Keep It Groovy

This lesson adds a new song to your blues repertoire, but don’t worry, it’s not another 12-bar. “She Caught The Katy” by Taj Mahal is simply a great tune with a funky bass line. We’ll dig into the chord progression, work through the different sections of the song, and get you playing in no time.

In this Keep It Groovy bass lesson, Ryan Madora walks us through how to play a blues shuffle by practicing along to drum backing tracks.

In this lesson, we do our best Duck Dunn impression and learn the bass line to the Otis Redding classic, “Down In The Valley.”

In this lesson, we’ll keep it groovy with a classic country bass line. We’re featuring “Jolene” by Dolly Parton and how this relatively easy bass line still requires us to be aware of many musical concepts.

This is a serious bass lesson. We’re digging into triads… different positions, using our pinky, major and minor shapes, the whole shebang!

In this lesson, we’ll explore the world of Soul and R&B bass lines and how major triads are used to create memorable parts. Bass players, including Duck Dunn, David Hood and more have used this approach to write iconic bass lines for songs we know and love.

Let’s dig into one of the truly great James Jamerson bass lines, the Motown classic “How Sweet It Is” by Marvin Gaye. This lesson will string together descending arpeggios, the blues box pattern, and root-fifth movement.

This bass lesson features a quick technique exercise that can seriously help your mobility on the bass. It’s about developing the adjacent string toggle, or the ability to quickly play the same fret on two strings that are next to one another.

This lesson focuses on one of the most popular eight-bar blues tunes, “Key To The Highway.” It features a shuffle feel, much like the version from Derek & The Dominos.

In this lesson, we take a look at octave slides and how they can intensify our rock and roll bass playing! We’ll practice playing a root note in the lower register of the bass and then slide up to play the octave on the adjacent string.

In this “Keep It Groovy” lesson, Ryan Madora honors the great Aston “Family Man” Barrett and learn the bass line to Bob Marley’s classic, “Stir It Up.”

If you're looking to make the leap from guitar to bass, this lesson is for you. Yes, the fretboard looks the same, but the technique is very different.