Thanks for requesting the full details for the Bass Solo Pilot Program
Like I mentioned, this will be an intensive 4-week live program designed to help you take solos that you actually like, that contribute to whatever song you’re playing – all without getting bogged down in tons of theory and sounding like a scale-playing automaton.
Here’s what I’m planning to cover in the class:
Week 1: Your First Steps For Bass Soloing
So many bassists struggle with the question: “How do I even get started soloing?” and in week 1, you’ll learn how.
- The two unlikely places you should begin your solo journey (Hint – it’s not with tons of scales, arpeggios, modes etc.)
- Day-1 drills you can use to start making music off the top of your head
- How to intentionally ‘unlearn’ the bass player mindset to free yourself to be as melodic as possible
- Why you don’t have to have immense ‘chops’ or play super intricate, fast lines to craft a great bass solo
- The 4 main bass solo ‘scenarios’ and the skills you need to thrive in each one
- How to use the bass solo ‘butter zone’ to sound more melodic (but so many just forget about it)
Week 2: Melodic Bass Solos That ‘Hook’ Your Bandmates And The Audience
- How to craft a beautiful ‘opening statement’ that hooks everyone you’re playing with and makes them actually listen to what you’re playing
- A stupidly simple ‘hack’ that guarantees your solo will be as melodic as possible (and also makes sure that everyone will actually listen to your solo)
- How to ‘seed’ your creativity for your bass solos so you always have something to play that you know will sound good
- How to fight ‘Bass Solo Blanking’ – that crippling feeling where you ‘freeze’ and can’t think of anything to play when someone asks you to solo
- How to get really good at soloing really fast
Week 3: Filling Your Bass Solo ‘Toolbox’ – Always Have Something To Play At The Drop Of A Hat
- The 3 ‘cardinal sin’ of bass soloing (plus their antidotes)
- Essential pieces of bass solo language – take these, put your unique ‘twist’ on them and you’ll always have something in your arsenal that sounds unique to you
- How to solo in a way that the groove doesn’t ‘die’
- Go beyond the same old licks you always play and earn the freedom to play what you hear in your mind
- How to solo in a way that doesn’t sound like ‘scaley’ and robotic
- The easiest way to expand beyond pentatonics and blues scales in your solos (without needing an encyclopedic knowledge of music theory)
Week 4: ‘Complete’ Bass Solos That You Can Be Proud Of
- How to craft a ‘complete’ bass solo and why you should think like a ‘storyteller’ when you do
- “What do you think about when you’re soloing?” and why the answer to that question changes the more experienced you get with soloing
- Learn how to inject more musicality into your solos so they always feel ‘alive’ instead of ‘scaley’ and sterile
- The art of ending your solo in an ultra-satisfying way instead of just ‘fizzling out’ or freezing
I’m also planning on building a library or ‘vault’ of real-world bass solos that I will transcribe for you (and give you the tabs + notation) then break them down in minute detail so you can learn from the very best bassists in the world.
Like I mentioned, this is a live class where we’ll meet on Zoom every week for 4 weeks and I’ll teach you everything I can about getting started with bass soloing. The dates for the classes will be:
Wednesday April 13th 8PM EDT
Wednesday April 20th 8PM EDT
Wednesday April 27th 8PM EDT
Wednesday May 4th 8PM EDT
Being a pilot program, the content is subject to change or possibly expansion based on the feedback I get from the students in the class. I’m more than happy to go further in-depth and cover even more ground if there’s the demand for it.
For example, if we don’t get through the material quickly enough or there are other subjects that people want to learn about or go further in-depth to make sure everyone understands the concepts, I’m more than willing to add extra live calls. It will all be based on how everyone in the pilot program is doing with all the material.
What I’ll be expecting of you if you decide to join
This class will be relatively short, but intensive – like I said, we’ll be meeting every week on Zoom, and because this is a pilot program, I’ll be expecting more of you than normal. More specifically, I want you to:
- Commit to finishing the pilot program
- Join me on the live calls (You’ll get the most out of the material if you show up live rather than just watching the replays)
- Do all the drills and homework
- Post videos or audio of your playing in the community so I can track your progress and give feedback (if other people seeing your playing terrifies you, then this isn’t the class for you)
- Send me questions you have about the material as well as feedback from the class
- Share a testimonial or case study about your experience with the class if you’re happy with your results that I can use in the marketing of the full course
As far as a time commitment for the class, if you have an hour a day to practice, 5 days a week, then you’ll be in a great position to get the most out of the class. But as with anything, the more you put into the program, the better results you’ll get. I’m really looking for students who will take the ideas and drills from classes and eagerly devour them each week!
The plan is that over the 4 weeks, we’ll figure out exactly what works and what doesn’t when it comes to learning to start taking solos you actually LIKE, then take all that knowledge and create a fully-fledged video program.
As a founding member of the pilot program though, you’ll get lifetime access to any soloing course I create from this material, plus any updates to it in the future for free.
Important: I’m limiting spaces to just 20 people
Getting feedback is like rocket fuel for your soloing and in the pilot program, I’ll be giving a ton of very personalized feedback on your playing. That way, you’ll have the best chance to start taking solos that actually contribute to the music you’re playing.
I’ve done pilot programs like this one in the past and I go deep with the individual feedback. Seriously – check out this example to see what I mean.
However, doing this can be quite time-intensive, so to make sure I have enough bandwidth to get to everyone, I’m capping the number of students at 20. Any more than that and I don’t think I’ll be able to give as much individual feedback on your playing as I’d like – and feedback is essential if you want to improve.
At the moment of this writing there are 10 spots remaining (although for the most up-to-date number you can check the registration page – it updates automatically)
The cost of joining the pilot program is $199 (USD) and includes everything I’ve mentioned so far – the 4-week live class, every bass solo drill and exercises, direct access to me in the feedback-heavy community, a library of real-life bass solos you can model, and lifetime access to any eventual video program that gets made (which I’ll likely make available for roughly the same price, except without any direct feedback like you’ll get in the pilot program).
So if you want to either take your very first bass solo – or even just your first really great bass solo, then I’d love to see you in the pilot program.
Join The Bass Soloing Pilot Program Here
Of course if you have any questions about it, just reply to this email and I’d be more than happy to answer them for you.
I hope to see you in the program.
Cheers,
P.S. A few questions I’m anticipating in advance:
Question: “Am I ‘ready’ for a class about soloing?”
If you’re a total beginner – still working on how to get around the bass and still trying to play in time – then this wouldn’t be a good fit for you. However, if you don’t have any major issues with your technique or groove, then you’re ready for this class.
You don’t need to know the ins and outs of music theory to get the most out of this class either – and even if you do know some theory, but are still confused as to how exactly to use it, then you’ll get a lot out of the pilot program.
Question: “How much music theory do I need to know?”
For this class, I’m trying out an approach that I’m tentatively calling ‘Language First – Theory Later’. This means that I won’t be bombarding you with tons of scales, modes, arpeggios etc. Instead, I’ll be sharing tons of musical language with you and you’ll learn to solo through the language – just like you’d learn an actual language.
You didn’t learn to speak by examining the dictionary and the rules of grammar – you learned it by essentially listening and assimilating it, and that’s the approach we’ll take in the pilot program.
So in short, you don’t need to know any music theory to get the most out of the pilot program. Remember, music theory is used to explain the language of music – not create it. Often, it’s through using the language of music that you can actually start to understand the theory of it.
Question: “The classes are at a super inconvenient time. Can I just watch the replays?”
If you’re in Europe, I’m really sorry – the classes ARE basically in the middle of the night for you, so I wouldn’t blame you for not wanting to be up and about and playing bass.
However, if you can’t make any of the live calls, then this isn’t a good fit and I don’t recommend you join. I’ll be getting students to do exercises, giving feedback on the spot and doing a lot of things that just won’t translate to watching a recording.
For the pilot program, I’m really looking for people who can commit to making it to all the live classes (or at least the majority of them). If that is you, then that’s great, but if not, it may be better for you to wait for a self-paced, non-live version of this kind of program.
Question: “I play ‘x-music’. Will this work for me?”
The principles of soloing don’t really change drastically from one style to another. Learn the language of soloing and you can apply it to whatever kind of music you want.
Of course every style will have its own specific dialect and vocabulary, but learn the foundational principles of improvising and you will have no troubles soloing in any style you want to play.
Like I said before, this pilot program is NOT about creating immense 12-minute bass solo odysseys – it’s about taking your first steps soloing. Think about things like playing through a form of a 12-bar blues or being able to play something at a moment’s notice when you get ‘the nod’.
It also doesn’t matter if you play electric bass, upright bass or a Kala U-Bass. The principles will be exactly the same for each different instrument.
