If you’re playing blues bass, one of the most sure-fire methods of getting ‘chewed out’ on the bandstand is messing up the chords or the form. Trust me – it happened to me once when I messed up the form on a slow blues. I’ve haven’t been that red-faced during a gig since. And while […]
How To Craft Bass Lines For Melodies
Back when I was in high school and starting to learn bass I had a guitarist friend who LOVED writing melodies and riffs for songs. The ideas just seemed to flow out of him, but nothing ever seemed to get finished. Every once in a while, he’d show me the songs and melodies he’d started […]
The Hybrid Funk Scale For Bass
What if I told you there was a ‘hybrid’ funk scale for bass and you could start using it today? One super common question I get asked is what scale should you use over funk music; or what scale will make you sound funky. What I usually say when I’m asked these kinds of questions […]
Chromatic Scale On Bass: How To Use It
The chromatic scale on bass – you’ve probably heard of it as some point, right? But how are you actually supposed to use it? While it’s possible to just go up and down the chromatic scale, it may not be the best option. Sure – there are some songs that do that, but what is […]
Blues Bass Turnarounds And Walk Ups
If you play for long enough, someone at some point is going to want to play a blues with you. It could be at a jam session, an open mic, at a real-world gig, or maybe just playing with your buddies on the weekend. Wouldn’t it be great if you had a whole bag of […]
5 (More) Beginner Bass Lines
About a year ago, I put out a lesson all about 5 beginner bass lines that got a huge response. Seriously – it’s the most watched video on the Become A Bassist YouTube channel so far. Lots of people loved it, but some were expecting some bass lines that weren’t in the video. One year […]
