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Beginner Bass Course

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Welcome to the Beginner Bass course! This detailed series of video courses will guide you through the fundamentals of learning the bass guitar, from tuning up and learning the notes, to playing some simple basslines. Along the way we'll also learn a little music theory, and cover methods of learning techniques that will help you avoid falling into bad habits.

Each of the categories shown below contains several sub-courses containing many hours of detailed instruction. For each of these courses there is a downloadable resources folder containing PDF worksheets and backing tracks for you to play along with (available to subscribers only).

IMPORTANT! If you are a complete beginner to the bass guitar, I strongly recommend working through the courses below in order!

1. Getting Started

These courses cover the fundamentals, including the basic anatomy of the instrument, how to tune it, and how to begin learning where all of the notes live.

2. Basic Technique

These courses cover basic picking hand techniques such as fingerstyle and plectrum playing. Effective fretting hand technique is also covered here.

3. Basic Notes on the E-string

This course features simple basslines that use the open E-string and two notes found within the first few frets: the F# at the second fret and the G at the third.

4. Basic Notes on the A-string

This course introduces some basslines that use the open A-string and two notes found within the first few frets: the B at the second fret and the C at the third.

5. Basic Notes on the D-string

This course features simple basslines that use the open D-string and two notes found within the first few frets: the E at the second fret and the F# at the fourth.

6. Basic Notes on the G-string

This course features simple basslines that use the open G-string and two notes found within the first few frets: the A at the second fret and the B at the fourth.

7. The Raking Technique

This course covers an important fingerstyle technique – raking. This is a technique that feels very natural and can make playing from string to string much easier.

8. More Notes on the E-string

This course will introduce you to two notes on the E-string within the first five frets that have not been covered yet. These are the F at the first fret and the G#/Ab at the fourth.

9. More Notes on the A-string

This course will introduce you to two notes on the A-string within the first five frets that have not been covered. These are the A#/Bb at the first fret and the C#/Db at the fourth.

10. More Notes on the D-string

This course will introduce you to two notes on the D-string within the first five frets that have not been covered. These are the D#/Eb at the first fret and the F at the third.

11. More Notes on the G-string

This course will introduce you to two notes on the G-string within the first five frets that have not been covered. These are the G#/Ab at the first fret and the A#/Bb at the third.

12. The Dotted Quarter Note Rhythm

This course introduces an important new rhythm: the dotted quarter note, followed by an eighth note. This is a very useful rhythm.

13. Octaves

This video course introduces a musical device that’s hugely important to us as bass players – the octave.

14. The Next Step

This course introduces a new method of tuning the bass – using harmonics. It will also introduce you to more notes on the fingerboard.

15. Box Shape #1

This course introduces a popular ‘box shape’ on the bass guitar. This shape contains the root, fifth and octave.

16. Box Shape #2

In this course we'll be adding a note to the box shape that we looked at in the previous course. This will help us to easily add more colour to our basslines.

17. Sixteenth Notes

This course covers sixteenth notes, four of which can be played within one beat. Sixteenths will open up a lot of new rhythmic possibilities.

18. Phrasing Techniques

This course covers fretting hand phrasing techniques such as hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, trills, and vibrato.

19. The Triplet Rhythm

This course introduces the triplet. This rhythm is a fundamentally different to the previous rhythms but is an important one to be aware of.

20. The 12-Bar Blues

This video course covers the blues. You’ll learn more about the shuffle feel and play some blues basslines as well.

21. Major and Minor Scales

Scales are essential building blocks of music and it’s important for bass players to learn how to play them effectively.

22. Arpeggios

This course covers all of the arpeggio types that occur in major keys. It contains several exercises which put arpeggios to use.

23. Study Piece #1

This piece is a rock bassline that is mostly built on simple eighth note patterns. It can be played either with the fingers or a plectrum.

24. Study Piece #2

This is piece is a melodic reggae bassline that makes use of some eighth note-sixteenth note combination rhythms.

25. Study Piece #3

This is piece is a funk bassline that makes use of some sixteenth note rhythms.

26. Study Piece #4

This is piece is more challenging funk bassline that makes use of some sixteenth note rhythms and hammer-ons.

27. Study Piece #5

This is piece is a blues in E that calls on many of the elements covered in the 12-Bar Blues course. It features a walking bassline.