Online bass lessons teaching music through the bass

Who Is StudyBass For?

StudyBass is for bass guitar players who want to understand what they’re playing.

Pick what sounds most like you, and I'll tell you how StudyBass will help you.

• expand_more I'm a total beginner.

  Welcome to bass-playing! You're going to love the bass.

  The beginning is the hardest part, and I take the responsibility of teaching beginners very seriously.

  The two keys to getting beyond beginner are:

      1) consistent practice
      2) the right material

  Remember, everyone you see playing was once exactly where you are, and you can do it too.

  I have designed StudyBass to keep you focused and motivated.

  What you'll get with StudyBass:

  • • Confidence knowing tens of thousands started with these same lessons
  • • Music and bass basics, step by step from zero
  • • Bass skills that prepare you to play with others
  • • A perspective on music that will guide your lifetime of learning

  Start at the Study Guide
• expand_more I can play songs and tabs, but I don't understand the "why."

  Learning songs is an essential part of becoming a bass player.

  When you learn the rhythmic and harmonic principles behind the basslines, you will learn and memorize them at a much faster rate.

  StudyBass will open your eyes and ears to how music and the bass work.

  While music theory can seem intimidating at first, you'll find that a handful of basic principles drive most music. And those are the building blocks for everything else.

  What you'll get with StudyBass:

  • • The "why" behind what you're playing
  • • Recognize musical patterns you've played in the songs you know
  • • Put your knowledge to work in your own creations and improvisations
  • • Learn songs faster and with less effort by understanding the theory behind them

  Start at the Study Guide
• expand_more I'm in a band. I want to do more.

  Great! You already have one of the hardest-to-develop skills there is—holding a band together.

  A live setting is the perfect place to apply and explore the StudyBass lessons. Learning notation, note patterns, keys, chord tones, why they all work will give you a lot of new sounds and ideas to play with.

  You might need to tweak some technique, change some habits, learn some theory (finally learn those fretboard note names mmm-hmm), but you have an indispensable foundation for learning more and experimenting.

  I suggest a starting from the beginning of the Study Guide. The concepts and vocabulary build progressively. If you jump around, you can miss some essential ideas. If a lesson is way too easy, just move along.

  What you'll get with StudyBass:

  • • Create better basslines and fills, clean up your sound, tighten your rhythm
  • • Know what the band is talking about—charts, chords, keys, rhythms
  • • Feel prepared to improvise off of chord charts on sight
  • • Skills and confidence for those seemingly out-of-reach gigs

  Start at the Study Guide
• expand_more I'm starting again after a long break.

  Welcome back! I bet you’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I'm excited you're here.

  You may feel like you forgot everything, but remember you've been listening to music this whole time. That listening counts for a lot. The music has never left you.

  StudyBass will get your musical mind and fingers back in shape, and it'll come back faster than you expect.

  I suggest a fresh start from the beginning of the Study Guide. If something feels too easy, move along. You’ll fill old gaps, jog your memory, and get your fingers moving again.

  What you'll get with StudyBass:

  • • Rekindle your love of music and playing the bass
  • • Technique and theory insights you missed in the past
  • • Learn faster with study techniques you never knew
  • • Prepare you for playing bass with your longtime friends and bandmates

  Start at the Study Guide

Still not sure? Start at the Study Guide — it'll point you to your first lesson.