by Taking a bass solo; improvising on bass – it can be scary, right?
Nobody wants to try to take a bass solo and sound like a fool, but where are you supposed to get started with improvising on bass?
Should you learn a bunch of scales that you can’t seem to make sense of? Are you supposed to learn the notes in the chords and play the arpeggios? Do you just play the same bass line that you’ve been playing for the rest of the song?
No!
When it comes to improvising on bass, you don’t have to do any of these at all! In fact, there’s a simple way you can start taking beautiful, simple bass solos that you know are going to sound good. In fact, you can almost guarantee that you won’t hit a ‘wrong‘ note.
Taking A Bass Solo Is Supposed To Be Fun!
Using the method in this lesson will take all the stress and worry OUT of making your own bass solo so you can have a ton of fun doing it. Not only that, but you’ll get the confidence to do it over and over again.
Check out the lesson here:
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As you can see, the secret isn’t super complicated. I’ve been using it for years and it really helps to ground me in whatever song I’m trying to play.
Of course when you start getting a bit more advanced and start using a more scale-based approach, your solos will be even better. You’ll have all the sounds you’d ever want, but with an incredibly melodic approach.
Do this and you’ll be unstoppable!
Be sure to sign up for the Ultimate Guide To The Modes For Bass under the lesson. It’ll give you a huge head-start when you decide to dive into the world of scales.
Good luck with the lesson and happy bass soloing!
Cheers,
Another Fabulous lesson, Luke. Thank you for your time.
Bob,
Sunny Leicester,
England.
No worries Bob. I’m so glad you liked it!
Hi, Luke
Thank you so much for the opportunities you make available for beginners to start playing bass.
I am a teacher too and your technique is excellent! I am super excited to progress with your support.
Bass regards
Werner Jordaan
What a brilliant concept. Thinking about all the classic jazz solos that I’ve heard, I now realise that’s what they did. They start with the basics of the melody and play with the structure, rhythm and harmony and then work their way back to the melody at the end of the solo.
I’ve recently started trying to solo and my biggest stumbling block was what to play during them. This has opened up the entire field for me.
Of course, I now have to learn the melodies for the songs that I play, but I’ve heard that that’s a good thing too 🙂
Thanks Luke
Exactly Dan! The best solos are the ones that connect emotionally and there’s no better way to do that than through the melody. And yes – learning the melodies can sometimes be tricky, but the payoff is so worth it! Thanks for watching Dan.
Great Lesson!
I wish I had been exposed to this lesson when I first started learning the bass!
I’ve been teaching advanced professional bassist for a number of years. I have seen many students with similar technical issues. A few of my students suggested that I “should start teaching “Beginners” -because I wouldn’t have to spend so much time with them breaking their old bad habits” (Bad technical habits that impede their progress when dealing with advanced concepts).
I found your site while looking for beginner bass lessons to see what and how the lessons are being taught. I think you are one of the best at explaining and demonstrating what you are teaching. Keep up the good work!
I can most definitely relate to your learning experience on that Jazz gig -it happened to me too! 😉
Chuck,
Snowy, USA
Thanks so much for the comment Chuck – you’ve really made my day.
I totally know what you mean about teaching people to break bad habits too. It can be frustrating for the student to go back to basics, but 99% of the time, that’s what they need to do to go forward. The majority of the time, they end up way ahead of where they originally were.
And yeah – it’s crazy how the simple things are what hooks the ‘regular’ (non-musician) audience member.
Thanks again Chuck! I really appreciate it.
Soloing has been my biggest limitation…this is truly an eye opener. Thanks!
No worries Charles! Thanks so much for the comment!
Thanks Luke
You have given me new inspiration I was about to give up.
I have never played eney type of music before and the bass is my first.
so much to learn
thanks Bruce
That’s awesome Bruce! Keep at it! There is a lot to learn, but just take it one step at a time. After a while, you’ll look back and see exactly how far you’ve come. If you have any questions, feel free to let me know. I’m always happy to help.
Hi Luke. I like your easy way to teach. Sitting here in Sweden and trying to get all thing together. Like how you explained this melody from Stevie Wonder. I only wish to get the tabs in paper to learn more by my self . Do you have them somewhere here or can you please write them down so I can learn offline. Now I’m scrolling your video lesson back and forward the whole time and its annoying… for my wife 😉 to here you repeat time after time.
thanks keep upp good work
Peter
Thanks so much for the comment Peter. I don’t actually have the tabs or notation for this song. It’s just something I learned by ear – listening and playing back until it sounded right to me. Is learning by ear something you’ve ever tried?
By the way – Tell your wife I’m so sorry! Haha!
Haha ok I will keep on trying. Now even my dog put his leg over the bass whit sorrow eyes. Maybe time too by headphones😎
That was a great explanation of how to start improvising, thank you so much Luke.
No worries Steve – I’m glad you liked it!
I want to play bass guitar
Perfect Sami – you’re in the right place! Have a look around the rest of the site and check it all out. If you need, just use the contact form if you have any questions about anything.
This was “super helpful!” I never knew a basic solo was so simple.
It’s dawned on me that my guitarist husband does solos based upon the melody all of the time.
I will give it a try now that I know I can solo without knowing all the scales. This should add some dimension to my playing.
Thank you!
Hey Luke ,I have a song I’m working on called ‘God’s been good to me by “ pilgrim jubilees “ which formula works best
Great story about the jou you gave to the elder man on the wedding. Tears in my eyes.
Jan
Hi Luke. You are one fantastic teacher.
Do you have capo chord conversion chart, so I can keep up with my bass. My wife uses a capo on her classic guitar and she changes the chords too fast for me. This way I can use the root note of each chord she uses with her capo.
Would this chart work for me?
Thanks.
Richard
Hey Richard – good question. It’s not super common to use a capo on bass, but also not unheard of. What I do when I’m playing with a guitarist that’s using a capo is this:
#1 – Try to figure out the chords by ear rather than what they look like. If I know what key the song is in, or if I can figure it out quickly, it becomes a lot easier to figure out the rest of the chords on my bass. If you need a bit of help getting started doing things by ear, you can check out this lesson:
https://becomeabassist.com/play-bass-by-ear-how-to-get-started/
#2 – Look at their fingers and try to identify the chord shape and where the root of the chord is. For example, if they’re playing a G major chord shape, I know they root of that chord is on the E-string. If I look at their fingers and see that the E-string finger is playing the 5th fret, I know that the chord is an A major chord. This method can work in a pinch, but it’s not the best way of getting around this problem.
Thanks Luke. Complete beginning on bass, but basic jazz, classical and pop/rock/funk knowledge from piano and drums, it’s really hard to find an online lesson tat “speaks to me”. Your sessions really help. And the hack-books seem to be written especially for me! Much obliged. Adam
I used this in my worship team , and completely bombarded everyone liked what I did as specially the guitar lead big plus
This is so cool Charles! Nice work!
Hi Luke
I really enjoy the Lessonand I even took my Bass and started practicing what you were doing. For the first time I heard my self playing a solo on my guitar which i thought i wont be able to do.This lesson has a given a lot of Hope that one day i would be able to play in front of an audience, By the way I am 61 years old and recently started to learn how to play Bass. Thank You So Much