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Learn Music - StudyBass®
Step-by-Step Bass Lessons
- Start from zero.
- Lessons are organized and guide you from the beginning.
- Lessons are ordered and paced based on 30 years of teaching thousands of private bass students.
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- Create a free account and start learning how to play the bass and music.
Your Bass Teacher
I'm Andrew Pouska. Welcome to StudyBass. I love bass, music and teaching it. I have taught thousands of bass players face-to-face for 30 years. In 2003 I created StudyBass to help bass players everywhere learn. Contact me for private bass lessons.The Latest on StudyBass
StudyBass 20th Anniversary!
StudyBass just turned 20 years old! That's right 20! Read more here: StudyBass 20th Anniversary!
What's New On StudyBass?
The New Quiz App
I've developed a much more sophisticated quiz app to test your knowledge of the lessons. Read about Testing and the New StudyBass Quiz App.
The New Study Guide
The new Study Guide is now live! StudyBass Study Guide
This is a big deal. I can start moving forward with many of the projects which are waiting in the wings! Woo-hoo!
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I Appreciate Your Support
I couldn't continue this project without user support. It's enough work for 10 people, but it's all just me. I, and many other bass players, truly appreciate your help keeping this alive.
Good luck with your musical pursuits,
Andrew Pouska
What's New on StudyBass?
Lessons
- The Musical Alphabet Quiz
- Major Keys on the Circle of Fifths Quiz
- The Order of Sharps and Flats Quiz
- Keys in Music Quiz
- The I, IV, and V Chords Quiz
- Relative Major and Minor Scales Quiz
- The Elements of Music Quiz
- The 12-Bar Blues Form Quiz
- Minor Scale Diatonic Chord Qualities Quiz
- Basic Intervals Quiz
- Up and Down Quiz
- Pitch Notation Quiz
- Key Signatures Quiz
- Rhythmic Notation Quiz
- Time Signatures Quiz
- Shuffle and Swing Rhythms Quiz
Videos
- Counting Off Songs
- Introducing the StudyBass Music Dictionary - Video Format
- Active Recall and Spaced Repetition
- Common Beat Terms
- Viewing Your Progress
- Simple and Compound Meters; Duple and Triple Meters
- Meter and Musical Accents
- Truss Rods and Replacing a Stripped Truss Rod Nut
- About Music Theory
- Grace Notes
- Slides
- Pull-Offs
- Hammer-Ons
8va
abbreviation of ottava alta; play what is written an octave above. This is done to put the notes on the staff instead of on ledger lines where reading is less comfortable. Often seen in bass music using the higher range of the bass.
More from the StudyBass Dictionary
One of the most profound lessons I've learned from listening to classical music is not to get locked into a diatonic approach -- all 12 tones of the chromatic scale are equally important.
—Anthony Jackson