Creativity” lesson, Olivier Babaz takes a deep dive into some alterations of the dominant chord. With the help of piano and on bass, he covers how to get used to the colors and options of b13 and #11 within a II V I progression.

Josh Cohen is back with his second installment in his “Tapping Technique” bass lesson series. In this episode, he shares tips on “Rhythmic Displacement” in an effort to improve playing two or more independent parts at the same time.

Josh Cohen kicks off a new bass lesson series on No Treble focusing on Tapping Technique. This first lesson focuses on developing rhythmic independence.

Part 2 of Tim Fletcher’s and Troy Hughes’ project, “Kansas: Leftoverture – The Complete Basslines”, features Dave Hope’s excellent bassline for “The Wall.” This includes a full transcription (with tab), analysis, playing hints, and playthrough video.

In this “Bass & Creativity” lesson, Olivier Babaz dives into the mechanics of modulation within chord changes. You’ll learn how to navigate between tonalities, building harmonic sequences borrowing chords in two different, yet related tonalities.

The ii-V-I is one of the most common chord progressions in music. As bassists, we have a horizontal view of the harmonic movement. Today we’ll see how other instruments view the progression and implement voice leading to build interesting lines.

Tim Fletcher is back with a new and exciting project. After the enormous popularity of his bass transcription for Kansas’ “Carry on Wayward Son,” he teamed up with Troy Hughes to create a complete set for the Kansas album “Leftoverture.” Here’s Part 1.

In this lesson, Ariane Cap focuses on an angular riff that presents quite the string crossing challenge. It will not only shed your technique, but it will also give you creative ideas.

“Dancing Queen” was the first single from ABBA’s 1976 Arrival album, topping the charts in 15 countries and remaining one of ABBA’s best-known songs. Check out this transcription and analysis by our newest contributor, Tom Kenrick!

Olivier Babaz is back with his second entry in his “Bass & Creativity” lesson series. In this video lesson, he’s focusing on exploring the sounds, colors, and options through improvisation within the Dorian mode.

In this video lesson, we'll practice and explore the harmonic possibilities of combining bass playing with one or two top notes. Follow along with the video and topic outline.