Bass Curriculum

Beginner

  • How to Play your Favourite Bass Lines from your Favourite Songs.

I will teach you finger alternation and plectrum picking so you can play your favourite bass lines smoothly without pausing.   

  • Instrument Anatomy.

How to hold your instrument.  Hand placement: how to hold a pick, how to position your hand for smooth and efficient finger alternation, how to place your fingers on the fretboard with the least amount of effort, how to position your hand so that you can change positions effortlessly.

  • Strong Rhythmic Ability.

How to feel different rhythms and lock in with different kinds of drum beats.

  • Tuning, Stringing & Buying your Instrument.

Need help buying a Bass?  I will go with you to the music store and help you buy an affordable, quality Bass that won’t hinder your ability to play.

  • Bass Chords and Scales.

How to think in chords and scales while your playing your bass.   

  • Basic Music Theory that is fun and will help you write your own songs.

  • How to read Tablature.

I will teach how to read tablature and chord diagrams so that you can learn songs on your own.

Intermediate

  • Bass Lines and Chord Harmony from your Favourite Songs.

I will teach you the scales and chords behind your favourite songs so that you can think like a professional bass player and compose your own bass lines and write your own songs.    

  • How to think like a Professional Drummer.

I will teach you how to groove over different types of rhythms and how to internalize musical pulse and think rhythmically like a professional drummer.  I will provide backing tracks for you to practice over and teach you how to compose your own rhythms and drum parts.

  • Arpeggios, String Crossing.

Learn how to think in chords while your playing your bass.

  • How to read Chord Charts and Notation.

I can teach you how to read music and how to read chord charts.

  • Song Writing.

I will teach you basic song structures and rhythm changes that will help you compose your own songs.

Advanced

  • Pentatonic, Diatonic and Chromatic Harmony.

Scales and chords and how they relate to the modes.  How to think in chords, arpeggios, and modes while your improvising on your instrument.    

  • Fast Finger Alternation & Speed Picking

Learn how to play fast with your fingers or with a pick.

  • Odd Time Signatures, Scales from Different Musical Traditions

Studying odd time signatures and scales from different musical traditions is extremely rewarding and will help you grow as a bassist, composer, and songwriter.

  • Recording Techniques

Layering, composition, arrangement.

  • Classical and Jazz Studies

I have many years of education in Classical and Jazz and can help you advance in these styles.

  • Fusion.

How to blend different musical traditions into your own unique way of playing.