In this preview clip from the upcoming Chord Tone Essentials course, we take a look at the 3 fingering patterns we can use for any single arpeggio. This allows us to break out of that common 1 octave box shape we can fall into and also sets the scene for more expansion over the whole [...]
A few years ago I released 2 in-depth videos on the modes for bass guitar. They were both 45 minutes long (which is LONG for a Youtube bass lesson). So here we have a quick outline of what the modes are with a brief tip on how you can apply them. […]
This week I’m looking at the 3 biggest problems I see in players getting started with slap bass technique. Slapping can be really tough for beginner bass players that want to imitate their heroes like Flea, Marcus Miller or Mark King but some of the issues are easily fixed with some simple tips. […]
THIS WEEK we’re looking at DOUBLE THUMB technique. You may have seen Victor Wooten and a hundred other Youtube virtuosos playing with this style. It’s simply a way of creating two slap hits out of one basic motion so we get two for the price of one. This also gives us the ability to play [...]
Ear training is a way of developing our ability to figure out and then play or write any music we hear. The ultimate aim is to be able to freely express whatever music we want on the bass guitar and in that sense we’re literally learning to talk through the instrument. At first you might [...]
THIS WEEK we’re looking at fret markers and how they can REALLY help with navigating the fretboard. Beginner Bass Players often have no clue as to what the fret markers represent. Why would you if nobody told you? Soooo, I’m going to give you 3 HUGE tips for using fret markers. The first tip might [...]
In this lesson I’ll be showing you the PERFECT bass riff to get you started playing bass as a complete beginner. This bass riff is great for working on loads of the basics such as crossing strings, finger strength (especially in that pinky) and just general riff playing. Even if you’re not a complete beginner [...]
This week I’m answering a request for the slap riff from the song Can’t Stop by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. This riff by Flea is fairly straightforward as long as you’ve got a good grasp of playing ghost notes. […]
In this week’s lesson I’ve got a kickass major scale exercise for you that will help developing both your technique and your muscle memory when playing sequential scalar lines. […]
Hi everyone! In this lesson I’m going to show you how to analyse a bass riff by breaking down the chord tones and non chord tones. To do this it’s handy to know the chord progression of a tune but you can also often just see the chords being implied by the bass line. This [...]