The Professional Bass Masterclass

Key Objectives:

Write down a practice schedule that you can follow regularly.  Start with a time you believe you can dedicate, then divide that time into chunks dedicated to areas you would like to work on.  This example has topics to be covered.  It should look something like this (but tailored to you):

30 Minute session:

5 minutes major scale

5 minutes triad shapes (all four in one position)

5 minutes the blues scale

15 minutes playing music (a song you are learning, a bass part you are learning or writing, playing music)

*Remember, it's better to practice a little every day (even if it's only 20 minutes) than to practice less frequently for longer periods of time.

The order of the open strings are, from low to high, E A D G.

We will learn three ways to tune the bass.  The first step is the same for all three methods, as it is in a variety of settings.  Get an A from a tuner or another already tuned instrument.  If you're with another musician, or someone sitting at a piano, simply ask: "Can I get an A for tuning."

Primary method:

Step 1: Tune the A string.

Step 2: Play the harmonic at the 7th fret of the a string and the harmonic at the 5th fret of the E string, then tune the E string.

Step 3: Play the harmonic at the 5th fret of the A string and the 7th fret of the D string and tune the D string.

Step 4: Play the harmonic at the 5th fret of the D string and the 7th fret of the G string and tune the G string.

Second method:

Step 1: Tune the A string.

Step 2: Play the fifth fret of the E string (which is an A) and tune the low E string to your open A string.

Step 3: Play the fifth fret of the A (which is a D) and tune the open D string to the fretted note..

Step 4: Play the fifth fret of the D string (which is a G) and tune the open G string to the fretted note.

Third method (useful for checking intonation)

Step 1: Tune the A string.

or

Use one of the previous methods to tune the bass and then...

Step 2: Play the 12th fret harmonic of the E string and the 7th fret of the A string and compare.

Step 3: Play the 12th fret harmonic of the A string and the 7th fret of the D string and compare. 

Step 4: Play the 12th fret harmonic of the D string and the 7th fret of the G string and compare.

*Remember this pro tip: Give a little pull on each of the strings as you're tuning to ensure the instrument stays in tune.

Position of the left hand: grip the neck comfortably by placing the middle finger in line over the thumb and let the rest of the fingers take a natural position over their respective frets.

Practice:

Single-string chromatic exercise in 5th position (index finger on the 5th fret) over all strings.

Position of the right hand: Anchor the thumb allowing the fingers to arch over the strings.  When sounding the string, pull the finger over the string bringing it to rest on the string on the string below it.  Use this same angle for playing on the E string.

Primary method for the right hand:

Use a two-finger alternating pattern (index and middle or, alternatively, index and ring).

*Use the thumb to mute all lower strings whenever possible to generate a professional, studio-ready tone.

Spend 5 minutes per practice session memorizing the natural notes that appear on the fretboard.  Start one string at a time.  

Once that is comfortable, practice memorizing by frets.  For example, name all the notes at the 3rd fret, then the 12th, then the 5th and so on.

Once that is comfortable, move chromatically (one half-step at a time) up and down strings when stepping beyond the natural notes and adding the accidentals (sharps and flats) to your knowledge of the neck.

Repeat.

*Remember: start with the natural notes first and get comfortable with those before moving on to accidentals.

The Major Scale is a fundamental building block in music.  Make this scale a staple of your regular practice until it becomes comfortable.

Key Objectives:

To be able to play the scale smoothly with consistent tempo and good tone.

To be able to able to think of the interval as it is being played.  (1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1)

Practice:

Practice this scale for 5-10 minutes a day with and without a metronome.  If you practice scales for 5 minutes, make one of those minutes the interval counting practice.  Play from roots starting on the E string and from roots starting on the A string.  Have fun playing on all different positions of the neck!  Enjoy your exploration of the instrument and discover how different positions feel.

*Remember to play with emphasis on the root note.

The Major Scale is a fundamental building block in music. Make this scale a staple of your regular practice until it becomes comfortable.

Key Objectives: To be able to play the scale smoothly with consistent tempo and good tone. To be able to able to think of the interval as it is being played.

(1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1)

Practice: Practice this scale for 5-10 minutes a day with and without a metronome. If you practice scales for 5 minutes, make one of those minutes the interval counting practice. Play from roots starting on the E string and from roots starting on the A string.

Have fun playing on all different positions of the neck! Enjoy your exploration of the instrument and discover how different positions feel. 

Practice this scale in a variety of positions around the neck.  Remember that your "position" is determined by the fret which your first finger plays.  If your first finger is over the second fret, you are in second position.

Once you become familiar with this scale, practice it on open strings as well.

A single note generates the overtone series which sounds the triad.  A triad consists of three notes: a root, a third and a fifth.  Building a triad on the 1st, 4th and 5th intervals generates the seven notes of a key.  If we play the seven notes in order by pitch, we have a scale.  Building a triad on each of the seven notes of a scale generates the chords for that key -- which is the foundation for all harmony (the movement of chords that supports melody).

Here is a quiz to help reinforce the information covered in Music Theory I. 

The triad contains a root, a third and a fifth.  Each of the four types of triads contains this 1,3,5 though each type modifies this form.

The four types of triads are major, minor, diminished and augmented.  Their construction is as follows:

Major Triad:  Root, Third, Fifth

Minor Triad:  Root, Minor Third, Fifth

Diminished Triad:  Root, Minor Third, Flat Fifth

Augmented Triad:  Root, Major Third, Sharp Fifth

The triad is the foundation of all harmony.  Harmony consists of the notes and the chords that make up the music that form the support, partner and counterpoint to melody.

Notice that when the major scale is played on a single string it has the same finger pattern as the standard major scale form: 2-4, 1-2-4, 1-3-4.

Key Objective: 

Commit this form of the major scale to memory.

Take the time to get comfortable with this form and it will serve you incredibly well!  Becoming familiar with this will be highly beneficial to your mastering the entire fretboard.

Practice:

Practice starting with a very slow tempo that is comfortable for you.  Once the pattern becomes familiar, add playing the scale with just the index finger.  Practice control over both forms.

*Pro tip: There is one single fret between each of the positions.  Spot it clearly for confident transitions between positions. 

Knowing the linear shapes will prove incredibly beneficial to later lessons and to a wide variety of skills.

Be sure to practice this scale form with a metronome to train precision into the shifting of positions.

Knowing the major scale over just one octave is essential to many musical elements.  Work toward becoming intimately familiar with the major scale, its intervals, and the gravity of the scale.  Adding the notes you have available to you in any position is an extension of this knowledge.

Continue to practice the one-octave major scale.  Its an excellent warm-up.  And add this expanded form to develop intelligent approaches to the bass lines you choose to play and write.

Note values

From large to small:

whole note = 4 quarter notes

half note = 2 quarter notes

quarter note = 1

eighth note = 2 in a quarter note

sixteenth note = 4 in a quarter note

thirty-second note = 8 in a quarter note

Adding a dote to any note increases it's value by half. So...

A dotted whole note = 6 quarter notes.

A dotted half note = 3 quarter notes.

A dotted quarter note = 3 8th notes

A dotted 8th = 3 16th notes

The same applies to rests, though they have different symbols.

This bass guitar lesson covers an introduction to subdivisions.  An essential step in mastering time is to understand and practice subdivisions.  

Longer notes can be subdivided into shorter ones adding great variety to a bass line.  Instant access to these subdivisions elevates playing.

Practice subdividing with a metronome and have fun!

This bass guitar lesson covers:

Meters, Duple and Triple, Time Signatures

This bass guitar lesson covers the two octave pentatonic major scale.

The two-octave pentatonic major scale is an incredibly useful and versatile scale.  It adds new colours to the pentatonics with the beautiful shifts and slides that occur within the scale.

This is a great place to write a bass line.

This bass guitar lesson covers Reggae.

Bass lesson covering Music Theory Level II.  Music theory and the bass guitar.

Intervals change and colour the harmony and the melody.

This bass lesson covers the application and use of intervals in bass guitar parts.

Practice

Play over this backing track with the chord progression D Major to B minor.  Build intervals over the root of the chord you are on.  Start by building these intervals with only the notes of the D major scale (as the progression is in D Major).

Enjoy!

Tha Bass Player's Workshop

An interactive module for the study and practice of the bass guitar.

The chromatic scale is a powerful tool for bass movement.  This scale can be used in longer variations, but is exceptionally effective in just four notes.

Four notes, each a semitone apart, moving chromatically in one direction create a gravity that moves us into the next chord.  The next chord in the profession doesn't simply appear, it is essential, it is foreshadowed, it has gravity.

Thus, chromatic movement propels the harmony forward.  It gives energy to one chord; moving it to the next!

When the harmony moves with this kind of power, the melody becomes more powerful, which in turn feeds the harmony in a mutually beneficial circuit.

Practice using chromatic passages to move from one chord to another.

The chromatic scale embodies the principles of propulsion and gravity that are essential to crafting and playing great bass lines.

In this bass lesson we look at a mobile (can be moved around the neck to instantly change keys) two-octave major scale.  It is built on the primary major scale form (2-4, 1-2-4, 1-3-4).

Key Objective:

To add the mobile two-octave major scale to your repertoire.

Bass Lesson Practice:

Commit the form to memory and play in different positions.  Be sure to practice this with a metronome to ensure smooth, seamless transitions between positions.

Every few passes, try thinking of the number of the note as you play it.  Replace 8 with 1 so that you have: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,1 and then down.

*Note: Be aware of the space between positions and commit these spaces to memory.  This will help with solidifying a confident shift to a new position.

This bass lesson covers the minor scale over two octaves for the bass guitar.

This bass lesson covers how to recognize and construct key signatures.

This bass lesson covers the major pentatonic scale on bass guitar.

Create a bass line in D Major Pentatonic.

Play a lead line above the 12th fret over a D Major Chord.

This bass lesson covers the minor pentatonic scale on four string bass guitar.

Create a bass line in C Minor Pentatonic.

Play a lead line above the 12th fret over C Minor Pentatonic.

The Bass Player's Workshop

An interactive module designed to help you practice and apply the major and minor pentatonic scales on bass guitar.

This bass guitar lesson is on chord construction.

Building on our knowledge of triads, let's move forward to chord construction.

Chords are built on triads and so we know how to construct three note chords.

This bass lesson covers compound and odd meter time signatures to help prepare you for a wider range of musical settings.

Learn to take the bass guitar into any setting and understand exactly what is going on.

So, how do we create a great bass line?  How do we fulfill the functions of the bass by contributing rhythmically?

At the heart of rhythmic propulsion is subdivision.  This advanced exercise prepares you for both playing with important rhythm section elements and increasing the possibilities for rhythms in the bass parts you create.  It also increases rhythmic precision for any bass part you choose to play.

Practice with a metronome and start slowly -- 50 beats per minute or so.  Once this is comfortable, practice in a variety of tempos, both faster and slower.

Enjoy this bass lesson.

A triad is a group of three notes that form a fundamental unit in music.  The three notes of a triad are a root, a 3rd and a 5th.  Triads are the basic building blocks of chords, scales and keys.

This is the beginning of a mastery of harmony.  Knowing these forms is essential.

Key Objective:

To learn the four triad types and their multiple fingerings.

Practice:

Commit these four triads to memory and have fun playing them in different positions on the neck.

*Essential learning.

Bass lesson on covering different versions of triads.

This bass lesson teaches you how to apply what you've learned about triads to any musical setting.

A valuable lesson can be learned from the chromatic scale about how to maintain the position of the left hand on bass guitar.  

Generally, it is helpful to maintain your position (the frets you are playing over) in a particular key.  This way you can easily call upon the tools you have (scales, triads, etc.) to play within that key.

This bass lesson focuses on developing the skill and muscle memory to maintain your position when you play so that you always know where you are.

Practice this incredibly useful form of the chromatic scale so that returning to a position of strength is automatic.

This bass guitar lesson teaches you the blues scale.

This bass lesson teaches you chord construction for the bass guitar expanding to 7th chords.

This is an extremely important bass lesson on chord order.  Essential learning.

Lay it down like the Rock of Gibraltar.

This bass guitar lesson covers the two major string types and the strengths of each.

This bass guitar lesson looks at two forms of bending (n time and the quick bend) and two forms of vibrato (classical and modern) as applied on the bass guitar.