Federico Malaman Slap Lesson

Just enjoy it. Don't be stress.

Solo over ii V I

A clear and simple way to learn soloing over ii V I by Daric Bennett.

Have fun!

Amazing Bass Techniques

Check out Nathan Navarro 40 techniques in one bass solo.

Nice bass as well.

Cheers

BackBeat

Hi,

I received this BackBeat wearable and portable rumble pack where you can feel the vibration as you play the bass. This is helpful especially for players who are using in-ear monitors.
This device is also a practice amp (like a headphone amp) where you can carry it anywhere.
A nice case, a charger, and an instrument cable are given when you order the BackBeat. 

Have fun.

Sire Marcus Miller V9 Bass

I had the privilege of trying the Sire Bass V9 and is amazed by the tone.

This bass uses 18v battery with 3 band EQ and the option of choosing passive or active.

The top plate of the body is covered with solid maple top and quilted veneer over the ash body.

A beautiful Jazz bass at an attractive price.

Give it a try!

Nice Chops by Ida

Enjoy the playing of Ida Nielsen.

Helpful walking bass lesson

Hi,

Check this out.

Apply these formulas and there you go.

Cheers!

Melvin Lee Davis' Bass Tip

Such a nice and groovy bass line.

Enjoy!

Bass Tone - Jeff Berlin

Hi,

This is a good tips by Jeff Berlin.

Tone is subjective.

Hope this helps.

Great is the Lord - Which bass do you like?

Hi,

In this video, Timon played excellently demonstrating three different basses.

Which is your favourite bass?

Enjoy!

Improvisation with Chord Tone

Hi,

It is great to watch Malaman Federico playing bass.

Check this video.

Enjoy.

Rich Brown - Solo on ii V I

Hi,

This video is helpful.

Have fun.

One Chord Jam - Nathan East

Good stuff by Nathan East and Paul Gilbert.

Simple but helpful.

Have fun!

Nice Voicings on Bass

Hi,

Try this lesson by Rufus Philpot playing chords on bass.

Enjoy!

Annie Clements 60s Jazz Bass

Hi,

Check this out.

Good old Fender.

Cheers.

Abraham Laboriel Groove

Just for enjoyment!

Alex Lofoco - Me and my bass guitar lesson (Victor Wooten)

Good lesson.

Although he is using a fretless bass but the concept is the same on fretted bass.

Enjoy

Play Chords - Janek Gwizdala

Hi,

Another helpful lesson by Janek.

Enjoy!

Secondary Dominants

Hi,

This is a good video to learn about secondary dominants.

Learn the progression and try it on the bass.

Cheers!

Making Music Your Career - Damian Erskine

Hi,

This is a good read for those who are thinking of becoming a full time musician.

Do read this before jumping into it.

http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2017/09/06/making-music-your-career/

Cheers,

Chord Tone on Bass - Joe Hubbard

Hi,

This is advance to me.

Have fun!

Groove Lesson - Damian Erskine

Hi,

Check out this groove lesson using an Am Pentatonic.

Have fun!

Rufus Philpot - Practice Tips

Hi,

Check out this lesson by Rufus Philpot

Have fun.

Improvise over ii V I using Minor Pentatonic

Hi,

Another good lesson by Adam Nitti.

Nice playing need not be complicated.

Cheers

Simple Nice Minor Pentatonic Lesson

Hi,

Check this out.

Nice groove!

Enjoy.

How to improvise a solo - Marcus Miller

Hi,

Check out this lesson by Marcus Miller.

Have fun!

Tap Bass - Stu Hamm

Hi,

This is a good lesson to start learning tapping on bass.

Simple and nice.

Enjoy!

Funk tips

Hi,

Check out this video by Andre Berry.

Have fun.

Sequencing Exercise

Hi,

This is a helpful exercise by Adam Nitti.

This is better than practicing major scale up and down the frets.

Happy practicing!

In-ear Monitors

Hi,

In-ear monitors are getting quite common in the band.

Check out this simple video that shares when we need it.

There are digital ones in the market now.

Have fun!

Dave Larue Slap Bass Example

Hi,

Check out a sample from Dave Larue's DVD.

A nice "click" sound to give that snare drum feel.

Add that Pentatonic scale in and you got it!

Have fun.

One Chord Walking Bass

Hi,

This lesson by Jim is worth watching. I benefited from it.

Your walking bass will surely improve.

Give it a try.

cheers!

Malaman's Improvisation

Hi,

In this video, Federico Malaman improvised over C D Em9 chords.

 

Simply amazing!

Enjoy.

Capo on Bass

Hi,

Capo is a good friend of guitarists but can we bass players use it?

Check out this video by Adam Neely.

 

Have fun with the cool tips.

Cheers.

Don't Overplay - Worship Band Workshop

Hi,

This is a good demo in a Worship band setting about over playing.

Less is more!

Cheers.

Cool Young Female Bass Players

Hi,

Like to introduce three young cool female bass players.

1.

Mohini Dey from India (Mumbai) influenced by dad (Sujoy Dey) who plays the bass. She started learning bass at a young age of 3 and by 10 she is already doing concerts and recordings.

2.

Tal Wilkenfeld from Australia was voted "The Year's Most Exciting New Player" in a Bass Player Magazine in 2008. She supported musicians such as Jeff Beck, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and others.

3.

 Alissia Benveniste born in Geneva is "funk newcomer with some serious skills and impressive co-signs", according to Huffing Post. Check out her "Let it Out" Live at Berklee College of Music.

Man in the Mirror

Hi,

A nice bass cover by Andres Rotmistrovsky.

Enjoy!

Slap Bass Secret #1 - Miki Santamaria

Hi,

I believe you will benefit from this Slap Bass Secret by Miki Santamaria.

Nice tone too.

Cheers!

Bebop Lessons

Hi,

Check out this lesson by Tony Grey on Bebop.

Have fun!

Funkulator Slap Bass Tone Shaper

Hi,

Just received this Funkulator Slap Bass Tone Shaper from a friend.

A good tool to get if you want to achieve a crunchy slap tone.

Have fun!

Bass Soloing

Hi,

Check out this video by Bugra on soloing and his choice of strings.

I use D'addario strings too.

Music is a language.

Hope you learn something.

Cheers

My First Bass Video

Hi,

Even though this is a starter series but there are some advance concept in this video.

It is available in DVD as well.

I was surprised I still have the VHS.

Cheers!

Bb7 Blues Walking Bass Line

Hi,

Another great lesson by Jeff Berlin on walking Blues bass line.

Have fun.

Cheers!

Slap Bass - Think like a drummer

Hi,

Happy New Year.

Some of us are familiar with the para diddle drum pattern.

A few bassists have utilize it onto the bass and in this video Stu Hamm demonstrated how it works.

Have some Funk!

Joe Hubbard Bass Lessons

Hi,

Joe Hubbard is the teacher of Pro bassists.

In this lesson, he will share some cool ideas of improvisation in the style of James Jamerson.

Take your bass and give it a try!

Federico Malaman & Anton Davidyants

Hi all,

I really enjoy watching Federico Malaman on the bass.

Check out this cool video of the duet.

Be inspired!

Major 7 Chord Tones with Approach Notes - Jeff Berlin

Hi,

This is a useful lesson by Jeff Berlin.

Hope the exercise can help you.

 

Have fun!

What's Going On - Bass Track

Hi,

I have just edited this post because the version by Thundercat was removed on youtube.

Check out this version of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" just bass track by original bassist James Jamerson.

This is a good tune for all bass player to learn.

Give it a try.

Cheers.

Marcus Miller Sire Bass Interview

"Nowadays its so important to put instruments in young people's hands."

Enjoy!

Pentatonic Ideas

Hi,

Adam Nitti shared a concept of playing the 2nd and the 5th when improvising over a minor chord.

For example, instead of playing a C minor pentatonic scale over a C minor chord, you can also play the D minor and G minor pentatonic scale over the C minor chord.

Check out his video below for further explanation:

Another thought came to me is to use the F major Pentatonic (which is the same notes as D minor pentatonic) and the Bb Major Pentatonic (which is the same notes as G minor pentatonic).

Have fun!

Bass Lesson - Norm Stockton

Hi,

Some good advise from Norm Stockton.

Emotion instead of intellectual.

Happy grooving!

The Sun Don't Lie

This album by Marcus Miller was released in 1993.

There are 11 tracks and I recommend all bass players to listen.

Some of the techniques used by Marcus here are widely heard by many other players now.

Enjoy!

Sunday Morning (Maroon 5)

Hi,

 Sunday Morning by Maroon 5 is a nice and simple song using ii V I progression.

 There is an interesting part at the bridge portion.

Listen to the audio to follow the timing of the line.

Have fun!

Bass and Vocals

Hi,

Singing with guitar and keyboard is beautiful but what about with just one bass?

Cheers!

Slap on Flat Wound Strings

Hi,

Most of us will probably be using Round Wound strings especially if you are into slapping.

I chance upon this video of Alex Lofoco where he slaps on Flat Wound strings.

In this video he used a Laurus Quasar T900 XR bass. I first saw this brand by another incredible bassist - Federico Malaman.

Enjoy!

Mixolydian Scale

Hi,

Mixolydian scale is an useful scale to use over dominant chords and in the Blues genre.

The scale degree is as followed: 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 

So if you are playing over a C7 chord, you can use the C Mixolydian scale which is also the 5th mode of the F major scale. 

C Mixolydian: C D E F G A Bb 

You can also play the C Mixolydian scale over C9, C11 and C13.

Try the C Mixolydian scale over a Fmaj7 chord too.

Have fun. 

Roland Micro Cube Bass RX

The Roland Micro Cube Bass RX been around for at least 6 years and definitely a good amp to have if you need something that is battery powered.

Beside being portable, the built in tuner, amp modeling and drums machine are other reasons to check out the Roland Micro Cube Bass RX.

Enjoy!

Whole Tone Scale

Hi,

Some of you may come across chords like C7#5 or C7b5.

What scale should you play over? You can try the Whole Tone Scale.

C Whole Tone Scale - C D E F# G# Bb

The scale degree - C (1) D (9) E (3) F# (b5) G# (#5) Bb (b7)

It will also work for C9#5 and C9b5.

Cheers,

Bobby Vega

I think all bass players should check out Bobby Vega.

He is currently working for EMG pickups as a representative and clinician.

His playing is very funky and he can use the pick, finger or thumb.

Enjoy!

Isn't She Lovely - Bass Chords

This is a simplify version of the bass tutorial I saw for Victor Wooten's version of Isn't She Lovely.

The aim is to try the beautiful voicing of the chords on bass.

Enjoy!

Run For Cover - Marcus Miller

Hi,

This is how I would play "Run For Cover" by Marcus Miller.

I think his version is more complicated. This is just the first part.

It is a fun piece to attempt.

Give it a try.

Sir Duke

Hi all,

This is a good exercise for practicing arpeggios.

The basic intro of Stevie Wonder's Sir Duke (not 100% accurate).

Enjoy!

Aeolian Scale - Sinister Minister

Hi,

Practicing scales can be a boring process but if it is musical, you can enjoy the exercise.

When you practice this tune Sinister Minister by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (Victor Wooten), you are actually practicing the Aeolian Scale too.

You can either pluck or thumb. The x is the mute which gives the groovy feel.

Give it a try.

Cheers!

FretWraps - GRUV GEAR

Most of us bassists who watched Victor Wooten talks about using the hair tie to mute the string would probably borrow one from our female friend or spouse to give it a try.

Now with the Fretwraps by GRUV GEAR, we can save the trouble and get a better control of our playing. This adjustable strap dampen the string and cut away unwanted ringing. Definitely worth get one especially if you are into tapping.

Give it a try!

Keys to Improvise

Hi,

I probably copy this from somewhere when I was doing my research on improvisation some years ago. Check it out.

1. Listen to what you want to learn (genre).
2. Learn the melody.
3. Play the 3rd, 5th, 7th of every chord - don't start on the root note.
4. Transcribe a solo or melodic fragments, Learn or transcribe all or part of a solo. Pick one that is attractive to ear and playable.
5. Soloing is a language, just like talking. Let the music breathe.

Hope this is helpful.

Blue Bossa Feel

Hi,

This is a simple ii V I exercise in key of D with a Blue Bossa Feel.

You can repeat this loop again and again. This exercise uses a lot of 5th.

Go listen to the actual Blue Bossa and check out the actual chord progression and practice it.

It will be something like this: Cm7 Fm7 Dm7(b5) G7 Cm7 and etc.

Have Fun!

Circuit Breaker Instrument Cable

The circuit breaker instrument cable by Planet Waves is very useful. Before using this cable, whenever I need to plug out to check my tuning (not using clip on), I need to turn off the volume and on it again when ready. With the circuit breaker, just press the button and it will cut the signal.

Also "Planet Waves Cables utilize the latest technologies to ensure low capacitance and impenetrable shielding. Lower cable capacitance allows your instrument's brilliance, presence and character to be transmitted to the amp ensuring that the signal going into the cable comes out of the cable with the utmost transparency."

Forgetting the technical terms, this cable helps to give a good tone.
If you are looking for new cables, why not give this a try. You may like it.

Diatonic Chords Walk Down

Hi,

An exercise to help practice our Arpeggio but in a more interesting way.

We will walk down the diatonic chords in a C major scale in the 5713 pattern.

I resolved back to the C note when we reached the first few frets.

You can practice walking up and changing the pattern as well.

This is a good way to expand our solo capabilities too.

Have fun!

BeatBuddy: Revolutionary new pedal for bassists

Hi, a new pedal is launching and I think this will help us bassists. Support the product! Check out the demo video at http://mybeatbuddy.com.

Check out the press release:

Miami Beach, FL (Dec. 16, 2013) -- It is a rare occurrence that a company releases a musical device that is truly innovative and grants musicians previously unobtainable abilities. Singular Sound announces the launch of their crowdfunding campaign to begin the production of the BeatBuddy -- the first guitar pedal drum machine.  

“Drummers are hard to come by, and drum sets are even harder to carry,” said David Packouz, Founder, “and drum machines are practically useless for jamming or live performance. The BeatBuddy is the first product to solve this fundamental problem. It's the power of a drum machine, but the simplicity of a pedal.”

Features of the BeatBuddy include:

• Hands-free live control of the beat: Inserts fills, transitions from verse to chorus, adds accent hits (e.g. cymbal crashes or hand claps)

• Pre-loaded with 10 drum sets and over 200 songs

• Any custom beat or drum set can be loaded through included computer software
• MIDI Sync: Integrates with other MIDI devices
• Convenient small single-pedal format

In addition, Singular Sound will host a forum in which BeatBuddy users can upload and share their custom beats and drum sets. The BeadBuddy is not just a pedal -- it’s a platform.

The BeatBuddy will retail for $350(USD), but early birds who help fund the production through Singular Sound’s Indiegogo campaign will be able to score one for as little as $179 (USD). However, that price will only be available for the first 500 supporters.

For further information on the BeatBuddy and to back the project today, visit: igg.me/at/BeatBuddy

Media contact:

David Packouz, Founder/CEO

david@mybeatbuddy.com

305-793-3413

Half Step Below

Hi,

This is a nice exercise to practice your Arpeggio and making it sound more interesting and a little jazzy.

Just add a note half step before your chord tone.

The above outline a Gmaj7 chord.

Try playing the exercise over a Gmaj7 chord and hear how it sound.

You can also try a whole step before your chord tone.

Have fun!

Good Tone

Hi,

Recently I've been thinking about achieving a nice tone in my playing. Some people said it's the player and not the gear. I personally think it's both.

I would like to list down a few factors that may affect the tone.

1. Player's control (fretting & plucking)
2. Bass with good action
3. Experiment with the knobs. Which pick ups to use, preamp and etc
4. Pluck near neck pick up or near bridge pick up
5. Better pick ups
6. Good bass amp
7. Parametric EQ (and other effects)
8. String brand & gauge
9. Wood (body & neck)
10. Neck through or Bolt on

Hope you can get the tone you want for your genre.

Cheers

Small hands

Hi,

For those who are like me with small hands, this article is for you.

Ibanez bass is famous for their slim neck and comes with good wood and electronics.

The above is an Ibanez SR 500 with Mahogany body and Bartolini pick ups.

Since the neck is slim, I can play faster and the bass is 24 frets, which makes it easier to play higher up the neck.

The pricing is not high compared with basses with similar specifications.

Do check it out in the music store near you.

Cheers! 

ii V Sub

Hi,

I was reading on adding substitute chords to the static V7 chords.

Let's learn some simple Jazz together.

Say we have a progression like this: Eb |Eb |D7 |D7 |Eb |Eb |C7 |C7 |

We can use the ii V substitute to make it more interesting.

It will become like this: Eb |Eb |Am7 |D7 |Eb | Eb |Gm7| C7|

The reverse is true. So if you have a progression like Am7 D7, it can become D7 D7.

Have fun!

Chromatic with Double Stop

Hi,

Just want to show a simple exercise with a combination of chromatic notes and double stop.

Basically you can loop this exercise and add your own notes.

The low E note with the double stop will give you a nice E chord.

Enjoy!

Slap Arpeggio - Mark King

Hi,

This exercise helps you to play "Lessons in love" by Level 42.

The chords are G B7 Em C.

The challenge is to get a consistent sound when slapping the arpeggio.

Have fun!

Funk Groove - James Brown

Hi,

This bass exercise is inspired by the song 'Give it up or turn it loose' by James Brown.

You may want to listen to the track and get a feel before trying the exercise.

You can slap this exercise if you want. Important is the feel.

Hope you like it.

Cheers

Double Thumb Exercise

Hi,

Bass players like Larry Graham, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten and etc often use the double thumb technique.

This is a nice and simple exercise for you to practice the double thumb technique.

Saw Uriah Duffy did something like this and it sounded like Jaco's lines.

Give it a try.

Have fun!

Diminished Arpeggio

Hi,

This lesson was something that I learn from watching Janek Gwizdala's video.

It is a 2 octave diminished arpeggio. I used G diminished for the below example.

You only need to use your index and pinky to play the exercise.

I find it interesting and fun.

Hope you like it.

Using 5th

Hi,

This is a lesson that I learn from watching Damian Erskine's video, but simplified.

Starting from the G note on the 3rd fret of the E string, you play the 5th interval.

You can use it as a quick riff when in the key of G.

Notice that all the notes are in G major scale.

The pattern sounds nice because you are outlining the 9th chord.

Have fun and experiment.

DI Box

DI box or Direct Input Box is frequently used to connect our bass or amp into the mixer. The box helps to balance the signal and reduce noise or distortion.

Since I use my bass amp as my monitor, the connection will be for the bass to line in into the DI box, 

DI box will have a link to the input of the amp. The DI box output (XLR) will go into the mixer.

Hope this information is useful.

Cheers

Sequencing Exercise

Hi,

Practicing scales can become monotonous after a while.

Sequencing exercises help to make scales sound more musical and interesting.

The above is a sequencing exercise for A major scale.

You can practice ascending and descending or different numbers of sequences.

Have fun!

Altered Major Chord

Hi,

A common alteration on the major chord is to add a #11.

The formula of a Cmaj7#11 is 1 3 5 7 #11

#11 is to raise the 4th degree by half step.

4th in C is a F. Raise half a step is F#.

So the chord tone in a Cmaj7#11 is C E G B F#.

You can easily improvise over the Cmaj7#11 with the C major Pentatonic or Lydian scale.

Have Fun!

Simple Chord Tone Solo

Hi,

Ever thought of starting a song with some simple solo bass lines?

The easiest way is to play chord tone (1 3 5 7) at a higher register.

Playing the guide tone (3rd, 7th) is a good way to solo.

You can practice soloing over a ii V I progression.

If we are in the key of D, you will have Em7 A7 Dmaj7.

Find the chord tones around the 12th fret or higher and experiment.

Most people will tell you to avoid playing the root note when you solo.

So find the 3rd and 7th note of each chord.

Em7 - G D
A7 - C# G
Dmaj7 - F# C#

When you are comfortable, slowly add other notes in the D major scale as your passing notes.

Have fun trying.

Simple Bossa Nova

Hi,

We are going to try playing Bossa Nova on the bass.

You can also try a simple progression like Gmaj7 Cmaj7 Gmaj7 Am7 D7 Gmaj7.

There are more complicated Bossa Nova progression that you can discover on the web.

Enjoy and have fun.

Rhythm Slap

Hi,

This rhythmic exercise can give our slapping a drumming feel.

 




The pattern is TPTT | slTPT

Just try it slow and repeat the pattern.

T is thumb (slap)
P is Pluck (pop)
sl is to slap the fretboard using your fretting hand

If you are having difficulties with the above pattern, my suggestion is to try one pattern first.

E.g. TPTT | TPTT - repeat or slTPT | slTPT - repeat

Some Bass Players to listen to for such slapping are:

1. Mark King
2. Anthony Wellington
3. Alexis Sklarevski
4. Yoshihiro Naruse (Casiopea)

Have fun.

First Inversion

Hi,

We will be playing the first inversion for a ii V I progression in C.

The tabs are below and very easy to follow.

You can use that as a simple walking bass line.








The concept is simple but the music is great.

Have fun.

Approach Notes

Hi,

This exercise shows you how to approach the chord tone from one note below.

We will use the C chord for this exercise. The notes in a C chord are C E G.






Your playing will sound more jazzy using this method.

Have fun!

Palm Mute

Hi,

Palm muting is a guitar technique to muffle the strings slightly.
To achieve this sound, place your palm just over the saddles on the bridge.
Most of the time I use my thumb to play the notes but bass player like Gary Willis will include his index and middle finger.
You can create the pedal rock sound using the palm mute technique.

Have fun.

Parametric EQ

Hi,

I am not technical enough to explain the function of a Parametric EQ but just share with you what I use.

I have been using the Yamaha NE-1 Parametric EQ for many years and I must say that it is a helpful tool to get a good tone on my bass. Once you use it, you will not want to do without it.

Usually a Parametric EQ device consists of 3 main elements: frequency, level and bandwidth.
The above NE-1 is easy to use because I just need to select either Deep or Shallow and adjust the frequency to my liking.

For those who are more technical, you can try out some units with two bands of Parametric EQ which is more precise. Some bass amps and mixing boards have build-in Parametric EQ as well.

You can research further if you are keen to understand the technology.

Major Pentatonic Scale

Hi,

Pentatonic scale is one of the favorite scales for guitarists and bassists.

This is another way of playing the major pentatonic scale fast (esp slapping).

The above is a G major pentatonic scale and you can play that over a Gmaj7, Em7 or Am7.

If you have a smart phone, you can try to download this application called 'Chordbot'.

This app allowed you to key in any chords for self practice.

Chordbot Lite is free and if you like it so much, you can download the full version at a nominal fee.

Have fun!

Tritone Bassline in Blues

Hi,

In the previous lessons, we learn about how tritone works.

Now we want to create a bassline using tritone in a blues setting.

In the key of G, the 1 4 5 blues progression is G7 C7 D7.

After holding the G note for one bar, you can try the lick below.

The lick combines the notes of a G7 chord and it's tritone (Db7).






Don't worry about getting the right timing for now. Once you are familiar with the lick then work on the timing.

You can apply the same concept for the C7 and D7 chord.

Have fun.

How Tritone Substitute Works

Hi,

We will be learning more about tritone substitute in this lesson.

In key of C, ii V I is Dm7 G7 Cmaj7

Tritone substitute also known as flat 5 substitute, will replace the dominant chord,

in this case, the G7 and replace it with Db7.

The new progression will be Dm7 Db7 Cmaj7.

The notes in a Db7 are Db, F, Ab and B

It is actually a G7 alter chord - G7(b9)#11 (with G as the root)

This is the reason why we could use a Db7 instead of G7.

Hope its clear.

Cheers

Drop 2 Voicing

Hi,

Want to find more ways to play chords on bass?

Let's try out the drop 2 voicing.

The interval of a major chord is - 1 3 5 7

For drop 2 voicing it will be - 5 1 3 7

So if we are looking at a Cmaj7 chord - C E G B

The drop 2 degree will be - G C E B

This is slightly different from the 2nd inversion - 5 7 1 3 (G B C E)

Hope this helps.

cheers

Improvisation Tips

Hi,

Happy 2012!

Anthony Wellington did a clinic for Aguilar and he was sharing some soloing tips.

First you loop this chord progression: Am7 (A C E G) Bm7 (B D F# A) Em7 (E G B D)

If you do not have a looper maybe can ask your guitar or keyboard friend to play.

Instead of thinking arpeggio or modes for each chord, just try to hear and play within the
G major Scale (G A B C D E F#).

Some notes may not sound that nice over the chords, so shift around and hear.

You can explore more ways but this is something that even a beginner can try.

Have fun!

C Major Scale Slapping Groove

Hi,

Recently I was playing around with my bass and came out with this simple exercise which sounded quite impressive when I slowly increased the tempo.





The notes from the above exercise are all in the C major scale.

Please note that the ghost note(x) is crucial for this exercise.
Make sure that you do not skip it.

(h) is hammered on. This technique will help you play fast when you slap.

Do practice this exercise using finger plucking as well.

Have fun!

Minor ii V i

Hi,

This is part 2 of using Chords to play ii V I

Instead of playing Dm7 G7 Cmaj7 which is ii V I,

for the minor ii V i, try Dm7(b5) G7 Cm7.

This is how a Dm7(b5) looks like on a 4 string bass.

---10----
---10----
---11----
---10----

I love the sound, hope you like it too.

Cheers

Tapping a Minor 9th Chord

Hi,

Bass player can play like a pianist on the fretboard by using the tapping technique.

This exercise will show you the arpeggio of a Gmin9 chord.

The notes are G on the 15th fret (E string), D on the 17th fret (A string), A on the 19th fret (D string) and Bb on the 15th fret (G string).








Use your left hand to tap the G note, followed by your right hand on the D and A note and the Bb with your right hand.

Beautiful sound!

Enjoy.

Using Chords to play ii V I

Hi,

A simple way of playing the ii V I progressions using chords on bass.








You will notice that the 5th is not used and you still get the jazz sound.

Have fun.

Chromatic Approach - Walking bass

Hi,

Chromatic approach note is where you play a note above or below the targeted note.

Here is an example of how we can play a common jazz progression with the chromatic approach.








The note inside the bracket is the chromatic note.

Hope this helps.

Have fun.

Double Tap

Hi,

Here is a simple double tap exercise to make the bass more interesting.






Use your right hand (index and middle) fingers to simultaneously press on the 12th fret D and G string. Play around with rhythmic patterns.

Hope this exercise will help you explore more ways to create music with bass.

Cheers