Bass Lessons
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
Talking Technique: Bass Octaves and Chromaticism with Slides and Hammer-Ons
In this video, Ari opens up the idea factory again: Octaves, chromaticism, peppered with slides and hammer-ons. These are tools to make your grooves to come alive!
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.
Bass Transcription: Jaco Pastorius’s “Amelia”
Alex Lofoco returns with a new look at one of Jaco Pastorius’s earliest tunes: “Amelia,” which Jaco performed with Wayne Cochran & The CC Riders. Check out the story and transcription.
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
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.
Keep It Groovy: Learn Minor Triads and Make Them Groove (Key Of A)
In this “Keep It Groovy” lesson, we take a look at minor triad shapes on the bass and figure out how to transform them from an exercise to a groove.