Take it from my student Stephen: This is how you know… that you know modes! My student Steve was kind enough to let me post this from a recent lesson. This is him presenting a homework assignment on modes. And as he was doing that I asked him to turn into the teacher. When we first

Got a request to answer this question about pick use. What do you think? Do you play with a pick? Your fingers? Both? Why?   Read Ariane Cap‘s answer to Why is it looked down upon when a bass player uses a pick? on Quora

Check it out, one of the questions I get a lot is “How much time do I need to devote to practice?” Most folks expect my answer to be something like “6 hours/day minimum, 7 days/week… ya know: eat, sleep and drink the bass, right?” But the truth is a lot can be achieved by

Grab your gear, we’re headed to the gym! This workout does your fretting fingers good. Especially the little one of the bunch… The Pinkie! We cannot address the fourth/fifth finger separation problem often enough! They just do not like to move separately! And to make matters worse,, the pinkie is by far the weakest of

In case you haven’t heard yet… Music Theory for the Bass Player – The Course now comes in a bit of a more relaxed version: you get more time per unit.   When you sign up for our Course, Music Theory for the Bass Player, you receive new material at a weekly schedule. We set

I have heard these sentiments about the magic of music over and over: Doesn’t “knowing” get in the way of pure “feeling”!? Aren’t you constantly analyzing when you know theory? Doesn’t knowing what you are doing take the magic out of playing? And on and on people go, assuming that somehow knowing what you are

Is “Practicing More Bass” one of your New Year’s Resolutions? It’s that time of the year again when we once again decide that “next year” will be the year we: shed a few pounds hit the gym three times a week eat more veggies and of course, practice five hours every day and sound like Jaco

Strapped for answers about strap length? How low can you go? Down Low for Maximum Cool Factor Picture this: Headbanging on stage, the bassist pounding the strings hard – sometimes with his fist – he’s loving it and the audience is feeling it! The bass hangs low – so low you can barely see his

My favorite Christmas song – Silent Night – for solo bass Learn it now! Enjoy my solo bass rendition of my favorite Christmas song which also happens to have been written by a fellow Austrian. I have two versions for you – an easier one and a tougher one. First, here is the tougher one:

It’s that time of the year again… sales everywhere. I get the allure (and often necessity) of them, believe me! We used to offer them, too, for the course: Black Friday, Memorial Day, July 4th… …but we don’t do these types of sales anymore. For a bunch of reasons. The main one being that this

A Quoran asked about pentatonic scales in instrumental solos, I answered. It is a good question. Did you, for example, know that the pentatonic scale is a slice right out of the cycle of fifths? Just stack four fifths on top of each other and there is your major pentatonic (well, you have to put them

Practice with a Purpose! Related article: Why “Just keep playing is not working!” Are you a “weekend warrior” looking to up your game, but always pressed to find time to practice? Or maybe you’re just starting out and not sure where to begin when it comes to practicing?  In both situations, you may find yourself

Okay, so let’s say you are learning a song. Here is the usual approach: You decide to figure out the right notes as a first step to learning the song. So you: check out the TAB (a discussion for another time), or have the guitar player show you, or find a bass cover on youtube.com

Want a sneak-peek? Check it out! The new Platform is now OPEN! Tuition going up October 20th! Enroll now and SAVE! ENROLL NOW

Current Course Participants  Yes, I have kept my promise to you – whether you were an early bird or signed up any other time with any plan – you got grandfathered in! All the new features, no increase. This is my thank you to early adopters and loyal course ninjas! You already received an email with

Obsessed with Your Success
And we are incredibly proud to unveil course 2.0 – now open on the new platform!
To say we are obsessed with making this course the best it can be so you will excel on the bass is an understatement: since November 2017, I and the A-team have been tweaking, creating, re-creating, testing, pulling our hair out, testing and enhancing yet again. Night-shifts and lots of coffee!

It was three years ago in September when I had finally finished Music Theory for the Bass Player! And it had taken me just as long to write it! Many writing retreats to carve out time, even students giving me their keys to summer homes and huts so I could work without distraction… rounds and

It’s an American Dream story for sure…. The desire to study music in the American tradition brought me to this country. Then the dream of entrepreneurship blossomed and possibilities galore opened up. Thank you, America, for welcoming me! And thanks to Rich Freedman for a great interview, published in the Vallejo Times Herald!

“C’mon Ari, how you say I should do this exercise for only three minutes – I haven’t even scratched the surface!” Well, actually, if you do it right, that is really all the time you need for the type of practice I have in mind. And when you do it right, you will make more

We are getting all Shakespearean here but it is indeed that deep (ha!) of a question: To Fill or not to Fill? Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to be content always staying in the background or to take arms and make a fitting statement? Whether it’s worth the risk of getting chastised (or fired)